Saturday, October 5, 2024

Utterance and Knowledge: BOTH Are Gifts from God (1 Cor. 1:5)

Ya gotta love Paul's triplets -- faith, hope, love; weakness, fear, trembling; be joyful, be prayerful, be thankful, etc. But he's also got some great doublets, like this one I saw during my morning Bible study in 1 Corinthians 1 on a sunny morning at Bo's. 

Great communicators balance utterance and knowledge -- from the "words on your lips to the understanding in your hearts" (Phillips). 

It's not enough to subjectively understand the word of God. The truth must be voiced. And guess what? God provides both the knowledge and the articulation! That's why in Rom. 15:14 Paul could say he's convinced the Romans are "filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another" (CSB). I love how the Living Bible renders this: "You know these things so well that you are able to teach others about them."

Being an effective communicator (think, for example, of a pastor like Chuck Swindoll) involves not only knowledge but the skills to exchange information with clarity. Find a great communicator, and you will always find clear, concise, and compassionate communication. This includes body language. Communication is 55 percent nonverbal, 38 percent vocal (intonation and inflection), and 7 percent words. Fellow teachers, let's never forget this!

Teaching is giving out.

Communication is getting through

Have a wonderful evening!