Today, I want to talk about making proper communication with God.

The first thing God did after creating human beings was to communicate with them. In Genesis 1:28, God spoke, and people listened; conversely, people spoke, and God listened. Speaking and listening are active communication methods that God uses to build trusting relationships with people.

In Genesis 2:16-17, it says, “And the Lord God commanded the man. ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” The main purpose of this communication was to convey correct information to Adam, increase his knowledge about God, and tell him what to do and what not to do.

The Way to Communicate with God

God is constantly trying to communicate with us to give us all kinds of wisdom and knowledge about Him. If we properly use our ability to communicate with God, we can experience how God speaks to us. I will share with you three proper attitudes for Christian so that you can have correct communication with God.

First, respect God when He speaks to you, and do not think that you are better than God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Trust in God because He never fails and always tells you to do the right thing.

Second, accept the message. When you hear the message, if it touches your conscience, you should accept it and store it in your heart. Then it will shine your way. When I was in Korea, I worked during the day and studied at night to earn my diploma in theology. One day, after an evening class, I often went to the house of prayer for a prayer vigil. One day, when I walked down from the house of prayer around at six in the morning, a lady who did a prayer vigil that day came to me and told me, “You will spread the gospel for all over the world.” She looked like she was over sixty, and I had never met her before.

However, I accepted that message as a message from God and stored it in my heart. That message guided my steps and led me to the States. I still have that message in my heart, so I don’t think the States is my final destination.

The last attitude is about reading the words of God and listening to the message. This is a proper Christian attitude because the Word of God is faithful, and it makes you wise. Psalm 19:7-8 says, “The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.” Christian wisdom and knowledge come from the Word of God.

The Danger of Communication

Active communication means listening and responding appropriately, but if you are not listening or responding carefully, you will not communicate well. Poor communication has its consequences. For example, I did not like non-verbal language communication because I did not have that kind of sense by nature. Sometimes, Lisa used to point out that I was insensitive to understanding her feelings.

She felt that I could not understand her cues. Sometimes, not all the time, I asked her, “Tell me what do you want me to do for you.” Her response is simple, “You don’t know what I want?” I said, “No, please tell me.” If I did not develop non-verbal communication skills, I could get into big trouble.

Accept new information and learn from it. It promises a better future. Otherwise, you will live in the past. Living in the past means having a lack of flexibility to accommodate new worlds and realities.

Example of Miscommunication in the Bible.

Let’s go back to John 1:43-51. These passages tell us why a good Christian stands or stays in the wrong spot with the right motivation. There was a man, and his name was Nathanael. Jesus recognized him as a right and sincere person because he was looking for the Messiah throughout his entire life. In verse 47, it says, “When Jesus saw Nathanael, he said, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’” Jesus saw everything that Nathanael had done was good, but the one mistake he made was looking in the wrong direction with the right motivation.

Why Do the Right People Go the Wrong Way?

Philip was Nathanael’s friend, and both were waiting for the Messiah. When Philip heard that Jesus was the Messiah, Philip went down to Galilee to see him and finally met Jesus Christ, the Messiah he had been looking for a long time. Likewise, Nathanael may have heard the same things Philip had heard, but he did not come down to Galilee to see Jesus because he had learned or heard that the Messiah should not be a Galilean.

Unfortunately, the information that Nathanael had heard was inaccurate. Actually, the Messiah had already come, but he didn’t recognize Him because he didn’t listen to the right information. So, why does the right person go the wrong way? The answer is because he/she does not listen to the correct information.

The Example of the Right Communication

In these passages, I can see two different characters. The first one is Nathanael, who heard the old information from people in society and looked for what he wanted. The other is Philip, who heard the news about Jesus and went to check. When Nathanael was troubled about this, Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

If you want to know Jesus deeper, “come and see.” Jesus Christ still tells Christians, “Come and see.”

Forest Gump Example

I believe that everyone knows the movie “Forest Gump.” My favorite quote from that movie is this: “My mama always said, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” In the film, He always does the right things and helps others because he believes what his mama said is the manual that he should follow. Likewise, the words of God in the Bible are our life manual to follow.

Conclusion

We live in a society overflowing with information. In order to live as a Christian in such a society, we must develop the ability to discern right from wrong and become a good communicator who delivers truthful information to people. This is my last word. Be like Philip, who always tried to come and see Jesus and spread the good news to other people. He was a good person with the right motivation and stood in the proper place to listen to the word of God.

What makes you and I faithful Christians who know the will of God? Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Please “come and see.”

2022.03.06. Pastor Cloud Poy

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