Spiritual discernment
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Straight to the Cross
In his book on Job, Mike brings another valuable
perspective to light.http://forthrightpress.com
COLUMN: FIELD NOTES
Spiritual discernment
by Michael E. Brooks
tinyurl.com/87nf7w6
"But the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. . .
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as
to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to
babes in Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1
NKJV).
Each time I return to South Asia, I am impressed anew
with the necessity of changing my approach to preaching
and teaching. Not only is general knowledge of the
Bible almost entirely lacking among the Hindus,
Buddhists and Muslims of these countries, but their
perspectives and goals are much different from those to
whom I normally speak in the United States.
The latter are more rigidly materialistic, preoccupied
with the body, its needs and desires.
It is not that Americans are necessarily more
spiritual, but their worldview at least allows for the
concept. More importantly, most of my preaching there
is to Christians, many of whom have been Christians for
a long time. Though this does not guarantee maturity
or spirituality, it does help the mindset and
perception.
This is not the case in many other places where
Christianity may be virtually unknown. Those who have
named Christ may be first generation Christians with no
prior knowledge of the Bible, and may have been
Christians only a short time.
It is also the case that other countries experience a
far greater level of poverty and want, making focus on
the material necessities more urgent. It is very
difficult to persuade someone of the many spiritual
blessings available in Christ when they have no
comprehension of the realm of spirituality.
Life is a matter of the here and now, the needs of the
moment. There is little thought or concern for the
future when one does not know where the next meal is
coming from.
These observations influence my appreciation for the
words of the apostle Paul quoted above. I understand
his frustration at the difficulty of explaining
necessary truths to people without the background
essential to understanding.
This same frustration is apparent in the letter to the
Hebrew Christians: "Of whom we have much to say and
hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing"
(Hebrews 5:11).
The speaker (or writer) has responsibilities to know
his audience and to adjust his presentation to their
capabilities and needs. This does not mean however that
he is free to change his message, or ignore necessary
content. His obligation remains to "preach the word" (2
Timothy 4:2).
In studying missionary methods, as well as preaching
effectiveness, I have sometimes seen the suggestion
that certain doctrines (for example baptism) be deleted
or at least deferred in cultures where there were
inherent obstacles to their being accepted.
The argument is made, "If burial is an obnoxious
concept, how can we expect to be effective when we
require it (even symbolically) at the onset of
Christian life? Should we not wait until the audience
is better able to accept it?" Or, when teaching
Muslims, "If the deity of Jesus is considered
blasphemy, why not emphasize his humanity and not force
the issue?"
The Christian evangelist (and that is every Christian)
is restricted in what he may teach (2 John 9-11;
Galatians 1:6-10). We are to "speak as the oracles of
God" (1 Peter 4:11).
Our faith has been delivered to the saints "once and
for all" (Jude 3). There are methods available to help
us reach a less spiritual audience, but some
responsibility remains with those who hear. Like the
various unproductive soils of Jesus' parable (Matthew
13:1-9) even good seed spread by a diligent farmer will
not produce in every situation into which it falls.
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