Can You Hear Me Now?
Defrosting Communication, part 1 of 7
The heart of the communication matter is the state of our heart. Jesus said that when it comes to our words and communication, we speak those things that come from the abundance (or overflow) of our heart. Jesus said that like a tree bares fruit in keeping with its nature, we speak words in keeping with our own nature and condition of our own heart. In this opening message of the series we’ll look at how we can communicated from our heart in ways that get heard by teaching four important methods of balancing our communication so that we avoid the extremes on either end of four critical communication continuums. When we learn to balance our communication in these four critical ways, we will find that our message will be more clearly heard and more easily understood.
Download the notes.I) COMMUNICATION THAT CONNECTS
Balanced Communication That People Can Really Hear
1) Communicate by balancing ___GRACE__ & ___TRUTH__.
“The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14, see v.17)
“Let your conversation be gracious as well as sensible, for then you will have the right answer for everyone.”
(Colossians 4:6, LB)
Grace-Giver Truth-Teller
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2) Communicate by balancing ___TRUTH___ & ___LOVE___.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:15)
“If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more than blaring brass or crashing cymbal.”
(1 Corinthians 13:1, JB)
Love-Motivated Truth-Honoring
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3) Communicate by balancing __FACTS__ & __FEELINGS__.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”
(Proverbs 15:1-2)
[Jesus to Nicodemus] “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.”
(John 3:11)
Fact-Finder Feeling-Sensitive
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4) Communicate by placing _GOD’S_ words over _YOUR_ words.
“Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him [Jesus] in?’ ‘No one ever spoke the way this man does,’ the guards declared.”
(John 7:45-46)
[Jesus]:_”Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”_
(John 8:28)
Self-Centered God-Centered
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II) COMMUNICATION AT ITS CORE
* The heart of the communication matter is ultimately a matter of the __HEART__.
“A tree is identified by its fruit… For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. And I tell you this that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak.”
(Matthew 12:33a, 34c-36, NLT)