Speak John Doe

Sometimes we simply have to connect the dots. We have the knowledge, but it’s scattered in our brains like debris blowing in the wind. At times, we get lucky, we see the pieces come together, and it’s like a glorious epiphany.

So here’s the first piece of debris, the first dot: The Greek of the New Testament was Koine Greek. Koine was the common, everyday language. It wasn’t the elite language. It wasn’t the language of the empire. It was John Doe’s simple speech.

Here’s the second dot: In America, a lot of Christians speak Christianese. I wrote a blog about this one time (Christian Awkwardness). We hear words like sanctification, salvation, atonement, premillenialism, and we think if we use these words we sound really smart. But when the world hears us, they look at us dumbfounded. And so we say, “Well, it just proves the Scriptures. The spiritual man discerns spiritual things, but the carnal man is blind and cannot understand.” And John Doe looks at us and says, “No, you moron, I can see. You just can’t speak like a normal human being.”

Here’s the glorious epiphany: When you talk about Jesus with people, speak John Doe. Use words that make sense. God used relational words and pictures for us (Husband, Father, Friend, etc.); why can’t we do the same? Use pertinent data so the tech guy can process it. Be a spotter for the fitness junkies as they whip their spiritual bodies into shape. Use the arts as a medium to communicate the gospel, via movies, e-books, songs, pictures. Who knows? Perhaps you could even use a blog.

The options are endless. Be creative.

Here’s my two cents before I close: Think through your example before you give it a test-run. You’d feel like an idiot if you ran out of gas.

And the other cent: Think about the culture we live in—what are some of the most popular products or services? Google, Facebook, McDonalds, Apple, Amazon, WalMart, Skype, etc. And what are some of the buzzwords? What categories do we use? Technology, the economy, art, relationships, business, music, etc. How can those be incorporated in our explanations of the Gospel?