Issue 1593 – Flock of Flickers – November 5, 2024
Our backyard has been home to flocks of migrating birds for the past few days. There have been grackles, blackbirds, starlings, and a flock of flickers. I confess to enjoying the phrase “flock of flickers”; it just seems to roll off the tongue and be fun to say.
Words fascinate me. I often research the etymology of a word or phrase (its linguistic history … or, more simply, origins). For example, people frequently use the word disgruntled, which implies a state of being gruntled.
If disgruntled is unhappy or discontent, it would make sense that to be gruntled is to be content or happy. Sure enough, although the word is archaic and seldom used today. That’s precisely what it means.
Here’s what one site says about the origins of gruntled and disgruntled. “1938, in gruntled “pleased, satisfied,” a back-formation from disgruntled. The original verb (early 15c.) meant “to utter a little or low grunt,” hence “to murmur, complain” (1560s), but was rare or dialectal by 18c.”
Words are not only fascinating; they matter. A common source of conflict is people using the same words but understanding the terms differently.
For example, the LDS church uses the words God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but their understanding is radically different from that of the Christian faith.
The Roman Catholic tradition will say its followers are saved by grace, but their understanding of that term differs significantly from the Protestant traditions.
There was a time in Canada when the bulk of the country had some understanding of biblical terminology and Christian terms. That’s no longer true; we can no longer assume our neighbor knows anything about our faith or the Bible.
To say someone is “washed in the blood” sounds bizarre to the average non-Christian. They may have no idea what’s in the Bible or why they should care.
To reach our neighbors, we must be able to articulate what we believe and why we believe it in non-Christian words. That can be surprisingly hard, particularly for people who are well-churched and familiar with the lingo, acronyms, and buzzwords.
It can be humbling to meet people where they are at. In the process, we may find that we aren’t sure how to speak non-Christian or articulate why we believe what we do.
It isn’t enough to simply read the Bible. We must understand it and be able to translate it out of Christianese.
Reading the Bible is a start. It’s background information every Christian needs to know. We need to follow the example of the Bereans.
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10-11
Here’s an interesting exercise. Pick something that you believe about being a Christian. Ask yourself, “What is that found in the Bible?” and “Why do I believe it?”
Now ask yourself, “How would I explain it to someone who knows nothing about the faith?”
Here’s a simple example: Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Why? What does it matter to a non-believer who knows nothing of sin? How would you tell them about sin? Where would you find that in the Bible?
That sort of exercise will have two benefits. Firstly, you will know what you believe and why. Secondly, it prepares you to share the truth with others.
We need to take the gospel to a lost and hurting world. Part of that is done by the way we live our lives. Part of it is through the words we share. Let’s use our words wisely.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
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Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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