Discipleship Dimensions:
Be A Communication Expert
One of the goals of a law school education is to teach the student how to “think like a lawyer” so that upon graduation, the newly minted law graduate can communicate effectively with judges and other attorneys concerning legal issues. What legal education does not necessarily teach, however, is how to “think like a client” so that the law graduate can communicate effectively with clients.
As a lawyer, I have learned (and keep learning) the art of thinking like a client in the classroom of the practice of law through meeting and dealing with clients from all walks of life who face myriads of circumstances which often involve issues well beyond legal issues. In order to deal effectively with a client’s particular situation, I need to understand not only the issues in general, but also the issues as the client sees them. Once I understand what is involved, I need to communicate possible solutions and courses of action in a way that the client can understand. To do so, I have to avoid technical legal language and instead speak the client’s language.
In carrying out His ministry to mankind to reveal God the Father and the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus spoke in word pictures and images common to His hearers. He used stories and gave object lessons. He did not speak in theological terminology. Jesus met people where they were and in that way opened to them the entrance to His Kingdom.
As messengers for Jesus Christ and ambassadors for His Kingdom, we need to learn how to think like the non-believers around us so that we can communicate the truths of the Kingdom to them. We need to be thoughtful observers of our neighbors and the world around us, listen to their language, and understand how they look at things. We need to find points of intersection with their lives and then use those points as communication bridges. We need to learn, and then practice what we learn in communicating the gospel, not using church language and theological jargon that will not be understood.
I encourage you to become a “communication expert” in the service of the Lord Jesus (see I Corinthians 9:19-23). By so doing, you will be more effective in sharing the good news to those in your immediate world who desperately need a Savior.
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