Daily Thots: Hello, sodium chloride!

If there's a Scientific Version of the Bible, Matthew 5: 13 might have sounded like this "You are the sodium chloride of the terra. But if the sodium chloride loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by homo sapiens."

Ok, maybe I have exaggerated, but my point is this: God's Word need to be understood by His intended audience. If I was sharing the message of salvation to children, I use words, scenarios and terminologies that they can relate to; if my audience is made up of dialect-speaking older folks, I will present God's Word in a manner and language that they can understand.

Not too many years ago, Easter and Christmas dramas don't change much from year to year. Most were ripped off straight from the pages of the Bible. Today, we see modernization of the Easter and Christmas messages in a manner that will reach of to the folks of today. Why is this important?

Let's see what the Bible says. Psalm 78: 2, 6-7 say "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old ... so the next generation would know them ... Then they would put their trust in God"

Think about the parables that Jesus told during His days on earth. He used scenarios that the ordinary folks can relate to. He was creative in using analogies that make sense to His audience. For instance:

• Matthew 13:1-23: the parable of the sower uses seeds, weeds & birds to creatively tell His audience what it means to hear and act on the Word of God. For the folks of today who may not even have stepped onto a farm, this parable may not ring a bell. Can you think of a more appropriate scenario for your audience?
• Matthew 13:31-32: the parable of the mustard seed describes what the kingdom of heaven is like. Most of us today won't even know what a mustard seed looks like, but I believe in those days, mustard seeds are as common as angsana seeds in this part of the world. So maybe we can talk about angsana trees or "Flame of the forest".
• Matthew 18:10-14: the parable of the lost sheep uses sheep to describe how precious we are in the sight of God. For locals, the only sheep we know is in the cooked form. Perhaps we can use the analogy of much-loved pets or our precious children (this will work for the typically anxious parents of today)

Learn from our Lord Jesus Christ. Be unafraid to share God's Word in a way that your audience will understand. That's the basic principle of effective communication.

Be blessed:)
Category: cf_tht