Radio Radio

Have you ever listened to the radio on a long journey and found yourself getting bored, irritated or disinterested by the news items that you have heard every half hour for the past few hours? Sometimes I get so irritated that I turn the radio off. 

When turning the radio off for that very reason today it got me thinking: when as a Minister we are delivering the same message time and time again how do we make sure people don't get bored, disinterested or even irritated. But more than that: when we are trying to spread the good news to our family, friends or acquaintances how do we ensure they don't turn off? And how do we do all that without changing the fundamental message of the gospel?

It's a challenge that many have failed at either by diluting the message so much that the good news is totally hidden, or being so dogmatic about it that people are just put off. How do we become contemporary with our message without making our message temporary or consumable, discarded when people think they don't need it any more like a half-eaten burger or sandwich?

I don't think there is any one answer but back to the radio analogy; the person speaking on the radio is a disembodied voice, when we speak we have the full gamut of senses to project our message. More than that; we have the shop window of the way we live our lives and how we treat others. We are not a disembodied voice but a living, breathing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our message is not some sound-bite on the radio, but the embodiment of Jesus as the word of God. So we need to examine ourself constantly with the foundation of Gods word and through the power of the Holy Spirit to ensure that our message, our own personal message of salvation, stays alive. That through Jesus death and resurrection, and our lives in Christ, bring life to others and not boredom, disinterest or irritation.