From the 1975 classic “WHAT’S GONE WRONG WITH THE HARVEST” by James Engel
THE BIBLICAL PATTERN
One does not need to consult contemporary books to discover the basic principles of communication. Jesus and His followers have provided a compelling example. They always began with a keen understanding of the audience and then adapted the message to the other person without compromising God’s Word. The pattern they followed is as pertinent today as it was two thousand years ago.
Understanding the Audience
Jesus completely understood the nature of man (John 2:25). This was abundantly apparent in all He said and did. When He was asked by the Pharisees, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?” He answered, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call righteous men but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:30-32).
Man was created by God to have fellowship with Him, but then something happened. A willful act of disobedience severed this personal relationship, and man no longer could be complete in himself. He could not please God. Man’s disobedience has led to the fact that he now is a slave to self-seeking. He has no choice but to remain imprisoned by his sinful ego, unless, of course, he accepts the liberating gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ.
Man, then, is incomplete. His destiny is to live with a perceptual filter programmed around the “big I.” Yet his conscience and the example provided by creation around him give witness, no matter how dim, to the existence of something beyond himself.
He also is created in the image of God. At the very least, this means he has rational capacities. He can be creative, he can solve problems, he can shape his destiny. This, in itself, is a remarkable quality.
Problem solving and coping with the pressures of life are impossible without a memory. Man can learn from experience. Those things that are functional and helpful in goal-attainment become stored and can be used in the future. Attitudes are formed in the process and these provide further dimensions to the “map” of the world. This God-given psychological mechanism of memory and adaptation is a filter that helps man, first, to adapt and behave in a manner consistent with basic strivings and, second, to avoid influences and behavior patterns that are nonadaptive.
At the heart of this filter, of course, is the ego. Attitudes and beliefs become related in a pattern consistent with this self-concept. Change becomes difficult. Therefore, fallen man is constrained to remain a self-seeker both in thoughts and in deeds. When pushed to its ultimate extreme, this constraint expresses itself in all forms of depravity.
Man’s need patterns become a central motivator. Some of these are physical, others are psychological. Always there is the centrality of self-seeking. The filter functions to admit those stimuli that are relevant to the self and screens out those that are not.
Adapting to the Audience
The Approach of Jesus. What a rebuke it was when Jesus said, “I have not come to call righteous men but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Now what did He mean by this? He was saying in effect, “You people think you have all the answers. You are good Scripture-believing zealots who have no needs. You are completely self-sufficient. (If only you knew what fools you are!) So my message will f all on empty ground. Your filters are closed, and you will not even hear My words.”
On the other hand, Jesus could say, “There are many of you here who know your need. You realize something real is missing and you are looking for the answer. I have come, dear friends, for you.” He was keenly aware that change will not occur without the presence of felt need.
Notice that Jesus varied His message continuously. Now, this does not imply for a minute that He distorted the truth He came to give in any way. Not at all! Rather, He adapted His message to the circumstances — to the needs and backgrounds of those He encountered.
How did Jesus know so much about people? He lived, walked, and talked with them and displayed a genuine interest and concern for their welfare. He met people on the streets, on the hillsides, in the fields, at meals, at work in fishing boats, at prayer, at weddings, on the roads. Such observational research energized by the Holy Spirit provided keen insights.
Jesus took the person from the known and familiar to the unknown through use of parables, illustrations from real life, or symbols with which all were familiar. Both the messenger and the message were received because He built a bond of trust by using the vernacular and speaking to the needs of the people.
In the final analysis, Jesus showed His love by this unique audience orientation. Remember the case of the rich young ruler? This man had a need but he confused the issue. He asked what had to be done to have eternal life.
The Lord wisely answered, “Keep My commandments.”
“But I have.”
“Then sell all you have and give the proceeds to the poor.” This, of course, was the heart of the issue. Jesus began at the point of felt need and moved from there with great insight to the source of the problem. Undoubtedly, this man betrayed his shortcomings by his flowing robes and the rings on his fingers. Jesus took advantage of observational research.
Did Jesus say to the woman at the well, “Repent and be saved”? If He had she would have dismissed Him as one who was sick from the heat. No, He started at the point of physical need.
“Would you like to have living water, water that will never stop flowing?” He asked.
“Would I! Of course! Who wouldn’t?”
Then Jesus pressed on, probing deeper and deeper until the truth emerged. The result? New life and joyous, spontaneous sharing with others: “Come and meet the man who told me all about myself.”
Finally, Jesus knew that the purpose of communication is to bring about change. He did not indulge in the luxury of focusing on the irrelevant or superficial. The very heart of the gospel is change. Anything short of this is not true Christian evangelism.
The Apostle Paul. What a picture the fiery young Saul must have presented. An orthodox Jew, he outdid everyone else in
his zeal to live for God. He was a faithful Jew if there ever was one. So zealous was he, in fact, that he almost single handedly set out to eliminate Christians from the face of the earth, undoubtedly out of a sincere motive to root out heresy.
Then one day something happened as he superintended another execution. He saw a man, Stephen, whose life was different. Stephen didn’t resist his accusers. His face radiated joy! He said, “Forgive them, father.” Stephen had joy and peace — the very things Saul lacked.
Saul couldn’t forget this. He must have pondered for hours — just what was it about that Christian? Oftentimes a shattering experience such as this can open a filter in such a way that change is inevitable. Saul now realized he was lacking something, and his encounter with the Lord on the Damascus road found him receptive. Saul had a need and he responded when Christ revealed Himself to him.
Notice the change. Saul, now become Paul, was transformed into a great evangelist and leader of men. He, too, followed in the steps of the Master as he set about on his great mission which was to change the world of his day. On Mars Hill, he took note of the circumstances, of the temples and idols, and began his message with an identification with the hearer. “I see you are very religious and here’s an altar to the unknown God. Let me tell you about Him!” Those in Corinth were approached differently. And so he traveled about his world, in each place sharing his message effectively and well.
Now, what about his letters to the churches in such cities as Ephesus and Rome? Paul always began with conscientious research. He knew his audiences. He would write, “Word has reached me that —“ or “I hear that —“ or “Your letter said —.” He never communicated an abstract message. He always knew precisely what the circumstances were and focused the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, on their point of need.
This by no means always represented what the people wanted to hear. At times his research made it clear the message should be an unmistakable and ringing call for repentance and behavioral change. No doubt there was resistance to what he said. But there also were times when the Holy Spirit worked to open previously closed filters and brought about conviction.
A PATTERN FOR TODAY
Audience orientation, then, was the approach of Jesus and His followers. Indeed, a careful reading of church history will disclose a myriad of examples when the Church succumbed to effectiveness crisis and change became inevitable. If the institution did not change, then, time after time, a new expression emerged, showing anew the vitality that should characterize God’s people.
What principles has God given to avoid effectiveness crisis? The best set of guidelines emerges from the Proverbs. King Solomon observed that “any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts” (Prov. 24:3, 4 Living Bible). In more detail (from the Living Bible):
- Analyze the environment; test opinions by fact. “It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown” (Prov. 19:3). “A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them” (Prov. 27:12).
- Make plans based on this information. “We should make plans — counting on God to direct us” (Prov. 16:9).
- Measure effectiveness. “Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life” (Prov. 10:17). “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful” (Prov. 28:13).
- Analyze results and change plans where necessary. “It is pleasant to see plans develop. That is why fools refuse to give them up even when they are wrong” (Prov. 13:19).
One theme that consistently runs throughout the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit works by the renewing of our mind (see Eph. 4:23; 1 Pet.- 1:13; Rom. 12:2). We are expected to analyze, to collect information, to measure effectiveness — in short, to be effective managers of the resources God has given us. Unless we undertake this discipline — and it is the very antithesis of program orientation — we effectively prevent the Holy Spirit from leading us! The ever-present danger is that “a man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord” (Prov. 19:3 Living Bible).
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