Ps 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  (KJV)

Continuing our quest to make the Church relevant. As you can see above, there is a picture of a King James Bible and underneath a Scripture from the said Bible. I’m sure if I asked any Christian, they would know immediately what this verse means; but would an unbeliever?

The words are in archaic 16th century language which most of today’s generation would find odd, laughable and invite a mocking response. Even today we see preachers on T.V. and in the media, quoting the Bible in such language.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Without realising, we have developed our own Christian bubble, which is separate from society; and inside this bubble, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Within this bubble we have developed our own form of Christian speak. We use expressions such as, ‘The hand of the Lord is upon Bill’ or ‘She is so anointed in her ministry’. We then use this ‘speak’ with unbelievers, creating a wall between us, because to them it’s a foreign language.

What we must do is continue to re-evaluate the words of the Bible to fit modern ‘speak’; and we need to do this inside and outside the Church. Let’s take the phrase, ‘The hand of the Lord is upon Bill’. As a teacher, I will teach and use the word ‘Hand’ and explain that it means such things as, power, consecration and ministry. But when I’m outside the pulpit, I wouldn’t say, ‘The hand of the Lord is upon Bill’. I would say, ” God’s presence is with Bill”.

It’s the same with, “She is so anointed in her ministry’. We could instead say, ” She is very powerful when she speaks”. So we are using words that translate into modern day language.

Wherever we see barriers between the Church and society, we must find ways to remove them so we can fully, ‘Scratch society where it is itching’.

Meditation Point: Do I need to adapt my Christian vocabulary in order to connect with society.

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