Copyright © 2006 by The Voice of Prophecy

P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

JESUS' TOP TEN WORDS OF ADVICE #6

TURN GRACE INTO A MUSICAL LANGUAGE

Do you remember the things that scared you a lot when you were a kid? For a little boy named Jerry, it was chickens. Somehow he developed a terror of the little egg-layers. One day Jerry tagged along with his Dad to a farm just outside of town. Dad wanted to buy a horse there. The boy was fascinated by the big animal and didn't notice that a flock of chickens was pecking its way toward them. Suddenly he looked down. To his horror he'd become a tiny island surrounded by what seemed like a vast sea of clucking hens.

In Jerry's little mind, there seemed no way out. He was imprisoned by these hideous creatures.
The father finally shook the farmer’s hand and turned to go. Jerry's first test of manhood had come. And he was going to fail. He couldn't bear to step through that herd of wild beasts. But Jerry's Dad had caught the look of fear in his eyes. He took his hand and smiled. "Let’s go home, Jerry,” he said. And then he took a big step into the chickens.

That father's simple words fell on Jerry like a magic wand. He could do this. He took a little step and, what do you know, the Red Sea parted. He and his Dad walked right through that horde of chickens on dry land.

Isn't it remarkable the impact simple words of encouragement can have—especially when they touch the secret fears and insecurities no one else can see. All of us have moments when a good word can make a big difference. That’s why the New Testament takes the words we utter very seriously. Jesus talked about cruel words following us into the judgment. His apostles give us this exhortation over and over: “Build up one another. Encourage one another.” (Hebrews 3:13). That admonition stands out. It's one of the New Testament's Top Ten words of advice. We’re to speak edifying words to each other daily, regularly, whenever we meet together.

Words are the raw material. Words can either tear down or build up. And here's the good news: we can build healthy relationships just as surely as we can speak encouraging words. They are single notes we lay down here and there which may not seem like much, but taken together they create quite a melody.

So what’s the secret to becoming a great encourager? How can our words have great influence for good? Some of us think that, when it comes to being gracious, we can’t carry a tune! Let me tell you about a friend of mine who should have been tone deaf.

Darryl vividly remembers the bedtime stories he heard growing up. Only for him they were curses from the book of Deuteronomy. Those are the words that stuck with him. His father was so tyrannical and abusive that Darryl’s younger brother fell apart emotionally at the age of eleven and had to be institutionalized.

Darryl grew up despising his father for what he’d done. And yet he ended up serving his father’s God, an endlessly demanding Lord. Throughout his teen years he felt isolated from his peers. Dating terrified him. Relationships of any kind were a strain. Darryl had very little chance of experiencing a normal life.

And yet, a couple of decades later when I got to know Darryl here at the Adventist Media Center, he’d become a wonderfully nurturing father. I remembering hearing other young fathers talk about him. They noticed how calmly Darryl could defuse quarrels between his son and daughter. He had a wonderful way of dropping little words of encouragement on his kids. When he told his daughter Krista she would always be beautiful in his eyes, she believed it. When he told son Sammy he was growing into a fine young man, he took that to heart. This was a man adored by his wife and children.

What happened to Darryl? Something wonderful. In his twenties he ran head on into something called grace. The unconditional love of a very different Father finally got through to him. He found acceptance in the Beloved Son. God began speaking to Darryl in a wonderful new language that reached into his wounded soul.

And so later, Darryl could pass on that language to his family; he could share the musical language of grace. And he was able to give his boy and girl a childhood completely different from his own.

Darryl's transformation reminds me of what happened to Saul of Tarsus. Now this was a guy who started out not being able to tell an encouraging word from a club. This was the Pharisee of Pharisees. This was the professional defender of the truth, professional persecutor, one of those people who can't be happy unless they're making someone else miserable. But one day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus got through to this man. Saul of Tarsus got a new name. As Paul the Apostle, he learned a radically new language. He immersed himself in the language of grace. And he became a master encourager. Paul is celebrated as the most beloved ambassador for Christ in the early church. You can see it in all of his letters. Each one of them begins in the same way---with a wonderful flood of encouragement.

How do we speak encouraging words consistently? By taping into grace. By learning the musical language of grace.

Listen to God’s terms of endearment that come through in the epistles: children of God, beloved, the chosen, the anointed, vessels to be used for noble purposes, temples of the Holy Spirit, trophies led by Christ in triumphal procession.

Have you really taken in these nicknames? They're not just bits of doctrine. They're not just categories to dissect. They are precious notes that form a wonderful song.

Listen to grace. Become fluent in its musical language. It’s the most powerful music there is. It’s how we put a song in other people’s hearts.

Now, if grace is a musical language, it has some important lyrics. Here’s something grace typically says: “I believe in you.” You know, God believed in us enough to send His Son to die for us. God could look past our sinfulness and see Citizens of the Kingdom. Well, we can have the same perspective.

Think about the kind of people Jesus believed in? There was Simon the Zealot, member of a violent political group. There was Matthew, who’d been collecting taxes for their hated Roman oppressors. Thomas was plagued with doubts. James and John had such violent tempers they were called “sons of thunder.” And their leader, Simon Peter, hardly ever got his foot out of his mouth.

What was Jesus supposed to do with this motley crew? Well, he expressed great faith in them: “You’ll become fishers of men.” And what was the result? They ended up making a fishing pond of the whole world.

Saying, “I believe in you” is the opposite of judging. That’s one thing Jesus warned us about very strongly. To judge our neighbor is to stand back and issue a verdict. It's to ignore the log in our own eye as we're poking at the speck in the other guy's.

To judge our neighbor is to play the music backwards. It’s a garbled attempt to justify ourselves at the expense of others. Instead, celebrate God declaring you righteous by believing in the potential of others.

Judging points a finger. Grace gets its hands dirty.

Judging raises an eyebrow. Grace raises expectations.

Now here's one more great lyric in the music of grace: “You have a gift.” Paul brings that out in his picture of Christ's body, the church in 1 Corinthians 12. Every individual has a gift. Every individual has an irreplaceable role. So we can celebrate God gifting us by finding gifts in others. That’s what grace looks for. It’s in our power to help the gifts of others bloom.

Three theology students at a Michigan university began noticing a rather homely looking girl who always ate alone in the cafeteria. Judith was quiet, almost withdrawn, and didn’t seem to have many friends on campus. The three men decided to try an experiment. What if they tried to find out what was really inside this apparent wallflower?

They began to talk to Judith around campus. They sat with her at meals. They got to know her likes and dislikes. As the students shared their friendship, the girl seemed to blossom before their eyes. In fact, a sparkling, witty personality began breaking through Judith's shy exterior. Her plainness gave way to hints of real beauty. One of the young men was so impressed he eventually married her.
The music of grace is something we must share with others. It has to be spread around in order to remain potent.

In his New Testament epistle, James tells us a lot about the power of this tiny organ, the tongue. It’s the little rudder that steers the great ship. It's verbal sparks can set off a great conflagration. But the power of the tongue can be used for great good as well. In fact, the musical language of grace can set off echoes felt around the world. It’s a catchy song that every human heart recognizes, every human heart can learn.

We hope you are benefiting greatly from Jesus' Top Ten words of advice. Be sure and join us tomorrow when we'll look at number four. I call it, "How to Forgive for Good." Until then, this is Lonnie Melashenko reminding you that it's always true, friend, God loves you.