" When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew[b] language, saying:"(Acts 21:40)
Trying to get people to settle down and listen is sometimes quite a chore. A really noisy moment in our church is the Peace, and when I try to reign it in I'll say "Good Morning." Another favorite that I've seen used at youth events, "and a hush fell over the room."
Of course once you've got folks attention you then need to be able to keep it. You also need to know how to communicate with them in a way they will understand and engage.
For Paul that was literally speaking in Hebrew. For the rest of us it is knowing our "audience" well enough. You don't want to speak over people's heads, nor do you want to dumb things down. But until you can bring the noise level down and get their attention, it really doesn't matter how or what you have to say.
Blessings,
Ed
No comments:
Post a Comment