Yesterday I introduced my talk with Isaiah 58:1, "Lift up your voice like a trumpet" (NRSV) and, I hope, managed to convey to you the importance of not only being bold for the emet (truth) but clear also. There is nothing quite as demoralising as an unclear instruction, especially for one faithful and willing to be obedient.

There are times when we come to the conclusion that Yahweh is being vague, evasive or downright mean because we're not picking up His voice. But is this ever true of Him in reality? At least when it comes to the trumpet-sound - in this case the Hebrew shofar or ram's horn - there is a certain amount of attack in the noise this instrument makes. This is a sound which deliberately projects its message boldly to all.

Over the years as a minister I have been tempted to adopt a diplomatic stance and smooth the sharp edge of emet (truth) so as not to drive people away, especially those I assumed were 'unprepared' or 'unable' yet to hear it. As the years have passed I have realised how thoughtless that position can sometimes be. The temptation to tell a 'white lie' runs strongly in those who do not want to hurt anyone, even when hurting them may be the only way of saving them - the only way of saving them from even greater pain in the future. Short-term remedies are most definitely inferior to the long-term ones but you need a certain sense of the prophetic, not to mention experience, before you dare do such a thing.

Being bold and brave is not a problem for many. Where they may struggle is in being articulate. Paul points out the importance of gaining this ability:

"If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?" (1 Cor.14:8, NIV).

"If the army bugler doesn't play the right notes, how will the soldiers know that they are being called to battle?" (Ibid., LB).

The battles we face are, more often than not, a little more complicated that the kinds Joshua had to wage against Jericho and Canaan generally. The instructions for the Jericho campaign were not complicated, but dealing with people and their often complex relationship problems and issues can sometimes demand great pastoral skill. Whether you are a navi (prophet), preacher or evangelist, or just a simple witness of Messiah in a sophisticated world, there are two vital elements you must never forget:

• 1. To be heard; and
• 2. To be understood.

Communication skills are every bit as important as being able to generate enough volume to garner attention. What use is it if you are a brilliant teacher but your voice is so mousey that nobody can hear you? What if nobody even knows you exist? I have known one or two men and women like that. I could never hear what they were saying so all the knowledge I could have gleaned was unfortunately lost. And I have also come across people online who have treasures of knowledge and experience that need sharing but hardly anyone knows they exist. We need both a recognisable presence and a divine message.

In these dangerous times we not only have to be attentive enough to hear the davar Elohim (word of God) being spoken to us but we must be able to relay it clearly so that we are both heard and understood. Developping the skills to do both becomes critical. Whatever deficiency you may have in that department - or think you may have - draw comfort and inspiration from the apostle Peter who, though he only left us two letters, they are nonetheless a vital part of the New Testament witness. It is hard to believe, reading his erudite words there, that he was once an uneducated, temperamental fisherman.

We should never let our background be an impediment. Only yesterday I was listening to a British philosopher, Roger Scruton, whose English was so polished, whose knowledge impressive, and his politics definitely on a solid conservative foundation, so I was amazed to learn that he was from a working class socialist background, his father having been a trades union leader. Peter the short-tempered, precipitous and opinionated fisherman became, through emunah (faith), hard work and the operation of the Ruach (Spirit) in his life, an effective, polished speaker and witness for Messiah, full of grace and emet (truth). The Peter of the Gospels and the Peter of the Epistles appear to be two different men, for which reason liberal scholars, who don't believe in the supernatural, have questioned the latter's authorship. But they are one and the same man.

The Besorah (Gospel), from beginning to end, requires, in equal measure, both doing and teaching. These days of easy access through the internet, tens of thousands of believers have made a profession of becoming online teachers. There's a glut of them and one of the reasons is that online you can remain anonymous and unaccountable. You don't have to have any qualifications, as you would in a school or a church, and nobody can fire you for doing a bad job. In many cases these 'teachers' don't even belong to a local congregation. They can't be observed. Indeed, they could be anybody, and usually are. And whilst there is some fantastic teaching online, the vast bulk of it is of very low quality and almost as much is plain wrong and spiritually harmful.

It is a blessed thing to find a good teacher who knows the Davar (Word) as well as he knows the Master but they are few and far between. Anciently they were always held in high regard. Teaching is a specialised ministry requiring careful training and whilst there are some excellent self-taught teachers, who have acquired the inter-disciplinary skills to make them effective, most are not. It's the same in professional education, though I have to say that the teaching profession has now become highly politicised and instead of teaching people how to think, teach them to merely memorise facts by rote, much of which is state propaganda.

In the mix who were teachers in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament), some were highly educated (like Paul and Luke) but most were not. Paul ended up writing 23 per cent of the New Covenant scriptures (depending what criteria you use [1]) consisting of 14 different books with Luke taking up a 27 per cent share with his Gospel and Acts of the Apostles. So between them they wrote half the New Testament with the apostle John coming in third place with 20 per cent with his five works.

Additionally, the apostle James warns us:

"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1, NIV).

Which brings up another problem: there aren't a lot of 'teachers' out there who genuinely fear Yahweh. That is a potential recipe for disaster because everything we teach and preach must be tested in the laboratory of experience before we impose them on a congregation or an online audience. A large chunk of ministry is necessarily existential. Whether we are an evangelist, pastor, preacher, navi (prophet) or teacher, we should only speak what we actually live. That may seem an obvious thing to say and yet there is a whole denomination whose priests are forced to be celibate who nevertheless have the gall to give counsel on marriage to married folk, the folly of which the the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran pointed that out in his famous book, The Prophet. That's a bit like going to a young 'social justice warrior' for counselling on Christian morals for old people.

Be careful of those whose utterances fly far beyond their achievements. I cringe when I hear ministers trying to make out something insignifiant that has happened to them to be something big and impressive. They do it to artificially boost their stature. But men and women of real experience are not fooled by them.

Luke introduces his account of the Acts of the Apostles by speaking of "all that Yah'shua (Jesus) did and taught" (Ac.1:1, NRSV). The 'doing' and the 'teaching' go hand-in-hand. He backed up His devarim (words) with concrete action. Doctrine and deeds should match because as Yahweh's heralds we are required to display both. The Davar Elohim (Word of God) must be incarnated into living examples. Therefore a preacher should witness by his life and his lip of the grace and mercy of Elohim (God).

Experience without sound doctrine and teaching is never enough, but doctrine and teaching without experience makes for an incomplete and unbelievable witness. An armchair witness is feeble if not useless in this kind of ministry. Indeed, most of us would prefer to hear from a minister who has stepped out in emunah (faith) and done things wrong and repented than one who never dared to so anything but has remained untarnished in his pyjamas at home. A used and worn-out Bible is of more valuable than a brand new one that has never been opened and only sits on the shelf to win admiration for the owner.

King David was a person who had the dual elements of a successful witness under his belt, such that he could invite all to:

"...taste and see that Yahweh is good" (Ps.34:8, KJV)

A tasty witness - one that touches and impresses - is one that has been lived. I have met crusty old professors at Oxford who were brilliant in their field of study but I wouldn't send my dog to them for counsel because they have no real experience of people. They would always walk in town bent over starting at the pavement (sidewalk) deep in thought but oblivious to everything around them.

Yes, the Scriptures are most definitely greater than experience (which is why we are not existentialists for whom emet/truth is a moving target, as it is for all liberals) - the Scriptures are "a more sure davar (word)" (2 Pet.1:19, KJV), revealing and regulating our lives, but those Scriptures still have to be lived out for them to become a credible witness. Experience needs the Davar (Word) to explain it, excite it, and endue it with endurance and strength.

Finally, both our doings and our sayings will be enhanced by emunah (faith) - "I believed, and so I spoke" (2 Cor.4:13, NRSV). We must not only believe, we must also behave as we present the Davar Elohim (Word of God) to men.

There is an enormous temptation to stay in our armchairs or office chairs and live out our gospel lives on the Internet. This is not enough. The Internet is a huge blessing but you need to be in a real flesh-and-blood community or your growth will be stunted - you will never spiritually mature. The Internet is a tool, not a substitute way of living or holding 'church'. Therefore we need people who will get out of their chairs (unless of course they are unable to) and take this message out and become pioneers in their communities. If you have been called to this work, join up and get stuck in. If you have been called elsewhere, join there. Just don't vegetate in front of your computer screen. The Remnant has to come out of its underground bunkers and into the light of real life and live as believers have done for centuries. Don't disappear into the unreal world of cyberspace.

I hope you have gained something from these Jericho March discourses this year. My aim has been to spur you on, get you to overcome lethargy and inaction, and persuade you to work as a witness together with others and build assemblies. By all means continue to use the Internet to receive and share information about Yah'shua (Jesus) and His way of life, but don't make your home there. Let that be the first wall to come tumbling down during this second month of the biblical year. If you want to help out with this work, if you want to become an active witness in your neighbourhood and community in building up a fellowship, contact me. There is so much to do and so little time left. And before you know it, you will find yourself doing things you never dreamed you could possibly do. As the redoubtable Inspector Chan used to say, quoting venerable Chinese wisdom, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Take some new steps today and Yahweh bless you! I hope you enjoyed this year's Jericho March. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] I have used the number of Greek words in the Analytical Greek New Testament (AGNT) - if you count English words, and depending on which translation you use, you'll end up with a higher percentage for Paul's writings (about 27 per cent).

Comments from Readers

[1] "What a beautiful and timely message, Christopher! Thank you for speaking His word, brother! Yah bless you & yours!" (JS, USA, 22 April 2018)
[2] "Yes, it is good that you point out that we are only allowed to teach boldly what we have tested and experienced to be true in our lives" (SW, Germany, 22 April 2018)
[3] "Amen. We face battles not against flesh and blood but against spirits in high and low places´!" (DPB, USA, 23 April 2018)