Translated - Part 3
By Bro. Alan Morrison

Colossians 1:13
"Who hath delievered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."

You can tell a lot about a person just by the way they talk. But we say so much without using one word.

I am going to say a phrase here in a second. But what I want you to do is, try to imagine the countryside, the climate and the culture of the person who would say this phrase. “Hola! Como estas?” What did you think of? The cold, Arctic waters of Canada? Or how about the rice fields of China? No. You probably thought of Mexico, or Spain. You might have even imagined your local Mexican restaurant! The point is, when people talk there is an association with a people, or a country, or a certain culture. This is our final point in the process of translation.

3. ASSOCIATION
With what do people associate you? When you speak do they think of a Godly Christian, or a pious Pharisee? What we say says a lot about us. But the truth is, we say a lot without ever saying a word. In fact, we use some very familiar phrases that prove my point.

First, there is ‘Body Language’. A person says a lot about their mood just by the way they walk into a room. If a person is slouched over, walking very loud and heavy on their feet, and just flops into the chair; usually they are saying, “I’m not in a good mood, it’s been a really bad day. Don’t talk to me.” But, the next person may be walking very fast, almost jumping on each step, grinning from ear to ear, do a 360 degree spin, and land in the chair. What are they saying? It’s probably not bad, but rather, joyful. What is your body language saying today? Is it the love and joy of Christ? Or is it the pain and defeat of the world?

I want you to imagine again that you are in a mall, and you see a person wearing neon green plaid pants, a purple shirt, with brown platform shoes, and a big goofy hat. You might say, “Now that’s a ‘fashion statement’.” What we wear gives the idea of association. If you saw me wearing a basketball jersey, jogging pants, tennis shoes, and whistle around my neck what would you think I was going to do? Preach a message at church, or coach basketball? If I can communicate to you that I am going to coach a basketball team by my clothes, what are you telling people today? What kind of standard are you setting in front of people?

The last phrase we use so often, and it is still so true is, “Actions speak louder than words.” We can preach to someone until we are blue in the face and can’t breathe. But unless we live what we preach they will never listen to what we say.

It is very important that these three areas are saying the same thing without the words that we are saying with our big mouths. If they are in conflict with one another people will not respect our message.

What are you saying today? With what will people associate with you today?