“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” 1 Corinthians 1:17 (New International Version)
I enjoy public speaking – choosing words and phrases for maximum impact, adapting pace and rhythm to keep the audience engaged, and adjusting technique based on the reaction of the listeners. Beyond speaking words, there is a completely different layer of communication involved – and it is where I find the most rewarding part of the interaction.
Throw another language in the mix, and all this changes. Here are a list of some of the primary challenges:
- Metaphor, idioms, alliteration and the like normally do not translate well. Even if these elements exist in the original language, the hearers of the translated language will get a less colorful translation to listen to.
- Pacing is difficult. You are not able to build momentum with speech because you must constantly break for translation.
- Reading the audience is difficult because there is a delay between what you say and when the audience reacts to the translated word.
Today, when preaching, I was reminded of the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians. He realized that it was not fine sounding words and eloquence that were important when preaching, but the power of the cross of Christ. I pray that the power of God used the foolishness of my preaching today to accomplish His purpose.
If you would like to hear my sermon in its entirety (with translation), feel free to stream it from the CB Těšín YouTube channel by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzHYDhDV8fA
As I shared with our Czech brothers and sisters, I long for a day where I can share God’s word with them in their native tongue. Today, however was not that day.
Thank you for following along and keeping us in your prayers.
Prayer Requests:
- Health for the interns and the Sandy family during their extended stays in the Czech Republic. Note that there is a stomach bug going through the camp where Aidan and Levi are serving.
- Blessing on the Czech leaders that God continues His work in the lives of those He touched at English Camp and the follow-ups.