How can I best communicate with others? - Communication - TouchPoints

2 Corinthians 6:11-13Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!

Be open and candid with each other, lovingly confronting issues that cause conflict. Develop a humble heart that is open to honest feedback and change.

Galatians 6:1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.

1 Thessalonians 2:7As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.

Pay attention to and listen to the needs and struggles of those around you. When you know there is a problem, especially when you know a fellow believer is caught in the habit of a particular sin, get involved to show you care, being kind and gentle but firm in the process. Then you will see the lines of communication open dramatically.

Isaiah 50:4The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.

In any communication, you need the Lord’s wisdom and understanding. Seek it first.

Acts 23:1Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”

Strive to have a clear conscience so that you will be credible and able to look others in the eye.

Colossians 4:6Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Ephesians 4:29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Your words should be gracious, effective, good, helpful, and encouraging to others. Foul, abusive, and angry words are never helpful.

Proverbs 13:17An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.

Be a reliable source of communication, trusted to be honest and truthful.

2 Corinthians 1:13-14Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

Be straightforward and clear so you can help people grow to maturity. Don’t use complicated words to strut your knowledge, and avoid using “Christianese” (code words only other believers might know) when talking with new believers.

2 Corinthians 6:4, 8In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. . . . We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest.

Remember that the way you live communicates much about God and what it means to be a Christian. What you do may speak much more eloquently than what you say.