Apples, Milk, and Fire Hoses

Courtesy designtaxi.com

How Apple's latest software update reminded me about how we should talk with people.

As many of you know, Apple recently released it's new operating system, iOS 7, to the general public, and those familiar with Apple's style will notice a difference.  Gone are much of the three-dimensional images, wood, leather, felt etc.  A recent post on the website Fast Company explains much of the reasoning behind the change.  A quote from one of their sources,

"Our culture has changed. We don’t need translation of the digital medium in mechanical real-life terms. It’s an old-fashioned paradigm."

To put it in other terms, we don't need a calendar that looks like a physical calendar to know how to use the program.  We don't need that bridge to understand a no longer unfamiliar concept.  Those who want to share the gospel with other people need to implement a similar methodology.

In the apostle Paul's first letter to the believers in Corinth, he stated,

"Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?" 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT

Paul spoke to them in certain terms because they would have been unable to understand more advanced concepts.  In doing this, he followed the same line as Jesus with His disciples when He said

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:12-14 NIV

Now where the rubber meets the road is how do we put this principle into practice in our own lives.  We need to have discernment as to how much people can bear; how much can they understand.  We don't want others to have to drink out of the proverbial fire hose. A key to doing this is simply to relax a bit when communicating with others.  I know from personal experience that learning something new and interesting can be very exciting, and I want to transmit as much information as quickly as possible.  However, not everyone wants to hear it and even those who do want to hear it can be overwhelmed if it involves concepts that they don't understand.

So next time you want to share something with others: stop, pray, and then share.  The results may surprise you.