Finding Confidence to Speak Through Logos
Youth pastor Simeon Bell had spent years working in ministry, but he noticed one particularly great challenge among his students.
They were paralyzed when it came to sharing the gospel.
As Pastor Bell shares his experience, he underscores that even if they wanted to, and even if they were empowered with the words to say, they didn’t know how to share it. They lacked the competence to speak up. Their faith and motivation were drowned in a fair of failure.
I’m the president of an organization that hosts conferences called Ready to Speak. We talk about how in order to be truly ready for our Great Commission, we need to develop as a whole person. That means character. That means the ability to connect with others. And it also means competence.
In Christian education and speech education, the term logos is often outlined as an appeal to logic and reason; using facts, evidence, and rational arguments to persuade someone.
It’s logic. It’s research. It’s rationale. It’s about truly learning – through practice, challenge, and even competition – so thoroughly that it builds confidence. Being ready to speak up about what we know is true.
In my decades of working with Christian parents, I’ve heard time and again that “if we know the Bible, God will give us the words to say when the time comes.” And yes, the Holy Spirit often brings to mind the right words to say in the moment.
But knowing something in your head and getting those thoughts organized and out of your mouth are two different things. Someone speaking with confidence and competence will often be believed over the person who speaks poorly on the truth.
The more practiced we are, the more our competence grows. The more logos and understanding we gain – not just about the Bible, but also about how to share it – the more effective our sharing will be. The more hope we will spread.
This truth is so close to my heart. It’s why my organization has spent almost 30 years empowering next-generation Christians to be ready to speak. Our students need coaches and practice to build their logos. Share in the comments any ideas you have for practicing competence with your students!
By the way, if you want some accessible resources and practical helps for getting started – and a live-giving community to support you – consider joining us at a Ready to Speak conference this fall!
One Comment
Travis
“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God” Psalm 119 has from a young boy been an encouragement to memorize scripture. Whether my Mom was posting note cards on the bathroom mirror, or my teachers were listening to me recite the 14 + verses I was required to put to memory each month through elementary and highschool; this was an understanding of investment, for the present and the future.
Now as a program the rote nature of it being ‘part of the curriculum’ and ‘what we did’ got me through some of those seasons, however the power and promise of it did not diminish. The power of memory stands to archive truths and/or rubbish and return the value of the same input.
The Logos is living. It doesn’t return void. In Jeremiah God has surity set behind it. “He watches over IT to perform it”. Paul well-versed in the apologetics of the scriptures, finds himself in a dilemma, He doesn’t know the Word. His eloquence and his competence were unmatched. Hindsight he is able to set these things aside as not as important comparitively with the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. This I believe is where my life has found the most conflict and the most freedom. The most conflict where I try to order the Logos into my safe framework, the most freedom where I allow the Holy Spirit to Illuminate, Ignite, and Embolden me to speak the Logos.
Living stones being built on the Chief Cornerstone is the illustration of the church being built, but also the conforming of our character to that of Christ. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit. Unlearned Men and Paul, counting it all as loss dared on their character under construction and their trust in the quickening person and power of the Holy Spirit that the Logos delivered through jars of clay was sufficient.
As we can see through other exhortation in the gospel and epistles, we are to apply ourselves to competence and excellence in good (Romans 16:19). We are to do all to the Lord. God is a great organizer, so I find that the more I relish in conversation over the Logos, with the Logos allowing the Logos to shape my words and character then the Logos becomes part of my fiber and the Holy Spirit administers the order so readily. Travis, study to show yourself approved unto God a workman than needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth and keep being filled again and again with the Holy Spirit.
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to let the Logos leak. I love how some of your writings incite such faith. Looking forward to the Ready to Speak Conference this year where when infused with The Word of Christ and the Spirit of Christ we are sure to become Communicators for Christ.