What's a "Gentile"?
What’s a “gentile”? That’s the question that I was
asked over and over the other day. I was trying to explain that the Apostle
Paul had been called to minister to all gentiles, and I thought I had explained
it well enough by saying “if you are not a Jew, then you are a gentile.”
Fairly straightforward, right? I was wrong. One girl just kept
asking what is a gentile? I was forced to come up with another ethnic
label that she was familiar with to explain what a gentile is. I hope she
got it.
This encounter reminded me of five important lessons I have learned throughout the years.
- Assume they don't know: Don’t take for granted that your kids know what you are talking about. Just because you covered it before doesn't mean they know or even remember you said it. There are a lot of big words in the Bible, and we just assume that everyone knows what we saying. In reality we have no idea who may be sitting in the audience or what they know.
- Break it down: Don’t be afraid to break it down into its simplest form. Use metaphors, analogies, definitions and examples. Let them talk it over and share their responses. Get creative.
- Maintain Composure: Sometimes we are put on the spot, and we have to change tactics. Don’t get frazzled, just think through the question and formulate your answer. There is nothing more frustrating than asking a question repeatedly and getting the same answer over and over just rephrased.
- Be prepared: Prepare for questions in your lesson. Think through your topic and possible questions your audience might have. If you’re not sure of an answer ahead of time, then find out. Don't wing it. There have been too many failures and too many souls lost simply because an over-confident speaker thought he could handle it on the fly. (myself included)
- Admit you don't know: Finally, if you are asked a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know. This will show that you are human and authentic. Our culture appreciates that.
