Can You Hear Me Now?
“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Mark 4:23
Mark 4:23-25
“Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given – and you will receive even more.
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even their little understanding will be taken away from them.”
A Familiar Phrase and a Deeper Point
“Can you hear me now?” became a widely recognized phrase through Paul Marcarelli, who portrayed the “Test Man” in Verizon Wireless commercials from 2002 to 2011. With his gray Verizon jacket and signature horn-rimmed glasses, Marcarelli became a familiar figure in American advertising and was even named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most intriguing people of 2002. His role centered on a simple but essential task: testing the reach of Verizon’s signal to confirm that communication was clear and reliable.
What Does Communication Require?
Communication itself is an art form that involves conveying information from a sender to a recipient. It’s successful only when the receiver comprehends the sender’s message. If the intended audience does not grasp what is being communicated, then communication has not actually taken place.
The Importance of Clear Biblical Communication
This principle is especially important in biblical communication. We are responsible for accurately receiving the Father’s message and faithfully sharing it. The aim is to present God’s living and active Word clearly, enabling understanding. In turn, the Father uses His Word to fulfill His purpose.
What is the Purpose of Biblical Instruction?
Beyond accurately passing along information, what is the ultimate goal for teaching the Bible? According to 1 Timothy 1:5: “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” Paul’s purpose in teaching was to cultivate love, purity of heart, and genuine faith. In other words, his goal was spiritual formation.
Discernment and Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual maturity does not develop accidentally. It is built through regular engagement with truth, ongoing practice, and increasing discernment.
Hebrews 5:14: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
Those who effectively communicate the Father’s message must both understand it and live according to it, enabling them to share it wisely and effectively.
REFLECT & PRAY
Every child of the King has both a privilege and a responsibility. Sharing biblical truth is essential to faithful Christian living and should be embraced by all, not just a select few.
Father, I thank You for revealing Your truth with clarity and grace. I pray that I may understand and accept Your Word. Guide me to communicate Your truth faithfully, clearly, and with love, so that others are built up by it.
INSIGHT
Insight into Divine Communication
How did the Father communicate truth to mankind? He did so through the work of the Holy Spirit. In describing the origin of the Old Testament writings, Peter makes clear that divine revelation did not originate in human initiative alone.
He writes in 2 Peter 1:21, “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human impulse. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”
Biblical prophecy did not originate in human desire, insight, or invention.
The Father communicated through men who “spoke” as the Holy Spirit guided them. The Spirit worked within the Old Testament prophets, allowing them to express the Father’s words through their own personalities, knowledge, backgrounds, vocabulary, and styles. They were “carried along” by the Holy Spirit so that the Father’s message was faithfully expressed through His appointed human instruments.
The Holy Spirit and the Communication of Truth
The same Holy Spirit who inspired and produced the Scriptures is present with every believer today. He empowers us to communicate truth effectively, aiding us in study, preparation, organization, and, at times, even in the precise wording of what we say.
How does this happen?
This process doesn’t follow a fixed formula. It occurs in various ways. While the Holy Spirit often works through our diligent effort and preparation, He may also produce insights and expressions spontaneously. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit does what is necessary to get the job done.
In the book of Acts, much of the preaching and teaching was spontaneous and unplanned. There was often little opportunity to prepare a formal message in advance. As MacDonald observes, “It was not the performance of an hour but the preparation of a lifetime.”
The preachers were prepared, even when the sermons were not.
The Filling of the Holy Spirit in Communication
How does spiritual communication occur?
Spiritual communication occurs through the Father’s enablement. The Holy Spirit empowers, encourages, and strengthens His people, often providing the words, tone, and discernment necessary.
The Lord Jesus Christ promises in Matthew 10:19-20:
“Don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking – it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
This divine enablement is often described as the Filling of the Holy Spirit. This is demonstrated throughout the Scriptures:
Micah 3:8: “I am filled with power – with the Spirit of the LORD”
Acts 4:8: “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, . . .”
Acts 13:9-10: “Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him and said . . .”
We are responsible for maintaining spiritual purity, openness, and readiness to be led by the Holy Spirit. This mindset shapes our daily actions and our relationship with God. We are to strive to release selfish desires and pride, confess our sins, and present ourselves as willing instruments for His plans. Clearing away anything that hinders our connection with Him enables us to be more open to the Holy Spirit’s direction and empowerment.
The Father Creates a Need
The Father often furthers communication by creating or allowing need in human lives and then meeting that need with truth, comfort, and direction. What He communicates speaks to real conditions, genuine struggles, and pressing questions. Throughout the Scriptures, divine truth is provided in response to human need.
The Holy Spirit speaks directly to those who are receptive to His voice. When truth is taught faithfully, He ministers personally to the heart and mind of each hearer. Biblical communication, therefore, is more than the mere transmission of information; it is the Spirit of the Father speaking through human servants to accomplish His purposes.
The Scriptures are filled with the Father’s answers to life’s daily needs. He knows each soul intimately, searches every heart, and understands every path. Because He knows people perfectly, He knows precisely how to address them and their needs.
When children of the King faithfully teach the truth, the Holy Spirit applies it to each person. We are only the conduit. He is the One who brings conviction, clarity, comfort, and understanding.
Christ’s Perfect Insight and Authority
The Father’s complete knowledge of the human heart helps explain why Christ was such a compelling communicator. His words carried penetrating insight, wisdom, authority, and bold confidence because He knew exactly what was in people.
John 2:25: “He Himself knew what was in man.”
Matthew 7:29: “He was teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes.”
This same authority and confidence, though not to the same extent, was imparted to the apostles as they ministered in the power of the Spirit.
Acts 4:13: “Now, as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”
The same Holy Spirit who empowered Christ’s apostles is with every child of the King now, enabling the communication of truth and strengthening those who teach it.
Spiritual Understanding Requires Divine Enablement
Understanding the Scriptures goes beyond just an intellectual task; it is deeply spiritual and moral. While education, intelligence, and natural talent are important, they are not enough without the Father’s illumination and enablement.
This is clearly expressed by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14,
“The wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God – his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”
The truths of God can be accurately understood only through the work of the Holy Spirit. Without His guidance, even the most intellectually gifted individuals are unable to comprehend the spiritual significance of the Scriptures fully.
The Weightier Matters of Faithful Ministry
Because spiritual communication depends on the Father’s power, those who teach must give careful attention not only to the content of their message but also to the spiritual reality that surrounds it. Truth must be handled with reverence, humility, and obedience.
As Matthew 23:23 reminds us, “Do not neglect the more important things.”
Biblical communication, therefore, involves far more than speaking with accuracy. It is the sacred responsibility of receiving truth from the Father, relying on the Holy Spirit, and communicating that truth faithfully so that others may be strengthened, instructed, and led into deeper understanding.
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© Dr. H 2026
Dr H Reflections 