Jump Start # 2693

2 John 12 “Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy made be made complete.”

I got something to tell you, that’s the thought behind this verse. But instead of writing, I want to tell you face to face. Some of the great lessons we learn from the Bible are not wrapped in the obvious, but they are tucked in layers of narrative thought. Such is what we find in our verse today.

It is easy as one gets to the end of some of the N.T. letters to just fly through the names, the greetings and the final words. Yet, as in our verse today, those final sentences hold so many wonderful and powerful lessons for us.

Today, let’s consider “face to face.”

First, there is great value in face to face conversations. Ideas can be lost as one writes. Even in phone calls, emails, and the world of instant messages and texting, nothing beats face to face. Face to face, shows that you care enough to come and talk. It’s easy to type out some message, send it and then be done with it. It takes effort, time and a bit of risk to sit down face to face. Face to face is even better than phone calls. When one is face to face, we can see eyes roll in disgust, wrinkled foreheads in confusion, see the body language and pick up on the attitudes through tones, inflections and sighs. You can’t get that on paper. You can’t get that on the text screen of your phone.

Second, face to face allows you the opportunity to explain yourself, clarify things, and hear the other person right there in the context of the conversation. Life is busy. You text me and I may not text you back for a while. You send me an email, and it may be hours later until I get to it. By then, you can get all worked up about my silence when it has been nothing more than a busy day with lots of interruptions. Sometimes what we say is not the way people hear it. A little explaining can defuse the situation and keep things from blowing up. Sometimes questions come up when we are talking with a person. That exchange of question and answers helps us to see where they are coming from.

Third, face to face allows one to earnestly plead what is important. Think about all the face to face conversations in the Bible. The prophet Nathan with King David. The eunuch and Philip. Zacchaeus and Jesus. Moses and Pharaoh. Priscilla and Aquila with Apollos. Hezekiah and Isaiah. Lots and lots of private conversations that God allows us to eavesdrop in on. We see things. We learn things. It shows us how we ought to conduct ourselves.

Consider some great times where face to face works the best:

First, imagine a couple of shepherds going to the home of a member who is falling off the rails. His attendance stinks. His attitude is indifferent. He’s spinning out of control and is in need of discipline. The old method would be to send a cold letter in the mail, telling him he best straighten up in two weeks or he’s withdrawn from. This is how most deal with those situations. But imagine, just imagine, a couple of those shepherds meeting with this man, face to face, in his home and having a conversation about his choices, his commitment, and His Lord. Certainly, it’s a lot harder to do it this way, but the results might be much different if this man saw just how much these shepherds truly cared. Help could be offered. Suggestions made. Hope planted. It could be just the thing to turn this man around and get him walking with the Lord.

Second, imagine a church wanting to hire a new preacher. But before the preacher brings his family and on a Sunday delivers his “tryout” sermon, he meets face to face with the shepherds. Not just for a short meet and greet, but dozens of times. They talk. They find out if they are thinking the same. He sees how the shepherds interact. Ideas are shared. Concerns are expressed. Lots and lots of face to face. And, finally, after all that, he brings his family and “tries out.” What a different experience that would be. What a confident and healthy feeling both sides would have. But as it is, the preacher parade continues. A new preacher and family shows up one Sunday. He preaches. The church meets at a pitch-in. The elders ask the two most important questions, “How much money will it take to get you,” and, “How soon can you start.” From that a phone call is made midweek and the preacher is hired and he walks blindly into the fog of not knowing the leaders, what they expect, nor where they are headed. And, time after time, disaster happens. Within a few months the preacher realizes what a terrible mistake he has made. Within five years he has moved on, and the process continues. More face to face would change that culture and help find the best fit for that congregation.

Third, imagine someone having a disagreement with what was said in a class, having a face to face conversation with the teacher. Instead, what often happens is that someone says things publically and things are made worse than what they really are. Emails and texts fly through the congregation which only build taller barriers. A misunderstanding becomes a major problem and sprinkled with a heavy dose of pride, feelings get hurt and people leave. Those that leave make claims that the teacher never believes. A face to face conversation would have smoothed things out very peaceably.

I have found that some will never say things to your face. But on social media they can be bold, aggressive and even offensive. That’s a bit cowardly. It’s easy to hide behind a email. Face to face brings just you and the person of disagreement. Face to face, however, offers the best opportunity to apologize, forgive and restore fellowship among two.

Finally, in teaching the disciples to pray, Jesus told them to go into the closet and shut the door. Just you and God. Face to face with God. There is no bragging when it’s just you and God. There is no hiding the truth when it’s just you and God. He knows. He already knows. He has always known. Face to face. It’s a time to be honest, humble, and penitent.

I got things to write, but I’d rather tell you face to face. Great thought!

Roger