Abbott and Costello, the famous comedy team of 40 years ago, are most remembered flor their hillarious routine about baseball. It was a classic example of the confusion that results when people aren't communicating "on the same wave-length." It's not uncommon, even today, to hear people remark "who's on first?" when confronted with a confusing situation.There may be a lesson here for us - a lesson concerning our efforts to teach the Bible to lost people. It is very possible that we will begin teaching folks at a level they are not prepared to receive. We ought to be careful about assuming that a student knows certain fundamentals. If we start with a faulty foundation of knowledge, we are certain to run into difficulty as we try to convince people of the things that are "hard to be understood" (2 Peter 3:10). We should follow the example of Philip, who determined his student's level of understanding and "began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:35).
Additionally, we should be cautious about using phrases and jargon that are very familiar to us, but may leave a student in utter confusion. It would be a shame to waste a good teaching opportunity simply because we weren't careful about analyzing our student's ability to comprehend the message. There is a "time when ye ought to be teachers" (Hebrews 5:12). And good teachers KNOW their students.
Pray that God will help us find the good and honest hearts, and that He will give us wisdom to use every opportunity to the fullest.
