 to start. Okay, there we go. Okay, just reading from Hebrews 4 and verse 12. For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Okay, so the Word of God, living, powerful, sharp, so many qualities mentioned there and we see that we have this great treasure that has been given to us, the Word of God and with a purpose and the purpose being that we refer to it in the sense we make it our reference point, we also make it something that is our constant nourishment, everyday nourishment. We love the Word of God which is living, powerful and sharp to renew our thinking, renew us to change us from the inside out to strengthen us and completely give over ourselves to this Word so that whatever we do, it is centered around the Word of God. When we live our lives, our choices, our thoughts, everything, if it's around the Word of God, so we can be sure that it's anchored in God because these are His words, these are His thoughts and we are in really in a safe place when we do that and more so when it comes to our ministering, preaching, teaching, everything. So yeah, so just wanted to remind us of that because the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, meaning that many times we cannot discern what is of the soul and what is of the spirit, everything seems so similar. Everything seems the same, like is it my own emotions or is it something that the Holy Spirit has directing me in the spirit? It seems so similar, but then what is the differentiation? What is this something that is sharper even to the point of dividing between the soul and the spirit? It is the Word of God. So let's pray and just say God, I need more of your Word, I need you, Spirit of God, to write your Word upon my heart and teach me. I want to live, not just hear your Word, but I want to live by your Word, do your Word. Okay, let's pray. Father, we just want to thank you for your Word. We thank you that your Word is life giving, life producing. Your Word creates, Lord, your Word dispels darkness, it illuminates our understanding. Lord, your Word drives away everything that is of the darkness. Your Word, Lord, quickened by the Spirit is a sword, as a weapon of God. And Lord, your Word is so powerful and we choose to, Lord, speak your Word. We choose to, Lord, hide your Word in our heart's God, intentionally give ourselves, O God, to your Word, not just read it, but meditate on it, Lord, confess it and give place to your Word in the first place and the preeminent place for your Word in our lives, Lord. We choose to do that, God. We thank you. In Jesus' matchless name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Also reminded of Paul's instruction to Timothy, when he says, 1 Timothy chapter 4, and he says, in verse 12, let no one despise your youth, but be an example, etc. In verse 13, he says, till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. And then it goes on to verse 15, meditate on these things. Think deeply about these things. Think about these things over and over again, about what? About reading and exhortation and doctrine. And he says, give yourself entirely to them so that your progress may be evident to all. That's the instruction that Paul gives as a seasoned believer, as a leader, as a mature believer is someone who's been in ministries, someone who's probably gone through this, experienced this, and he's telling Timothy, give yourself entirely, and your progress will be evident to all, meaning you will, your progress, first of all, you will notice it, but then others cannot miss it. So that's the thing, that your progress, others will see it, others will notice it. Praise God for that. Okay, so today, let's continue from where we stopped yesterday. Just give me a minute. So yesterday, we looked at, we just reviewed hermeneutics. So the importance of interpreting scripture, we looked at some of the practical aspects of it. We looked at those six practical rules. I think that's really close. Interpret in light of the context of the passage. Interpret in light of progressive revelation. Okay, and understand that there is progressive revelation in scripture, and what is there prominent in the old dispensation changes in the new dispensation. So be aware of that. And interpret scripture in harmony with other scripture. Maybe there's something that is unclear in a certain passage, some truth that is highlighted there. It doesn't seem to be, you know, it seems unclear, but then look at other portions of scripture, which talk about the same thing, and then you build a doctrine on it, not on something that is unclear. Okay, and we also saw, you know, the last two things were, I think we didn't go into this. So interpret the spirit of the passage and not the letter. What is it? What is it actually saying? Maybe there's some figure of speech that is used, maybe that's, you know, metaphor or simile or hyperbole that is used, but what is the spirit? What is the message that is actually being conveyed? What is the heart of the message? And, you know, don't go, don't become too literalistic and look at the, you know, the rather than the, you know, don't go by the letter. Look at, you know, what does it say? What is the spirit of the passage? Okay, then the last one is interpret with dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Now this is something that is very, very important for us. Just one second, please. Okay, so this is something which is very, very important because it's a privilege for us, first of all, that we have the author of the scriptures indwelling us. Like we have the one who is omnipotent, omniscient, right? And, you know, he's God, he's eternal, and he indwells us. So therefore, when we interpret scripture, this is one, you know, often overlooked, right, aspect of interpretation, like, we can use our minds, we can use all these, you know, other aspects, but then if we do not depend on the Holy Spirit, we are missing out on a big aspect of interpretation of scripture. So we, because he's the one who is there to guide us into all truth. And maybe we can just look at the book of John and the Lord Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit, you know, several aspects, right? Like he says, in John chapter 14, and verse, yeah, verse 26, right? Okay, let me just put it on the chat. John 14, 26. Yeah, so where he says that the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, right? What will he do? He will teach, right? He will teach you all things. And he will also bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. So, you know, he's a teacher. So which means we can interact, we can, we can commune with him, fellowship with him, and he's going to speak to us, and we're going to, you know, we can be taught by him. And he will also remind us, okay, that's something that's beautiful. Okay, then we look at chapter, so chapter 15, verse 26, the next chapter, it says, but when the helper whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of me. So he's going to be doing this work of teaching, he's going to be doing the work of testifying, you know, pointing to Jesus, giving proof, and added evidence that this is of Jesus, this is, you know, this is Jesus himself, he will testify of me. So he, so that's another aspect of interpretation that is going to teach, he's going to, you know, depending on the Holy Spirit, he was testifying. Then the next chapter, chapter 16, and if you go down to verse 13, right, what does it say? It says that when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, and he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will tell you things to come. So here's his teaching, here's his testifying, let me put the other references also, John 15, 26, right, and then we look at, oops, John 16, was 13, 13, 14, was 13, 14, right, so we see all that, so we see that he will guide, he will teach, he will testify, and also, yeah, he's going to do all that. So this is a very important aspect, you know, we have the Holy Spirit who's alive, who's living, and in dwelling, and he will teach us, he will help us understand, and it's a very important aspect of interpretation, right. So when we depend on the Holy Spirit, you know, the interpretation comes to life, there is the Spirit anointed revelation that comes, it's not going to contradict, you know, any other aspect of Scripture is going to be in line, the Word and the Spirit agree, so, you know, we are going to be in safe place. Now, why are we looking at, why are we, you know, saying that interpretation and everything is so important, because right believing leads to faith, conviction leads to right living, right, and right living leads to the destiny that God has for us, so, believing, living, right living results in a change of destiny, right. So therefore, Paul again says, right, he says, rightly divide the Word of God, so that's an important aspect, right. So, so also, you know, but the thing is, when we don't rightly divide the Word, the Word of God, we, when we, when we, you know, when we become teachers, and we want to teach the Word of God, and we're not rightly dividing the Word of God, we're taking a whole lot of people, you know, along with us onto a different this, you know, you know, this causes a lot of damage to the body of Christ, right. So, therefore, you know, give weightage to that, rightly divide the Word of God, so we don't have to be right, we don't have to be right, fearful, we don't have to be paranoid about this, we can walk in humility, we can walk with dependence of the Holy Spirit, being fully confident that, yeah, he's with us, and he will teach us, this is what he's promised to do, so just being teachable, being humble, and receiving from him, and that's, we are in a safe place, right, okay. Well, let's move on to chapter two, okay, so this is introduction to homiletics, maybe I'll just share the notes also, feel free to open up, you know, what you have, okay, so some words, some definitions, you know, how, because it's, when we come, look at biblical preaching, it's called homiletics, okay, homiletics, so what is it called, so this word homily, it means a discourse, a conversation, a talk, the word homo, it means a saying, okay, and homilose means an assembly or a gathering or a crowd, okay, so Augustine, one of the church fathers, he's the one who's believed to have introduced these terms like homilia and sermo into the language of the church, the Latin church, so from which we get these words preaching and sermon and so on, right, so he's believed to have introduced these words to the church, so homiletics is the, well you could say the science of preaching and also the art of preaching, okay, it refers to the preparation, putting together the delivery and the communication of the homily or the discourse, right, so or the homos or the saying, so well it, there's some science to it in the sense, you know, well it's a practical wisdom, okay, you're communicating this truth, so might as well put it in a way that people understand, right, might as well put it in a way that people are able to receive, put it in a way that people are able to retain it because you know the value of the truth that you're communicating, so putting it in a way that people are able to receive it, understand it and receive, not just receive it but also retain it, which means they remember it and they get to do it or live it out, okay, so all that comes into play when we say, okay, this is the art of putting it together, okay, so like we said yesterday, you know, the realm of the message being communicated, you know, for each of us, for example, not all of us could need to be in a kind of a formal pulpit ministry, right, not all of us may be called to that but, you know, there could be several different ways by which we could be communicating this message, okay, for example, it could just be a one-on-one communication, okay, you having a conversation with a friend and or someone an acquaintance or maybe it's a group then it's just a conversation and in the course of the conversation, well, there is this need to present the truth, right, so there isn't that need to present the message, so of course it will differ, it will not be a very formal thing, it will not involve, you know, maybe it's very different from being speaking from a podium, okay, so it's just a regular informal conversation and in the course of the conversation, this is being shared, so there could be, you know, a sitting like that or it could be a kind of a formal, semi-formal kind of a sitting where maybe it's a life group, maybe it's a, you know, group that is gathering for a Bible study and, you know, there also there is the communication of the truth, so we see that also in scripture and we see those words also used, okay, so for example, just going through some, you know, some resources and it says that there are actually 33 Greek words, okay, which are used in the New Testament translated as preaching or proclaiming, you just think about that, 33 Greek words, okay, now and so, you know, several, some of these words give a different setting in which we actually speak it, okay, like setting like this where we, for example, the first one, okay, what we see in Colossians 3, 16, okay, let's, I'll just put the reference here, Colossians 3 verse 16, okay, so Colossians 3, 16 says, let me just read it out, says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, so he's saying that the word of Christ dwell in you richly, so this, so it says, you know, teaching and admonition, so two different words are used and it says, it particularly means, the first word teaching, it just means instruction, okay, so instructing someone and the second word, admonition, it means, it's a stronger word, you're giving life changing, it could involve warning, but you're giving a life changing, life transforming advice or a counsel, okay, so these two words are used there, so it's done in an informal setting, it refers to an informal setting where you're teaching, admonishing, instructing, giving life changing counsel, which carries a little bit of weightage, but it's all there, then the other setting that we see is, it's slightly, let's look at the other end of the extreme, where we see Peter giving a message, we see Stephen addressing or we see Paul addressing these, so these are like formal settings, people are gathered and they're watching, even though it could be something like a, you know, it's not very hostile kind of a gathering, but still, you know, if you read through the message sermon that Stephen, you know, you see just recounts everything right from the Old Testament, right from Exodus and everything, right, you see it's a very, very logical, very clear set message, very, you know, in fact the chronicles the entire thing, right, the Exodus and everything, so we see that, okay, or there could be in between where it's a, like we said, it could be, you know, a semi-formal kind of a setting where it's a group that is gathered, so nevertheless in each of these settings, we see that there is, you know, preaching or some, if you want to use the word, communicating of the truth that is there, okay, so when we look at that, we need to understand that some basics about communication, right, so that will also, that will really help us to understand because it involves communicating, you know, like you have someone there and your communication, they're communicating this truth, so understanding a little bit of the foundations or the basics of communication is, will really help us, will really strengthen that whole process, so let's look at that, okay, let's look at communication, okay, first thing, when we see communication, there is a sender, and a, and then we have a receiver, okay, so there is a sender, which means there is a person who's communicating, there is a receiver, you know, it could be multiple, it could be plural, it could be, you know, just a singular person, but they are receiving the communication, and then the third aspect of the communication is the message itself, the message that is being communicated, right, so we have those three basic things in communication, the sender, the receiver, and the message, now there could be a fourth aspect, which is the medium of communication, so we have the sender, we have the receiver, we have the message itself, and there could be another fourth aspect and communication, or fourth element in communication, which is the medium, now in preaching, of course, we are assuming that it's the, it's preaching, it's verbal, but it need not be so, right, we looked at different settings in which we are communicating the message, so let's say that we look at the second setting where it's a formal, informal kind of a setting, now if you throw in media, okay, if you throw in technology, I add technology there, we see that there are several ways by which we do it, you know, electronically, maybe it's an email, maybe it's a blog, maybe it's a website, maybe it's, you know, something else, so some other social media, right, so there also we see that, you know, there is communication that's happening, okay, and so we need to, in today, you know, today's time and season, we need to factor that also, that's a very important factor, when it comes, which can actually break or make communication very effective, but it can distort communication also, okay, okay, so at any of these levels, communication can break down, okay, so maybe you're a sender, so if you're not effectively sending the message, then, you know, there is breakdown in communication, I don't know if you played the game Chinese whispers, right, so everybody sits around and then somebody starts, somebody whispers something, some message, and you're supposed to pass it on to the next person, pass it on to the next person, and so on, by the time it reaches the last person, well, if somebody actually intentionally changed the message, you know, and it's all faithfully passed on, the end of the, you know, the end of the message is totally different from how it was passed on, and I saw another variation of it, probably you have also on, it was, you know, a video that was being passed on where it was not a message, but it was an action, right, you've seen that, yeah, okay, so the person actually turns around, the first person turns around, does an action, everybody's facing this direction, you know, probably if we're in in-person class, we go drive that, you know, you're all facing one direction, right, and then the first person turns around and does an action and turns back, so the second person, only the one person has seen it, so the second person turns to the third person, does that action and turns back, okay, so and so on, so this action is passed on, now the thing is, how I perceive that action is totally, totally different, okay, this video that I saw, it was about a person starting a bike, okay, so this person does the throttle and does the kick of the bike and then he, you know, just goes like that, sliding the bike, but by the time the end, you know, because each person is perceiving it a little differently and also passing on that message a little differently, so by the time it goes, it almost looks like a dance, that person is doing something like that and it's, you know, it's completely, totally different, okay, so you understand, you know, you begin to give weight to, hey, as a sender of a message, as a person who's, in other words, communicator of the message, I need to be clear, right, I need to make sure that the message is sent in a certain, in a way that the receiver receives it, now all these different complexities are there, what are those, language, their own perceptions, their own mood for that particular day, the lack of attention, so many challenges are there, but in the midst of all that, I need to make sure that I'm communicating the message in, articulating that message in a clear way, simple way, without losing the importance or, you know, without compromising on the truth of the message, so that that person receives that. Now add to that, you have the medium, you have the message itself, right, am I adulterating it, am I compromising it, am I watering it down, what is the message, right, so all these things are there when it comes to communication, okay, and like I said, you know, we have the medium itself, so the medium itself sometimes is a message, okay, for example, you know, just think about this, okay, let's say you have advertisement for a very costly jewelry, okay, advertisement, now you know, it's a premium jewelry and it's a premium brand of jewelry, now the medium that you use in order to promote that message or advertise that is going to make or break that promotion, okay, for example, okay, it's a very costly brand of jewelry and if you're going to use some kind of, you know, very cheap paper, paper insert, now people are not going to really consider that, right, or if you put some, you know, table in front of that showroom and some sales promotions happening, people are not going to consider that, right, because it's a very premium, expensive piece of jewelry ornament, so it has to be in a medium that really communicates that message, well, okay, yeah, so that's very important, so medium also plays a very important role in the, sometimes, you know, people have said the medium itself is a message, the medium that you use itself is a message, so, you know, we have all this, right, so we have the audience and the message and the speaker and so on, okay, let's look at the second thing, the second thing that we need to understand is that the communication process begins in the mind of the speaker, like, in our case, okay, we can say when it comes to preaching, we are praying, we are receiving and, you know, the Lord gives us the message, we are inspired and then we receive the message, we receive the revelation and it begins with the sender, right, sender of the message and then different means are used by the sender, so this is what we looked at, what we said was medium, different means, okay, is it spoken, is it written, is it something that is texted, typed, is it electronic, is it a video, is it a picture, you know, all these different ways and means by which we communicate that message, okay, so sometimes we don't need to use words, right, actions, maybe that's, it's a dance, maybe it's a picture, which really communicates a powerful truth sometimes and without the use of words, okay, fine, so then let's go to the fourth one, okay, there are several, there could be several barriers to communication, okay, well what is it, firstly, I mean it could be the language itself, okay, if you don't know the language, you could be speaking a different language, then the receiver is unable to, you know, decipher it, is unable to receive it, well you could be most articulate, you could be speaking in a wonderful way but then the person probably understands very basic, you know, a minimal basic understanding of the language, then it's not going to be effective, right, I remember one meeting where we had here in Bangalore, India, so we, so that was the first session, okay, first session where it was a three-day meeting and the first session that then after worship and I was asked to speak and then, so we just asked the audience, okay, does everyone understand English, you know, is everyone okay, comfortable, so these were, you know, several pastors from various other places, some from rural, some from urban, so we asked and everybody kind of said okay, you know, they just nodded, said yes, yes, so we went ahead, a 45-minute session and, you know, somewhere right in the middle, I just felt that, this is, they're not responding, right, it's not the response that you normally get for some of these things that we are presenting, these are exciting, this is, you know, what is happening, we're not really responding, but then we realized after, at the end of this, we said, you know, did you really understand, you know, and there are some challenges, you know, people who are there who are working knowledge of English in the sense, very, very basic knowledge of the language, but then and what we are sharing, you know, from the word, we're reading from the word all in a different language, so they needed translations, so the second session, here's a translator, you could visually see the difference in the audience, you could see the difference, you know, they were, you know, more engaging, more interested, more attentive, just one thing, the language, right, so within language itself, we see that there could be different levels, you know, based on the audience, now you could have an audience which is very, very well learned, very intellectual, highly intellectual, or you could have, you know, different age, you know, you could have kids, you could have, you know, people who are very senior, so within the audience itself, you have so many differences, so we need to be mindful of that, okay, so that's a thing, you know, when I use a language, when I use, you know, illustrations, maybe, or the kind of language that I use, within a, you know, even though it could be a language that people know, but the way in which I use it, well, the illustrations which I use, if it doesn't make sense, if you're not able to relate to it, then you're not able to receive the message, right, okay, so sometimes it could be, it could be something technical, like if I'm using a microphone, or it could be something like that, whereas, you know, level of volume, level of volume, if it's too loud, people don't, you know, people shut off, you know, it's like grating on your mind, you know, it's like too loud, it's almost at the point of pain, and you don't want to, you just want to get away from it, you know, you just, if it's too soft, right, you're straining to listen, you're straining to hear, okay, what is it, I didn't get that, and if it's going to be, let's say a long session, and if you're battling this constantly, you will lose the train of thought, right, and you don't want to, you're just waiting for it to get over, and you're like, okay, whatever, and nowadays anyway, since you have your phone, you can just, where you will be scrolling through your phone, and just waiting for the session to get over, right, but you can have the most wonderful message as a, you as a speaker, you're saying, okay, this is what God wants me to convey to you, and it's a timely thing in season, you better listen, but everything is lost out because of, you know, maybe this is the level of volume, the level of sound, right, okay, what's the other thing, it could be, you know, something with, because of that environment, maybe there is noise, maybe there's some hammering, there's some construction happening, and I remember one, one wedding which we went to, I think, yeah, like John Paul and I, we were at a wedding, and this wedding was, it is a beautiful setting, but it was actually in a place where there's a lot of, you know, outdoor activity, like they had this huge catapult like spring, like thing where people be launched out, and, you know, all those kind of things, there was a boating, there's a wonderful lake, but there were people who were boating, you know, in the boat, and then this wedding was happening right there, and so every now and then, you know, there's a solemn moment in the wedding service, and suddenly there's some loud cheering because the other group has just launched two guys onto, you know, in the air, and then there's some loud cheering, and then, yeah, we're standing there, and then the couple is about to make their vows to each other, and, you know, and they're actually, they're right in front of the lake, and behind the scene, you know, they're photo-bombing because they want to, they're curious, they want to see what's happening, so they're just coming in their boats, and, you know, things like that, right? So just, it could be a formal setting also, where there could be noise, so these are things that to take into consideration, right? So it could be noise, lack of light, or preparation, poor delivery, well, that's something on the part of the speaker, poor preparation, so if, as a speaker, if we are not prepared, and we are constantly pausing, guessing, what should I say, what should I not say, that interferes with the communication process, and also poor delivery, okay? Now, you know, these are things that we're going to look at when we look at the practical aspect of communicating the message, of speaking the message, right? Of preaching, actually, so we're going to look at that, okay? So these are some, some things, so for us to, it's important for us to understand that there could be barriers to communication, and it could be something very simple, it could be something very major that's happening, but we need to be mindful of that, and we need to be, you know, we need to adapt, some things we can't change, some things we know, we, you know, we cannot really control, but we need to be able to innovate, improvise as we go along, so that the message is communicated well, effectively, right? Okay, the next one, any questions here, any doubts, or anything that you might want to add to this? Has there been a barrier to my communication so far? Okay, okay, these are, these are basic, you know, simple things, some very practical things that we should be mindful of, right? And so it'll help for us, for us to know these things, so that we can avoid some of these things, some of these barriers. Okay, next one is also human perception, okay? So we need to understand that, you know, it's like somebody, I remember, it's very, very subjective, right? I remember sitting in one church service, and I'm like, completely, you know, I just moved, and I'm just full teary-eyed, and so I turned to the person next to me and said, wow, that was, oh, that was, that really spoke to me, that, when he was like, what really spoke to you? He was totally, you know, he was totally, I don't know, oblivious to all that was happening. Probably his mind was somewhere, maybe he had a difficult day, whatever. So then you realize that, hey, the same message coming to this group of people, and each one, maybe it's very subjective in the way they receive it, in the way they perceive it, okay? So that's another challenge. But there's something that you can control, something that you cannot. Okay, so John Paul is saying, intonations, okay, yeah, we'll come to that, John, intonations meaning, you know, the kind of voice you use and how you use your voice, right? Is it the same? Or do you go up and come down? Okay, the intonation of your voice and the way you speak, so that really matters. I think I've shared, I don't know if I've shared with this group, but then I remember once I spoke at, on Sunday morning, Sunday sermon, and then the one person who came to me and said, Pastor, I have a feedback, I hope you don't mind. I said, yeah, no problem, I don't mind. Then I said, Pastor, when you, the way you speak, your same tone, and I feel very sleepy. So he was actually a voice trainer, and he said, I feel very sleepy, Pastor. You've got good content, but the way you speak, you know, there's no change in your, you know, in the tone of your voice, right? And they said, I feel very sleepy when you do that. So yeah, so when you see your congregation nodding off, when you see your audience, just closing their eyes, you know, you need to change your tone of voice, you know, you need to alternate, especially be expressive, you know, not, I'm not saying that you need to be sounding so artificial that it's not like you anymore, right? But it can be just expressive, like when there are some things that you're sharing, which is, which need to be excited about some sound excited, when there are some things that you're sharing, which are, which are serious stuff, right? Be serious, like the tone of your voice, reflect that, communicate that. So yeah, very important point, John. Thanks for sharing that, intonations, yeah. So I have first time experience of receiving a feedback on intonations. Okay. Okay, so effective communication communicators are always mindful of the response of others, meaning the response of the audience. Okay, always mindful of that. So you see that how is the audience responding? Okay, now the thing is, you know, sometimes, you know, we need to go ahead, share the message, irrespective of how the audience is perceiving it. Okay. For example, okay, maybe the, you're sharing the gospel and people are, you know, don't seem to be interested in it. Okay. So for that, don't stop sharing the gospel in the sense, okay, today, I'm not going to share about this. Let me just share something, you know, encouraging and something that is inspiring and leave it at that. No, you know, you plan, you pray, and this is a group which needs the gospel, share it. But as a communicator, you think about it, okay, this audience is not receiving this. So can I, you know, can I do it in a different way? Can I share some illustration? Can I, how can I grab the interest, right? How can I grab the interest level and share this, right? Like, I remember, John was again, was also there, and we were at a wedding, right? We were at a wedding ceremony. The thing is, the bride and the groom were, were Christian believers, but their families were not. Okay. So families were, had no clue, you know, about a gathering about a church service. And the thing is, it wasn't in a church setting. The wedding was in a hall. It was in a hotel. It was a party hall, right? It was a common, you know, regular place where, you know, regular things happen, gatherings happen, meals happen, parties happen. So it was in such a setting. And so now, both these families are there. Now, you know, you and I know that when a ceremony, a church, a wedding service is happening, like, you see, you sit and you pay attention. You listen to what's happening, right? Now, if there is an unchurched gathering, they're not going to do that. They're going to be speaking. They're going to be having their conversation. Okay, something's happening. Some ritual is happening. But, you know, let it happen. I'm going to be, and typically, you know, some of these weddings are like that, right? If you go to go and attend some of these weddings from, you know, different other worldviews and other faith, you see that there's something happening there. People are talking here, fellowshiping, gathering and cracking jokes or something's happening there that didn't happen. And at one point, okay, maybe there's some focus, but then again, everybody's, you know, okay, there's a group of people going to eat, coming back and everything is, you know, it's all buzzing. It's all happening. Different things are happening. Right. So this wedding was something like that. And then I realized that, hey, we need to do something. We need to do something like, so immediately I can't be like a preacher mode. I had to be like a game host, you know, like a game show, kind of a mode. And, you know, say, okay, everyone, you know, and it was, I don't know, I just, I felt a little different doing that, but I had to do it, you know, okay, here's the groom's family and okay, can you all, you know, something, I don't even remember the details of it, but I remember that it was not a typical pastor, preacher, kind of a more attitude, you know, shift to like a TV game show host. I don't want to do that. I hope I don't do too much of that, but then we had to do that. Why? Because people, this was the audience, had to improvise, had to go make changes and, you know, share the thing. And then I remember at the end of it, the person said, hey, this is a tough crowd, right? I said, yeah, yeah, brother, it was. So anyway, we did that. So the thing is, you know, it was also a wedding solemn, the solemnity of the wedding had to be maintained and all that. So to be able to share that. Anyway, so you were mindful of the response. Mindful of the response, not so much you can change, not so that you change the message completely, but you want to preach it in an effective way. So you're reading the room, you're saying, okay, why is this happening? Are they interested? Why is the lack of interest is something bothering them? You address it. Okay. The other thing, the more you know about the other person's life orientations, the more accurate your predictions about their responses. So what does that mean? That means you know your audience, you know, not all of us have the privilege of knowing the audience. Okay. Meaning, we may not be able, you know, maybe we may not have the opportunity to interact beforehand or we, the, those who maybe invite you, we're talking about a formal setting kind of a thing, invite you may not, you know, share much about the audience. So you, you have some information, but you don't know, right? But the thing is, if you make it, make an attempt to find out the, maybe the age, maybe the background, that will also help, help in terms of, you know, communicating in a better way, right? You know, sometimes, you know, you need to know, because let's say there are children and the children are your primary audience. Now you really need to work, you know, at getting the children's attention. Like for me, that there is a challenge, right? I've tried and I'm not really gifted in, you know, ministering to children, speaking to children, there are others and really all of, you know, those who can do that, like minister to children. So, so that's the thing, you know, knowing the audience, knowing the life orientations also, meaning, okay, what is the season of life they are in? What could be something, some challenges that there could be phasing, right? And knowing this and even praying through this, you know, when you're preparing, you can even pray and ask the Lord, Lord, what is the thing, some of the things that they're going through? You know, are they like single families? Are they, you know, broken families? What are some of those things that they're going through? You know, can you just show me? Can you tell me so that I can be prepared? Okay, so we have a few more things, but we'll pick it up in our next class, okay? And then we'll come to the end of this chapter, right? Okay, so we'll stop here. We'll meet again on Tuesday. Thank you. Have a great weekend. God bless. See you. Bye-bye.