The Concept HEART Language

Finally, the real Story has the power to transform
lives as it has done for almost 2,000 years. Embodied in the person
Jesus Christ, the Story is true, tested, trustworthy, touching,
transparent and transferable to new people’s lives. Yet, it can, it
must be embodied in our lives and especially in the Christian churches
and communities. Only then will the message prove to be timely and
relevant today. The gospel will continue to transform many people’s
lives by the power of the Spirit, making them a new being in Christ and
thankfully worshiping the Risen Lord.
 
The essence is always to keep in mind that “I am a part of the message.”
 
These questions are therefore questions for self-testing — before,
during and after communicating the gospel in a sermon or in a private
conversation. If they can be a help to stay humble, authentic,
enthusiastic, relevant and transparent when sharing both the personal
story as well as the Story, the Story of God (see the works of Leighton
Ford), an important purpose is fulfilled. As Leighton Ford’s son, Kevin
Graham Ford, writes,
 
But my generation demands a different apologetics — an embodied
apologetic, a flesh-and-blood apologetic, living and breathing argument
for God. The old apologetics of previous generations assumed that the
barrier to conversion was intellectual and the way to remove that
barrier was to answer all cognitive doubts. But Xers live in an age of
intellectual ambiguity, when cognitive answers carry considerably less
weight. The question my generation asks is not “Can Christians prove
what they believe?” but “Can Christians live what they believe?” [5]
  
We are God’s chosen storytellers, to embody God’s passionate heart
for each person. We are chosen to demonstrate God’s loving heart in a
painful, alienated world and to a generation who feels hurt, alone, and
without hope.
 
The concept of HEART language aims to help to communicate God’s love
for the whole human being in a holistic way, sharing the eternal good
news with an evangelistic focus, authentically including myself to
communicate the objective truth, always longing to be God’s ambassador
to bring about restoring reconciliation, and faithfully praying to be
able to experience the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, making an
alienated generation “new beings” in Christ.
 

 
[1] Henri J. M. Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (New York: Crossroads, 1989), 24.
[2] Ibid., 25.
[3] Donald E. Messer, A Conspiracy of Goodness: Contemporary Images of Christian Mission (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992), 139.
[4] Kevin Graham Ford, Jesus for a New Generation (InterVarsity, 1995), 117.
[5] Ibid., 174.