“Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you’re not able to hear My word.” (John 8:43 Messianic Jewish Family Bible)
Our nation is very culturally diverse. Sometimes when a person is born in another country, we can recognize where they are from by their accent. Even within a country of origin there could be different dialects, which could determine that person being from a specific region in that country. Logistics of domestic American citizens can sometimes be identified by their accents; whether they are from the north, south, east, or west. There is a language where no matter what country you were born in, everyone speaks the same manner of speech and have the same accent; those that are in the Kingdom of God. Jesus was speaking to the leaders of the synagogue when He asked why they didn’t understand His speech, they were interpreting what He was saying as gibberish.
I remember being introduced to one of my very best friends, who is Filipino, by a mutual acquaintance. As she and I began engaging in conversation, she exclaimed “Are you a born- again believer, praise the Lord my sister!” Even though our host at this function was not a believer; even though my friend was born on the other side of the pacific in the Philippines; even though she has an accent and can speak Tagalog; we discovered that day that we both spoke with a Kingdom accent. There wasn’t any language barrier or devoid of understanding, we spoke the same language.
Are you like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the others sitting in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown? “Where did this fellow get this wisdom and these mighty works?” (Matthew 14:54b MJFB) Are these the words you utter at a church service after the Pastor has delivered the word of God or after a conversation in the vestibule with another member? Do you utter those words because you don’t recognize “kingdom talk?” Jesus was teaching in the house of God in His own hometown and they didn’t understand His speech. If you are in the hometown of the Kingdom of God and He is speaking, is the speech sounding like gibberish to you? So, if you are part of God’s Kingdom, regardless of your country of origin or dialect, learn to speak with a kingdom accent. Learn Kingdom talk!
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