Do you know what you’re talking about?

The conversation was interesting–a retired entrepreneur turned preacher and missionary, a company executive, a couple of business professionals who serve as mission committee members, and yours truly. The discussion topics ranged broadly, but generally came back to our shared faith concerns as Christians–ministry and missions.

The statement caught me off guard, “You can tell when someone knows what he’s talking about!” Wow! So you can! The follow-up statements were expected and more predictable. Long hours of preparation, study, and thought are reflected in the way a person speaks and what that person says. A broad orientation and deep study are immediately obvious. Some of it is maturity–but some people grow older and still don’t know what they are talking about! Some of it is having and learning from experiences–but some people have had a lot of experiences but haven’t learned much from them.

“You can tell when someone knows what he’s talking about.” The statement is a generalization, so there are exceptions. The listeners must have also a basic awareness. Inexperienced and immature Christians may fail to recognize “fluff” in a class or sermon. Even elders can be deceived. Some speakers seem to know what they’re talking about, but do not.

Even though the statement is not true at all times in every situation, it is generally true. It has enough truth to suggest a goal for those of us preach and teach in full-time roles. Let’s make sure we know what we are talking about! Study deeply enough to be able to deal with the potential difficulties and questions in a passage or text. Prepare so that others, even the most biblically literate and spiritually astute, recognize that you know what you are talking about!

It is shameful when preachers stand before a congregation and talk about what they do not know about! It happens for many reasons–lack of study, borrowed sermons, Internet sermon sources, poor preparation. It is embarrassing when a preacher talks about what he knows not, failing to address major aspects of the subject at hand. It is dishonest when a preacher fails to do what he is hired to do–speak a clear, certain word from God for this congregation at this moment in history.

It is an audacious thing to claim to speak for God. A good first step is to make certain you know what you are talking about!