High Fidelity

T

he teenage years mark a milestone in a child’s development.  This era of life is filled with firsts—the first crush, the first date, the first driving experience, and the all-important first stereo. Now, I don’t mean a clock radio that plays cassettes, I mean a full-blown sound system that keeps parents knocking on the door with instructions to “Turn that thing down!”  Yes, all of these are proof that the teenage years have arrived in full force and that life for the typical family is about to change.

Now, back to that stereo system.  The selection of a stereo is a serious matter.  The name brand is important and of course, the bigger the system, the better it is, or so teenagers think.  There is nothing more impressive than walking into a guy’s room and seeing nothing but speakers!!!  The first reaction is that this must be one connoisseur of music.  However, the most important aspect of the speaker is not its size but how effectively and how clearly it produces sound.  The measure of any speaker rests solely in its ability to reproduce sound that is faithful to the original source.  Speakers that produce quality, undistorted sound are described with two words—high fidelity!

Now stop and think about that for just a minute.  That label guarantees that the sound produced by the speaker is exactly the same sound as the original.  The speaker remains faithful to its source (hence, the term high fidelity) and reproduces it so the listener receives the full measure, color, and mood of the original sound.  Speakers true to the sounds of an orchestra will produce not only the high and low sounds of the instruments, but will also communicate the full body of the entire musical score. They will relay the emotions and the attitude of both the composer and the conductor, giving the listener the total experience of a musical work.

As Christians, we can take a lesson from the stereo speaker. God has entrusted us with sharing the good news of salvation and the person of Jesus Christ with those around us.  The question we must ask ourselves is how effectively are we sharing his word with others?  Are we faithful to the original source, communicating God’s love and concern for all those who are not saved?  Can it be said of us that our sharing of God’s word is accurate and faithful?  If we were stereo speakers, would the words “High Fidelity” be attributed to us?

Psalm 15 gives great insight into the kind of person God permits to stand in his presence.  There is a long list of requirements but Psalm 15:2 addresses the message we send and how effectively we represent God to the world. “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart…” Notice that God requires us to speak the truth from our hearts.  It is with the heart that we truly understand and communicate with God.  It is with the heart that we have a relationship with him because it is the heart of man that most interests God.  King Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

Yes, the quality of a stereo system is judged by the quality of sound produced by its speakers.  The decision to accept or reject the entire stereo is based on the sound produced by the speakers and their faithfulness in remaining true to the source.  When people listen to us, what are they hearing?  What message are we sending out about God?  Are we remaining faithful to his word or are we distorting it?  We are either doing one or the other. Based on what people hear from our speakers, do they accept or reject God’s message?  Do we deserve the label “high fidelity” today?