UACCCI Ministries

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              LEAD BISHOP Chadd Hatfield's Insight   Aug-Oct 2025

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A Christian Counselor’s observations on the realm and depth of communication & application

By Rev. Chadd N. Hatfield, Ph.D.

 

A book review of Paul David Tripp’s

War of Words Getting to the heart of your communication struggles

As a Christian counselor and pastor, communication is an obvious application towards my work. Rather to be more specific, accurate and proactive communication is vital for me to serve the Lord with accuracy, intelligence, and the love for all whom I am led to communicate with, whether during counseling sessions or simply teaching biblical theology and or preaching. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for me is to listen to a great speaker, on any theological topic, yet within the lecture he or she adds their own humanistic opinion that is not in line with scripture, or when a minister is attempting to assist a child of God in need, and because of their lack of wisdom (Sophia), and lack of biblical focus by allowing the Holy Spirit move them, they create more harm than good. The text War of Words by Dr. Tripp, is an excellent breakdown of human error within God’s brilliant plan of communication.

The verse I wish to begin this paper with is found in the book of Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” This verse indicates that at specific times, we as Christian professionals must acknowledge that what we say, even within casual situations, should not be taken lightly, for we represent the King of Kings. After reading this verse, I also was interested in the last words, “….give grace to those who hear” indicating that when we are teaching, preaching, or counseling we need to be promoting the underserved gift in all realms of our discussion, and that is grace. If we begin deviating away from the Truth of Christ on any topic, this could be problematic, not just being rude or problematic, but not verbalizing our faith with accuracy.

Before I dive into the text, by applying the method of presenting specific points from the book dealing with, major principles, valuable truths, and ministry applications, I which to illustrate the thesis of the whole book by applying Proverbs 2:6,

”For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Dr. Tripp as stated did a brilliant job conveying one point above all, God is the master communicator. If we as leaders of the Faith, wish to convey the Truth with excellence, we must recognize its’ origin, and application, as the verse states, the Lord gives wisdom. We use wisdom for our teaching, our theological explanations dealing with complex issues, emotionally as well as intellectually, and if we attempt to answer or communicated a point without wisdom, it has minimal to no value. The second part of the verse is knowledge, and the Bible tells us to be diligent and study, learn, and grow (2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 3:18) so that accurate knowledge of God can not only lead people towards Jesus Christ which is life and salvation (Galatians 2:20), but also to grow once one is a child of God. Yet as the verse points out, it comes from the mouth of God, and thus we must be open and ready to be servant to that power when God calls us to speak for Him; the war of words must not control us, our message is too valuable for humanity. 

Major Principles

Because of the vast information within the text, it was an interesting journey to choose four points to indicate the major principles that Dr. Tripp brings out. As a Christian counselor, educator and pastor, the excellence of God’s communication and His Word, is not only a vital focus for my ministry but if I lose focus of godly communication I would have no value to offer my students, clients, or even congregation. In Genesis 1:28 God indicates the power and value of the Word, “God blessed them; and God said to them,…..” the rest of the verse deals with what God indicates what they are to functionally do, but reviewing the first part is spectacular. God said…., that in and of itself is truly an extraordinary experience, when God speaks all should not only listen, but focus and recognize the glorious power of our Lord. Yet today many Christians have looked passed the value of God’s Word and seem to ignore the fact that our Bible is the Word of God, and if one is saved by the Grace of Christ, God speaks to them daily, through the Word, prayer, and our universe that communicates clearly God’s fingerprints. Yet we must come to the point in which we demonstrate responding rather than overreacting in this society of distorted communication and get more efficient at listening because God still speaks.

On page 5 Dr. Tripp states “Jesus is the Word who is the only hope for our words! In him alone do we find victory in our own war of words.” This single quote speaks volumes of who we represent, or rather why our communication about the Master should be biblically focused and our words should be watched very carefully. The idea of Jesus being our only hope for our communication makes perfect sense when considering the political realm, in which politicians literally hire speech writers to create a rhetorical message that fits their thoughts, and so many times, even with speech writers, these politicians come across the exact opposite then they wanted to, because of the words and rhetoric applied. Who do you want as your speech writer? My background before diving into God’s work, and my undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Interpersonal Communication, and it is so fascinating looking back at all of the theories and methods of advocacy and argumentation, and yet the secular world misses it big, because the Word of God gives us the clear message on how to apply the communication of peace, love, logic, and the Gospel of truth everlasting. If our intentions are those mentioned, then a theory on how to win one over is as simple as telling them the Truth.

The second major principle is found on page 23, “Good, godly communication is always dependent on truth.” This is not only logically but also deeper when recognizing that the Word is Jesus Christ, and in John 14:6 we acknowledge with great joy that Jesus Christ is the way and the truth and the life, He is the literal Truth. And Jesus Himself states that none is good by God, so the only communication that can be accurately good as well as truthful, must be God talk, and nothing else, that is, nothing that goes against God’s Word (John 1:1-14).

The third major principle is found on page 40, and it is one in which many simply will not comprehend if they do not have Christ in their hearts. The quote reads, “Yet there is hope of substantial change because of Jesus Christ, the Word, and Redeemer, has given us every resource we need to speak as we are meant to speak.” Much like those who do not believe in the obviousness of God’s creation, they have no excuse (Romans 1:20) and so we have no excuse when we speak of God’s greatness. The resources in which Dr. Tripp speaks about, are the elements of wisdom the God gives His believers, as well as the fruits of the spirit. So regardless, if you have had extensive communication training, or even a PhD in rhetoric or communication, those resources do not even meet the least of the standards that Jesus’ resources of knowledge in the realm of words can provide. To speak the way Jesus Christ wishes us to speak is mentioned all throughout the Bible, one being a peacemaker, which would be impossible if one is always argumentative and harsh. The final major principle is found on 81 and 82, this point is the essence of our Christian application within the communication process. The quote on page 81 reads as such, “Embracing the sovereignty of God over our relationships will alter our words regarding the people he has placed in our lives.” How does one embrace the holiness of God when their communication is engulfed within the secular realm? The biggest concern as a Christian counselor, is having a client that has gone through secular counseling, the rhetoric and anti-wisdom solution set forth in many cases could create a psychological wall that must be breached by the Word alone. The second part of this is found on page 82, Dr. Tripp quotes James 3:10, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be”. The context of James is basically speaking to hypocrisy within the Jewish Christians that are saying erroneous statements about religion and Jesus, and that if we as Christians walk around using communication that creates corruption, this will lead to a false witness, in which that person will be responsible for. The language we use should be understandable (1 Corinthians 14:19), logical, and focused on the peace and logical truth that is within knowing Jesus Christ. Yet within God’s ministry that He has given me at the Huntington City Mission, I hear so many glorify God and praise Him when they want positive attention or want to indicate to others they are doing better, yet many of those same people, when things turn for the worst or even slightly problematic, they curse God and His works. This makes the counseling and teaching more complicated when you engage a borderline personality client during a session or casual conversation, because if you mention hypocrisy, logical fallacy, and or contradiction, the denial/avoidance state of mind begins. We should talk the talk, and walk the walk, in essence, allow the Word to be our words.

Valuable Truths

The valuable truths section of this paper is found on three pages, first on page 7; it reads as such, “He has a design for our communication, a specific plan and purpose for the talk of the body of Christ”. If anyone wishes to counsel, teach, and or preach for God’s Kingdom, and they feel that they have been called to do so, their understanding of day-to-day communication must be consistent with their theological communication. The problem comes when a person in the ministry has a different type of world-view “talk” when not formally doing work for the “Kingdom”, even though every act we do as Christians reflects upon who we are within the body of Christ, whether formal or informal. Obviously I don’t mean if you talking about baseball to implement an apologetics exegetical review on why the Reds can’t win, (however I am sure there is one) but to make sure that your foundation within all that is spoken is based upon God’s design of ethical and accurate communication, not one of the malice, which is the core of much chaos; which is sinful rhetoric. Rather God centered rhetoric which begins with Jesus Christ, and is more rational and focused as well, (author and finisher of our faith).

The second valuable truth is found on page 9, it reads, “The infinite and almighty One makes himself knowable and understandable through human language! ......God is not just a God who does, he is a God who speaks –powerfully, elaborately, consistently, 

comprehensively, and clearly to his people”. Truly magnificently put, our God we know as our Savior speaks with such clarity, His name in representation of our Lord is the Word itself, Jeremiah was nervous, and God says I will give you the words to speak, and on and on throughout scripture God’s words are sound and true. As Theocentric counselors and professionals we must refer to His word with the respect that it demands. I remember one of my first few counseling sessions, I referred to God’s perfect and clear thoughts in scripture, however I was also relying upon my flawed clinical rhetoric too much, thus after a few sessions I realized if this is going to end productive I must allow God to speak for Himself through the clear words of the Bible, in context to the client’s needs. Many times, we get in the way of a productive spiritual communication “dynamic” because the flesh, we must die to self and recognize who the founder of perfected communication truly is; that being our God.

The third valuable truth is found on page 230 in a verse Dr. Tripp chose from Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not under the control of the human nature but under the control of the Spirit, since God's Spirit lives in you.” This verse is the essence of the transformed or exchange life we have in Jesus Christ, when we recognize it is Jesus that lives in us and it is He who actually gives daily life, as well as pure communication to promote the divine Truth to all we encounter. Also “Such words flow from the self-control that the Spirit has given us.” In many counseling and even preaching situations, some personal issue from the client or congregation may be on our mental or cognitive focus, and this may take us through a downward spiral of judgment and humanistic rhetoric, if applied with sound wisdom, can too, be helpful. This can occur especially if we are projecting a personal element of anger or judgment upon someone, and yes people 

in the congregation can be rude and negative to their pastor, yet if we react with humanistic communication, we fail in promoting Christ, thus self-control is a vital factor, remember Jesus was in complete self-control while being scourged and violently questioned and mocked, and that was in preparation for the ultimate sacrifice, that was the propitiation that allows us to be forgiven. So we too must have self-control during times of turmoil with our words, because truly our issues do not even measure to a sixteenth of what our Lord went through for us.

 

Ministry Application

It was quite difficult to choose the major ministry application points out of the book, because of its vastness of logic dealing with day-to-day usage of commutation and the Word. However, on page 235 I found a brilliant point that is quintessential for any person in the ministry to focus on, and if their focus is not this quote, it is possible that their message is rhetorically non-productive for Kingdom work. It reads as such on page 235, “Perhaps this is the highest goal for talk within the body of Christ-that our words would be conduits for the life-giving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Is that not the entire purpose of our foolish preaching if we are not promoting Jesus Christ, and the Salvation that He has given by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-13, and many more) what are we saying? Rather we should say nothing, if I counsel a person on manic depression for an hour, and give them systematic ways to relieve or stabilize their clinical concern, or preach a message on the theocratic differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism, or teach a lesson on the History of the Church, none of those have value if I do not preach the Cross and Jesus’ saving Grace. Many churches are losing sight ofwhat our purpose truly is, and are attempting to create a feel good philosophy, yet that type of humanistic communication, however seems to be filled with joy, truly leads to misunderstanding and not focusing on our purpose, which is to preach Jesus Christ, a God who heals, saves, and sanctifies, that is the true communication of Joy.

The second ministry application is found upon page 155 in the section titled Encourage the person with the Gospel, this is the essence of the Good news. Simply put, to create real encouragement that will be long lasting and productive, the truth must be the foundation of the communication process, and since Jesus Christ stated that He is the Way the Truth and the Life, (John 14:6) the only way to create a pure encouraging moment is with the foundation of the Gospel, not false encouragement that leads to error and inevitable eternal failure if not Saved.

The final ministry application point is found in the bible, in Ephesians 4:29-30, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The scripture is our perfect book on interpersonal communication, it allows to see a vast number of possible daily situations, and God’s explanation verbally on how it can be solved with meaningful results. The Prophets communicated to Judea for centuries, yet even though their communication was perfect, the people did not listen. Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar took many trials and much suffering before the king was able to comprehend Daniel’s words of wisdom from the only God of the universe. So always promote the foundational truth with love, and Jesus Christ in all in which you convey, and use the wisdom that God gives to illustrate the right path, and apply the knowledge that only God can give, (Proverbs 2:6). By doing so our War with words will never conquer our desire to glorify God as we speak, within theology, counseling, casual, scientific or any other moments in which we are communicating ideas or thoughts, Sola Deo Gloria, in all that you speak.

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Rev. Dr. Howard McFarland

Bishop Emeritus UACCCI Ministries         Quarterly Journey

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     Since there has been some changes here at UACCCI, I am shifting gears and have decided on our quarter 

 Newsletters, just to give you the info on my Ministry Journeys. I'll still give something inspirational also, just for encouragement to all of our colleagues. 

The last few Months, the journey of life has been very interesting. I was on a medical rest from Feb.-May due 

to a something that was unexpected. I was able to attend the Graduation in May for the College I teach at here 

locally and help  with the Hooding. And I did do some things for my Birthday, Ministry \Chaplaincy Anniversary

all in May. In June I made the decision to go back to doing Chaplaincy at the Hospital. I have made the hard

choice of only working On-Call 2 days a week.  

I will close this by saying that I may not always make the right decisions, as hard as I try to. I try very hard to

Pray and be obedient to do what God directs me to do, tho sometimes I fail, I'm thankful for His Grace/Mercy.

Most of you know, my transportation was not the best, and I really struggled with trying to figure it out.  I want

to give a praise report. God has Blessed me with a Vehicle that is very dependable, looks great, and I was 

honored of how it work out, all I can say is, "it pays to serve God.

 

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This Quarter I want to Inspire you with a story of:   OBEDIENCE

 ​Exodus 16, Joshua 5,  John  6 : 48-51

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 All of the Scripture References above, you probably have heard. Exodus 16  is when the Children of Israel was 

 fed with Manna from Heaven, Joshua 5 was when they crossed over Jorden and the Manna ceased, and the

 John 6 reference was Jesus sharing he was the Manna "bread of Life". 

 I could expound on these, and all of you could to. We could come out with a lot of Messages of Obedience, off 

 of any of these passages. 

 However, I am going to share with you something personal with you, that affected my life just a few months

 ago..  Now, I don't want you to think, I patting myself on the back, if you know me, you know thats not what I 

 do. I give all the glory to God. 

 FOUNDATION....... God called me into fulltime Ministry 25 years ago. I have been honored to Minister in Church's, 

 Homeless Shelters, Community Centers, Street Meetings, Camp Services, and Revivals. I have worked as a 

 Chaplain in Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Work Places, Prison's, Military Bases.. I've Ministered on TV/Radio, 

 oversee 2 Worldwide Ministries. I have never promoted myself, God has promoted me to the assignments

 when I was spiritually ready for them. 

 BRIDGE------ A few months, in a night time revelation, I was spoken to very clearly...., " It is time for my people

 to receive fresh Manna, Anointing, Revelation. This is a new season, a new day."  As I pondered this in my Spirit

and continued to hear more instructions, I finally realized the significance  and magnitude of the level I was 

going into. I was instructed to destroy all the Messages I had in my files, my computer, my notes, my 

 notebooks. I was told that every time I was ask  to Minister, I would receive a Word for that time and that time

 and service only.  I know that you have to be completely Obedient, partial Obedience is still disobedience.

 So for the next several days, I started that journey of destroying all the files I had.

APPLICATION: --------  In doing this, I have had more peace and understanding of what God had called me to 

 do. I have more in-depth retention of the scriptures. When I'm ask to Minister, I can work on different Messages

 for different Services, and have clarity of all of them. I have seen God do supernatural things, and the Spirit

 move more. 

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I am excited what God is doing in and through the Ministry of UACCCI. I am looking forward to 2026, and what

God is going to do. We are laborers together with God. 

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Blessings. 

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