Discerning the Messages You Hear
This week, Pastor Amy talked about how we can tell if a message we hear is God's truth. She talked about the simple guidelines that Paul offered to the Galatians back in about 50 AD which are recorded for us in chapter 5 of that book. A message will result in either the acts of the sinful nature or the fruit of the spirit. If it is from God, His message will be planted in our hearts and it produces the
fruits of the Spirit. But if it is not from God, we will continue to live according to the sinful nature.
Is this test black and white in our day and age? What are some
gray areas you struggle with?
Recognizing God's Voice
Today, Pastor Henry asked us if we could recognize the voices in several audio clips that were played over the sound system. Wasn't it amazing how we could tell the voices of people we have never even met based on different clues like context and message? This led to thinking about how we know which one of the voices we hear in our head is God's voice. Here is a key verse:
"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God." 1John 4:2-3a This is how verse 3 reads in The Message:
Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ - the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person - comes from God and belongs to God.Can we hear God's voice over the other voices? How can we learn to recognize it better?
Danny is pointing to the best way!
Walking By Faith
Our God is an Awesome GodToday, Pastor Amy talked about the faith of Abraham as highlighted in Hebrews 11. This chapter illustrates so well what it means to "walk by faith." Abraham did what God wanted him to do
by faith...even though... He walked in complete faith and put aside his own desires; he was willing to be uncomfortable to become the kind of person God could use.
Pastor Amy said that what we believe is best for us is not always the same as what God knows is best for us. We want what makes us warm and comfortable but God wants for us what will make us stretch and grow; what will make us into the best we can be for Him. I think it all comes down to trusting in God's goodness and that he has our best interests in mind, but this can be hard to do when we can't see it now.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that faith is taking the first step even though you don't see the whole staircase, you just take the first step. How would you describe faith?
What can you learn about faith from a child? Hint: see the above picture :)
Are You Listening?
Today, Pastor Henry continued the "Unplugged" series that began a few weeks ago when the great big cell phone came walking in to remind us that with so much noise going on around us, we need to consciously unplug ourselves from all of this to listen to what God is saying. He read the story in I Samuel 2-3 when Samuel was just a boy and God spoke to him. Samuel thought it was Eli calling him, but finally, Eli helped him realize that it was in fact, God's voice.
We talked about different ways God speaks to us . . . through other people, creation, the Holy Spirit, events, or phenomena. I didn't think of it then, but now that I'm thinking about it, one of the most important ways He speaks to us is through the Bible. He uses these words, the Word, to shape our thoughts and so that is why it is important to read it often. If you study it or memorize it, the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind when you need it.
This monk named Thomas Merton said,""Silence is the first language of God; all else is a poor translation." What do you think that means?
