Understanding the Sabbath
Today’s Focus: Coming to Rest by the Spirit Part 2: Hearing God
Scripture: Jude 1:20; 1 Corinthians 14; Romans 10:17
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
How can you worship God if you cannot hear Him? Worship itself has been reduced to music and performance. Even when it comes to pastors being put over the Body of Christ. Let me give you the scenario?
There is a bishop and he has a congregation that needs a pastor. 12 men show up to “interview” for the position, sound like a job, right! As he interviews the 12 men he asks them all the same question, “How do you know you are supposed to be here and serve as pastor?” and each of them said, “Because God told me so!” Now somebody is not hearing God properly when this is the prevailing case in many of our congregations. By the way, I do not believe in interviewing people for pastor because it is not a job but a calling from God to watch over the heritage of the Lord, who are His children. The first century church, prayed and fasted and allowed the Holy Spirit to select leaders from amongst them.
As we deny ourselves and put down youthful lust we become more sensitive to hear the voice of God. As we become more sensitive to the Word of God we should also build ourselves in faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20: But, ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.
What is praying in the Holy Ghost? Speaking in tongues in a spiritual language that is between you and God. I do not advocate the public spectacle that speaking in tongues has become because there are rules to this because a immature son of God will get lost without an interpreter and speaking in tongues is a spiritual language between you and God. Please read the entire 1 Corinthians 14th chapter. Jude says PRAYING in the Spirit.
But what has happened to all of this? Most of it has been replaced by another language that everybody seems to understand as a universal language and that is music. Listen I am not bashing music but when you speak to the average youth or carnal adult about the Word of God, many have to result to a song that they heard their favorite artist sing. It is as if the only language they can speak is a song. They cannot respond to normal conversation but they can respond regularly to music. We need to understand that there are times for songs to be sung unto the Lord but when we look at Jesus and the first century church. They spoke the Word of the Lord, not in song but by power. They were secure in their connection with God and could hear Him clearly and by doing this, the power of God was manifested before the eyes of men. These sons of God were at rest not worried about their own lives but living to please the Father. Their faith was strong but it only grew and became strong by hearing the Word of God.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
Faith does not come by studying the Word of God. That is just accumulating information. Faith comes by hearing because you live in the hope of the very thing you heard God say He would do and once it is manifested or placed into reality, it now is faith. So hearing the Word of God is crucial to being at rest.
In the next message we will look at the five-fold responsibility of the Word of God.
Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
