God Speaks II

We began discussing last week how God speaks and who He speaks to. I want to finish that up this week by looking at a few more ways that God speaks and then at how we should respond to Him.

Last week we said that God speaks in different ways. He speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and through prayer, emphasizing that the relationship with God is the key to communication with Him stating that children recognize and hear their father’s voice. Let’s look at a few more ways God speaks to us.

God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12

Only the Holy Spirit knows what God is purposing in your life. Many Christians are frustrated with what God is doing, or not doing, in their lives because they don’t have a peace about it or they are uncomfortable with the clash between their lifestyles and the holiness that God desires.

The problem is we make all the decisions regarding our lives based on what we know and what makes us comfortable and not on what God is purposing for us. Let me give you a life application of what I am talking about.

At Mayfair, the church I pastor, we are a small growing church. I believe that God is leading us to be active in missions by sending a team into the mission field. I wasn’t for sure about it, but the more I prayed about it, the more I felt that is where God was leading our church. We had a mission trip information meeting to see if anyone else felt the same way about missions. We had 20 people who showed interest in participating in a mission trip. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one who felt God leading us to the mission field.

It would have been easy for us as a church to say that we are too small to go on the mission field. We are a growing church, 28 new members in 12 weeks, so it would have been easy for us to say, “Let’s wait until we grow more.” Instead we are moving forward with God’s purpose that the Holy Spirit has shown us.

Another way God speaks is through circumstances. In John 5:17 we learn that God is always working. That means in all situations He is at work. Our lives are full of both good and bad circumstances. We have to understand that in the middle of those circumstances is the voice of God. The key to hearing Him is understanding His perspective on our situation. When we learn to do this in both good and bad situations we will also learn to hear God’s voice.

Finally, God speaks to us through the church. A New Testament church is the Body of Christ. It is the responsibility of all members to function in the capacity of Jesus Christ Himself. You have heard the phrase, “Be His hands and feet”, that is exactly what the church is about. Just as your body has many parts, with each part having its own function, the church is made of many people who each serve in different functions.

Every action that you make begins in your mind. Before you stand up your brain actually gives the command for the muscles in your legs. Before the church makes a move, it should receive a command from the head of the body. That head is Jesus Christ! How do you know, if a church is functioning properly? Is it preaching the bible? Is it doing the things of Christ? When the church functions as the body of Christ and listens to the head, Jesus, it becomes the biggest voice of God to the modern world.