A word of encouragement and exhortation to my brothers and sisters in the Lord – - delivered at our Denver network monthly gathering - 11/2009

I would like to encourage and exhort my wonderful brothers and sisters in the Lord to continue to listen and obey our Lord Jesus. Listen and obey and make listening and obeying our primary calling, primary purpose, and primary activity in our spiritual walks and in our ministerial efforts in Him.

            I would like to remind us that this Denver Network Group is here today because a handful of brothers were sensitive to the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Since the beginning we have made “only doing what we hear the Father telling us to do” the underlying priority and way of operating in this group. Our monthly meetings, our larger gatherings, and our interactions with one another throughout the month, especially in the last year, have been outgrowths of simply staying in tune with Him and obeying. Our website, our prayers for 100 new house churches, and our most recent discussions around multiplying into more intimate Denver network meetings, have all been because we’re working at allowing Him to guide us, step by step.

            Let us never forget the picture of healthy churches and church leaders preserved for us so beautifully in the writings of the first century church. Rightly has it been said that the book of the Acts of the Apostles should have more accurately been titled, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit”, for the history of the first generation Christian body is a poignant drama of followers of Jesus listening to and obeying the Spirit of Christ. In Acts 2 and 3, Peter, freshly filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the first gospel message to those at Jerusalem and healed the lame man at the gate of the temple. In chapter 8, the Lord told Philip to travel down a certain road so that Philip would run into an Etheopian ruler on his way back to his homeland and preach Jesus to him. In chapter 9, Jesus revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus, and then spoke to Ananias elsewhere as he was praying and listening, to visit this man and lay hands on him and baptize him. In chapter 10, Peter is listening to Jesus when he heard the lord tell him to go and preach to the first gentile believers. Later in the book, when many teachers and prophets had come together to fast and pray and wait on the Lord, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Release Barnabas and Saul to me for the work I have called them to.” The Spirit was always moving, and the churches and the elders were constantly praying and waiting on the Lord. Let us not forget that Jesus said of those who would follow Him, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me, and I lead them in and out.” Time does not permit me to tell of Noah who listened to God and heard about the flood… of Abraham who listened to the Lord and was told to leave his fathers home and travel to a land the Lord would show him. Of Israel and Moses and Joshua, who all heard God’s voice and obeyed it to the letter. Of Samuel and David – of Daniel and Nehemiah. Let us not forget that the book of Revelation was written when John was in tune to the Spirit one morning, simply listening to Jesus.

             Let us not forget why it is of utmost importance that we, in turn, make listening to the Lord and simply obeying, our highest priority and purpose: because Christ is the head of the church – the King, the President, the Alpha Male. He is the head, the brain – and we are simply the hands and feet. He promised that He would build His church, not us. He has so much needing doing and knows exactly where, when, and how He is going to accomplish it… but He often lacks those willing, trusting, and patient enough to listen to what the Spirit is saying to do, and then do it, without question or reserve.

            Listen and obey. My sheep hear my voice. As we go, let us remember that God does not just speak when we are listening quietly with a journal in front of us (although I highly recommend learning the 4 keys to listening prayer and practicing it daily – this practice has been fundamental for me in learning how to hear God’s voice) – but let us remember that God speaks in many ways and at different times. He speaks through books, through dreams and visions, speaks to us through one another… but at least one key is consistent when it comes to God speaking: He speaks to the inner man – to the deepest part of us – to the intuition, where we’re not sure how, but we just somehow know it was Him. We understand God’s will with the mind, and execute God’s will with our effort, but we hear(discern) His will in that still, small place in our spirits. Are we listening closely enough to hear Him?

            Let us listen to him daily and personally. Let us listen to Him in pairs. Let us listen to Him as church families. Let us listen to Him as fellow elders in a certain area of town. Let us listen and obey, because it is to this simple task that we are called. We can save ourselves months of heartache, years of frustration, and decades of misdirection if we will only stop and wait to discern His will and gain His marching orders before we set out on the next steps of the journey. He will make His will known if we will only seek and wait on Him. Oh, and one more thing: it is our divine duty and highest calling to not only listen, but obey – wholeheartedly, with all our might, with all our understanding, and with all our efforts and resources, being doers of the word and not hearers only. When He asks us to do a certain thing, let us not do it halfheartedly, or drag our feet on it, but let us employ every gift and resource at our disposal to get it done, and do it well, as good and trustworthy stewards.

            Has God spoken to you something? Has He given you some direction, or some vision? Has he asked you to do something? If He has, then I charge you to act on it. This is not an option, for He will not speak to us something new if we have not yet acted on what He told us to do last. Not sure if it was Him who spoke? Then spend time praying about it to discern if indeed it was Him or not. Once His will is known, we must execute it with all we have.

-by Sean h

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

Except for perhaps Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, looking in the mirror can be a bit unpleasant. Too many gray hairs or not enough hair, too many pounds or not enough muscles…a mirror is unbiased and unyielding.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the…well…privilege of having my simple church be an excellent mirror for the condition of my soul. I cannot say it has been entirely pleasant, as it revealed to me some beliefs and behaviors. However, knowing is…as they say…half the battle. I already feel God’s hand at work within me to heal and redeem these rogue areas of my life.

I do not believe these particular areas would have been so precisely revealed in what 21st century Americans consider “church.” I would venture to say that you are in good standing in most American churches if you are able to hold it together for an hour every Sunday morning and the occasional youth car wash or nursing home visit. This is a far cry from the controversial life alteration Jesus called each of His followers to.

In the past two weeks, our church network has been spending time together in our glorious mountains. People from our different house churches have met up for a picnic, hiking, camping, and just plain being together. It is this extended time together when the defenses come down and we are revealed for who we truly are.

I am blessed to have a community, an ekklesia, a church who helps serve as an incarnation of God’s word. They are God’s mirror to my soul.