Can you imagine showing up for a new job and no one was there to tell you where to work or what to do or how to do it? I worked for a temp agency before we moved to Rosenort and went to a lot of different job locations. They always showed me where to work and what to do. A few times I finished what I had been told to do and there was no one around to show me what to do next, and that was frustrating, but that usually didn’t last very long.
The last few weeks we have been thinking about the assignment God has given us to go and make disciples of all nations. Sometimes I have wondered about directions for doing the job. We know that we are to be witnesses. We know many things, from Scripture, about how to do it. But there are times when we long for more specific directions. I have suggested that some of us have been dreaming about the possibility of our church becoming involved in planting a church. Does God let us know these things? How will we find out what He wants us to do?
There are many times when we need God’s direction in other areas of life. Over the last week, I have thought about God’s direction regarding a number of issues in my life. Young people are often thinking about and wondering about God’s direction for their life. Does God direct our lives? How do we discern God’s direction?
God’s Leading
The book of Acts is a good place to examine God’s leading. It has to do with the church. It is set in the time when Jesus’ reigns from heaven and is present on earth through His Spirit, that is, in the time in which we are now living. Therefore, the principles and ideas presented there are for our time and applicable to us. This morning, I would like to examine some of the stories of God’s leading. As we do, I believe that we will see that God does lead and I hope we will learn something about how He leads.
God Leads
In Acts 8:26ff. we have the story of Philip being led out by the Spirit of God to meet with the Ethiopian Eunuch. This man just happened to be interested in God and just happened to be reading the clearest passage in the Old Testament about Jesus when Philip arrived. He was ready to hear about Jesus and Philip was at the right place at the right time to help him because God led him there.
In Acts 9 we read about what happened to Saul after his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. He needed someone to help him. God spoke to Ananias through the Holy Spirit and Ananias went to Saul, laid hands on him, prayed for him, Saul’s sight was restored and he was baptized. Once again, God led the right person to the right place at the right time.
The most amazing story is that of Peter and Cornelius. Cornelius was a Gentile who was interested in God. God came to him in a vision and told him to send for Peter. At the same time, through a dream, God prepared Peter to cross this huge barrier between Jews and Gentiles. As a result, Peter went to Cornelius and helped him and those with him find Jesus.
All of these stories show us how God went beyond the revealed revelation in the Word of God in order to direct His people. What can we learn about how that happened?
Different Agents Of Communication
One of the things we notice is that God does not have one formula for communicating with his people. He communicated in different ways.
God spoke to Philip through an angel who told him to go and travel down a certain road. Then the Spirit of God spoke to Philip to go up to the chariot of the Ethiopian.
When God spoke to Ananias, he did so in a vision. Cornelius saw an angel in a vision and Peter had a dream which was so vivid that he knew it was more than just another dream. In Acts 13, God spoke to the people through the Holy Spirit while they were worshipping and they had a strong understanding that this was God’s Spirit speaking to them. Later when Paul was being warned about all the difficult things that were going to happen to him in Jerusalem, prophets spoke God’s word to him to warn him.
This tells us that we should not expect that God’s direction will come to us in a preconceived way. God’s word comes as God determines. Some people think that God only speaks through prophets or only through dreams. To limit God in this way is not right. We need to be open to God’s communication, however He speaks to us, but always remember that He does speak to His people when He has a message for them.
The Beauty Of God’s Leading
We also see something of God’s timing and the beauty of His leading in these stories. We see this in several of the stories in Acts. One is the story of Peter and Cornelius. God knew when Cornelius was ready to hear the gospel. God also knew that there was no way that any of the apostles were prepared to go to Cornelius and welcome him into the kingdom. Their whole life background was such that they had a belief deep in their hearts that Gentiles were rejected from the kingdom of God.
So God was at work in both Cornelius and Peter. God sent a message to Cornelius because he knew that Cornelius was ready. He also spoke to Peter and prepared him in just the right way and at just the right time. I find it fascinating that the text mentions that Peter was hungry and anticipating supper when he went on the roof of the house to pray. At this time of prayer, he went into a trance or dream-like state. As soon as he had received the vision, which interestingly enough was about food, the men from Cornelius arrived. Peter had barely had time to think about what the dream meant when they arrived and the whole picture became clear to him. God’s timing in speaking to Cornelius and giving the vision to Peter and knowing it would be enough to convince Peter at just the right time is amazing.
I believe that God does the same thing today!
Questions About God’s Call
Another interesting thing we see is that those with whom God communicated were not always ready to accept God’s direction and call immediately. They actually questioned God and God permitted them to do this.
For example, God spoke to Ananias in a vision, and Ananias realized that God wanted him to go speak with a person who killed followers of Jesus. In Acts 9:13, 14 Ananias said to God, ““Lord…I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” However, God did not dismiss Ananias or reject him for expressing his fears. He answered his questions and assured him and then Ananias was prepared to go and do what God wanted.
Peter also questioned God when he had the vision of the unclean food. He knew it was God telling him to eat this unclean food and yet he said, “‘Surely not, Lord!...I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’” God did not dismiss Peter as his messenger because of his questioning. He accepted Peter’s problems, answered them and we see how the truth of God dawned on Peter. It is interesting that he even related these doubts to the Gentile audience and presented this as evidence of God’s leading.
This encourages us that if God gives us His message, He also knows our fears and doubts and is prepared to answer them. Asking questions of God and seeking clarification is not a sign of lack of faith. This should encourage us to be open to God’s leading and to know that He is aware of who we are and our fears. It should encourage us that if God calls us, He has called us because He knows that we are the right people for the job. It should help us to be open with God about our fears and objections as we process His call and then overcome them.
Sometimes I have thought – “Is this God’s call?” I have prayed and asked and there was no confirmation. At that point, I could have thought, “the message came and I was not ready and missed the opportunity.” That is not what we see in this passage. What we see is that there was room to wrestle and even debate with God about his call.
Human Initiative And God’s Direction
One of the puzzles we have about God’s leading is the relationship between human initiative and God’s direction. Some would say, “we know what God wants us to do, let us just go out and do it.” Others would say, “We need to get direction from God each step of the way.” What do we see in these stories of God’s leading?
I think what we see is that both are present. F.F. Bruce says, “The missionary journeys of Paul exhibit an extraordinary combination of strategic planning and keen sensitiveness to the guidance of the Spirit of God.”
We see this particularly in the second missionary journey of Paul. He and Silas returned to the cities to which Paul had gone before. Then they were planning to go further into Asia, but we read in Acts 16:6 that the Spirit was preventing them from going there. What is not said, but implied is that they knew what their assignment was and they simply went out to accomplish it. As they went, without asking the Spirit what to do each step of the way, the Spirit was hindering them from going to certain places. Twice the Spirit prevented them from going forward and so they adjusted their course. Then one night Paul had a vision in the night in which an invitation came for him to go to Macedonia.
I believe this story demonstrates this balance between human initiative and the Spirit’s leading. It encourages us that when we receive God’s call, we should go out and accomplish it with all the wisdom and direction we receive from the Word of God and from our God given wisdom. At the same time, we need to be sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit, who will guide us if we are open to His leading.
I have thought about this in the very personal matter of my ministry. If people ask me to preach, I don’t hesitate too long because I know that I have God’s call to preach His Word. Yet, I still ask God if this time and place and this topic is what He wants me to speak about at this time and I know that God has led many times.
Obeying God’s Call
Earlier I talked about room for debate and asking questions of God. Even though God leaves room for us to question and express our fears, we need to be careful that that questioning does not become faithlessness. What is the difference between doubting and faith based questioning? I believe it is a willingness to obey. Obedience is something that we see in every one of the stories that speak about God’s guidance in Acts.
In Acts 8:27, after Philip heard from the angel of the Lord that he should go to the desert road, it says “So he started out…”
In Acts 8:30 after being told by the Spirit to go up to the chariot, it says, “Then Philip ran up to the chariot…”
After questioning God and hearing the explanation about what God was doing in Saul, we read in Acts 9:17, “Then Ananias went…”
After understanding the vision he had had and meeting the men who had come from Cornelius, it says in 10:23, “The next day Peter started out…”
After the call of God to Paul and Barnabas at the church in Antioch, Acts 13:4 says, “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went…”
When the Spirit of God was warning Paul that he was going to go to Jerusalem and meet all kinds of hardship, all the people tried to persuade Paul that maybe it was too dangerous and he shouldn’t go. Although his reply may imply that their concerns were getting to him, in Acts 21:13 he nevertheless said, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
When God calls us, we must obey!
A Seeking Heart
Some of us have been dreaming about what God may want to do through our church. Is this a vision that comes from God? How will we know? How will we discern God’s leading?
Reflecting on God’s leading in Acts has demonstrated that God does lead. How do we discover His leading?
I believe that we must begin with a seeking heart. It is possible for us to go through life with the understanding, “I am saved, I will try to obey what God’s Word teaches me and that is how my Christian life will be lived.” If we reason in that way, it is possible that we may limit what God would like to do in us and through us. I believe that in order to discern God’s leading, we need to have a seeking heart.
In Acts 13, we have the story of a church that was used by God to initiate the first missionary journey into territory beyond Israel. God spoke to them through the Holy Spirit and directed the task He had for them. What intrigues me is what it says before the word of the Holy Spirit came to them. The church had a particular practice. It says in Acts 13:2, “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…” The words “while they were” suggest the lifestyle of a church that was ready to listen to God speak to them. They were a church with a listening heart. Their listening heart led them to three practices.
Worship
First of all we notice that it was a church that was worshipping. Worship was something that happened in the life of the church.
As we worship, we have joy and God rejoices in us. We find comfort and encouragement from God. We discover more of who God is and we stand amazed in His presence. We understand the great glory of God. As we rejoice in God and understand His glory, we are drawn into an intimate relationship with God. We begin to see God in all His glory and we begin to see what God wants and desires. In worship, God prepares us to hear Him. In worship, we come to love Him and to love being with Him even when we do not hear Him speak. Our faith is increased and our hope is strengthened. Worship brings us into a posture of readiness to hear God and a desire to honour Him with our whole lives. Worship creates space for God to work. So we see that worship is an important part of having a seeking heart.
Fasting
We also notice that they were fasting. I have to confess that I don’t like the idea of fasting. There are lots of things that make me uncomfortable about it. Sometimes it feels like bribing God. It feels like something only super spiritual people do. And quite frankly, I don’t like doing without.
Before we dismiss it, however, let us think about fasting a little bit more. Although I have fasted a few times, I really don’t know a lot about it. What I do know, however, tells is that a seeking heart is willing to participate in fasting. George Miley says, “Fasting is an outer expression of an inner decision to hunger after God and learn His ways. It is a practical aid that brings clarity and focus to the soul. It muffles other voices and distracting impulses. It softens the heart and humbles the spirit before the creator.”
The way in which I have understood fasting is that it is a way of saying, “I want to know God and His ways more than I want to eat.” It is a way of expressing what Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
When we fast, it does not only have to be fasting from food. For example, it can also be fasting from television or something else. It is anything we do in which we say, “I want God more than I want this thing.” So as we fast, we stop eating or do without something else and, at the same time, turn our attention towards God. When I have looked at it that way, I have more of a willingness to fast. As I have been thinking about the dream I have been talking about, I truly want a seeking heart and so I am planning to do some fasting in order to open my heart and ears to God.
Prayer
The third thing we notice from this passage is that after they heard the voice of the Spirit telling them that Paul and Barnabas should be sent, they prayed again. I think this teaches us that prayer is an important part of having a seeking heart.
Miley says, “Prayer, from genuinely humble hearts, bound in the unity of the Spirit, filled with faith and love, is the engine of kingdom advance.”
Of course the Bible is full of examples of people who prayed and also teachings regarding prayer. Listen to the invitation found in Jeremiah 33:2,3, ““This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jesus prayed often. Before he chose the 12 and before he was about to go on the cross, he spent time in prayer. It was Jesus who taught us to seek, ask and knock.
So I would like to invite us all to have a seeking heart. A seeking heart is a heart that believes in God, believes He is building His kingdom, and is open to God speaking to us today. A church with a seeking heart is a church which is worshipping God, willing to do without in order to hear God and a church which is in prayer. Do we have a seeking heart?
Hearing God
As I contemplate the matter of discerning God’s direction, I have experienced times when I thought that God was giving direction. Sometimes I have not been sure if something was God’s direction or my own impression. When I have acted on what I thought was God’s leading, sometimes nothing spectacular has happened and I have still wondered if it was God’s leading. Other times, I have understood afterwards that this truly was God’s leading.
It isn’t enough to have a seeking heart, we also need to hear God. How do we hear God?
God Wants To Answer
The first assurance I would like to remind us of is that God wants to answer. God is more interested in building His kingdom than we are. God is more concerned about having us experience His blessings than we desire them. Everything we read in Scripture tells us that God takes the initiative and God directs. The fact that we have His Word assures us. The stories we looked at earlier in Acts assure us. The promises of Scripture assure us. We can rest on the promises of Scripture like Proverbs 3:5,6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
We do not have to persuade God or trick God into answering. That would be a pagan view of God. How then do we hear God?
Willing To Obey
God knows our hearts. He knows, if he reveals something to us, how we will respond. He knows, if we hear His voice, whether or not we will obey.
Miley says, “God is eager to speak, but he seldom wastes words on unhearing or distracted ears.”
We will hear God if we are willing to obey God.
Listening
I think the most difficult thing for most of us is that we do not have the patience to listen to God. Sometimes when I am using my computer, I am very impatient if it does not respond quickly. If it doesn’t respond, instead of waiting, I am quite quick to reboot because I want it to respond now.
Miley says, “God speaks to those who wait and listen.” Just as a child has a very short attention span, so even as adults, we often have a very short attention span when it comes to hearing God. As we mature and learn to be quiet for longer periods of time, we learn that God is speaking as we wait and listen. As we get in tune with God and as we wait, God will speak.
Certainty
The final question is, “how do we know that this is God who has spoken?”
The answer is that when God speaks, His word of direction will always be consistent with His written Word. God does not change and what He says to us will always fits with what He has said before. So as we reflect and ask God, we can know His truth because it will always be in tune with Scripture. That is why I have sought to establish the basic concepts of planting a church in Scripture.
A further way of confirming God’s truth is to speak to others about it. If we are part of a community that is seeking God, God’s truth will be confirmed to the body - sometimes through prophetic words, sometimes through a word of wisdom, always through the guidance of the Spirit of God. When the council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15, completed their deliberations, I appreciate what they said. They gave their summation beginning with the words, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” God had spoken through the community of faith and they knew it was God. That is why lone rangers are so susceptible to error. That is why it is so important to me that as a community we get together and pray together and fast and listen to God together. I believe that if God has something to say to us, He will tell us so that we, as a community will know.
Conclusion
The thought of God’s leading is exciting! To be doing God’s work is amazing!
What does God want to do through us?
Each of us needs God’s direction. I trust that the things we have examined will help us be open to God’s leading.
This morning, I would like to invite us, as a church, to be people who have a seeking heart and a listening ear to hear what God is saying to us. Will you join me in worship, fasting and prayer? Can we together listen to God and so discern His leading?
No comments:
Post a Comment