Since When? (Part 1)

Since when did we need a perfect sermon in order for the Lord to speak to us, or need to go to church to encounter the Lord? 

In the Old Testament, the Isrealites depended on Moses, a priest, or prophet to hear from God. Jesus brought freedom from that in His coming, in giving us the Holy Spirit. But what I see in the Western church is that we cling to this ideology that we still need a mediator or someone of authority to hear from the Lord, or that we aren’t spiritually mature enough to hear from Him. And so with that, my question is this: since when did we go from Jesus making a way for us to be in His presence back to the restriction the Isrealites had in the wilderness?

I’m not writing this blog to say traditions are bad, or that they don’t have a place. I am saying that somewhere along the line, I think we have gotten overly caught up in tradition, and religion over relationship. I think in tradition and the obsession of it, we are losing space for the spirit to move, and losing sight of the Lord’s character. We come to the conclusion that it is specifically through traditions that the Lord moves. We focus on going through the motions more than actually seeking his face. We focus more on what we can get out of our participation in a church service than what the Lord is actually trying do. We forget that Jesus freed us from this need to experience Him through something, someone, or striving, and that we are able to be in constant communication with Him.

In this two part blog, I’ll be talking about patterns in the Western church that can draw us away from fully experiencing the Holy Spirit, how we can grow to be aware of them, and move towards fully encountering the Spirit. 

Jesus sent His spirit to us, so that He could dwell in us and always be with us. I would say if you’re a believer, you know this. But something I’ve seen in the Western church, and have most certainly have been a part of, is we depend on the church as an institution to be the main catalyst to our faith. We develop what some would call sermon dependency (depending on a sermon or pastor to hear from the Lord). Whether that looks like only being filled up if the sermon speaks to you, or needing someone of authority to bring conviction, or believing you’re not capable of independent growth. Community and discipleship are most certainly from the Lord, but I believe He never intended for us to need someone, a specific pastor, or church, in order to hear from and grow with Him. In other words, we’re obviously meant to learn from a Sunday sermon, or else they would be kind of be pointless. But we can hear the voice of the Lord and actively seek Him without a sermon, and should be relying on Christ in us above all else. 

So what do we do about this?

God speaks all throughout His word, from the very beginning to the end. Because He never changes, if He was speaking then, He is surely still speaking.

Personally, one of the biggest aspects of my race has been learning this for myself, becoming aware of the Holy Spirit, and hearing from Him. Before the race, I didn’t realize the importance or power of the Holy Spirit. I didn’t ask the Lord to speak to me, or ask Him questions, because I assumed He wouldn’t answer. I depended on whatever I was being taught at church to grow. I began to realize that this method wasn’t working for me, and I was tired of only feeling close to the Lord at church once or twice a week. I would come hoping that I got something out of the sermon, or that it related to whatever I was going through, or that it would “fill me.” I didn’t know I could be filled by going to the Lord myself or simply asking Him to fill me. 

Over the past months, I’ve learned that I can and do hear from Him. In seeking the Lord more on my own behalf, asking Him questions, and more, I’ve learned how to hear His voice. I’ve experienced more growth and intimacy than I ever could relying on someone else. Just as you grow to know a friend’s voice the more you talk to them, I’ve grown to know what is His voice and what isn’t. He speaks to me through visions, prayer, nature, worship, His word, others, and more. I’ve come to realize He speaks to me in a way that is personal to me, one that I’m receptive to, and I find His intentionality in that beautiful.

Hearing from the Holy Spirit looks different for everyone, but I thought I would share some ways we practice listening to the Holy Spirit on the race. I personally love asking the Lord questions, ones that seem both big and little. A lot of the time when studying scripture, I’ll ask Him what it looks like to live out whatever is being talked about. We also exercise the gift of prophecy a lot, meaning we’ll ask the Lord for a word, verse, or vision for ourselves or someone else. For ministry, we often do something called Ask the Lord or ATL, asking Him to tell us who to minister to; whether that’s by telling us where to go, what the person is wearing, what they look like, etc. You could start by simply asking the Lord what He says about you, Himself, or what perspective He wants you to gain from Him. 

You’re probably wondering, how do I know it’s from the Lord? We obviously have our own voice, the enemy also has a voice, and others have voices too. Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself to know if it’s the Lord:

-Does it line up with scripture and His character found in scripture?

-Do other believers confirm it? (Proverbs 24:6)

-Does it glorify Christ? (John 3:30)

-Is it fruitful? Does it bring life or death? (Luke 6:43)

-Does it come to pass? (Deut. 18:21-22; His word always comes to pass)

God isn’t a God of Sunday. He is a God of every day. There’s not a place He isn’t available, not a moment He doesn’t want to hear from you. Talk to Him today, ask Him all the questions, and know He is so faithful to respond.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for part two!!