Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this Monday,
I’m sure you have noticed a dramatic rise in the number of voices demanding to be heard over the past few years. Amazing, isn’t it? Podcasts, social media, mainstream media and the easy availability of the airwaves to almost anyone, has created an information traffic jam, deluging all of us with far more information than we could ever absorb!
So what voices are you listening to and WHY? Is God’s Word still a voice you seek to hear and do you trust God’s voice? Here at “Walking with Jesus” we will always bring you to Scripture and seek to keep you rooted there as we invite the Holy Spirit to speak clearly to us, guiding us in discernment for living God honoring lives in a rapidly changing world.
Too many voices is not a new problem for our world. 2000 years ago, as the apostle Paul was writing his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, he spent almost all of the 14th chapter challenging them to discern very carefully looking for trustworthy voices which speak God’s truth.
Paul wrote: “Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying?…There are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning…Since you are eager for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.” (1 Corinthians 14:9-12)
Then as now, too many voices were drawing attention to themselves rather than pointing the attention to Jesus Christ. Among the Christians in Corinth the spiritual gift of ‘tongues’ was being misused resulting in discord and chaos. Paul made it clear that the legitimate use of this gift will both honor Jesus Christ and ‘edify’ or be a blessing to the church.
But it wasn’t, because so often in Corinth someone was speaking what sounded like gibberish and no one understood, yet they were claiming it was a spectacular demonstration of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Paul clarified that any legitimate expression in a tongue unknown by those present must have a legitimate, Scripture validated, God glorifying interpretation, or be silenced. (1 Cor. 14:27,28)
Paul urged the Corinthian Christians to celebrate a voice of prophecy far more enthusiastically than an unknown tongue. Why? We must remember the letters and books of the New Testament were just beginning to be written in about 50ad. By the time Paul was writing his first letter to the Corinthians, the only other portions of Scripture available were probably James, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians and possibly the gospel of Matthew. But copies of those would have been very, very few.
The spiritual gift of “prophecy” was therefore vital to these first Christians across the Roman Empire. In the Old Testament times, the prophet received a clear message from God and spoke it with authority and clarity to God’s people. In the first century, this spiritual gift of ‘prophecy’ was the Holy Spirit giving some of these first Christians great wisdom and insight in how to understand and live the Gospel in their newfound relationship with resurrected and ascended Jesus.
Paul wrote: “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort… the one who prophesies edifies the church.” (1 Cor. 14:4,5) ‘Prophecy’ occurred when a Christian spoke in the language of the people, for all to understand, some God given truth or spiritual insight, for the edification of the Christians.
Only rarely was a first century prophet proclaiming some future event which God had made known to them. Almost always the first century spiritual gift of ‘prophecy’ was calling the first generations of Christians to focus their attention on Jesus; nurture their relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit; and guard themselves from drifting away from God’s truths.
But because there were so many voices in Corinth demanding a hearing, Paul had some instructions for clarity in the confusion of too many voices! “Two or three prophets should speak and the others should weigh carefully what is said.” (1 Cor. 14:29)
Oh my! Paul was echoing the words James had written a few years before: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) Speaking a word and claiming that word is from God is a frightening, dangerous thing for anyone to do, anywhere in the world, in any generation!
As Christians in Corinth stood to speak, claiming they had a word from God, everyone listened closely and compared what was spoken to what they had as the Word of God, the entire Old Testament and a few newly written books of the New Testament. Today when someone speaks, claiming it is truth, we still hold whatever they say up against Scripture as God’s ultimate words of truth. (Is. 45:18,19; Psalm 119)
Of course, that requires you and me knowing God’s truth well enough to discern when a voice we hear is NOT in alignment with God’s truth. And what is your response, my friends, when you believe a voice is distorting or contradicting God’s truth?
In closing today, listen to the apostle John’s challenge which he wrote: “Dear friends, do not believe every voice, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God…” (1 John 4:1-6)
So, this Monday my friends, do you hear God’s call to refine your ability to discern God’s truth among all the noise, the thousands of voices clamoring for your attention? When you discern a voice that is distorting or confusing God’s truth, can you reject it and counter it with God’s unchanging truth? Are we helping our children and grandchildren learn that spiritual discernment?
The ‘lessons learned’ at the link below are excellent tools in developing your truth wisdom and a wonderful worship song will draw your heart to Jesus, and let’s meet here again tomorrow for more of God’s truth.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 14
Choose below to read or listen.
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Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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