We hear voices all the time, but who are we listening to?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miyfkopV75I

I watched this video on Youtube this morning, and there were/are some great takeaways. 

I'm going to let you in on some things that I took away from it. 

I encourage you to watch it and process it yourself and talk about your takeaways! 

If we don't find what we need in already formed church bodies, we start our own thing. 

We get a bunch of new churches based on "my" needs, and then I begin to look for people who follow "my" opinions. 

We make our faith journey about "us" instead of looking to the Bible and people God already put in charge of His body of believers. 

"church"

"faith"

"belief"

These all start to become selfish things. It becomes about what we think we need to connect to God. 

And we start practicing things that make us "feel things", instead of having a real connection with the Holy Spirit. 

This is another reason there's New Age thinking in a lot of newer churches, because people are focusing too much on what they feel, and finding their own way to "connect to spirituality" instead of studying the Bible and searching and listening to God for their faith connection. 

This leads to saturation of people in the faith community (online, small group gatherings, megachurches) that don't hold to the truth of the Bible, water things down, "don't want to offend anyone" instead of preaching the true gospel. 

No wonder we can't think straight and we're so confused. 

Not to mention this whole acceptance of the law of attraction "whatever you say will be will be", "speak good things and good things will happen" which is the same of bad things, saying "I am" statements that are all about me me me and not about God at all. (wouldn't this be considered heresy? possibly blasphemy?) 

So.. the title of this blog.. 

We hear voices all the time, but who are we listening to?

What voices are we listening to?

Now we have to weed through the voices to find truth. 

......................

Unity is not the opposite of uniqueness. 

It's the community of people who are truthful and holy and receptive that together create unity in the body of Christ. 

I am not God. I don't know how to judge properly. I point people TO him, because I am NOT able to save them! Only He is! 

"I am just the receptionist. Get people in the room with the Great Physician, He will open you up and show you things about yourself." - Francis Chan

We point at each other and say "how dare you be involved with (him, her, them)". But that's what Jesus did. We are supposed to be in the world, being Jesus to other people, not OF the world, acting like people who don't KNOW and FOLLOW Jesus. 

John 13:17 - Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 

Faith and action together. 

We learn about Jesus, we learn God's word, and then we are to act on what He tells us to do. 

When we speak what God gives us, other people receive Him. 

If we do what God says to do, we bless others. We become part of the blessing that God wants to give.

Get alone with God.

Listen.

Stop talking.

Be intentional.

It's good to know we are wrong! Because then we look and listen for RIGHT! For TRUTH!

Ephesians 4

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 

8 This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high

he took many captives

and gave gifts to his people."

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 

10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 

19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 

21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 

23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 

24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.