God Talking?

If someone hurried in and told you God had said to them you were all too smartly dressed, what would you say? If I said God told someone that we should all be armed in case of terrorists what would you say to me? Does God contact people directly? And if so how do we work out what is God speaking and what is not God. Are you one of those who believe God only speaks through the pages of the bible and maybe through our experience of the natural world? Is God like that? Let me tell you a story. I was 14 and had been bullied at school, so much so that I was depressed and when I got glandular fever it released me from my torment. I could stay at home but my fear was great that I would be made to go back if I did get better. So I refused to get better. It was then I that I heard God commanding me to work with them and get better, not only that but to get back to church. After my grandmother died I had not been to church So that was almost quarter of a century ago. I will never forget God divine intervention. I did not get this from reading, no it was Gods own intervention on someone who was resistant to the idea, but in the end did follow the command of God. You don’t argue with God! No some may think well that’s nice. Or well if he believes that how nice for him but we all know it probably was not God. There are people in the church today who will think that, and even try and convince someone that has had a religious experience that it certainly was nothing of the sort. Such certainty perhaps belies an extreme view point. Maybe it says more about their view of God as this creator of some description who creates the universe but does not involve himself with it. Who also believe that such experiences are purely psychosomatic and all in the believers own mind. So we come to Paul a man who had a direct religious experience. It transformed him completely. He went from being a zealous Jew who persecuted Christians into a Christian who tried to bring people into God s Kingdom. Paul was a man of God. He lived in an area which was dominated by a ruthless Roman empire and his people, the Jews, were under the thumb of roman rule. He, like his people, felt threatened by these gentiles. Zealots felt the only way to survive was to keep themselves pure and not to mix with people outside the faith. That way the special people would be preserved. If one led life by the Mosaic law one would remain Gods special people and this meant male circumcision, Sabbath observance and strict food laws amongst other things. For him the Christian sect was threatening this way of life by the way they mixed with gentiles at the Eucharist meals. So let us look to Jesus. He, in Luke 7 touches a dead body. He defiled himself out of compassion for a widowed lady who had now lost her son, her only child. So Jesus feels compassion and brings back to life this boy. For Jesus it was all about love and not following strict rules to be obeyed. Perhaps we can all learn from this something. He has healed on the Sabbath, and he does not follow the strict rules on food. No wonder Saul, the apostles name before he became Paul, was against his followers. What strict rules do we apply today? Let us return to Paul’s experience. The moment grace transformed him. Jesus is there and changes Paul. If someone said to you Jesus said this to me directly what would your reaction be? So Paul became a follower of Christ. His mission would focus on building relationships to the gentiles. He would in turn transform many peoples life with his testimony and teaching. Have you had an experience like Pauls or maybe one like mine? Maybe you have noticed God working in your life in others ways. So how do we discern whether God has directly spoken to this or that person? Well we look at the Bible and see what it says in its totality. We look to Jesus, God as man and see what he said on these issues. Judged against that we can come to our own conclusion. Then what about the time when someone says God has spoken to them about what the church should do at church meeting and you all disagree with them. Does that mean what you believe is right and they are wrong? Are they wrong as few share their views? Again go back to Jesus and the early apostles! Remember the prophets of the Old Testament were rarely believed by the majority but were right. However it is important to remember that any of these people were no trying to discern the will of God. A few years back I felt Highams Park needed to extend what it did with children and youth group Pilots, to bring parents along with children and I heard of Messy Church which is a monthly church which allows parents and children to do messy things in a friendly atmosphere, around a biblical theme. I mentioned to the minister there and she said she felt that call too and so it became so. It has been running for nearly two years and we wondered at first, as it was a slow start whether it would work but it is now gathering in strength!!. So in short we must mediate with what we know about God from scripture, from the life of Jesus and go from there. It is not as simple as saying if it is good it came from God and put simply that it is not far away from the truth. It is for this reason reading your bibles, especially in bible studies and cell and nurture groups can help. God has much to say to us and he will say it in many ways. It often becomes a clear message from God and we have to trust that it is so. So let us listen closely through praying, reading scripture, through the words of others, the still small voice in us all and yes a direct word in our ear. Amen.