“And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” – 1 Kings 19:11-12

2020 feels something like a devastating windstorm followed by a violent earthquake followed by a sweeping fire! Thus we must learn not to be overwhelmed or distracted by the thundering chaos that surrounds us, but to listen for the low whisper of God’s voice. Every follower of Christ has God’s Spirit within them and He speaks to us. However, we must discipline ourselves to listen for His voice amidst the hustle and bustle of our lives, for His voice is most often a whisper.

God speaks to us in many ways. First and foremost, He speaks through His Word. This makes sense, for it is His Word, given to His people for all time. If we aren’t interested in seeking to hear His voice here, He’s unlikely to speak to us in other ways! His Word gives us what we need to navigate the challenges we encounter in life. However to hear His voice we must discipline ourselves to be reading His Word daily and systematically. And we must read with hearts open to hear what God is saying to us through His Word.

God speaks to us through the unexpected insights and wisdom of our godly friends. People can certainly be mistaken, but we must recognize when sometimes the people God places in our lives are actually speaking on His behalf.

God certainly speaks to us by laying clear impressions on our hearts. Here we must be carefully discerning. We must make sure we aren’t hearing our own voice or the devil’s. Nonetheless, as we learn to hear God’s voice, it becomes clearer and more distinctive.

In times like these, Christians must be diligent and disciplined in quieting ourselves, finding quiet times and places, and listening for the low whisper of God’s voice guiding and encouraging us.

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” – Acts 17:16-17

What a great example for Christians! Traveling alone in Athens, Paul becomes so upset by the widespread idolatry around him that he was compelled to share the gospel with anyone and everyone who happened to be wherever he was. He shared Christ in the synagogue and the marketplace, the sacred to the secular.

What would it look like if every ChristIan today got so upset about the widespread idolatry in the culture surrounding us that we began lovingly sharing Christ with everyone who happened to be in the same place we were??? Our culture and lives are full of idols, things which function as gods driving and motivating us and others: power, pleasure, politics, sex, entertainment, applause, sports, health, wealth, fame, comfort, convenience, safety, family, career, and celebrity, just to name a few.

What if, instead of either joining in the idolatry ourselves or silently shaking our heads about it, we shared Christ instead? Faithfully, daily, as we go, and with whomever we encounter. Sharing Christ is the only truly effective way to push back against the idolatry filling everything around us. May we each become more like Paul!

“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” – Acts 16:30-31

Yes, it really is that simple! Overwhelmed by the power and presence of God, the Philippian jailer wanted what Paul had – salvation! That night salvation came to his entire household as they all listened to Paul explain the gospel, they all believed, and they were all baptized before breakfast.

When you consider how simple their story is, you realize how much we humans like to complicate things! We want to add things to the gospel to prove we have value, give ourselves an illusion of control, or provide safeguards to the faith which God didn’t ordain. That isn’t the gospel – there’s nothing we can add to the work Christ did on the cross. There’s nothing we can ever do to earn, deserve, or merit salvation in the slightest bit. There are no mandatory rules, rituals, or prolonged training that we should put between people, belief, and baptism.

Believe, be saved, and be baptized – it really is that simple! That’s the Good News!!!

“That the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;”
– Psalm 78:6-7

One of the most critical and sacred responsibilities God entrusts to parents is to regularly talk about Him: what He’s done in the past, what He’s doing right now in their daily lives, and what He’s promised to do in days to come. While there is certainly a teaching element to this, the Scripture really paints a picture in which conversations about God and the spiritual aspects of life are woven into the fabric of everyday conversations over meals, during car rides, while playing, and at bedtime.

As helpful as pastors, teachers, leaders, and other relatives can be in the spiritual development of children, this holy responsibility rests first and foremost with parents. Parents must not outsource the cultivation of their children’s spiritual life to others. Others may be more knowledgeable, trained, skilled, or experienced at teaching children about God, but they can’t replace a child’s parents, nor can they rival the influence of a child’s parents.

For parents of children and teens, please lean into this sacred duty! Do what the Scripture commands – heaven and hell depend on you!

For all others, please help parents do this. Support them, pray for them, encourage them, and equip them for this long and difficult task, that the next generation may set their hope in God.

“And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” – Acts 15:39-40

Sometimes we simply can’t come to an agreement when a decision must be made. While Christians should always be seeking godly consensus, the Bible reminds us that even the greatest heroes of the faith can reach a point where consensus and compromise are impossible. Barnabas and Paul simply can’t resolve the issue of whether or not to bring Mark along on their mission trip after his past failure.

There are several valuable lessons for today in this story. One is that when we disagree, we must do so in a way that isn’t sinful and doesn’t destroy the relationship. While they sharply disagree, there is nothing to indicate that either Paul or Barnabas sinned or closed to the door to relationship with one another.

A second is to not let an unresolved disagreement between believers knock us off the field. Sometimes when we get in a hot dispute, we want to retreat within ourselves or give up afterward. It’s certainly discouraging! However, both Paul and Barnabas immediately continued on mission for God rather than giving up in frustration and disappointment. In this regard, their disagreement actually may have increased their impact for God’s Kingdom.

A third is to always leave room for reconciliation. Though Mark’s participation in the team was the source of the disagreement, we know that by the end of his life, Paul and Mark were fully reconciled. In fact, Paul considered Mark very useful to his ministry. Because we are responsible for the ministry of reconciliation, we must always be in a posture that’s both open to reconciliation and actively seeking reconciliation. This allows disagreements to later be resolved in a way that bring tremendous glory to God and often makes relationships stronger than before.