Last night we started a new series based on the book "Good News for Anxious Christians" by Phillip Cary. The first chapter of the book is entitled Why You Don't Have To Hear God's Voice In Your Heart. Pastor Bruce explained that God does not speak from your heart, but rather the voice or sense that you have from your heart is in fact, yourself. God has spoken and continues to speak from His Word. If you want to hear the voice of God, read the Bible. Often times we want to make sure we are making the right decisions in life, who to marry, what job to take, etc. We can become anxious because we want to follow Christ and His ways, but we also have our own feelings and emotions that tell us all kinds of things. God has given us His Word so that we can know who Jesus is, and also so that we have instructions about what to do with our faith once we receive it from God. An example of this would be "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength", or "Go into all the world and make disciples". When we have questions that are not specifically answered in scripture, we have the freedom in Christ to choose what we want to do. The example Pastor Bruce gave is, "Do you buy a Chevy or a Ford?" God created us with brains to think, and also minds that can make wise decisions. Ultimately God is not concerned about the car you drive or purchase, but there are biblical principles (wisdom) that can go into making a major decision. Stewardship would be a good example of how you would choose to purchase a car, using the money you have to buy the best product possible. It is ok to listen to your heart, but realize that it is yourself that you are listening to. God has spoken and continues to speak in His Word. Let us strive to know Christ more from His Word and let us also seek wisdom in our own lives to bring glory to God!
At the end of the night, we had a Q&A session where we texted in question for Pastor Bruce to answer. This was really cool and gave us a chance to hear how people responded to the message, and also what questions people had about the topic. We will do this again and have some of the questions posted here and we can discuss them. Also, if you ever want to respond or have questions about anything that I write on this blog, please feel free to leave a comment below! We love you guys and have a great week.
Jeff
Set List
The First And The Last - Hillsong
Say Say - Kristian Stanfill
One Way - Hillsong
From The Inside Out - Hillsong