1 John 4:1
Dear
friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
There
are many voices clamoring for our attention. With the expansion of the internet
and social media, we are overwhelmed with messages, often contradicting one
another. We are faced with the question, to which voice will we listen?
I have
been struggling with this question this past week. Not all of the voices that
are speaking forcefully to me are evil. Not everything that they are saying is
wrong. The problem is one of discernment. It is the age old challenge of
determining the best from the good. Paul raises this dilemma in 1 Corinthians
10:23. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is
beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is
constructive.
One
of the issues that complicates the task of discernment is our desire to please
others. All of us like to be liked, at least most of us do. Alright, I do! But
in our effort to please the people around us, we find ourselves saying yes to
things that we should say no to. After we have said yes, we follow through out
of duty and guilt, not because it is what God would have us do. Yet the
pressure is great to give in to the loudest and most forceful voices.
Peter
and John faced this dilemmas big time when they were brought up before the
Sanhedrin for preaching about Jesus. These were the respected religious leaders
of their day. They had power and influence. They commanded Peter and John to
stop preaching in the name of Jesus. They were under enormous pressure to give
in. Instead they responded with boldness. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for
yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.
Acts 4:19
Now
I want to be true to the text. What the Sanhedrin was demanding of Peter and
John was clearly against the will of God. You could say that, for Peter and
John, it was a clear choice, although not an easy one. The problem I face
regularly is that the choices don’t seem to be quite so crystal clear. More
often, the things I’m asked to do are positive, and possibly God honoring, yet
they add weight and responsibility to my already packed life. So I struggle
with the question, who am I listening to?
So
let me try to discern some steps to take to decide if this is something God
wants me to do. The very first question to be answered is, is this really
something that honors God? There are many false teachers who are very
persuasive, but are leading people astray. Their message seems spiritual on the
surface, but after close examination, we discover that it is not from God. Peter warned us about such people who will
use the church as a disguise for their own purposes. But there were also false prophets among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly
introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought
them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Peter 2:1
The
second question to be answered is, is this something that will advance the
Kingdom of God? There are many good programs and ideas that honestly desire to
serve the Lord, yet are ineffective or marginally effective. They are often
driven by mixed motives to meet some social need or to “do something
significant for God.” These tend to be cause focused, time consuming, and
narrow in effect.
The
third question to ask is, is this the best use of my time and resources. There
are unlimited opportunities to serve the Lord effectively. The problem is that
each of us has limited resources to put toward them. The answer to this
question is found, not in our circumstances or surroundings, but within
ourselves. The better we know our gifts, talents and passions, the better
equipped we are to answer this important question. This takes genuine
discernment from God about who He has created us to be.
The
final question to ask is, can I say yes to this with joy & enthusiasm? The
best way I can illustrate this is with an example from my own experience. When
I came to my current church, my predecessor had been a part of a group of
pastors who ministered regularly in the local jail. I was approached to take
his place. I agreed out of a sense of obligation. On the first Saturday that I
was scheduled to lead a Bible study in the jail, I arrived with a sense of fear
and apprehension. I made my way to the appropriate room and waited anxiously
for the inmates to arrive. No one came. The jailer was shocked and surprised by
this. I was relieved. I exited as quickly as I could, before someone changed
their mind. As I sat in my car, preparing to leave, I could hear God saying to
me, do you know why no one came today? It was because I could not use you. Your
heart was not right. I repented right there and then. I continued to minister
in the jail for a time, with a different attitude, until I was able to turn that task over to
someone who really had a heart for it.
We
can say yes to a wide variety of positive things out of a sense of guilt or a
desire to please the person who has asked. But if we go into it for those reasons,
we will be ineffective and we will resent the effort that it takes. God has
gifted each of us in different ways. He expects us to use our gifts for His
glory. There will be many times that He will move us out of our comfort zone to
stretch and refine us. But He wants us to serve Him willingly and with joy.
Paul wrote about this in the context of giving financially. Each
man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) Although
he was talking about money, the principle applies to every gift we give to the
Lord. When God calls us to act, something within us resonates with the call,
even if it accompanied by some fear and trembling.
Colossians 3:23
Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
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