Wednesday, May 19, 2021

3 Ways We Can Hear the Voice of God

 

The topic of hearing the voice of God never fails to stir up the interest and conversation of fellow Christians (and at times, even from individuals of differing faiths or of no faith). Yet if you encountered a new believer who wasn’t quite sure of what to think on the matter, what would you say? In his book Hearing God, Dallas Willard eases his readers into such a conversation. In his wonderful book, he gives loose guidance that recommends checking three points of reference, sometimes referred to as the “three lights” which we can consult when determining what the Lord would have us do. He says that these are 1) Circumstances; 2) Impressions of the Spirit; and 3) Passages of the Bible. Let us briefly explore each of these three as an introduction to this noteworthy topic.

Circumstances
For us to believe that God is speaking to us through the events of our lives, then it seems likely that our circumstances are causing disruptions in our lives that are large enough for us to pause and ask, “Why am I here?” or “Is God trying to tell me something?” While it is also true that our circumstances could be markers or guiderails to help us make decisions that are more in line with the will of God, the circumstances we experience will inevitably provide God with more of an opportunity to show us His eternal perspective. While there is a slight pierce in the truth of his words, Henry Blackaby’s voice brings clarity to the matter, telling us that “when you face confusing circumstances, don’t blame God. Don’t give up following Him. Go to God. Ask Him to reveal the truth of your circumstances…When He becomes the Lord of your life, He alone has the right to be: the Focus of your life; the Initiator in your life; the Director of your life. That is what it means for Him to be Lord.”

Impressions of the Spirit
Feeling an impression of the Spirit is hard to describe with words. Yet, once we begin to recognize the voice of God, the movement of the Spirit can be almost unmistakable. Similar to how a child is able to discern their parents’ voices amid the cacophony of noises on the busy playground, we also can develop a keen ear to know when the Lord is reaching out to us. Rather than expecting a constant stream of theophanies like the burning bush in Exodus 3, Willard explains that such impressions of the Spirit are actually the most common path for hearing from the Lord for those who are living in harmony with God. He continues, mentioning that “as we become used to the idea that God is friendly and helpful, that He desires to straighten, inform and correct for our good as well as to comfort and encourage and that He really does love us, then we can begin to pray heartily with Psalms 139:23” (“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”, NIV).

Passages of the Bible
Available on-demand for any person who has a Bible nearby, the Word of God remains as an inerrant and consistent source of truth for the Christian faith. Willard annotates that while our modern interpretations provide more scholarly insight than centuries prior, we must refrain from depending upon the human translation to be a replacement of the voice of God. Indeed, he says that “our dependence as we read the Bible today must be on God, who now speaks to us in conjunction with [the Bible] and with our best efforts to understand it” (emphasis mine). Legendary evangelist Smith Wigglesworth shares in his book Faith that Prevails a quote that I could not break apart or shorten, for it was just too good and needed to be read in its entirety: “A man gave this remarkable testimony concerning the Word: ‘Never compare this Book with other books. Comparisons are dangerous. Never think or never say that this Book contains the Word of God. It is the Word of God. It is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, infinite in scope, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, inspired in totality. Read it through. Write it down. Pray it in. Work it out. And then pass it on.’”


Thursday, May 6, 2021

Stop Overfunctioning In Your Youth Ministry

 

In her book Leaders Who Last, Margaret Marcuson highlights the importance of balance within our lives and within church ministry. Through her book, she recommends that we dodge the tendency to become what she refers to as an “overfunctioner,” or in other words an individual who does not regulate themselves and who takes on too much responsibility for the various tasks at hand. Are we guilty of being overfunctioners within our own youth ministries? One can’t help but wonder if this may indeed be an important conversation to have when considering that the average tenure of a youth pastor is commonly recognized to be between 2 and 4 years. Let us explore more of what Marcuson has to say on the topic to help us achieve a healthy balance of work and life within our lives.

What is Overfunctioning?
Overfunctioning occurs when we have an unhealthy tendency to dive in and do the majority of the work ourselves in order to complete the items that need to be addressed. Marcuson explains that the cause of this overfunctioning oftentimes occurs when we lack the patience and maturity to wait. Perhaps caused by a growing frustration that something isn’t moving as fast as we would like it to progress within our ministry, it isn’t long until the youth leaders, volunteers, and students become accustomed to the youth pastor saying that they’ll take care of all of the odds and ends associated with running the youth ministry. Finally, after a few short years of intense and demanding youth services, we suddenly are surprised to find ourselves in a state of burnout.

What Causes Overfunctioning?
If we look to a church’s adult ministry as an example, the head pastor cannot tackle every single need that may arise within a given service or throughout the administration of the church. Rather, trustworthy men and women of God are appointed over key ministries such as worship, tech, prayer, etc. The good news is that youth ministry can operate in a similar manner. However, if a model such as this is not implemented within the church’s youth ministry and if an increasing number of tasks are being left for the youth pastor to complete, then it may be an indicator that the ministry’s vision is not clear or not clearly communicated. It’s no secret that volunteers and students are eager to be a part of a movement that positively impacts the kingdom of God. Yet outside of Spirit-filled revival, it is typically only when the churchgoers and lay leaders buy into a church’s vision that real movement and transformation both begin to take place within the community. So instead of rolling our sleeves up and oiling every squeaky wheel or setting up every single PowerPoint slide, it may benefit us more in the long run to take a moment and recast the vision of the youth ministry for those who have been placed in our care. Marcuson agrees, highlighting that when we rush in to do the work that is necessary, we are not only robbing ourselves of our own precious personal time, but we are also robbing the opportunity for someone else to have the chance to serve the Lord with the spiritual gift(s) that they possess.

Leadership Brings Emotional Freedom and Flexibility
One of the noteworthy quotes from Marcuson’s text is that “perseverance is one of the chores of leadership.” Such wisdom reminds me of James 5:10-11, where Scriptures say that “we call blessed those who showed endurance.” She explains that leadership is moving from controlling others to managing ourselves; that leadership is when we continue to define ourselves and our goals; that leadership is when we balance individuality and togetherness; and that leadership is when we are clear, calm, and confident in communicating the direction of the vision that we are casting. However, even with these truths established, we still must have maturity to understand that culture change is almost always evolutionary instead of revolutionary. It is when we have this realization that we’ll be able to achieve what Marcuson calls “emotional freedom and flexibility,” where we are “less in a position of blaming them and more in a position to appreciate what [volunteers] give [us] and their strengths” (instead of focusing too much on feelings involved with running the ministry). As we move from resentment of incomplete tasks to gratitude of what our amazing volunteers are already providing, it can help us to become more understanding of others’ spiritual journeys and how our ministry’s vision can fully employ the giftings and strengths of those who the Lord has led to be a part of our team.