Thursday, May 12, 2011

Un Año de Cambios-A Year of Changes

It is difficult for three-dimensional creatures to hear from the what Pastor Yonggi Cho has called the "fourth dimension". Pastors who enter the pulpit struggle with this because, in a certain sense, they are sharing a special message from God's heart. The congregation comes expecting God to speak to them. They want to hear from the "fourth dimension." They difficulty comes because the pastor must somehow know the difference between his/her voice and God's voice as they seek to prepare and share the Sunday sermon.

The same is true with the operation of the Spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12). We want to know if God is speaking (prophecy) or if it is the individual. The uncertainity of this dilemma has caused some to dismiss the Spiritual gifts. The possibility of human error is too risky. And yet, we normally have no problem accepting the Sunday sermon as "God speaking."

Despite the risk and the possibility of confusion, I believe God still speaks and He still speaks, not only from the pulpit on Sunday, but also via the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Time often helps us know if it comes from God or from man. We just need patience. In January of this year God spoke to our congregation through a word of prophecy telling us that 2011 would be a year of changes for us as individuals, for our families and for our church. It did not seem monumental at the moment. Nevertheless we have been amazed that the changes that have come during the first 5 months of this year. When we begin to doubt the source of the changes, we return to prophecy given in January. It is easier to accept the changes when we remember that God did something to prepare us for this.

I'm glad God is not silent.