The Pursuit of God - Chapter 6a - Living Grace Fellowship

Wednesday 03/30/16

Series: The Pursuit of God

Message – The Speaking Voice I

{The audio is divided into two sections. The 1st is where we read through part of the chapter and divide into groups for discussion. The 2nd is when we come back together as and share from our groups.}

Before we begin…

PLEASE…PLEASE…PLEASE…be honest with yourself and the group you are in. This is NOT a theology class testing your resolve to believe scripture against your experiences. This is a group discussion where if we are NOT candid and freely confess our difficulties and even frustrations with hearing God’s speaking voice – we are holding back the entire group and ourselves from truly benefiting from all God may wish to do.

Just as an initial PUSH off the bridge into the waters of discussion below, everyone simply admit to each other,

“There are times when I am frustrated over my inability to hear God’s voice.”

For Discussion

I agree with what Tozer said in a later part of the chapter, “I believe that much of our religious unbelief is due to a wrong conception of and wrong feeling for the Scriptures of Truth. A silent God suddenly began to speak in a book and when the book was finished lapsed back into silence again forever. Now we read the book as the record of what God said when He was for a brief time in a speaking mood.”

To be honest there have been many times in my life when I’ve felt exactly that due to my experiences of struggling to hear His voice.

When you are seeking to hear from God, what is it precisely that you find yourself looking for…what are you actually expecting? (a booming audible voice, an inner voice or an inner knowing, a scripture popping into your mind, a sense of peace, a song playing in your mind or on the radio…etc.)

How do you know when it is in fact God Who is speaking to you…what do you use as a determining factor to be certain?

In those times when you know you have heard from God, what way of speaking to you has He most often used?

Being honest with yourself, are there times when your “test” to know if it was God’s voice or not…failed and you were deceived into thinking God spoke something He had not spoken?

Offer a brief history of your relational attempts to hear God speak…offering both examples of success and failure. Include how those times made you feel in regard to your relationship with God.

Do you see God as Someone Who is constantly speaking to you? (this is a perceptual question NOT an experiential one)

Talk for a while about this scripture and what it means, then consider the days of your life as your currently live them in the light of it.

Deut. 8:3-6, “(3) He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (4) Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years. (5) Keep in mind that the LORD your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. (6) So keep the commands of the LORD your God by walking in His ways and fearing Him.”

This is where we ended our discussions on chapter 6 , The Speaking Voice of A.W. Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God. We will be continuing on in this chapter next Wednesday…Blessings!

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Attendance at our church will NOT even be mentioned nor will money.

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Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!