You can run an online search, using the key words ‘How to hear the Lord’s voice’, or ‘how to be led of the Lord’… There is a LOT written on both subjects. Tonight before starting this post - I scoured some blogs and articles looking to see if any did point out the EVENT that launched the disciples walk with Jesus Christ 2000 years ago, that launched my own walk 48 years ago - but came up empty.
One author posited: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,” (Romans 8:14). He didn’t share about how the sons are led, but did say also - “The converse is also true. Those who are the sons of God, are led by the spirit.”
Is that true?
Romans 8:14 is not necessarily reversible. While those who ARE led of the spirit ARE sons of God, there is no guarantee that sons of God are led by the spirit. The Spirit may be willing, but the flesh is often weak.
Had he said ‘sons CAN be led by the spirit ‘ it would have been true. Otherwise we are blaming God for a wealth of sinful activity on the part of too many Christians. What do I mean?
One Sunday morning in 2014, I attended a church service in Michigan as LED by the Lord. (My son was at Hillsdale High School there, at the time.) The minister that morning, a lady, was preaching on Romans 8:14.. Her message essentially was that - ‘Whatever we are LED to do, is OF GOD’. (It was one of the more heretical sermons I’d ever had the dubious pleasure of hearing.)
So I raised my hand.. and waited to be recognized.. It took a minute but by that time the whole congregation was staring at my hand, and waiting for her response.
The minister looked at me and said - ‘We’ll take questions at the end’.
I replied - “BUT I’M LED!” The congregation burst out in laughter; which helped to drive the point of how ludicrous her interpretation of Romans 8:14 was. God forbid He should take the blame for half of our inclinations.
To be led by God is to partake of what has been made available. Though it’s not a ‘given’, as many of us have experienced - or we’d ALL be on the same page - there would be NO Division in the Church of God - and NO ‘denominations’ in Christianity with differing doctrines. So it cannot be true that ALL sons of God are led by the spirit.
In the articles I browsed on this subject, there was much talk of ‘walking in love’, being ‘peaceful’, ‘knowing that God wants to talk to you’, as well as innumerable Bible quotes - all save for the one record that matters most.
And since time is of the essence, as this year 2024 - is going to be a pivital year for the Church in America, let’s delve right in to what you MUST DO, and what you must NOT DO - if you wish to be led of God, and/or hear the Lord’s voice.
MUST DO’S
Be SAVED - AND.. baptized in the Holy Spirit!
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ Acts 2:1-4
Acts chapter 2 is the birth of the Christian ‘church’. It is the DAY in which the spirit was POURED OUT UPON the saints. (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8)
‘.. behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are CLOTHED WITH POWER from on high.’ Luke 24:49
‘But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you..’ Acts 1:8
This CLOTHING of The Spirit Baptism - is put UPON the baptized saint. It is not the INNER seed. All Acts 2 disciples already HAD that. The Greek word for ‘UPON’ used in Acts 1:8 is ἐφ' (eph') - and in 82 usages in Scripture - it ALWAYS refers to ON, UPON, against or OVER. but NEVER ‘inside’. The ‘seed’ must already BE INSIDE for the BAPTISM to put power UPON you.
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN to see the Kingdom. This is SEED.
YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT TO ACTIVATE THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT WITHIN.
The tragedy of the Church of the last 200 years, has been the gradual departure from this truth. It is a rare church that ever mentions it; because the favored pulpit topic is prosperity - and the favored ‘way to blessings’ is TITHING. The Churches are more concerned about their bottom line, than imparting power.
This is not unlike HEROD who - when he heard there was another KING born, grew jealous and furious. He did not want to share his power.
It is a ‘given’ that to be led of the spirit, we must be first SAVED. Born of holy spirit to begin with. But the baby needs more than that to activate his faculties..
THAT IS WHAT PENTECOST WAS ALL ABOUT
The disciples did not get ‘SAVED’ on the Day of Pentecost. They were BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT - WHAT IS ALSO CALLED THE ‘FIRE BAPTISM’.
How do I know they were already saved. Let’s read Romans 10:9 & 10 - the Apostle Paul’s instructions for salvation:
But what saith it? 9 That if thou shalt SAY with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath RAISED HIM from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED10
On Pentecost’ the disciples were already ‘saved’, just as the patriarchs were; Abraham, Moses, Job, Jacob, Daniel, Gideon, Jephthae, DAVID.. Just as the malefactor in Luke 23 was.
#1 - They ALL already called Jesus ‘LORD’,
And they already SAW Jesus raised from the dead or - BELIEVED that GOD WOULD RAISE HIM -fulfilling the instructions for salvation that we just read.
VIZ - Consider these records of saints before Jesus came to earth:
The Malefactor:
→‘LORD’ remember me when you →‘COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM’.. :Luke 23:42
He called him Lord, and expected to see him AGAIN
…meanwhile they were both dying on crosses.
Abraham:
John 8:56 - Abraham REJOICED to see the Lord’s DAY.
Jesus SAID ‘Abraham called me LORD’, and believed to see His DAY! THAT would be Not the day of his humiliation, the Day of his KINGDOM!
KING DAVID:
‘As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness:
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.’ Psalm 17:15
Listen to that again -
I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
David SAW HIS DAY, Called Him LORD; Does that verse make anyone else weep too?!
How about JOB…
‘But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.
Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.
I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him,
How my heart yearns within me!… Job 19:25 - 27
My heart yearns too...
The HEBREWS 11 crowd of faithful witnesses, all knew they would see JESUS CHRIST in the flesh - that God would have to get him up - seeing as his crucifixion was prophesied by Isaiah., yet the crowd of faithful witnesses - as Abraham - looked for a ‘city’ whose builder and maker was GOD. Yet Jesus said to Nicodemus - to ‘see that city’, you MUST be born again.. and then said to him, ‘Are you a master in Israel and do not know these things?’. ALL ISRAEL knew how to be saved; Which is why they were ‘waiting for the savior’, Messiah - Yeshuah. All of the faithful. When ‘he’ came, he came to his own - ‘Salvation’ so said Jesus.. ‘Is of the JEWS’. Some did not believe - but many did.
What’s the point?
THE POINT IS THAT THE LAST THING THAT JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES WAS THEY MUST BE CLOTHED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH.
Huh? I thought they had that power? Remember Luke 9, Luke 10, etc? A number had it while Jesus was present, but he prepared his church so that ALL would have it WITHOUT HIS PRESENCE. How fast this was forgotten.. and entire denominations (Baptists etc) are stuck with John’s baptism which has nothing to do with power..
You being ‘saved’ is not enough to open your ears to the spirit.
To operate power you MUST HAVE THE BAPTISM! The entire record in Acts 1 and 2, and the Lord’s clear instructions given to his disciples in Luke 24, drive this point home.
Remember:
They were all saved- Yet in John 20:19, we see the disciples powerless and fearful. Even after the Lord appeared to them, they were not changed! Seeing Jesus did NOT change them, even as it had not changed the multitudes. They needed the COVERING of POWER UPON;
FIFTY days later they were CHANGED, WHEN THE SPIRIT CAME DOWN; The church WAS LAUNCHED and the disciples begin to both DECLARE the Word with BOLDNESS, and HEAL people as they’d seen Jesus do.
THIS IS THE LORD’S BIGGEST BEEF WITH MANY CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES..
HE CREATED DISCIPLES.
TOO MANY MINISTERS CREATE ‘DEPENDENTS’.
I get their letters begging for money to ‘feed the poor’, and ‘preach the Gospel’ in faraway places.. and so the poor continue to NEED them..
Feeding people is nice, but what JESUS CHRIST wants to see is his people being BAPTIZED in the HOLY GHOST - learning how to HEAR HIM, and how to WALK in POWER!
This is Part I.