Are You Close or Far to Jesus Voice?

Are You Close or Far to Jesus Voice?                  Kelly Durant

John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

2. In the late 60s and 70s there were game shows with married couples as it seemed it was a time when people were fascinated by relationships and all the funny things that daily life included. The family unit was glorified and life was much more healthy back then! These game show guests needed to answer certain questions about their mates while they were not in the room and each one of them also answered questions on their likes and dislikes to later compare how well they knew the other one. So, if we did this today, just how well do you really know your mate? How well do you know the people in this Corps? How well do you know anybody?

The questions on this game show included asking things like what was your favorite food or color, and more complex ones like what was your most embarrassing moment, etc. What was funny were the answers! What was amazing is some people could get an amazing accuracy on how well they knew the other, while others would answer everything all different and it was obvious they did not know their mate very well. How embarrassing, right?

What’s your favorite color? It’s red, no it’s not, its’ blue, you were supposed to know that! You could see faces get red over the one missing the mark. There are a lot of married people in the world but marriage does not mean a thing unless people are intimate, connected, and aware of each other’s needs, likes, and desires. On another note, think how crazy it is that even some local drug lord’s wives never even knew of their husband’s business dealings! In the world, not even a marriage guarantees a real connection or knowledge of another and many people conform to that! It is not true what you don’t know can’t hurt you. People lie, cheat, and destroy hearts all the time and some people live all their years wounded over it.

3. Knowing your mate (or another family) authentically is very important for happiness, success, and overall spiritual well-being in our day to day interactions. As human beings we often hurt inside yearning to have a deep connection with someone, and the ones who spend the most time with you are the ones who should know you the best. This set up of human relationships was designed by God and he even compares us as believers as being a bride to Him.

Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Who is the lamb? Jesus? Who is He married to? The true Christian believers, which is a body or family we know of as the church. Which church? All of the faithful ones within each fellowship, be they of The Salvation Army or of any other true-obedient-to-Jesus church throughout history.

Recall what Jesus taught in the parable of the 10 virgins (Matt25) getting married. He was not promoting polygamy, but rather within the cultures of his time (and still today in Muslim countries) it was permitted for a man to marry as many women as he can afford to take care of. Jesus was making a point that some were passionate about being ready for their husband, while others were distracted, uninterested, and unconnected with the person with whom they were supposed to love. So what did the unprepared ones do? They wanted to make it right when it was too late but by borrowing from the faithfulness of the others. Matthew 25:10 ‘And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.’ You, only you will answer to God for how well you knew Him, loved Him, prepared and did His will.

4. Basically the clock is ticking on the relationships you and I have and especially the one with Jesus which matters the most! He expects obedience and seriousness in loving others into His Kingdom before it is too late! The most horrible last words one could ever hear would be, “I never knew you”. And this would be Jesus rejecting you because He knew He was never known! (Matt 7:23).

I have an opinion, an idea: what I believe is people who are deep and intimate with Jesus are also capable of being deep and connected with other people; but this requires a mutual permission. As believers, we need team work to carry out our war against evil proclaiming Jesus to the lost world, and the only way is to have unity and the same goals on saving souls. Everyone should be investing in relationship time. Relationships are like plants, you water them all but some grow and produce more than others! Some don’t produce any fruit or flowers at all!

Today our society has a disturbing problem and it is that people, despite Facebook, cell phones, and a dozen ways to exchange words live very disconnected from each other. And this is in the church as well! Some young people are often in their own world with their ear buds in their ears, texting to people they do not know while not talking to those around them that they do know. Everyone is distracted between two and five different focuses, and this world has become surreal to them. Satan hates love and happily connected people so he is content that what could connect us divides as people live behind false identities and do damage with no consequences for doing it.

All the curse of the current technology reminds me of this verse: Revelation 9:20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands (technology), that they should not worship demons (such as evil entertainers or politicians), and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.

5. Here is a conclusive factor, our society has become increasingly shallow with Jesus, and the result is people have become more shallow with each other as well! We see so many very distracted with media and personal business, and the church has accepted little commitment and little connection adapting to others who want to claim to be brothers and sisters but are quite disconnected to you and me. How sad, right? So these recently new habits means we are accommodating disconnected people into our fellowships but they are not of much support to our calling, unity, and single minded mission to win souls for God’s Kingdom.

The modern-day person is often hard to have a deep conversation with because there is so much iphone distraction and interruption, don’t you think? So how are we going to connect ourselves better to each other? Only by being closer to Jesus can solve it! Only by making time only for Him and for others will make it work.

The matter today is everyone can hear too many voices within every hour! Some young people might talk to 10 or more people every hour so that leaves no time to hear the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit! John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. The only way to hear Jesus is to stop and listen after talking to Him in prayer, and if everyone in the business of our daily lives is taking up our time, then Jesus time is crowded out and we are lost on which way He is leading. To follow Jesus, we must make His voice, the Word of God, our number one priority. We are the dumb sheep and He is the wise shepherd so He must have our full attention, loyalty, and obedience.

6. Today there is an increased generation gap and clash of values due to the fact that Jesus is never a part of our younger ones’ education in school or college. Many times, in many places, my wife and I have pushed for the older people to pass on the mantle of the blessing to be a mentor to a young person but this plan has not been successful these past years due to the stark differences between them.  

It is sad as often older ones do not know how to connect or teach younger ones due to the complications of differences, discipline, disconnection, disrespect and a lack of an ability to focus. And some young ones do not want to connect with certain older ones either as they come off as boring, not fun, and judgmental so how do we fix our lack of connectivity? Each person must decide that they will allow the culture of Jesus, or the voice of Jesus, to over-ride the culture and age of one’s own self. But this takes dedicated effort and persistence! Do you desperately seek Him?

Jesus voice is always broadcasting through the Holy Spirit so you and I can know right from wrong and discern when we are acting out on our own nature or in His Spirit, but few people tune into Jesus voice enough to know. Even before Jesus came to the earth God always spoke to his people about His need to connect with us and us with Him by a means of a telepathic voice. Isaiah 30:21 ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ But today too many voices and noises around us in the world have drown out God’s still small voice!

7. There are a few things that bothers me as well about us being disconnected amongst ourselves in the church. Sometimes in sermons no one answers any questions I ask and sometimes faces are blank as if in another world. Each week I pray and ask the Lord what scriptures I should bring to light in order to guide the church Corps and after 6-8 hours of writing a sermon and preparing a power point I often get little response or feedback for my efforts. In other words, is it wrong for me to conclude some want to follow from afar because they don’t want to absorb and learn how to do much for Jesus? Soldiers are supposed to listen to their Captains, right? Some do, some don’t, but not all are independent sheep, we do see those here who want to follow close. Thank God for those here who do hear and pray and change their selves and serve Jesus as He has called them to do with the mission He has for them. What makes me happy is to see others more humble, more loving, and more active for Jesus.  

Week after week we try to bring conviction by expounding upon our broken relationship realities and then my wife and I offer God’s solutions from His Word, you have either two choices, to decide that you will get closer to the shepherd/pastor (Jesus) so you can grow spiritually grow deeper, or you by default are ignoring what is being said hoping it was not for you. Everywhere, every week we observe some Christians are progressing spiritually while some are on the decline, and no one has the blame or credit for your up or down status except you only. Ask yourself, “Am I hearing Jesus voice or just listening to my own excuses?”

8. So I started off asking how well do you know your mate or how close are you to others? Then how well do you know Jesus will for you but now, one last item, how well do you know yourself? I believe that if you hear Jesus voice with clarity (which comes from reading God’s word and practicing it) He will reveal to you what is your own voice in your head and how contrasts with His will.

Have you ever talked to people who are confused about things and they give confusing answers to simple questions?   It is because the voice of Jesus does not reign supreme in their hearts and minds. They are not doing it. James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The only thing that is going to clear up anyone’s spiritual confusion of voices is a closer walk with Jesus. We all must pray and ask God what our need is so we can improve. You need to discipline ourselves to get so intimate with Jesus that we feel like we are married to Jesus! Many intimate couples call each other all day long to know about how things are, so we need to be calling on Jesus in the same way.

9. We need intimacy with Jesus as married people are intimate. Romans 7:4 “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”  The law represents the world and all the influence of the erroneous voices around us. But by being married to Jesus we are convicted that our purpose is to bring fruit for God, which is to save souls and convert them to Jesus. Have you brought a soul to Jesus lately? Who? Tell me their name? None comes to mind…ok then pray and get busy for God!

All of us, if we are honest with ourselves, will admit we are not as connected as God wants us to be with Him and others and you and I for sure have some areas to improve upon. The focus with you and me as Christians is always about knowing Jesus more and knowing those around us better so we can win them to Jesus. Will you take a decision today to hear and follow Jesus voice more? Hear...then follow…and as we say in the Salvation Army, “Do something!”

To follow Jesus as He wants, you and I must read, absorb, and practice everything He taught and as a sheep never stray from His presence. Ask Him to help you become a close follower of Him!  To impact, connect deeply, and follow and obey as He expects.