“The voice of God should be louder than…”

I must say that I love “the church” and I love my “local body”.  Lisa and I have attended Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN for the past 7 years and have been greatly blessed by this community.  As we’ve evaluated full-time, vocational ministry opportunities serving in other local churches, we’ve been a bit heartbroken thinking that God may be moving us away from this particular local body.  While we’re open to this still being a potential, what I can say is that we continue to remain truly blessed to be apart of @TradersPointCC under the leadership of @AaronBrockett as well as the rest of the team.

The past few weeks, we’ve been in series titled, Me Too.  The sermon summary states:

Two of the most powerful words in the English language: “Me Too.” At some point in our lives, we all wonder, “Am I the only one who feels this way?” We often don’t share our fears because we’re afraid others can’t relate, or they might even laugh. Whenever we’re going through a crisis, it’s natural to feel all alone yet still wanting to reach out to others. Often, we’re not looking for a solution to our problem—we’re looking for someone who identifies with what we’re going through and says, “I’ve been through that. I understand.” In the moment that happens, we find comfort and encouragement, knowing other people struggle with this too, and we’ll get through it together.

This week’s specific sermon title was:  “I Care Too Much What Other People Think”.  Using the story of Saul, Aaron unpacks how “Saul wrecked his influence because he cared more about what others thought of him than what God said about him.”  Great stuff for which I encourage you to listen to the sermon and dig in.

To the title of today’s post as well as today’s picture, at one point in the sermon Aaron states:  “The voice of God should be louder than the thoughts of others.”  This phrase clearly raises the question for most as to what “The voice of God” truly sounds like.  If you’ve been a reader of mine for any time, you likely realize this is one of the areas I’ve tended to focus the most over the past few years.  A short glance at my blog category, Hearing God’s Voice, you’ll likely see many transparent stories of my personal journey to growing in understanding.

Given all of this, one of the teaching I find most desired in today’s church centers around The Holy Spirit.  For most people, it is the most misunderstood part of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In fact, a question Aaron has asked is “if the Holy Spirit left the church, would we know it?”  As Jake Barker, Executive Pastor @TPCC, has stated “Christ died for our sin AND to give us the Holy Spirit.”  Continuing on Jake states for some in our culture “we’ve made one member of the Trinity optional.”  Unfortunately, many of us have become focused on “religious” activities versus what it means to have a “relationship” where we’re communing via The Holy Spirit.

Today, I was able to go back and listen to a four part series on The Holy Spirit which Aaron and Jake preached back in October/November 2010 titled, Gagging the Ghost.  In the first message, Aaron explains how he wrestled with the sermon title a bit, so don’t get too hung up on it.  While taught over 5 years ago and Aaron would likely preach today in “skinny jeans” with a few slight revisions given his personal growth in Christ, it is a fantastic series from my stand point for anyone desiring to learn more about The Holy Spirit as well as Spiritual Gifting.  Aaron openly acknowledges how this these topic have been so divisive over the church age and I believe Aaron does an excellent job unpacking a foundation of Truth found within His Word.

If you’re anything like me, you’re desiring I simply summarize this 3 1/2 hour sermon series for you.  Personally, I think this topic has much, much more than even this 3 1/2 hour series touches and, in no way, am I going to even attempt to summarize it into my words.  Additionally, if you chose to accept this challenge, don’t approach the message from a standpoint of “knowledge” about The Holy Spirit.  See it as an opportunity to “hear the voice of God” in your personal walk and allow Him to touch your heart.

As always, I’d love to hear how God is working in your life and do what I can to encourage you in the journey.  Please don’t hesitate to comment below or reach out if I can be of assistance; especially, if you’re “prompted” to do so.

Appreciate you!