10/06/2023
So often we think that there is but one way that men are called, and that God has a set process for leading us to Him. We somehow get in our minds that there is only one way to serve God, and that if we don’t fit into the biblical walk exhibited by one of the twelve apostles then we are not correct in our faith. In fact, we are all unique and so is our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.”
Galatians 1:15-17 ESV
Paul tells us in this scripture that he walked with God in a new and exciting way. He had been called by God, learned and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ, was saved by grace, and baptized, but that is where his walk took him down a different road... he didn’t go to Jerusalem to be with the apostles that came before Him.
Today we can go into almost any church within a specific denomination and experience the selfsame feel, liturgy, words being spoken, and habits being displayed. Yes they are each answering a call, but it is a call that someone heard a long time ago, and the church and its people are continuing to walk it as they seek God. This is good, and that walk is just as alive today, but it reaches out, and appeals, to very specific segment of God’s people...
Paul took a new path to new people and built churches along the way that were comprised of those followers of Jesus who heard the gospel according to the call that he had received, and responded to his voice. Let me explain this in a different way...
I really love certain songs, one of them is the Revelation Song. This song has been sung by many people in their own voices and in their own ways. If you click on the link below and listen to Kari Jobe as she sings it you will find that it sounds one way…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNbXrnV9wz0&sns=em
But if you listen to Guy Penrod sing it then the same words sound very different...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3IUqz10ARE&sns=em
Yet this is the same song, with the same lyrics, the same scripture reference (Revelations 4:8). Each rendition gives us the same message but in a very unique way. This is what Paul did, and we each have our own special voice today.
“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!””
Revelation 4:8 ESV
There are those who like this certain voice over that one, or this musical accompaniment over that... perhaps a cappella, perhaps in a rock and roll fashion, maybe in chant, blue grass, gospel, or performed by a mariachi band, but regardless of the delivery it is the same song, and the message remains consistent. When the walk is done... when the song is sung, when the service is over... when the bonfire burns down... we all find ourselves in the same place... in the arms of Jesus, and in the presence of God.
We spend a lot of time and effort separating ourselves into camps, but friends, we are all part of the same army, the same people, the same Church. The lyrics are the same in the song of faith that we sing. We might put a “yeah, yeah, yeah” at the end of a verse, or play a guitar solo in the middle, but the lyrics are there, and they touch our hearts and souls in wonderful ways.
The original church argued over circumcision, eating habits, and other such things, but in the end the word of God and the message of Jesus was what was deemed to be all important; not excluding people needlessly who adhered to the same Word and Spirit became paramount... And so it should be today.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the diversity in our voices as we sing the scripture, and I invite you into our midst regardless of the liturgy, music, language, or garments that we wear. Holy Father I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and the impact His life and message has on the world. You sent Him to reconcile us to you, and in that there should a commonality of Spirit... help us to find it Father. We pray to you in song, chant, and words, but sometimes we lose sight of how alike we are until we finally reach the final word “AMEN.” This word is the same in every language and culture. We are so intent on listening for our own tongue or dialect that we miss the fact that they are all yours... until that one word unites us once again. Jesus, reveal the Father to us! Lead our spirits into the presence of God through the Holy Spirit and your teaching. Let each unique and diverse segment of creation sing out, even as the rocks would do in our silence. Father you are Holy and your Word is spoken in every language, in the earth and in heaven. You call us from many places and in many ways... call us today Lord. Open our eyes to your Word and the fact that regardless of the way we are traveling, it is you who has called us, and walks with us. “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come”... Open our eyes as we read these same words as they are spoken and sang around the world…
Saint, Saint, Saint, est le Seigneur Dieu tout-puissant, qui était et est et à venir (French)
Heilig, heilig, heilig ist der Herr, allmächtiger Gott,wer war und ist und kommen wird (German)
Santo, Santo, Santo, es el Señor DiosTodopoderoso, que era y es y está por venir. (Spanish)
Thánh, Thánh, Thánh, là Chúa Thiên ChúaAlmighty, người đã là và đến. (Vietnamese)
Kutsal, kutsal, kutsal, Rab Tanrı Yüce, kim olduğunu ve gelmek (Turkish)
Ιερά, Ιερά, Ιερά, είναι ο κύριος ο Θεός Παντοδύναμος, που ήταν και είναι και πρόκειται να έρθει (Greek)
Amen
Rich Forbes