From the Editor
Are You Listening?
By Andrea Johnson
If I could give my loved ones anything, it would be the desire and ability to hear God’s voice. I hate to admit it, but I was in Bible college before I really considered the fact that God might want to communicate personally with me. I had given my heart to Jesus, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and faithfully prayed and read my Bible – but I had never stopped to listen to what God might want to tell me.
Then in class one day our instructor talked about God wanting to speak to us personally. He suggested that when we pray, we take time to be still and allow God to speak back to us. I was intrigued, so that night when I was praying I did just that; I asked God to speak to me. At that time my relationship with God was similar to that of a child trying to please a parent. So as I listened, I was expecting to hear what my next step should be in my “service to God.” (That wording sounds so ridiculous to me now!)
The conversation went something like this: “God, I am listening. Please speak to me. What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go?”
I had heard stories of God calling people to specific places, so I asked, “Do you want me to go to Africa?” (Growing up I was intrigued by missionary films, and Africa seemed like the place that would require the most “sacrifice.” I thought likely I would be serving at an orphanage there.)
Instead, the words that came to my mind caught me totally off guard: “I love you, Andrea.”
I replied, “Yes, I know that.” (As a small child, I had sung “Jesus Loves Me” many times.) “But what do you want me to do?”
Again, the same words came to mind: “I love you, Andrea.”
And again, I replied, “Yes, I know. What do you want me to do?”
At least a third time I heard, “Andrea, I love you,” and my life was changed.
God did not “need” anything from me, and although I had known in my head that He loved me, He was telling my heart. Have you ever had that experience, that of someone loving you with no strings attached?
I would need that assurance later in my life when the person I had counted on most to love me chose not to, when I realized that I was not going to be able to do the things I had planned to do “for the Lord.” Gone was my ambition of helping orphans; at that point I couldn’t afford to feed my own kids.
But do you know what? Even though I could not earn God’s love, He loved me anyway. And He had assured me of that fact years before when I was in Bible college.
Since that time, I make it a priority to listen for God’s voice. And yet, like a child learning to communicate with her family, learning to hear God’s voice is a process that takes some time, and sometimes we don’t interpret His words correctly at first. That does not mean He stops speaking; nor should we stop listening.
Throughout history God has chosen to communicate with us. In Old Testament times, people relied on the prophets to hear from Him. Then God sent Jesus to be His Word incarnate, His Word in flesh and blood (John 1:1). When Jesus returned to heaven, God chose to speak to people directly through His Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11-15). As we allow ourselves to be filled with His Spirit, we can learn how to hear His voice.
He speaks to me sometimes as a thought that comes to my mind that I know is from Him because the message is not anything I would come up with on my own, like when He told me He loved me. He speaks to me through the Bible. When I read the Scripture, I journal so I can record what He is saying. He also speaks to me through things other people such as a pastor or trusted friend may say that sticks with me.
We can ask these questions to make sure the words we are hearing are from God:
- Does the message line up with God’s written Word, the Bible? He will never contradict Himself. Is the message consistent with God’s character?
- Is the message persistent or more of a fleeting thought? I have all kinds of “good ideas” when I lay my head on my pillow at night. Most of those ideas are not from God, and most are not all that great! God will not be silenced quickly if we are listening with a heart ready to obey.
- Have I received a confirmation about the message? Often God will confirm His words through a trusted Christian friend or a passage of Scripture or some other sign that seems to “jump out” at you.
- Does the message bring you closer to God and to others or does it cause unnecessary division?
God speaks to us for a variety of reasons. During my college years it was to reassure me of His love for me. He has also offered me wisdom regarding direction in my life, lovingly corrected me, given me encouragement for someone else, shown me how to pray, revealed part of His character, and much more.
Today everyone has a message they want us to hear. Yet only One loves us so much that He gave His life for us so we could be together for eternity. His voice is the voice I do not want to miss.
About the Author
Andrea Johnson, a credentialed Open Bible minister, is the managing editor of the Message of the Open Bible. A graduate of Open Bible College with a major in theology/missions, she has edited and co-edited several books, including Servants of the Spirit: Portraits of Pentecostal Pioneers, We Believe: Core Truths for Christian Living, and We Believe for Kids! Her goal is to reveal Christ to those who are searching for Him. In her spare time you will most likely find Andrea enjoying time with family and friends or hiking. She and her husband, Dennis, are blessed with four children, three of whom are married, and eight grandchildren.
Want some Easter grass? Tiny hands held out bright green plastic grass as a gesture of friendship from the four-year-old South Korean girl, who I later learned was named Sammy. Sammy became one of my earliest friends and was architect of one of my earliest Easter memories.
To be honest, the Easter memories from the first half of my life revolve more around Easter grass, brightly colored candy-filled eggs, and straw Easter hats than they do the resurrection of Jesus.
To be honest, the Easter memories from the first half of my life revolve more around Easter grass, brightly colored candy-filled eggs, and straw Easter hats than they do the resurrection of Jesus. Easter was my mom’s favorite holiday, and we had several traditions. After buying and wearing a special Easter church outfit, we would eat out at a nice restaurant before our annual Easter basket search commenced. Instead of hiding individual eggs, my parents would hide the entire pre-filled basket. My siblings and I have formative memories of searching for hidden Easter baskets, which my father would hide in progressively more difficult places each year of my life. One of the four siblings would inevitably end up weeping because the hiding place was just too hard and it was so unfair. Ahhh, Easter.
A few of Hannah’s favorite Easter memories with family and friends.
It wasn’t until college that I began to grasp the weight and holiness of this time of year. I remember attending a sunrise Easter service and sensing the presence of God in a way that brought tears of gratitude to my eyes; He was alive and He was right here with me. Another memory involves attending a Serbian Orthodox Good Friday service as a college class assignment. The service was an all-night candlelight vigil. At scheduled times, we marched around the perimeter of the church while speaking liturgies about how Christ had “trampled death by death.” This was my first time sitting in the darkness (literally!) of Christ’s death.
This deeper internalization of both Christ’s death and resurrection stayed with me throughout my adult years. Easter became one of my own favorite holidays as I hid my own children’s Easter baskets while also making space to sit with what Christ had done for me.
… the responsibility of Easter has at times overshadowed its holiness.
And then I became a pastor. One might assume that serving as a spiritual leader would make this holy holiday feel even holier—that my anointing would allow me to experience Easter in a more present, rich way. Maybe this is true for some pastors. For me, the responsibility of Easter has at times overshadowed its holiness. There have been holy and joyful moments, such as experiencing Christ powerfully while leading an Easter worship set or the time I watched my husband dance in a bunny suit in children’s ministry. But there have been many more moments driven by the pressure to perform: to hit the harmonies just right, to fill 1,000 more eggs, to think of a really creative service opener, and to find the perfect outfit, not because it’s fun but because it’s EASTER and first impressions matter.
I know in my head what Easter is all about. I’ve experienced Christ’s death and resurrection. But the ability to experience the truth of Easter while also planning the event of Easter has proven elusive. The struggle has been about as frustrating as looking for an Easter basket that is hidden just a little too well.
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he is risen, just as he said” (Matt 28:5-6).
I forget that Easter began with a search for Jesus. His resurrection was the onset of a search for His
presence …
I forget that Easter began with a search for Jesus. His resurrection was the onset of a search for His presence, a search that continued for the remainder of His disciples’ lives. He would pop in for a long walk or a fish breakfast, then would recede for a while. He would come as blinding light or in a dream, then recede again. While it is true that many of our traditions (both secular and Christian) can get in the way of experiencing Jesus, it is also true that much of life is a search for His presence—and sometimes the search is the point.
And there is always the promise of finding Him.
“He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him” (28:7).
You will see Him. Whether you are a mother filling eggs with candy for your kids, a college student internalizing your faith for the first time, a ministry leader feeling exhausted, or a pastor preparing a special service for twenty or 200 people, you will see Him. And maybe, as we relax into the truth of this promise, we can also remember that if He intends to make Himself known to us, He will do the same for those we love and lead. Maybe we can take some of the pressure off Easter, trusting that His promise of presence will hold true no matter how we choose to celebrate. As you prepare for and celebrate Christ’s resurrection this season, I hope you’ll enjoy the articles in this issue. We have stories about how Jesus is moving in new ways: in Africa, in a West Coast church plant, and in a Florida Next Gen leader with a huge heart for missions. God is also moving through old, rich traditions, as you’ll discover in this story. As you read, take a moment to recognize the familiar presence of God in each story. You will see Him!
About the Author
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
When I was in first grade, I attended William Carey Academy, a small private school in Pasadena, California, that primarily served the children of missionaries who were on home assignment. The school was on the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, a collaborative mission base, which meant that I got to learn alongside students and be taught by teachers who had traveled the world. One specific perk of this season was learning Spanish. My teacher was a missionary to Guatemala who had a passion for the language and the Guatemalan people.
While most of my Spanish has left me, my love for Hispanic nations, culture, and people has not. One of the most fun parts of my job as Message editor has been working with teammates like Mindy Khanthavixay (Mexican-American), Areli Estrada (originally from Mexico), and Ximena Urra (originally from Chile) all of whom are fluent in Spanish. Without these women, it would have not been possible to launch our fully translated Spanish issues of Message of the Open Bible. As our current issue of the magazine is being released in tandem with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), we would be remiss not to honor our many Hispanic coworkers, pastors, and ministry partners within Open Bible. We would not be who we are without you!
Open Bible is currently active in eighteen Spanish-speaking countries and has 556 churches within these countries. Our Hispanic Ministries within the states is also flourishing with twenty-eight churches across the nation, many of which are leading the charge in church multiplication. I am so excited for you to read the story of Melissa Alvarez, who is a second-generation Mexican American and a second-generation church planter. You will also love reading the testimony of Mary Lou Wolfe, who grew up in a Hispanic Open Bible church (Templo Santo in Antioch, California) and whose parents come from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mary Lou’s miraculous kidney transplant has made it possible for her to continue a vibrant ministry where she currently serves at Life Church in Concord, California.
In addition to these articles by Hispanic authors, don’t miss out on our other great articles, including a thoughtful reflection on modern discipleship by Gary Khan and
an important global missions update from Vince McCarty. And if you didn’t catch our special edition President’s Perspective article, you’ll want to read “The Power of We” by President Michael Nortune.
I am proud to be part of a movement that has honored and advocated for ministries in many languages, cultures, and nations. Let’s continue to celebrate every part of our Open Bible family as we fulfill the Great Commission together.
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
At the tail end of 2024, my family celebrated a big event: my grandmother-in-law, Mardell LeLaCheur (known as “Mimi” by all her grands and greats), turned 90 years old. Both her party and her social media feed were filled with people representing her legacy: friends from Bible college, Open Bible pastors she had served alongside and church members she had served during her decades of ministry, friends she has grown close to in retirement, and, of course, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who cherish her. She, like so many other women in ministry, has lived a rich life, fully invested in both her calling as a matriarch and her calling as a minister.
There are so many challenges to being a woman who is called to church leadership, and in seasons of my life I have dwelt on and railed against these challenges. Today, as I reflect on my own life and those of my sisters and mothers in the Body of Christ, I find rest in gratitude. As women, we get to do all the best things: We make disciples both in the world and while we raise our children (whether biological or spiritual). We co-labor with God as we intercede, counsel the broken-hearted, lead people to Jesus, and preach His gospel in our homes, our churches, and across the globe. And if we must fight harder to walk in the fullness of our callings? Perhaps even that is a blessing, as our struggle makes each step worth celebrating, transforming our path into holy ground.
There are so many challenges to being a woman who is called to church leadership, and in seasons of my life I have dwelt on and railed against these challenges.
Open Bible has an incredible history of women who have led and served in our movement, both in the United States and abroad. Its endorsement of women in ministry echoes that found in both the Old and New Testament, as well as in the beginnings of the Pentecostal movement. We see evidence of God’s call in the lives of saints like Mardell LeLaCheur and the late Ruth Bryan, in those ministering in the marketplace like Kwabea Francis, and in those who are expanding the Kingdom overseas like Soukham Khanthavixay. This issue of Message of the Open Bible includes the stories of many of these incredible women as well as resources to address the gap of women in ministry leadership still present in many of our churches.
If you ask my twelve-year-old daughter, Nora, what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll answer in one of two ways. Depending on the day, she’ll either tell you she wants to be a pastor or an astronaut (a friend has coined a new term for her future career: “Pastronaut”). I’m so grateful Nora is part of a church and a movement that will help her fly no matter which career she chooses. As the official statement on Women in Ministry & Leadership says in the Open Bible manual, “We have been blessed by the ministry and leadership of women, and we are committed to honoring and championing these women” (p. 89). May we continue to champion and open doors for women and men alike as we work side by side to bring Jesus to the world.
