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.
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.
My life was forever changed a few years ago when I read a book called The Insanity of God. Written by Nik Ripken, a missionary who has given his life to take Jesus to some of the darkest, most dangerous corners of the world, this book calls Western Christians out of the casual faith many of us enjoy. Ripken asks irritating, important questions like:
I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him.
“Does God really ask us to sacrifice everything?”
“Is God at work in the hard places, and does He expect us to join Him in those hard places?”
“Isn’t it possible to love God and to pretty much keep living the life I already have?”
Ripken freely admits that he doesn’t have answers to all these questions, but he challenges his readers to remember that following Jesus means saying “yes” even when it hurts.
“We have the high privilege of answering Jesus’ call to go,” Ripken says. “But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours.”
Reading this book felt like being shaken awake after a long sleep. I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him. (How ironic that is, when He became incredibly uncomfortable for me.) I began offering up a new kind of desperate prayer, begging God to make my life matter. To make me willing to go anywhere, do anything.
Lord, let my life be a sacrifice.
That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s a prayer that has led to my saying “yes” to assignments and callings that scare me: serving as a staff pastor at my previous church, becoming the new editor of Message of the Open Bible, and most recently, uprooting my family from our home of twelve years and moving to another state to plant a church.
The comforting thing is, I’m not alone in trying to live this kind of radically obedient life. I stumblingly follow in the footsteps of the Hebrews 11 heroes of faith, who “obeyed and went” even when they didn’t know where they were going (vs 8, NIV). Heroes who “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised” but also “faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (vs 33-36). I walk alongside others in the Church and within Open Bible who are saying “yes” to difficult and daunting things. You’ll read about many of them in this issue, and I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by their stories.
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus.
In truth, none of us is alone when we say “yes” to a God-given assignment. Let’s not forget that directly after the biggest, scariest assignment was given to Jesus’ disciples, the one that would take them to the ends of the earth and would include hardship and suffering for many of them, they were also given this promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus. That’s a reward worth even our most frightening “yes.”
About the Author
Hannah Bemis
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the Editor and Director of Message of the Open Bible. She’s always wanted to do too many things when she grows 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.
