Looking for a Sign from God

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

At the start of the new year I thought it would be nice to ask God for a sign, a prophetic word or a vision for the year ahead. I thought it showed respect and appreciation for God’s input. “What am I to do to further Your kingdom?” I prayed. I fasted for several hours. I wrote in my prayer journal and waited, and waited. I got no reply.

Should I seek out someone with a prophetic gift? In the past, when I ask someone to practise their prophetic gifting on me, they looked at my grey hair and said, “God is not finished with you yet. There is more to come.” I already knew that much. Just as most prayers for healing go unanswered, most prophecies are not from God. This is not to say that some sick people are not gloriously healed and some prophecies are very helpful and accurate. But, a lot of them aren’t. If you Google last year’s prophecies for the year just completed, you will find the prophets mostly got it wrong. So, I take this year’s crop of prophecies with a pinch of salt.

Do we need a sign at all? When Jesus had completed his mission on earth, he instructed his disciples what they should do.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NRSV)
18  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus intended the church to continue teaching its members to do these things. They would not have to seek signs or look for further revelation. In fact, to do so would be to go AWOL. Consequently, my three points for this year (or any year) are as follows.

1. Proclaim the Gospel

Making disciples requires us to proclaim the gospel. Jesus went about proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of God is near. Adding people to the church through baptism is what the church is supposed to be doing, whether we see revival or not.

2. Teach Everything Jesus Taught His Disciples

Once people are added to the church, Jesus said to teach them everything he taught his disciples, this includes the use of the gifts of the Spirit. Possibly the church isn’t very good at prayer for healing, prophetic words and casting out demons is because it is not taught in church. Yet, Jesus taught his disciples these things. I suggest our teachers themselves are ill equipped. Possibly they don’t like to be seen to fail. In not trying to heal the sick, we deprive ourselves of the joy of seeing Jesus heal a sick person through our ministry.

3. Love One Another

Jesus mentioned that his disciples should teach people what he commanded us, which immediately brings to mind the new commandment.

John 13:34-35 (NRSV)
“…34  I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Conclusion

Too often we maintain our comfortable lifestyles using the excuse that we haven’t been called or gifted to do anything in particular. God has given us free will but we shirk responsibility for making a decision to do something. The needs around us are immense and we can’t do everything, but we can do something. Jesus’ teaching is the sign we need and his Spirit goes with us.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.5icm.org.au/blogs/2018/12/31/looking-for-a-sign-from-god/

Achieving Atonement

My free eBook “Achieving Atonement” presents a new atonement model that is biblical, ethical, reasonable, comprehensive, ecumenical, and avoids the problems of traditional atonement theories while retaining their truths. The book explains how God is achieving atonement and the place of Christ’s violent death on the cross. The book is 170 pages plus 102 pages Scripture Index and end matter. Various eReader formats are available from https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/838364. A PDF version with numbered pages may be downloaded from http://www.5icm.org.au/Resources/Achieving_Atonement_-_Derek_Thompson.pdf.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.5icm.org.au/blogs/2018/06/12/achieving-atonement/

The Prayer Mission

The Prayer Mission is a short book about Christian prayer that surveys the many biblical passages about prayer to arrive at the conclusion that prayer is not an optional extra to the Christian life, but is an integral part of the Christian’s mission in life. If we are to have a relationship with God that transcends sterile religion, prayer is essential.

Topics covered include the different types of prayer, subjects for prayer, unanswered prayer, and the life of prayer. Jesus and his apostles taught the importance of prayer. It is a high privilege that is too much neglected. Paul’s encouragement to pray without ceasing is often brushed aside as being literally impossible. For the Christian mission to be successful, it must be conducted in prayer, unceasing prayer. The use of Scripture makes this conclusion irrefutable to Christians. The book presents a forceful challenge to see prayer as the means to connecting with God.

The book is a concise 55 pages (12,600 words), including Scripture quotations and pictures. Download the eBook in any format from Smashwords.

the_prayer_mission_cover-thumbnail

Permanent link to this article: https://www.5icm.org.au/blogs/2016/11/18/the-prayer-mission/

Observers’ Guide to God

My new eBook is presented as a Field Guide for observing God written in the humorous narrative nonfiction genre. The narrator, Albert Steinberger, is an experienced author of Field Guides for bird watching and train spotting and here turns his expertise to the popular pastime of God observation. The narrator makes no reference to any particular religion, person or sacred scripture. Both novice and experienced God watchers, will find helpful insights to help them on their quest to find God. Albert consults a team of experts to advise him on the quest to observe God. His success will stimulate many to take up this hobby and, like Albert, become members of the God Observers’ Club.

Available at Smashwords, the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Amazon and other fine ebook retailers., where it is freely available in numerous eBook reader formats:-

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/595151

Observers_Guide_to_God_Cover-thumbnail

Permanent link to this article: https://www.5icm.org.au/blogs/2015/12/16/observers-guide-to-god/

God’s Glasses 8

I have revised my eBook, God’s Glasses, to improve readability, improve formatting and fix typing errors. You can download the ePub and pdf versions for free from http://whr.idx.com.au/downloads.htm.

Gods_Glasses_8_Cover_Thumb

Permanent link to this article: https://www.5icm.org.au/blogs/2015/10/13/gods-glasses-8/