Courageous listening (by a guy named Ananias)

Be a courageous listener like Ananias. When your conscience, Christ in you, or the Bible tell you something that you don’t want to hear, hear it. “Love your enemies.” “Bless those who curse you.” “Repent.” “Consider others better than yourself.” “Humble yourself.” “Draw near to God.” “Resist the devil.” “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” “Whatever He (Jesus) says to you, do it” “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.”

To help Christians be more effective at hearing and obeying the living Jesus it would be a great help if churches would shift away from one man on a platform or in a pulpit controlling everything from the front. Instead, we could meet like the fully participatory, ancient Greek town hall meeting where anyone present is allowed to speak. (Jesus said that He will build His ekklesia and that just so happens to be the name of that Greek town meeting.)

This would give Christ-follows hands-on training in hearing and obeying God’s Spirit in a safe environment with spiritually mature believers serving as overseers (elders/bishops) to keep the meeting aligned with the living Jesus and with the Bible. Christianity has focused on religious programming for many centuries. It’s time for all Christ-followers to shift our focus and obedience to the living, resurrected Jesus.

In the body of Christ, all members can report to and receive their instructions directly from the Head. Today we desperately need churches that will train, empower, and release people to listen to, trust, and directly obey the risen Jesus! When Jesus is allowed to call people to the mic and they are free to speak what He puts on their heart, that’s revival! Try it and see!

To not allow Jesus to take full control when believers gather as His body is to ignore His direct Lordship over His people. I don’t have hope that contemporary churches can release a Spirit-led awakening. My hope is that people will begin to look to and obey the risen Jesus instead of institutional churches.

(Since Jesus prayed that His followers be one, there’s a good chance that He’s not happy that we have divided ourselves into tens of thousands of independent denominations and churches.)

When conflict
Leads to killing,
It’s chilling.
It shows how much
Human hearts need healing
From bitterness
And violent feeling,
By the revealing
Of the Prince of Peace.

Here’s the story of Ananias as recorded in Acts 9:10-19:

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

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