Confirming God’s Voice

Yesterday, I was dealing with the question, how can we be sure that it really was God's voice we heard? A very important question. And I shared with you three important ways in which we should look for confirmation.

First, agreement with scripture. The Holy Spirit is the author of scripture. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings God's voice to us. The Holy Spirit will never contradict himself. He'll never say something to us individually that disagrees with what he's already said in scripture.

Second, the confirmation of circumstance. Sometimes God asks us to do something strange or unexpected. We're wondering whether it really is God, and then the situation works out in such a way that we know we know that God foresaw it and had it all prepared.

And third, God's peace arbitrating in our hearts. That means that God's peace is the umpire, the arbiter within. When we've heard God's voice correct and are acting in accordance with God's will, we have God's peace. But if God withdraws his peace and we're restless and pressured and prone to be hasty, then we need to pause and be very sure before we go further.

Today, I want to share with you one further way in which we may expect to receive confirmation that we've heard God's voice. And that is through our fellow believers.

I want to take an example, first of all, from the New Testament: the sending out of Barnabas and Saul for apostolic ministry from the church at Antioch. This is described in Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through 3. And this is what it says:

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen… and Saul.”

Five men are named: Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul, who of course later became Paul.

“While these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting…”

And remember what I said earlier about worship being the best preparation to hear the Lord's voice? And they were fasting, they were really seeking God with all their heart.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

The Holy Spirit said, notice that. I've pointed out already, it's the Holy Spirit who brings to us the voice of God.

“So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

Now, I want you to notice the words that the Holy Spirit used, because it's important. The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” The Holy Spirit had already called Barnabas and Saul. This was not the first time that they heard about this. But this was public confirmation through their brothers in the assembly that their call was from God. And that was very, very important. They needed that public confirmation.

We need to go back into the history of God's dealings with Paul a little and see that right from the time that Jesus first appeared to Paul, he knew that he was to be an apostle. And this is what he says, and he emphasizes this in various places in his writing, that his apostleship was not of men. He says, for instance, in Galatians chapter 1 verse 1,

“Paul, an apostle, sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.”

Notice, he was sent not from man, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father. So Paul's apostolic calling came direct from God, not from men.

Nevertheless, God confirmed it through men. And this happened in the church at Antioch, where the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” They had already received their individual call, but this was public confirmation. This shows us what importance God himself attaches to confirmation that we've rightly heard his voice.

I believe this public confirmation in the church at Antioch of Paul's calling served at least three purposes. First of all, it strengthened Paul's own faith. I believe many of us know that there are times when we need confirmation from others. We're walking a rather lonely road. We're wondering if we really have heard God aright. Things seem so impossible. What God has spoken about seems so far away. And then God in his grace gives us confirmation through our fellow believers.

Secondly, this incident at Antioch validated Paul's call to his fellow believers. It wasn't enough that he knew he was called. They had to know he was called to send him out and to support him.

Thirdly, this incident emphasized the interdependence of the members of Christ's body. And that's something to which God attaches tremendous importance, that we don't act unilaterally, just on our own, that we realize we're members of a body and we depend on the other members. None of us can just act on his own and say, “It doesn't matter what the others do. I know I'm right.” That's an attitude which is almost invariably wrong.