A Note from Michael Gossett
“Consider the Call…”
For some reason, there is a considerable problem in our home known as “selective hearing.” My kids’ ears, are easily attuned to the sounds of the refrigerator door (as I am trying to sneak a snack behind their back). And their ears are sensitive to any sound on the television after they go to bed while Katie and I are trying to sneak a movie while enjoying a simple “in home” date.
Yet, any time there is a parental request about cleaning their rooms, brushing their teeth, going to bed, making their beds, putting dirty clothes in the basket, putting clean clothes away, or anything else that would require effort, they suddenly become hard of hearing. Any call to my kids when they know I am going to ask them to do something that requires labor just seems to echo through our home and is met with silence and little to no action.
Have you ever experienced this “selective hearing” syndrome? Perhaps it was in your home, or in your place of work. Maybe you have felt this way at times about the church. Whatever place it may happen, you will often find yourself as both the cause and the recipient of selective hearing.
Throughout the Old Testament, God constantly warned the Israelites to hear and obey His voice. The Israelites often experienced the same problem of selective hearing as my children do. It’s easy for us to criticize the Israelites in hindsight. How hard would it be to believe the voice of God after you were able to see the Lord split the Red Sea wide open? Or how could one close their ears after they found manna that fell from heaven? In a parched desert, they saw water gushing forth from a rock. They saw the presence of God revealed to them in a cloud by day and fire by night. They seem to be without excuse for failing to hear God’s voice. On the other hand, it’s easy to pick on my kids for not hearing my voice. I am obviously using adequate volume when trying to reach them, so what is the deal with selective hearing?
It is often easy, as is with our own sin, to recognize the failures of others rather than in our own lives. Have you ever missed the call of Christ or the conviction of the Lord in your own life? I would be ashamed if I had to show you a highlight reel of all the missed moments in my life where the Lord was calling me or asking me to do something. In Mark 2, we find in Levi (Matthew), a good example of someone who heard and obeyed the voice of God. We read in Mark 2:13-14: “Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. Then, passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, ‘Follow me,’ and he got up and followed him.” The call went forth very clearly and Levi got up without hesitation and followed Jesus. If I could venture into the mind of Levi, I wonder what he was thinking. I’m curious if there was fear or anxiety about following a man he barely knew. It seems so irresponsible, yet he is a model for how we too should follow God’s call. There is no evidence in scripture about the anxieties or concerns that Levi had. So to what can we attribute the immediacy of Levi’s obedience? It has little to do with Levi and everything to do with the person who is calling. There was no time for Levi to consider the consequences, but only the fact that that Jesus Christ Himself had called. Therefore, the only correct action was obedience.
This is the essence of the call for each of us to follow Jesus in discipleship. What is discipleship? When we consider the intricacies of discipleship, we tend to make the matter overly complex. In reality, it is as simple as Levi’s actions in Mark 2. When Jesus calls, we should immediately obey. Discipleship is following Jesus. Growing through discipleship is the fruit of following Jesus. As we follow the voice of the Lord, revealed to us in His Word, we will grow more and more like Him. Discipleship is not about following the quickest and latest human methods. 2,000 years after Levi’s call, it is still all about hearing and following Jesus. Have you heard the voice of the Lord? Have you considered His call in your life? If He has called you, are you actively obeying him or passively ignoring His call? Is the Fruit of the Spirit actively displayed in your life because of Christ’s call on your life?
Consider His call today and consider your obedience to His call. Make sure that your prayer is that you would hear and obey. Praise God that He is patient in my selective hearing and longsuffering in my disobedience. Let us strive together as God’s people to be attuned to the voice of God, and to be quick to obey, and glorify God in our lives.
I want to invite all the married couples and almost married couples to join Katie and me in Crosswalk for a great date night, February 9th. Join us for a special Marriage Night filled with inspiration, laughter, and community! Connect with other couples, enjoy dinner, and a chance to win prizes with Pastor and comedian Ted Cunningham. Registration is open until February 4 or until all seating is filled. $40 per couple, includes childcare. Don’t miss out on this memorable evening!
Crosswalk Conference Center
This is an Open Seating event, no reserved seating.
Dinner – Chicken marsala, mashed potatoes and green beans with a garden salad
**If you’re signing up for childcare, please feed the children before arriving. A snack will be provided during the evening.
It can be difficult jumping in with a church family. Where do you begin? What do we believe? What are we about? Starting Point is designed to help new members understand our church better. In this time together, we discuss many facets of the church including doctrine, polity, staff, vision, values, and much more. If you know of anyone who is interested be sure to point them to this Sunday at 9:30am to this class. We want to make it easy for everyone to have clear knowledge about our church.
The WKND: Darkness & Light is a high-powered weekend for 6-12th grade students on February 16-18, 2024. Exciting worship, crazy REC, large group teachings, and overnight in homes with your closest friends. The cost is $85. This is a MAIN EVENT that you don’t want to miss! Registration closes February 7, 2024.
Join us March 3rd in LH 260 at 9:30 AM if you are a new believer and wanting to learn more. One parent must attend with the child. We can’t wait to be a part of this exciting time in your life! Spots are limited.
THIS SUNDAY!
I cannot wait to worship with you this SUNDAY! This week, we are jumping back into to the book of Hebrews and will be looking at verses ten through eighteen of chapter two. Here is the text so you can read the passage and begin to pray for God to speak to us through His word. Hebrews 2:10-18
“ For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will sing hymns to you in the congregation. Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me. Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.”
Begin praying now that we would understand the weight of God’s glory and the triumph of Jesus over darkness. I look forward to worshipping with you this week!
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett