How to Be a Giving Christian

I've been struggling with what it means to be a giving person. In particular, I've been struggling with what it means to be a giving American Christian.

What is my responsibility to give? What does God ask me to do with what He's given me as a citizen of a country with a strong economy?

Paul’s Instructions for Giving

The Apostle Paul has the most to say about giving in his Second Letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Paul says that we should give what we’ve decided in our hearts to give. But how do I discern what to give in my heart? And how do I ensure that I'm not sowing sparingly?

 

In the chapter before this, he said:

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. (2 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Here, Paul commends the Macedonians for giving out of the poverty, just like Jesus commended the widow who gave her last two coins. The Macedonians gave more than they were able.

The Goal of Giving

Paul reveals what the goal of giving is when he writes:

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, ¹⁵ as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)

The goal is equality. But in what sense? Making sure no one lacks basic necessities? Raising others up? How far?

The following verses seem to say that I need to lower myself and sell my possessions to raise others up.

 

2 Corinthians 8:9:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Acts 2:44:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

And people whom Jesus commended or condemned for their standards of giving only include the one who gave everything and the one who refused to give everything.

 

Mark 12:41-44:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. ⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Matthew 19:21:

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Models of Giving

So, what model of giving should I follow? Tithing as the Old Testament commanded? Giving all as some of these verses indicate? Matching what I spend on myself with what I give to try to achieve some sort of equality?

And what does equality mean? Do I really need to lower myself to the living conditions of the poorest person so that I can raise them up?

I imagine that if God doesn’t want them to live in the conditions they’re in, he doesn’t me to either. So, is there a way that I can determine what the basic necessities are that God wants for every person and then, lower myself to those standards and not go beyond them so that I can spend everything else on others?

If that could be a valid method of deciding what to spend on myself, I would say that God wants the following for each person, including myself:

• Nutritious food
• Clean water
• A well-maintained living space
• Spending money to enjoy a hobby and celebrate God's blessings
• Money to give small gifts to others

Some people might say that people also need emergency funds and savings accounts for retirement. But is that what Scripture says?

2 Corinthians 8:14:

At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.

As Christians, we need to first give, then let others give to us when we need it. Maybe that means helping us to cover a medical bill or a large house repair or taking caring of us in our old age.

Changes in Spending to Increase Giving

Here are some questions I’ve been asking about my own spending. You might benefit from them as well as you seek to increase your giving.

1. Which is cheaper for you? Living in a house or living in an apartment? Is there a way to share the expenses of your living arrangement with a roommate or even another family?

2. What can you do to lower your grocery and food expenses? Can you grow some of your food? Make more of your food rather than buying prepackaged meals or going out to eat?

3. How can you spend less on utility bills? Can you bump the thermostat a few degrees up or down to lower energy costs? Can you deliver your own trash and recycling to the local processing facility?

4. If you’re a family with two or more drivers, is there a way to reduce the number of vehicles you need? Maybe one person can drop the other at work, or you can carpool with someone else to avoid paying for a second or third vehicle?

5. How much money do you really need to spend on your home or yard? It’s good stewardship to maintain what you have, but do you need to make those home improvements or have the nicest landscaping?

6. What about insurance costs? Will your employer allow you to opt out of their health insurance program to buy into a Christian cost-sharing health plan?

7. How much money do you really need to spend on hobby or relaxation activities? Can you do something that costs less but would give you the same amount of enjoyment? Can you spend money on those fun activities less frequently?

I’m sure you can think of other ways to cut costs in your life. These are just a few that I’ve been wrestling with as I head toward the goal of equality. The less I spend on myself, the more I can spend on raising others up.

Why Do We Need a Savior in This Life?

Most people who accept the Bible as true understand that we need a savior to rescue us from going to Hell when we die.

Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Notice though that the word “sinned” is past tense, but “fall short” is present tense. I do fall short. I continue to fall short. I continually need a Savior to cover my sins not once but continually. 

So, yes, the work of the Savior allows us to go to Heaven instead of Hell.

But…

But many people don't feel the weight of their sin. We live in a very relativistic culture in which there are very few moral absolutes in society anymore. There's very little shame.

Most of us are also fairly comfortable here in America and in the Western World. We don't look to Heaven because life here isn't so bad that we need to look for our escape. We don’t need what Karl Marx thought of as the opiate for the people. 

So, without much shame for our sins, or desire for a better life, how we can reach people and convince them that they need a Savior? What can we offer as the benefits of believing in Christ?

Meaning in Our Lives

What do people without Christ live for? How do they find meaning?

They might say that their family or legacy, or work, or hobbies gives meaning to their lives. And while good, these things "fall short" of what God intends for us. Our family members can disappoint us. Our legacy and how people will remember us will only last so long. Our work life only lasts until retirement and can't satisfy our inner longings.  We can only engage in our hobbies as long as we have the time, resources, and ability to do so. And what if we tire of what used to give us fulfillment?

Only Christ gives us the lifelong and afterlife fulfillment that we’re all looking for. Only being a part of His family and His mission brings ultimate meaning to our lives.

Unconditional Love and Forgiveness

There are many people who love us in this life. There are many who will forgive our mistakes. But who else will truly love you unconditionally and forgive you no matter how many times you commit the same sin?

Only God can do that. No human can show perfect love like that because no human is perfect.

Blessings

The people of the Old Testament didn't believe in an afterlife for everyone. They knew that some people went to Heaven, but they had no concept of a coming judgment in which everyone would either go to Heaven or Hell. There are hints of the afterlife in the Old Testament, but not many. Jesus is the one who taught the most about the topic. 

So, the Old Testament believers didn't have an afterlife to look forward to and yet, they still followed God in this life. Why?

The reason is that they believed that God would either bless or punish them in this life. And God still does bless and punish us. His promises of blessings still stand for believers. And though bad things may still happen to us, we can also rely on God’s good gifts coming to us.

James 1:17:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Comfort and Strength

What do people rely on or hope for when their normally comfortable lives are turned upside down by tragedy, loss, and bad luck? How do people rise to meet challenges beyond their capabilities?

People without God are forced to rely on themselves or other people, and it is in those times that people often find how inadequate, broken, and lost they are. People can only pull themselves up by their bootstraps so far.

Christians have the advantage of leaning on the Lord in the hard times. He gives us strength beyond ourselves and carries us through more than we thought we could handle. As the familiar verse says,

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

Unity

Being of the same species or even fellow countrymen doesn't cut it in this world. We still war and argue.

But our relationship with our Savior gives us peace with one another, beyond the bounds of race or nationality. It unites us and helps us work together for something beyond ourselves as individuals.

Morality and Peace of Mind

Everyone has a conscience. And most people are bothered when they know they’ve done something wrong. People want to know that they're doing the right thing, whatever they understand "right" to be.

By submitting ourselves to God's law, we can have peace of mind that we are acting rightly. We don’t have to guess. We don’t have to try to justify our actions or figure out where the line is. We can have the assurance that if we’re following Scripture, we’re within the bounds of God’s Law, and that gives us great peace of mind.

So, why do we need a Savior in this life? He’s the only one who can give us all of these benefits in this life.

How Does God Discipline Us?

Has something ever happened to you that made you wonder if God was disciplining you? 

Proverbs 3:11-12:

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, ¹² because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

What is the Purpose of God's Discipline? 

Proverbs 19:18:

Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

Psalm 94:12-13: 

Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law; ¹³ you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.

Hebrews 12:7-11:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God disciplines us because He loves us. It’s for our good. He is our father helping us to grow in maturity.

Is Discipline the Same as Punishment?

Some Christians don’t like the idea of saying that God punishes us. It makes God sound mean. But let’s not get hung up on the connotations of a word. If God “punishes,” we can trust that He’s doing it for the same reasons He disciplines. Both are meant to bring about us to repentance.

Jeremiah 30:11:

I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’

As we can see, punishment and discipline seem to be the same thing as the two terms are being used synonymously in this verse.

How Does God Discipline or Punish Us?

We have a record of all the ways that God punished people in the Old Testament, from plagues and war to barrenness and unfruitful seasons.

In 1 Corinthians 11:27-32, Paul gives an example of one way God was disciplining Christians.

 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³² Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

The Apostle says "many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."

The early Christians thought that God punished them in a variety of ways. This is a quote from The Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 6, chapter 3.

“This,” he replied, “is the angel of punishment; and he belongs to the just angels, and is appointed to punish. He accordingly takes those who wander away from God, and who have walked in the desires and deceits of this world, and chastises them as they deserve with terrible and diverse punishments.”
 “I would know, sir,” I said, “Of what nature are these diverse tortures and punishments?”
 “Hear,” he said, “the various tortures and punishments. The tortures are such as occur during life. For some are punished with losses, others with want, others with sicknesses of various kinds, and others with all kinds of disorder and confusion; others are insulted by unworthy persons, and exposed to suffering in many other ways: for many, becoming unstable in their plans, try many things, and none of them at all succeed, and they say they are not prosperous in their undertakings; and it does not occur to their minds that they have done evil deeds, but they blame the Lord. When, therefore, they have been afflicted with all kinds of affliction, then are they delivered unto me for good training, and they are made strong in the faith of the Lord; and for the rest of the days of their life they are subject to the Lord with pure hearts, and are successful in all their undertakings, obtaining from the Lord everything they ask; and then they glorify the Lord, that they were delivered to me, and no longer suffer any evil.”

So, Biblically and in Christian tradition, there are many ways God can punish us. I would also add the conviction we receive from the Holy Spirit and our conscience is a form of discipline. We all know sometimes a simple word or look from a disapproving parent can be all the punishment we need.

Who Does God Punish?

God punished groups of people, and He punishes people individually. 

Genesis 15:14:

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

God punished the Egyptians en masse. Note that He used nature in all of the plagues.

2 Samuel 7:14:

I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.

Speaking of King David, God is saying that He will punish David by using other people.

Sometimes, God even punished future generations.

Exodus 20:4-5:

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

And in the Scripture above regarding Communion, we saw that God disciplines Christians.

How Can I Know When God is Punishing Me?

This is the most difficult question to answer regarding this subject. Even the disciples needed clarification.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:1-3)

As in the case of this blind man, and in the case of Job in the Old Testament, sometimes bad things happen in our lives without us doing anything wrong. So, when the result is the same, how do you tell the difference between when God is disciplining you individually and when you're simply reaping the consequences of living in a Fallen world?

How do you tell what you're being disciplined for?

I think the best answer is to rely on the Holy Spirit and your conscience. If you’ve done something wrong, or if you’ve neglected to do something right, count the bad things happening to you as the Lord’s discipline.

If your conscience is clear and the Holy Spirit isn’t convicting you of anything, count the occurrence as something bad happening either because of someone else’s sin or simply as a result of living in a world that doesn’t operate as it should.

How Does Being Part of the Family of God Affect Our Lives?

The four questions I want to consider here are:

1. What effect does being in the family of God have on how we view ourselves? 

2. How does our being in the family of God affect our relationship with our Christian family members? 

3. How does our being in the family of God affect our relationship with our non-Christian family members?

4. How should we treat non-Christian family members?

What Effect Does Being in the Family of God Have on How We View Ourselves?

How do these verses affect how you view yourself and your relationship to God?

Romans 8:14-17:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Mark 3:20-21, 31-35:

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” ³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
 ³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
 ³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

I find these verses to be incredibly flattering. Think of it. We are God’s children. We are part of Jesus’ family, even more so than an unbelieving member of His natural family might have been.

As part of God’s family, you can hold your head high. You have the dignity of being a child of the King. You are a prince or a princess over all creation. And it’s not by right of birth. God invited and chose you to be His child because of your faith and obedience in His Son.

How Does Our Being in the Family of God Affect Our Relationship with Our Christian Family Members?

How does your relationship with a family member change once you both become Christians?

For me, I would think that your bond with that person would become closer. Even if you had nothing else in common with them, you now have the same worldview, the same convictions and morals, a common faith story to draw from, and a common eternal home to long for.

How Does Our Being in the Family of God Affect Our Relationship with Our Non-Christian Family Members?

Just as our faith draws us closer to likeminded family members, so it drives a wedge between us and those in our family who don’t believe.

Remember that Jesus said His family members were those who did God’s will, not necessarily those who were related to Him by blood or marriage.

Luke 9:59-62:

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
 ⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
 ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 12:51-53:

Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

These are difficult verses to read, but Jesus is very clear in saying that our natural family members are not as important as following Him. And sometimes, we may need to make choices that divide us from our non-Christian family members.

For example, our beliefs may cause us to disagree with a member of our family. They may see nothing wrong with supporting a woman’s right to choose abortion, or doing whatever it takes to climb the ladder of success, drinking to excess, or telling dirty jokes. In some cases, we will need to let our stance on certain issues be known, and we can’t be ashamed of what we know to be the truth.

Those disagreements naturally cause us to be more distant from them. They or we may also choose not to spend as much time with the other. It’s unfortunate, but when we don’t have the most important things in common with them and can’t make concessions that would compromise our obedience, that’s the natural result.

How Should We Treat Non-Christian Family Members?

Consider these verses.

Galatians 6:10:

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Mark 7:9-13:

And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

1 Timothy 5:4:

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

It seems that the Scriptures are clear in telling us to help and care for our family members. But there is a distinction to help Christians first. We all have limited time and limited resources. If there’s a choice to be made, we should help and bless those in our Christian family of believers before we would help someone outside the faith. At the same time, we aren’t to shun our non-Christian family members or disregard our responsibilities toward them.

I believe we can also continue to enjoy our relationships with unbelieving family members albeit in a more reserved nature. As one person said, we may not have our non-Christian family members for eternity, so we need to enjoy them while we can.

Spend time with them and engage with them as much as possible without doing anything that would tarnish your Christian example or displease the Lord.

How Does God Communicate with Us?

How does God communicate with us? How can you tell when He’s communicating with you? What do you do when you receive a message from God?

Samuel had the same questions.

Samuel Learns to Recognize God’s Voice

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

 
 ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel.

 
 Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
 But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
 ⁶ Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

 
 “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

 
 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
 ⁸ A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

 
 Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 
 ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

 
 Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

 
 ¹¹ And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. (1 Samuel 3:1-11)

 

So, how do we become listeners to hear God speaking to us? How can we emulate Samuel's words of "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening" in our own lives?

First, we need to understand how God communicates.

How Does God Communicate?

Let’s list the methods God used in Scripture.

1. Direct verbal communication. Sometimes, God communicates with people directly, as in the case of God with Adam and Eve, or Jesus with Saul on the Damascus Road, not to mention Jesus’ earthly conversations.

 

2. Through angels. God sent His angels to speak to various persons in the Bible, including Hagar and Mary the mother of Jesus.

 

3. Via dreams. Joseph and Joseph are great examples of this form of communication.

 

4. In visions. The prophets Daniel and John both had visions.

 

5. Through prophets. God gave His words to deliver to the people both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Some of the prophets words were forms or foretelling; some were forth-telling. In other words, sometimes a prophet tells the future. Other times, they simply reveal a true statement from God.

 

6. Through punishments and blessings. God communicated His pleasure or displeasure by either sending plagues and war on the disobedient or by providing protection and bounty to those who were following after Him.

 

7. By Divinely ordained consequences. An example of this is found in Numbers 5:16-22 in reference to a woman accused of adultery:

"'The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. ¹⁸ After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. ¹⁹ Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a cursenot harm you. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— ²¹ here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. ²² May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”

 
 “‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.”

The adulteress woman and the innocent woman were both to drink the same water mixed with dust, but only the guilty woman would receive the negative consequence.

 

8. Through nature. David acknowledged God in saying that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. And in Romans 1:20, we read, 

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

There are also those odd stories about a talking donkey that was trying to protect his master from an angel and a great fish that swallowed and then spit out a recalcitrant prophet.

 

9. Through miracles. Though this may overlap with some of the others, a miracle is always communication from God. From the parting of the Red Sea to feeding 5,000+ people with extremely inadequate supplies, God used those stories to teach the people something about Himself.

 

10. Casting lots. In 1 Samuel 10:20-22, God used this method to help the people choose their first king.

When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.²² So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

 
 And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

The Apostles did the same thing when they chose Matthias to replace Judas as one of the Twelve.

 

11. Through His Presence / the Holy Spirit. One of my favorite stories is found 1 Kings 19:11-13:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

 
 Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

 
 Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

In 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Paul tells us that God’s Spirit living inside us communicates with us and helps us to know what God is thinking.

 

12. Through Scripture. God reveals His will and His heart for us through the words of the inspired writers. Deuteronomy 30:9-10 reads,

“The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, ¹⁰ if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

And Romans 15:4:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

I especially appreciate how the writers of the New Testament often referred to or quoted the Old Testament to validate their arguments.

So, these 12 methods are all ways that God communicated with people in the Bible. Each one has at least one example in both the Old and the New Testament. The question is: Does God still communicate with us in these ways?

Does God Still Speak in All of These Ways?

The short answer is yes. Though the modes of communication may have changed slightly, He has not retired a single one of them.

God still:

• speaks to people directly,
• delivers His message through angels,
• gives us dreams,
• provides visions,
• uses what others say (whether they be “prophets” or preachers or a Christian friend),
• disciplines us and blesses us,
• allows us to suffer the consequences of our or others’ sins,
• confronts us with the wonder of nature,
• shows His power in miracles,
• guides us through life’s circumstances (such as open and closed “doors”),
• nudges us with the Holy Spirit, and
• teaches us the Scriptures and the writings of other Christians

God may not have communicated to you in these ways, but there are plenty of trustworthy Christians, both historical and contemporary, who have claimed that God has used these methods to speak to them.

What If I Don't Hear God Speaking to Me in All of These Ways?

God does not speak to everyone in the same way. We all have different personalities and different spiritual gifts. You should, however, experience God speaking to you in some of these ways.

If you are open to God communicating with you, He will. But, like the boy Samuel, you may need to learn to recognize His voice and the ways that He wants to speak to you.

What if God Doesn’t Communicate with Me Often?

Most of these methods of communication are rare in a person’s life. I think of Abraham, the “father of faith,” who did have multiple conversations with God. But he also lived to be 130 years old, and if you count how many times God spoke to him, it doesn’t even add up to once per decade!

The godliest Christian isn’t claiming to see angels or to witness miracles every day. Most of the dreams you have are random nonsense or brought on by what you were thinking about that day. God doesn’t use that method of communication very often, and He may never use it in your life.

But other methods He can use every day. We can all witness the evidence of His power and care in the natural world every time we look at our own bodies or step outside. We should be able to feel His Holy Spirit working in us, recognize His teaching through Scripture or devotional reading, and receive His insights from the words of our fellow Church members around us.

If you don’t find God communicating with you in those ways on a regular basis, ask Him to open your heart and mind.

How Can I Tell if It's Really God Speaking to Me?

We’ve all heard the stories of people claiming to receive a word from the Lord that just doesn’t sound right. Other people do grievous things because “God told them to.”

I’ve found 5 ways to test whether what you’re receiving is from God or not.

1. Remember that God will never contradict Himself. As 1 Samuel 15:29 says,

"He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

God isn’t going to say one thing in Scripture and then, tell you something completely different. He isn’t going to tell your spouse to lead your family one direction and tell you the opposite. He isn’t going to tell the church down the road one truth and tell yours something that would turn the Body of Christ against itself.

In some cases, both people or both bodies of believers could be wrong, but both can’t be right. So, test everything by what the Scriptures have revealed and what the historical Church has held to.

 

2. Compare it to what you know of God. Just as He communicates in the same ways over and over, His message doesn’t change very often. If you feel that God may be telling you something or directing you to do something that He’s revealed to or told other people to do, the chances are high that He’s giving you that same message.

If God is telling you something completely new, even if it doesn’t contradict Scripture or historical Christian teaching, question it. Why would God tell you something He’s never told anyone else?

 

3. See if others can confirm what He's saying. I love how the story of Moses and the burning bush ends. God has been directly communicating with Moses, and Moses keeps trying to get out of what God is telling him to do.

Exodus 4:13-14:

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

 
 ¹⁴Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.

Ha! God had already been talking to Aaron, and he was already on his way. When God tells us something, and then, someone else says that God was communicating the same thing to them, that is a very indication that what you’re receiving is true.

In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus says,

"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

We can be confident when our Christian brothers and sisters agree with us. We know that we have more of a chance of being in God’s will when others can confirm it.

 

4. Wait for the message to come again. Similar to waiting for others to confirm the message, there’s wisdom in waiting to see if God will repeat what He’s saying. Gideon set the fleece out twice. If God wants to communicate with us, He’ll give us more than one opportunity to receive it. He may say it once in our Scripture reading, once in the sermon that week, once in something a friend says, and confirm it with an inward nudge from the Spirit.

If you only receive a message once, there’s more of a chance that it wasn’t actually from God.

 

5. It's not you. This one’s a little harder to define, but I believe that you can tell when something is outside of your thought pattern or outside of your control. You can recognize an outside influence guiding your thoughts, feelings, or circumstances. Your mind wasn’t going in the direction that communication came from. It was like Someone else just interrupted your thoughts. Or maybe there’s something you really don’t want to do, and if it was up to you, you wouldn’t. But there’s Something else pushing you.

Taken together with all of the other tests, this can be another strong confirmation of God’s activity in your life.

What Should I Do with What God Tells Me?

God doesn’t tell you something for no reason. So, when He does communicate with you, here are the two things you should do.

1. Believe and obey. When God communicates with us, it needs to change us in some way. Maybe it strengthens our faith, or draws us nearer to Him, or gives us a new perspective on who we are in Christ, or challenges us to live up to our salvation. Whatever the purpose, we can’t walk away from it the same. We need to respond in faith and obedience.

As James 1:22-25 says,

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

 

2. Share with others. Here’s where we’ll finish our story about the boy Samuel.

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
 Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

 
 ¹⁷ “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” (1 Samuel 3:15-18)

When God reveals something to us, it’s never for ourselves alone. God wants us to take that message and use it to encourage, teach, inspire, or convict others. God communicated with you, and now, He wants to use you to communicate with someone else.

So, with Samuel, let us say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

What Does It Mean to Love God?

Saint Augustine, a bishop back in the 4th century, said, “Love God and do what you want.” Love God and do what you want. That’s all Christians have to do. Can you believe that? We just have to love God and then, we can do whatever we want. Sounds easy, right? We can love God. And we can certainly do whatever we want. Count me in for that deal.

But what does that statement mean? “Love God and do what you want.” Well, the first word there is love, right? So, what does the word love mean? We all have things and people that we love, so what does it mean to love something or to love someone?

What if I said, I love tacos? And really, tacos are my favorite food. But can I really love tacos? I can feel positively toward tacos. What if I said I love my wife, too? I say I love tacos, I say I love my wife. Does that mean that I feel the same way about Mindy as I feel about tacos? Of course not. If I did, my marriage would be in real trouble, wouldn’t it?

Because when I say I love the taco, I’m saying I enjoy the taco because of what it does for me. It tastes good. It fills my gut. But I don’t have to do anything for the taco, do I? It’s there for me and I don’t have to do anything for it. I don’t have to worry about whether the taco is happy or not. I don’t have to express my gratitude to the taco for letting me eat it.

But my wife is different. I love her and that means something different that loving the taco. I do things for my wife, I try to make her happy, because I love her. I want to please her. What if that taco doesn’t taste very good one day? Do I still love it? Of course not. I throw it away or maybe just don’t enjoy it as much. What if Mindy does something that makes me angry? Do I stop loving her? I might not feel very positively toward her right then, I might not enjoy her company right then, but I still love her.

Or what if I just got kind of lazy in my marriage, and I still told Mindy I loved her, but I never did anything for her? I never spent any time with her. Would you say I was really loving her? I mean, I’m saying I love her;I’m just not doing anything to express that love.

The point is that love is not simply an emotional state that you’re in. Love is not simply feeling positive about something or someone. Love, real love, is action. You can express love with your words, but you also to have express love by what you do.

Deuteronomy 6:1-12:

These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 

 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Moses has just given the people the Ten commandments: You shall have no other gods other than God, You shall not make an idol, You shall not misuse God’s name, Keep the Sabbath, Obey your parents, Don’t murder, Don’t commit adultery, Don’t Steal, Don’t lie about other people, Don’t be jealous of what other people have.

After giving these commandments to the people, Moses says, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” and teach your children to do the same. It’s almost as if Moses is saying, “You’ve heard the rules, you’ve heard the Top Ten of God’s commands, so now, let me give you the summary statement: Love God. Love God with all that you are and all that you have.”

He could have said, “Love God and do what you want.” Because if we love God, if we truly love God, He will be the one that we worship, we won’t misuse His name, we’ll want to take at least one day out of our week to take a break in our normal schedules to worship and learn about Him, we won’t reject the good and Godly advice that our parents give us, we won’t murder or harm another person that God has made in His own image, we won’t dishonor the spouses that God has given us and God’s plan for marriage and sexuality by cheating on our spouses, we won’t rob someone of what God has blessed them with, we won’t tell falsehoods about another one of God’s children, we won’t be ungrateful to God and think that He hasn’t blessed us enough to the point where we’re wanting what belongs to someone else.

Loving God is obeying His commands. Love is an emotion, but more importantly, it’s action. Love is always shown by what you do. When Augustine said, “Love God and do what you want,” what he was saying was that if you love God, you won’t want to do anything that displeases Him. The things you want to do will be those things that make Him happy, just like I try to do things that please Mindy because I love her, just like you try to do the things that please the people you love. We love God and we show that by our actions.

Well, now that we know what it is to love God, the last question we want to ask today is, Why should we love God? Why should we want to do the things that please Him? Again, Deuteronomy, starting in verse 10 of that chapter, says,

When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

The reason the Israelites were commanded to love God and follow His commands was because God was the one who had freed them from their bondage of slavery in Egypt. He was the one who was bringing them into the Promised Land of Canaan and was blessing them in their daily lives. By doing these things, God had shown love to the Israelites and so it was proper for them to return that love out of their thankfulness for the things God had done.

It’s the same with us and more so. God has not taken us out of slavery in Egypt, but He has delivered us from our slavery to sin. And our Promised Land is not a piece of earthly ground, though God does still bless us in this life, our Promised Land is Heaven, the place where we live eternally with God Himself.

God has loved us by what He has done. He has proven His love. Now, let us love God by what we do. Amen? Amen.