Knowing the intimate whisper of God

Today, I attended the 1st anniversary celebration of Covenant Vision Church. What a joyous time it was! But what struck me deeply was Ps Bruce Allen's message on what God is looking for in a people/ church of the Last Days. Preaching from the life of Samuel and Leviticus, the conclusion is that, ultimately, what God wants is a people who listen and obey the voice of God.

What is God looking for in a people/ church of the Last Days?

1. A people wholly given over to Him. Hannah, when she prayed for the baby Samuel, vowed to God that if she had a son, "then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head" (1 Samuel 1:11)

2. A people who can hear His voice. If we are to usher in the Lord of Hosts, to usher in a new move of the Spirit, we must know His heartbeat.

3. A people who will respond to the voice of God in obedience. "The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground." (1 Samuel 3:19)

Ps Allen said there are 2 types of servants. The first type is a hireling - someone paid a wage for his labours, who is free to leave after his term of employment ends, who has possession of his family. Then, there is the second type of servant, a bondservant. Now, a bondservant voluntary chooses to surrender his freedom to his Master. He chooses to stay permanently with his master's household, to give up his rights to whom he will marry, and also his rights to pay. He does so out of love, and in turn, his master adopts him into his family and becomes his protector. We are all to be bondservants of the Lord.

What is interesting is that when the slave decides to be a bondservant to his master, according to Exodus 21, this is contractually sealed when the master 'bores his ear through with an awl". A gold earring is then placed in the ear of the slave.

Similarly, in Leviticus, when a person is pronounced free of leprosy, the priest ...
"shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot". (Lev 14)

Sequence of santification - ear, hand, foot. As bondservants, the first thing that needs to be sanctified is our hearing (ear), followed by our service (hand), then our walk (feet). We can have hands that work and feet that walk, but if these are not guided by God and His voice, a lot of our activity could actually be pointless. They might be a striving of the flesh, or contrary to what God wants.

Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. Ultimately, everything and everything comes down to our relationship with God.

May we all press in to know the very intimate whisper of God, because only then, will our walk and service be fruitful. Amen.