4: 209 – Is it the message or the messenger

#faithbites #faithjourney messenger

Setting

On Monday, I had a very distressful meeting. I heard what the person was saying and was just hurt, downtrodden, and upset. Today, I met with a different person who shared the message in a much different way that resonated with me. This was a message of hope, opportunities, and change instead of a draconian decision. Earlier this week we talked about religion vs faith vs church. Or the idea of spirituality vs religion vs faith.

This brings us to today. When people say they don’t like the church is it because of the message or the messenger? I had a conversation on Sunday about the intersection of conservative political values with evangelical Christians vs the full message of the bible and different political viewpoints. Again, is it the message or the messenger?

Today’s question: Can we appreciate God’s message when human messengers are flawed? How do we make sure we are the best messenger we can be even though we are flawed?

Scripture

• John 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
• John 16:13 – When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
• 2 Peter 2:1-3 – But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Reflection

Today’s reflection is in two parts: God’s Voice and False Teachings. The first, God’s voice, is shown in our two selections from the Gospel of John. We know God’s voice when we hear it. It is like hearing your parent’s voices even if you haven’t seen them in a long time. You know what it should sound like. If the person who is preaching isn’t sounding like that, could be that they aren’t the right messenger for you. And yes, God calls different people to minister to different people. I am not a great person for some but for others I’m what they need. When a preacher is preaching is it God’s word or their voice? What authority are they speaking on. In the church sense, if it’s not based on the Word, then it isn’t God’s word. We need to look for that to make sure we are hearing what is being said and that it matches God’s will.

The second is the idea of a bad message and a bad messenger. Even Satan appeared as an angel of light 92 Cori9nthians 11:13-15). We need to make sure that the person we are listening to is the correct messenger and preaching the right message. This doesn’t mean they are preaching what we want to hear. It means they are preaching what God tells them to. There are some lessons that we don’t want to hear. My kids don’t want me to reprimand them or tell them to do their chores but it is needed. So be careful of dismissing a message or a messenger because you don’t want to hear it. Judge it based on their source material.

As we close, remember to look at both the message and the messenger. The message is always more important. If the messenger is taking the spotlight, then there may be an issue with the message.

Prayer

Father God, help us be the best messengers we can. Let our voice channel your voice and share your love with all. Let us ask W.W.J.D and act accordingly. Lord, we pray that those who preach false messages will be removed and that your true voice is heard throughout the world. Let us be that voice. In your name, Amen.