The church has gotten so used to shouting that they don't hear anyone who doesn't shout.
Unfortunately, God often speaks with a still small voice. The church therefore doesn't hear God anymore. They only hear the preachers.
In times of crisis they don't run to God, they run to pastors. In times of joy they don't give glory to God. They glorify the priests. After all, it wasn't God they heard when they cried.
When a pastor preaches without shouting they sleep in church. When the preacher shouts all are attentive.
Welcome to the 21st century, where we have MP3s, DVDs, I pods, I pads, home theatres at home, woofers in our vehicles, earphones and blue tooth players in our ears; all designed to drown the still small voice.
Welcome to the technology age; where the media speaks louder than your own conscience. What you saw on TV, read in the Internet or heard on radio speaks to you more than the still small voice of your conscience.
Unfortunately, more people are depressed by what they heard than anything else. People slip into depression because of what the doctor said, what their spouse said, what their 'friends' said, what the news said: all because we have been listening wrong.
Rather than read the Good News of life and resurrection, we prefer to turn on our Tvs and watch news of murders and deaths.
Rather than read the Good News of salvation and hope of glory, we prefer to watch the news of disaster, calamity and hopelessness.
Instead of worshipping God we have devised a way of solving that nagging urge in our spirits. We carry worship songs in our phones and cars to do the worshipping for us finding false security in the good feeling we get when the songs are playing. It is as good as worshipping, we say to ourselves, only we don't actually worship God. Mostly we don't turn on the music player so we can worship but so we escape the silence. In so doing we drown every urge that God puts in our spirits to talk to Him.
If you want to make a congregation say Amen, shout. If you want them to keep coming for more, make them shout. What will happen to the still small voice when the atmosphere is flooded with noise of loudspeakers, car alarms, blaring car horns, ambulance, police and fire engine sirens?
The prisons of the world have discovered a more effective way to torture information out of suspects and criminals. The old methods of physical torture making people scream are no longer yielding. Solitary confinement is more sure. The silence will drive the toughest of criminals nuts.
Nobody wants silence. We have gotten addicted to noise. It doesn't matter what your wife/husband says to you, provided he/ she doesn't give you the silent treatment.
Meanwhile we have lost sight of the things that matter. Instead of listening to what God is saying we are busy shouting Amen. Instead of listening to the cries of our children we are busy listening to the sub woofers. Instead of listening to the desires of our spouses we are busy listening to the gossip of other people's spouses in soap operas.
No one takes a moment of silence in prayer and meditation to hear God. No! We prefer God to hear what we have to say than to hear what God has to say.
Nobody testifies in church anymore what God says to them. How can we when we are busy telling everyone what we told God?
Five arms of the church there are; Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Apostles and Prophets. The first four are alive and kicking but the fifth is in the ICU.
The prophet has no work. How can he unless he hears God? So am I saying that the other four should speak without hearing God? Of course not! But see, they can speak based on what God has already said in His Word. The prophet; however, must hear God daily. You cannot prophesy what God did in Egypt in the time of Moses. You have to hear that which God is saying today!
The prophetic voice is the voice of God. I fear that that voice is no longer loud enough (a problem we can easily solve by being silent enough)
When was the last time you heard the chirping of the birds or the crow of the cock? It's just not quiet enough. If we will not hear the cries of our own families how shall we hear the cry of the world. People who go to bed hungry. People who go to the grave in sin.
So shout friend, shout at the top of your voice. Shout hallelujah. Shout Amen. Shout at your wife. Shout at your husband. Shout at your children. Shout at the entire world. But don't forget to observe silence for just ten minutes.
It might shock you what you have been missing in all this noise.
Isaiah 30:15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: " In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,
