Rhema | We Will Know His Voice

How do I know that what I am hearing is the voice of God? If you have been a christian for more than a week, you have probably asked yourself or someone else that question.

If I were to answer that question today, I could have more than one response and they have been about 40 years in the making, with me as an active participant. I know God has been talking to me my whole life, but I didn’t always know how to participate.

I believe it is God’s voice when it sounds like the God I have come to know in the bible. Maybe it is something I have read in the bible that suddenly “makes sense” or I see something in a passage that I hadn’t seen before. Or maybe it just sounds like something God would say.

Faith is definitely a factor.

John 10:3-4 NKJV
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (emphasis added)

God said in His word that we will know His voice. If He tells us that we will, I believe He is able to reveal Himself to us in such a way that we will recognize Him when we hear Him. I have faith that He is a big enough God to make me see and hear Him. Sometimes that looks like just “knowing” in my heart, in my being.

Can we misunderstand or misread what God is saying? Of course we can. Each of us are fallible and we each have our own “filter” through which God’s voice passes. Often emotions can really wreak havoc on my ability to hear. So yeah, sometimes we will get it wrong. But if we never take a chance and trust what we hear, God won’t be able to tell us anything or help us to get better at recognizing His voice. Here again I lean on faith to believe that God’s ability to make Himself heard is greater than my ability to hear. And I hope that I am not so arrogant that I can’t be corrected if proven wrong.

Sometimes I don’t know and I just go with what seems right in my heart. I might have to make an agonizing choice or decision and trust that God will honor my faith and help me out.

Two scriptures help me here:

Romans 8:28 NKJV
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So I believe God has my back.

And Proverbs 9:9 NKJV
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

So number one, I believe you are only as wise as you are convinced that there is more for God to teach you. Two, I believe this verse applies to a wise woman as well as a man.

Another contributing factor to hearing God’s voice is the fact that God is really in favor of community. There are probably hundreds of reasons for this, but I believe one reason is to challenge each other and our convictions. Basically to ”keep us honest.” This can be very messy. What was God thinking?! But it is an effective tool. I believe we hear God’s voice better in community. And I believe it is by design.

Finally I will share a verse that literally changed my life.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (emphasis added)

This epiphany, if you will, struck me one night after a church service, probably at least 25 years ago. It has never left me and I have made it a life commitment. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

It seems like most of the church is stuck on memorizing verse 11. But I find verse 13 equally provocative. God’s promise to me, and everyone else who receives it, is that if I search for Him with all my heart, I will find Him.

So I commit myself to give Him room, to give Him time, to give Him space to talk to me. I fellowship with the body of Christ, I read the bible, I spend time praying, I shut up and listen. I do all these things imperfectly, but I am committed to do them, because I want to seek Him with all my heart. I believe He talks to me when I make room for Him.

One time, in the midst of very imperfect behavior on my part, I heard God’s voice in my heart as clear as I have ever heard anything, “You see Darla, I don’t need perfect people, I just need faithful ones.”

I have counted my use of the word “believe” 10 times. This is what I believe that God has spoken to me about hearing His voice over the last 40 years. It has taken time, faith and practice. My confidence is in Him, wanting me to know Him. God did say that I would know His voice. And if you are a sheep, you will too.

---

About the Author

Darla loves God and is the Digital Media & Communications Director for CitySalt Church. She is a graphic designer and an entrepreneur. Always learning. Eternally grateful for her wonderful and supporting husband Mark and faithful friends who are are pillars of encouragement in all her endeavors.

Mark and Darla have no children but have the privilege of loving a gaggle of ever expanding nieces and nephews.

Rhema | A Word Spoken in Real-Time

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The bible is a funny thing sometimes. There is nothing like it on our bookshelves. What else do you have in your home that is a collection of volumes written over a span of thousands of years by scores of authors in different geographic regions and languages? I’m assuming not much. So it’s safe to say that maybe we can’t simply approach it in the same way as our news apps and paperbacks.

I know I’ve said this repeatedly before. I don’t do so to intimidate anyone from reading scripture, but to hold it more appropriately when reading it. This blog series on “Rhema” is a great example of this.

This blog digs into the usage of this foreign (to us) word. By looking at how it was used originally by the authors in the past, I think we can unpack the deeper root of what they were getting at when telling the story of Jesus. My hope is that as we, 7,000 miles away and 2,000 years later, hear the message of Jesus we also can hear the word of Jesus!

Going back to those couple of verses referenced above, the word “word” used in both Hebrews 4 and Matthew 4 both lose something in their translation. The original word in the first passage is λόγος “Logos” and in the 2nd is ῥήματι “Rhemati” (a form, think tense, of the word Rhema that we are discussing). Don’t be mistaken, I am no Greek scholar. I have just a rudimentary understanding of the value of this in biblical study, and I use a couple of online tools like www.biblehub.com and www.biblegateway.com.

Logos and rhema, both mean “word” and that is why translators being more knowledgeable than I translate these to our word “word” when building English bibles for us to use. But in the way “world” and “earth” are different or how an Oregonian knows the difference between showers on Monday versus rain on Tuesday, the words “logos” and “rhema” have different nuances. Nuances that have value.

Check out these examples:

“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God” John 1:1

The word logos here is the everlasting word, never fading word, the thought and essence of God, from which all things were, are, or will ever be. Powerful, beautiful stuff.

But Rhema is a word spoken. In the spiritual sense, the word of God speaking and moving in real-time. Moving with the authors when they were writing, as well as with us now as we are living. The rhema of God speaks today. When we share encouragement or blessing inspired by the Holy Spirit the rhema of God is in action.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Rhema that comes from the mouth of God.” is used in Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.

Peter responded to Jesus after many others left in John 6:68 - “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Rhema of eternal life”

Take a minute to re-read Acts 11. This is when Peter recounts to the Christians in Jerusalem his experience of the gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit just as they had. A pivotal moment in the church affirming that the salvation in Jesus is for the whole world!

First, they hear that the gentiles receive the word ‘logos’ of God. Then Peter explains how the Holy Spirit opened up the opportunity for him to go to their home (the house of Cornelius). Then ‘rhema’ comes in. “Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message ‘rhema’ by which you will be saved”.

What are we up to today? What is the word (or rhema) by which we are saved? How do we live not on bread alone, but by every rhema from the mouth of God? This stuff isn’t just for history books. The Spirit of the Living God dwells within you! You have access to hear the active rhema words of God. You have rhema words to speak.

---

About the Author

Mike is CitySalt's Lead Pastor. Mike is married to Britni and together they have two awesome elementary school-aged children. He loves working in his garden and connecting with people over coffee. One of his greatest joys in pastoring is helping others discover the fullness that God has for them through His Scriptures and His Spirit.

Rhema | Sorrowful Joy

Hebrews‬ ‭4:15-16‬ ‭AMP
“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”‬‬

Ever since I was in high school I have felt the calling of the Lord heavy on my life. The Lord strengthened me with verses like Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” He sent me out on mission trips and I was able to see and be a part of great works that strengthened my faith. This last September, I experienced another life-changing experience in my life that built my testimony.

It all started with getting married and dedicating my life not only to the Lord but also, to my husband, Dustin, and what the Lord wanted for our lives, as one body. Unfortunately, a time that was meant for joyous celebration and deep union was traded for intimate sorrow. During the second day of our honeymoon we had to return home and I was hospitalized for a week for mental health reasons.

My testimony since I was 18 has somewhat reflected that of Paul’s. I have a thorn in my flesh that keeps me humble and dependent on God. In college, I was diagnosed with a chronic mental health illness. With time and the help of God, I have learned to find strength in my weakness and sufficiency in His grace.

When I got out of the hospital, God started to emphasize the book of Isaiah in my life. It started with Isaiah 43 and God revealed to me that he was refining me through fire and filling my broken cracks with his gracious gold. He mended me daily with love from others and scripture. Unfortunately, the same week I was released from the hospital I was also faced with the dilemma of possibly not having a job to return to. I decided to go on a prayer walk and upon returning, looked at what jobs were available and updated my resume. I saw a job posting as a Wound Care RN at McKenzie Willamette Hospital. Two years ago, I was a Wound Care RN at a long term care facility and I had always dreamed of this position that was now available. In faith, I applied and began seeking the Lord daily for wisdom, guidance, and strength.

I was able to return to work as a dialysis RN, but every day I was off work, I would fast from TV and instead seek quiet time with the Lord whether it was meditating on scripture or listening to sermons. The Lord seemed to speak to me in resonating ways each day. He had Rhema words for me.

Before this season, my love for scripture was dying like embers on a fire. Now scripture is like a dancing flame spreading like a forest fire, not only in my life but in the lives of those around me as God has placed in me a passion to share his words.

The Lord answered my prayer and I was offered the job at the Wound Care Clinic. I have worked there for a little over a month now and I am loving it. The Lord has granted me a job that I am good at and enjoy, with great hours. So, what started out as a very sorrowful and unexpected trip to the hospital ended up in a rewarding surprise. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways.

---

About the Author

Mollie is recently married to her wonderful husband Dustin. She is a Wound Care RN at McKenzie Willamette Hospital. She enjoys being creative, getting outdoors and spending time with friends and family.

Rhema | Listening for the Living Word

In our current blog series, all of the blog writers are looking at the concept of “rhema,” a Greek word meaning “the living word of God.” I really like the definition given by the pastor and author, Bill Hamon. He states "A rhema is an inspired Word birthed within your own spirit, a whisper from the Holy Spirit like the still, small voice that spoke to Elijah in the cave. It is a divinely inspired impression upon your soul, a flash of thought or a creative idea from God. It is conceived in your spirit, but birthed into your natural understanding by divine illumination. A true rhema carries with it a deep inner assurance and witness of the Spirit."[1]

I was privileged to experience the “living word” of God as a fairly young follower of Jesus. At that time I was an extreme loner, going days without speaking to anyone, a “rock and an island” as the old Simon and Garfunkel song went. But meeting Jesus was a genuine life-changer for me . I wanted to know Him better and better, so I spent a good bit of time reading the Bible. One day I was reading Matthew 22:36-40:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

To my great surprise, when I read the last verse, it was as if a neon light was flashing to get my attention (figuratively, not literally, I’d better add). But at the same time, a thought came into my head like a voice from outside, asking me “How can you love your neighbor if you are never with him?”

This was not a thought I generated. I was happy to love my neighbor (as if I really had a clue what that entailed) from the solitude of my own little quiet world. This voiced question was challenging me to join the human race, to start moving within the circles of other people, to establish relationships. I was not to be a “rock and an island” anymore. That’s the message I got that day. Though it was encouraging me out of my comfort zone, it rang true, like a witness in my spirit of THE Spirit. I believe it was God and the very fact that He would communicate something to me was truly awesome. I knew He cared, like a good Father.

Over the years I have had a few more of these experiences, but what I’d like to share now is that I’ve learned a way to encourage God’s living word to us. It’s called “Lectio divina” which is Latin for “sacred reading.” The Latin name reflects how old this type of Scriptural reading is (from the 6th century), but it continues today to be a blessing in our personal relationships with God. A short description of the practice speaks of taking just a few verses of the Bible, reading them several times very slowly, while asking God to show you what He’d like you to see. When you’ve settled on a word, phrase or concept, you meditate on it, thinking of everything you can that is related to it. Then you speak to God about it. You listen for Him, you share your thoughts, you listen, you pray, back and forth like a real conversation. It’s often at this point where you understand why you were supposed to stop and focus on this particular verse and what, if anything, you are to do about it. Then finally, you just sit quietly in the Presence of God for a bit, like you would in the presence of a good friend, where nothing is required, nothing is judged, just enjoying each other’s company.

To close, I’ll share a quick “sacred reading” from the other day. I was reading John 15:1-4:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I felt I was to focus on the phrase that is in bold above. I began to recognize some things I was doing out of habit that weren’t helpful in my desire to abide in Jesus. They weren’t especially bad things, only distracting things that subtly bumped me off center. My prayer was then to ask Jesus to go ahead and prune those things from me and show me how I’m supposed to participate!

God is so good. He wants relationship with us more than any perfection in our behavior. He wants our participation and seems to honor even our stumbling attempts at it. He truly wants to transform us from the inside out to be more like Him, when we’ll experience ever greater freedom and love.

1. Bill Hamon (1987). Prophets and Personal Prophecy: God's Prophetic Voice Today Volume 1. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.

---

About the Author

John lives in Pleasant Hill with his dog, Gunnar, and a multitude of guests who enjoy the peace and beauty of the Cascade foothills. With three children and three grandchildren all living in Oregon, he is continually blessed with their company and the good food that always accompanies their get-togethers!

Rhema | The Voice That Sounds a Lot Like Me

God talks to me, and I hear his voice.

I’ve learned to be careful how I say that and to whom, but it’s true. One of the best explanations I’ve heard is that as a Christian, I can learn to hear the still small voice within me that sounds a lot like me.

I know that feeling. On the verge of sleep, I sometimes “hear” words or see images that feel like they belong in the dream realm. I recognize a similar feeling when I daydream.

As I’ve had more experience, I can now receive this information while I’m fully awake. Single words, sentence fragments, and fuzzy mental pictures, which may reveal a special meaning for me. In the early days of my learning process, the words “sounded” like my own intuition. I was often tempted to dismiss them as not real, and not to be trusted. But I’ve since realized that sometimes, within this soupy thought-swamp, lies a jewel.

Instead of discarding this incomplete information, I’ve slowly pressed in and seized these words and images as opportunities. I pause and give them time to expand. At this point, the single words can become a complete sentence, and the snapshot-like images can become a paragraph.

A confirmation that it’s God’s voice and not my own, is that often a complete, multi-point thought will drop into mind, quicker than my breath. This complex thought can appear in my mind faster than I could ever attempt to create it. This Rhema experience is life-affirming and exhilarating, but humbling at the same time. Glory to my loving and faithful God, because it’s definitely not from me alone!

As I mature in this skill, I hear him talking to me in a more personal and intimate manner. I was on a deadline to turn in a finished written essay, but was stuck in getting started. I found myself pacing back and forth at my desk wondering what I could write about, when I heard the following complete thought: “Sara dear, if you want me to help you, you need to sit at your laptop and put your hands on the keys.” I’m still laughing at God’s wonderful sense of humor! I followed His guidance, and Christ abundantly provided an answer to my prayer. The words poured into my mind, and I finished the essay on time.

This experience taught me to relax and let go of the false burden of thinking I have to do it on my own. It also taught me to show up, breathe, and wait for God’s faithfulness to arrive, right on time!

At this point in my life, the words of knowledge I receive from Christ comfort and keep me moving forward with hopeful expectation. I liken the spiritual impact of these messages to feeling Christ’s hand slip into my own and give my hand a loving squeeze. I am not alone.

I invite you to close your eyes, quiet your mind, take a deep breath, and listen. In His perfect timing, Christ will begin a life-long conversation with you in your own voice. Your internal voice which is familiar and assuring. A wonderful new depth of intimacy with Christ awaits you! Jump in, and start right away. You don’t want to miss a minute of it!

1 Samuel 3:1 & 3:7-9 NLT
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

… Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’”

So Samuel went back to bed.

---

About the Author

Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Rhema | Listening For God

For me, it is sometimes hard to see the Word of God active and alive in the world. There are conflicts and wars and pandemics and it all just seems to be too much. All of these noises and distractions can drown out all the signs of the Word and that Still, Small Voice.

But it does not drown it out completely. The Word and The Voice are steady and strong, if I take a Selah breath and listen. If I pause the video and stop bringing up the TikTok and the YouTube views and playing on the PlayStation, I can hear His Voice and feel His Presence. In this space, I can think back through the day’s events and see God’s Word at work.

I see it in the interactions I have at work with customers (even frustrated ones) and my co-workers. We celebrate each other more, I think, than when we could be physically in the same space together. This week we are helping a coworker to raise funds for her daughter’s sports trip to Europe next summer.

I see it when we meet up with family, in spite of some differences in opinion around the Pandemic. We can interact with and appreciate one another. My brother-in-law was rather talkative at our last gathering. It was good to chat him up and hear about his life.

I see it as we are helping my mother-in-law find a new place in town. Really, this effort has all been on my wife and mom-in-law as they look around town at the many communities available, but I’ve tried to step it up and make dinner more often and keep up the chores as they look.

And I see God’s Word alive in the people around me. The way they have hearts for people and joy in life in spite of the trials they face. Like the terrific people of our church body when they love on each other and the community we serve.

What it all comes down to, for me, anyway, is going back to Matthew 22:37-40, which, in the briefest of terms is: Love God, Love People. When I feel like I’m not hearing God, or the world is just too much, I try my best to love God and the people I interact with. And, I feel for myself, this brings me in alignment with God enough that I start to hear Him again and to feel His Presence.

Take care of yourselves and take care of those you interact with on a daily basis and, I believe, you will start to hear more clearly from God.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

---

About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.

Rhema | Getting Real with God

Rhema

Rhema is a Greek word used throughout scripture to mean “spoken word.” The idea communicates a fresh word, resonating in your heart and spirit in a specific and meaningful way. We invite you to turn a listening ear to consider what The Holy Spirit is stirring in your spirit, mind and body this season.

---

Hello my friend, I want to tell you that God is speaking to you. How does that make you feel? Anxious? Comforted? Or maybe as a long-time believer, you've heard it a million and one times. Maybe its effect has become too worn with age.

Perhaps you've discovered that God doesn't yell (except through pain and suffering). That was a joke (and likely you're nodding your head right now). Most of the time, his voice is soft and subtle, and unfortunately drowning in our constant distractions.

If this blog title "Rhema" seems foreign, it's because it's an ancient root word from the Greek, used by both Plato and Aristotle to describe sentence structure. It's seldom used today, but in our Christian heritage, it translates to "God's word spoken to you."

But hold on, there's a crucial distinction between past and present here. Our “historical” vs our "right now."

We believers are taught that God HAS spoken through the ancient texts of the bible. And our modern brand of Protestantism teaches us that he also speaks to us in REAL TIME. Our faith is not just a historical belief structure, but an ongoing relationship with two way communication. Jesus is the Word made flesh, and The Word of God is active and alive in the present.

That's amazing and life-changing, as it should be.

But what about when it's not? In other words, how do we get stuck, mired into something far less than God intended? If I may, let me describe this in two words - knowledge and revelation. An unintended consequence of our life-long church attendance is a kind of "social familiarity" with the Word of God, and with the accompanying language (Christianese, as we jokingly call it).

I know that idea may sound off-base, but hear me out.

Unfortunately our human nature dictates that familiarity breeds taking something for granted. Knowledge can get tucked away and unused, in our mental archives. Plus it's all too easy, as we hurry through our daily lives as simply doers, to just check things off our to-do lists (or those To-NOT-do Ten Commandments). Staying busy can be emotionally easier than personally relating to our Abba Father. You know, hiding behind our workaholism.

Knowledge is not the end-all.

We also need revelation. An earlier pastor of mine used to refer to a "quickening of the spirit." Like a sudden wake-up call, it usually happens for me WHEN I'm too busy. It could be a new idea (an "ah ha" moment), but mostly it's something I've been dealing with for quite some time, but now I suddenly get it.

But here's the thing: we MUST take the time to listen.

And for that we need to not just slow down, we need to stop. And sit at his feet. Truthfully, we don't have unlimited capacity to pay attention. The white noise chaos even seems to invade our sleep and our dreams. Spending quiet awake time with God helps clear the clutter and quiet the noise.

But it's not a formula, nor should it be. It requires dialog - talking and listening. And best of all, it produces an authenticity in our relationship with our Father God. And that's when it gets real!

---

About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.