The Foreigners working in China would get together and organise their own church meetings. This was allowed by the authorities, as long as no Chinese Nationals attended. Thus the Passport check at the door.
Being from varying backgrounds, we got together for the pure purpose of praising God and celebrating our relationship with Jesus. This made it extremely interesting. We were all in our little groups and one group would lead our monthly meeting in rotation.
Hearing the Word
On this particular Sunday an American man was preaching, and as I sat there listening I felt the Lord telling me that at the next meeting I would be speaking. I knew that our group was ‘on duty’ the following month, but nothing had yet been organised.
The following day I rang our unofficial leader and told her that I would like to speak at the following meeting. The reply was that that role had already been allocated to a young man who had been in this group longer than myself. I accepted that and made it known that I was interested too.
Who Should I Listen To?
It came to me that something was not really in order. When the Lord told me that I would be speaking, He knew more than we did. I set about to prepare my message anyway. I figured that if this opportunity was denied, well, I would have it ready for another time. However, somehow I still believed that what I had been told would come to pass.
The month went by, and it was not until a few days before the monthly Sunday meeting that I received a call. The leader told me that the young man had pulled out, and would I still be able to speak? I had my message ready, so I gave her an affirmative reply.
I Had Heard Correctly
It was a very clear example of the need to listen to the Lord in all situations. When I was told that the young man was going to speak, it would have been easy to accept that I was wrong, and to just wait for another opportunity. However, I KNEW what I had heard. By acting on that certainty, I was ready when the call came.
This is one of my success stories.
Lesson
The Lord speaks to us continuously. “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.” John 8:47 and “[Jesus] called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”” Lk 8:8. It is a little like the radio. It speaks all the time, but you can’t hear it if you don’t switch it on. If we switch off, then we won’t hear the Lord. Remember, he is still speaking.
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