Week 5 "From Monologue To Dialogue” Series

Seismic Shifts

Session 5 “From Monologue to Dialogue”

RBW (inspired from “seismic shifts” book)

Introduction:

+Drama: (Rick Crass / Cassie Davis)

+Short Seismic Shift intro clip

I wonder if this conversation we just watched resembles many of our prayer lives. Where God is just waiting to meet with us and share with us, wisdom, guidance… life…. But we end up doing all the talking and then just get up and go on with our days.

Let’s talk about it today and see what shift is in store for us with our message entitled,

“From Monologue to Dialogue.”

Stand for Congregational reading:

+John 10:1-6 (NIV)

10 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

+Lily Tomlin, famous comedian once asked the question, “Why is that when we talk to God it’s called prayer, but when God talks to us it’s called schizophrenia?”

+How many of you believe God still speaks to His people?

How many of you believe that God longs to speak and communicate with you?

How many of you believe that you can learn to hear God’s voice?

Jesus said in verses 3, 4 and 5, He calls …He leads…His sheep follow him because they know his voice. …His sheep do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

+Who does God talk to?

+In Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:25 (NIV)

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Who does God talk to? Naked People. No, with God speaking to the first man He sets up the standard, the ideal… that when man is brought back into a right relationship with God through Jesus… communication between God and man is the most natural of phenomenon.

+Who does God talk to?

+1 Kings 19:9-13 (NIV)

… And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

+11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. +12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

+Who does God talk to? People who are zealous for Him. People who don’t just go with the flow but swim upstream, who count the cost. People where are the prophets of God today?

Where are the Elijahs?

They’re in these very pews right now… and God is going to use you in a mighty way if you’ll let Him.

Who does God talk to and through?

From the book of Exodus forward God speaks to Moses, Aaron and others during the exodus and wilderness wanderings. In the book of Numbers God speaks through a donkey; In the books of Ezra and Isaiah God speaks through a pagan leader, King Cyrus. The disciples hear God speak in a thunderous voice, Paul hears God on the road to Damascus and then hears the spirit’s voice on several occasions throughout the book of acts.