News and Updates
July 1, 2024
David Copeland · July 1, 2024
Newsletter · Volume: 24 Issue: 7
We just completed our 8th Annual Hope Centre Summer Event in Kilgoris/Nyangusu, Kenya. Seventeen missionaries, along with the staff and students of Hope Centre, enjoyed a fabulous week of worshipping Jesus, teaching the Word of God on “Identity,” and, of course, lots of games and fellowship with each other. It is always traumatic when we leave there because of how God has knit our hearts together with those students. If you are interested in information regarding our 2025 Hope Centre Youth Camp, reach out to our US Hope Centre Director Megan Hayslip by email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
As the team met on the last day of our trip, I shared a word from John 10 that has greatly benefited my life, both as a son of God and as a minister of the Gospel.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” -John 10:2-5 NKJV
This passage tells me two important points:
First, remember who you are and who you belong to.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
When we are born again, instantaneously, we become a son or a daughter of God. The word “son” is in neutral language, meaning male or female. I cannot explain it, but it’s a miracle that only God Himself can do. At that moment, we receive the same measure of faith that every other human who has ever been born again received. The measure of faith is the same for everyone. Connect to that measure of faith is the measure of grace found in Ephesians 4:7
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
I like to call this grace found in Ephesians 4:7, “the Divine distribution of God’s ability to be what He has called us to be, to do what He has called us to do, to have all He has called us to have and to accomplish all He has called us to accomplish.”
We are not becoming sons or daughters of God; we already ARE (if you are a born-again believer of Jesus Christ) a son or daughter of God. We now belong to Him. We are His purchased possession, purchased with the precious blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ!
Secondly, we must pay attention to whose voice we listen to the most.
I do not have time to elaborate on this point in this forum. Many books have been written by wonderful scholars on hearing the voice of God. It is without question that with our friends, family, radio, TV, social media, and the like, there are thousands of voices that are screaming for our attention each and every day. Out of all those voices that are grasping for our attention, I have put them all into four categories:
The voice of the world
The voice of the flesh
The voice of the devil
The voice of God
Our challenge is to develop our ability to hear God’s voice so that when any other voice speaks, we instantly know it, reject it, and focus on the voice of Jesus, who is speaking to us. The only way to recognize His voice and distinguish it from all the other voices is to spend time in His Word and His Presence.
It is not weird to say God speaks to us. He IS speaking! The question is, are we listening? Have we spent enough time with Him to distinguish His voice from all the other voices that are attempting to hijack us from His purpose and plans for our lives?
Make the decision to reject every other voice that is leading you away from the chosen focus of obeying Christ.