Photos by Brian Pino / Slideshow / Watch
Silence the noise and follow the signal.
The signal is the voice of God, and it's what Mosaic Church, Los Angeles, founder and lead pastor Erwin McManus emphasized to students at Grand Canyon University Chapel on Monday in Global Credit Union Arena.
In referencing John 10:1-10, and in following this academic year’s Chapel theme of “Jesus Stories from the Gospels,” McManus elaborated on God’s push for communication and community despite a “thief” wanting to steal your life.
Jesus tells the Pharisees that anyone who does not enter the sheep pen through the gate but by other ways is a thief. The gate is Jesus, and the sheep follow Him because they recognize His voice and will not follow that of a stranger.
Jesus tells the confused Pharisees that all those who have arrived before him are thieves, who look out only for themselves and to rob, steal and kill. The sheep who haven’t listened to them have been saved and find pasture, life and fulfillment.
“What God wants is communion with you,” McManus said. “He wants to experience community with you. He wants to connect with you, and the only way He can do that is through communication to hear the voice of God in your life.”
McManus adds that he does not believe it is accidental that the word communication comes from the same etymology as the word community, which has the same etymology for the word commune.
“And when you look at the Scriptures, you realize that God calls us to commune with Him, to live in community with Him and with each other, and the only way we can ever move to the depth of communion is to actually master the art of communication,” McManus said.
McManus once spoke at an event in Toronto, where he was approached by a scientist from China who declared he was an atheist but asked what the voice of God sounded like.
The scientist confirmed there were many voices in his head telling him who he was, who he was not and what he cannot do. The scientist also confirmed he heard a little voice in his head that told him God exists, despite his beliefs, adding that the little voice resembled a parasite.
“I said, 'Well, that's the voice of God,'” McManus told the scientist. “Because one of the things that you learn from the Scriptures is that God is always speaking. We're just not always listening, and that God is always speaking to you intimately and personally, and He knows you by name and calls you out.
“And one of the powerful things that begins to happen as you move into intimacy and your relationship with Jesus is that the voice of God becomes your signal.”
McManus reminded students of occurrences where they might have been told as early as 5 years old that they were not loved or talented, and that those comments stuck with them in an echo chamber that creates the noise.
“Through your life, you're going to have voices – voices that will echo in your soul for the rest of your life,” McManus said. “They'll become the noise if you realize that the thief comes to rob and to steal and to kill. His singular strategy is to convince you to listen to his voice rather than the voice of Jesus.
“This is one of my favorite Jesus stories because what Jesus is telling us is that there is no formula for faith. It's a relationship. It's about intimacy. It's about whispering into our souls where we can hear His voice and live. It's a beautiful thing when you stop listening to all the voices that tell you who you're not and begin listening to the voice that tells you who you are.“
McManus took note of his El Salvadorian heritage and that his wife was an orphan who was abandoned at 8 years old and lived in a foster home until she was 18. “We chose to make Jesus the singular signal of our life, to let His voice guide us, and yes, it is insane to have a conversation about the voice of God,” McManus said.
McManus, who worked as a sociologist and cultural anthropologist, vividly recalled their “crazy decision” to move to Los Angeles 45 years ago, only to realize that Los Angeles was the epicenter of the future among seven cities in the world that had more than 5 million people for the first time.
“And in that moment, I felt this invitation from God saying, ‘I want you to go to where the future has been created and be there to be a voice among all the noise.’
“It's a powerful thing when you realize that God is speaking to you, and the only thing that needs to be added to that equation is you hearing His voice and trusting Him to be the signal that guides you into the life He created (for) you to live.
“We look back and realize that we could have never imagined the life that God created (for) us to live. We could have never imagined the journey that we would be on.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
***
Next Chapel speaker: Edward Graham, Samaritan's Purse, 11 a.m. Oct. 12, Global Credit Union Arena.
***
Related content:
GCU News: Chapel speaker urges students to advance Jesus' kingdom
GCU News: Mueller at Chapel: Make decisions that move you closer to God
