WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK

I was reading about King David's plans to build the first Temple of God and was reminded in my study that -

1. He bought the temple site
2. Gathered materials
3. Appointed 24,000 Levites to work on it
4. Appointed 6,000 to Oversee the construction
5. Ordered 4,000 to Guard the structure while it was being built
6. Here's the kicker - and Ordered 4,000 people to play instruments and sing praises to God during the building.

Ever heard the expression "Whistle While You Work"? The notion is to make the day easier and more light-hearted by whistling or humming a tune. The exception here is I encourage a Godly Whistle, hum or song to come forth. That is my impression to all who are taking on new responsibilities or remaining in old ones in your church, work and community. 

As you minister - hum, sing and praise the Lord. Let there be an Atmosphere of Praise and Worship established Before, During and After the service or whatever event is before you. This praise will lay the foundation or set the tone for people to experience church and you. Plus, this benefits our own souls.

Perhaps you are already practicing this. If you have implemented something to this nature in your church and personal life - well done. However, if this is the first time you have heard this Impression or Idea then I strongly urge you to run with it - this is why I am writing to you. I know I don't do this enough so I need to get back at it. But it is my hope and prayer that wherever you are and whatever capacity you are serving in that, unto God, you will "Whistle While You Work".

THE DIFFERENCE

Of all the things and people to believe in today, Christ Jesus is The Difference. So, many faiths require you to work toward your salvation, if it is truly obtainable in the end. Jesus Christ only asks you to accept His love gift - His very life, death, and lifestyle to be a part of His family.

Jesus is The Difference among other gods and He made The Difference to those who would believe in Him. Christ could have just lived the perfect, Godly obedient life while displaying God's power of miracles through Him and teach God's Word only to die a martyr's death. History would not have a Savior if this were the case. 

When John recorded Christ's last moments on the Cross, he stated, "When He [Christ] had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." (John 19:30). The phrase "It is finished" in the original language is teleo (tel-eh'-o) meaning paid or to discharge a debt.  The saving, redeeming or paying part of Christ's visitation was complete but His whole mission was not yet concluded. If Jesus had stopped here, at paying our debt at The Cross and did not rise from death, Hell and the grave, there would not have been any Victory.

The cart before the horse is a challenge in this situation normally. However, what if Jesus had gone straight to the afterlife and conquered death, Hell and the grave supernaturally? Then the decision to skip all the suffering, pain and agony of the whole trial and crucifixion would not have fulfilled His prophetic Word, would not make our Savior relatable to all the hardships we experience and would not be The Difference. No other faith has their main figure, deity or not, dying for the fallen relationship with God Almighty.  

Although Christ prayed three times for another way, Jesus did not skip out on any part of the suffering. This should tell you about the severity of the situation for even The Son of God. In fact, Isaiah many years before Christ's arrival would prophesy the cruelty done to Jesus and grimness of His visage - "Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—" (Isaiah 52:14).

Christ's birth, life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension were all part of His mission. I don't believe you can pick out one of these and claim it as the sole mission of The Lord. He was not born to be just a man, but fully man and fully God. He did not come here merely to live life, but live it perfectly, so we may fail and find mercy and grace in Him. He not only visited the first time to pay our sin-debt, but to secure our victory over the payment of sin which is death. He did this by taking back His life from death and walking out of the tomb. 

This necessary appearing all started a long time ago with the fallen angel named Lucifer, known also as the devil. John describes Christ's mandated first coming like this - "The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." (1 John 3:8).

If Christ had not come when He did and did what He did and how He did it - several things would undermine Christianity. His messianic prophetic Word would be in jeopardy due to all the prophesies and foreshadows of Christ's first visitation. 

Next, if Jesus had not followed through with Father God's Plan as The Son of God knew it, Jesus would not make The Difference with the Christian faith; Jesus would would be a non-relatable Savior and our relationship with God would not be mended. But praise God Hebrews 4:15 declares - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."

Lastly, if Jesus had not followed through on every syllable He heard Father God utter in His ear, there would be no difference to other faiths in our world. Other faiths have a deeds or works related scheme to be accepted into their paradise, we call these religions. Father God reached down to humanity with the life of His Son as the redeeming love gift - we call that relationship. We only have to accept by confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord or Master and believe in His resurrection (Romans 10:9). This is The Difference. 

THE VOICE OF GOD

In 1 Kings 19:11-13 the voice of the Lord is described as "a still small voice" or "a whisper". However, most of the encounters with God's voice leave the recipient and the reader of God's Word quite awestruck.

When a thunderstorm arrives in my area, I will often step out on my front porch, not only to assess the severity, but to listen to the thunder and watch the lightening. I stop and imagine it as God's voice speaking to me. You might think I'm crazy or at least unsafe but observe what God said to David in Psalm 81:7  - 

"In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah."

Then in John 12:29, Jesus speaks to God the Father and Father God audibly replies -

"The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him."

Other verses that speak to God's voice as thunderous are...

Job 37:4
"After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back."

Job 37:5
"God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding."

Job 40:9
"Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?"

Psalm 18:13
"The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded."

Psalm 68:33
"...to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice."

Have you ever heard loud, powerful, window-rattling thunder? Imagine hearing the wings of an army of eagles fly overhead. Have you ever heard the crackle and sizzle of lightening as bolts attempt to find their mark? Have you ever been in the presence of a strong trumpet blast or volley of notes? Imagine yourself standing beside Niagara Falls and hearing that constant deafening roar. Have you ever been in a large crowd and just stopped and listened to the murmur of the mob? Ever wonder what the voice of God sounds like? The previous descriptive questions are Biblically based depictions of God's voice.

In addition, God's voice has been linked in Scripture to the breaking of Cedars, the shaking of the desert, the twisting of the oak, the shattering of Assyria, speaking from a cloud, and even His voice reaching the dead and they hear Him. 

The following are the locations and more of the descriptions of the voice of God that were alluded to above.

"Speaking to him from between the two cherubim..." - Nu. 7:89

"spoke to you out of the fire." - Dt. 4:12

Discipline related - Dt. 4:36

"a loud voice" - Dt. 5:22

"resounded" - 2 Sam. 22:14

"roar of His voice" - Job 37:2

"majestic" - Job 37:4

"thunders in marvelous ways" - Job 37:5

"is powerful" - Psalm 29:4

"breaks the cedars" - Psalm 29:5

"strikes with flashes of lightning" - Psalm 29:7

"shakes the desert" - Psalm 29:8

"twists the oak" - Psalm 29:9

"mighty" - Ps. 68:33

"will shatter Assyria" - Isa. 30:31

"sound of their wings was like the voice of the Almighty" - Eze. 1:24

"was like the roar of rushing waters" - Eze. 43:2

"was like the sound of a multitude" - Dan. 10:6

"a voice from the cloud" - Matt. 17:5

"the bridegroom's voice" - John 3:29

"all who are in their graves will hear His voice" - John 5:28 (Wow!)

Gives intructions - Acts 10 and 11

"the voice of the archangel" - 1 Thess. 4:16

"trumpet blast" - Hebrews 12:19

Heaven and earth will be shaken by His voice - Hebrews 12:29

From heaven while on a mountain - 2 Peter 1:18

Trumpet like - Rev. 1:10

Rushing Waters - Rev. 1:15

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "...he will rejoice over you with singing."

When I was growing up, I could tell you without looking, who was walking from one room to the other and who was literally talking behind my back. All the times I have been on a team, in a job or part of a church family for an extended period of time - I knew them.

Because I shared so much time in my relationships, I could distinguish voices out from the opponents on the court as I played against another team. Because I saw them everyday at work, I knew the cadence of my coworkers from afar in the parking lot. Because I sang, worshiped, traveled and learned with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I knew their voice, cadence, heart and presence when they were around me - seen or not.

Has your name ever been called from where you cannot see the caller for the moment, but just by the voice you recognize the person? That is familiarity. That is time spent with that person. That is recognition of a bond that is close enough to have developed to that level. That is relationship.
Many of us have associated The Voice of God with a good baritone or smooth bass voice, compliments of the movies and t.v. (i.e. James Earl Jones and the like). However, if you were one of the individuals who lived during the time of Christ you actually got to hear the voice of God in human form. They heard the Word of God, the Logos, made flesh, speak. That which Father God uttered as words before creation, now was flesh and speaking. Wow! Get your mind around that!

John speaks about Christ's voice when Jesus, picturing Himself as The Great Shepherd and us as His sheep says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." (John 10:27). For the Christian today, God's Word and His Holy Spirit within the believer are how Christ mainly speaks to us. Jesus stated - "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

The original word used for "know" in John 10:27-28 - "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." - is ginosko, meaning to know absolutely; be sure; to understand in a great variety of applications and with many implications. The word implies an intimate, developing relationship that God knows everything about. Jesus adds to this wonderful relationship that these same people who listen to my voice will not only have everlasting life, but the quality and/or spunk of life will be upgraded forever.

God has a magnificent voice and has used it many times to acquire the attention and obedience of nature and humanity. Where God's voice was unmistakable in the past, His voice is a matter of faith, diligence in His Word and Godly Discernment today. Especially since Christ's visitation, God's voice is built on a relationship with Jesus by accepting His sacrifice for our redemption.

When God speaks to me via His Holy Spirit now-a-days, my mind's ear hears the recall of God's Word in my own voice in a peaceful tone. However, God's voice will one day be undeniably unmistakable to all. As Jesus steps down from His throne in Heaven and pierces the thin cloak of invisibility, He will descend with "a loud command" (1 Thess. 4:16). This shout, this resounding utterance, this Voice of Thunder will be enough for all Christians to be transformed or glorified and the dead in Christ to rise first, then the remaining believers will meet them and Christ in the air to go Home.

Meanwhile, God says, if you are part of the fold, you will want to and need to stay tuned into God's frequency for discernment of all things. To help in this effort, remain a man or woman of integrity. Also, continue to pray to Him, allowing for some listening time. Permit the Holy Spirit and Word of God, when you read it, to guide you in all truth because this is His Voice. His still small voice continues to speak today even though I look forward to hearing the thunder in The Voice of God. 

A PARTICULAR TRUMPET

To me, there is no sound like that of the trumpet. I like all the horned instruments, but the trumpet grabs my whole being and demands my attention. The trumpet has an atmosphere of declaration or proclamation whenever its sound goes forth.

The uses of the trumpet are varied. The trumpet has been used to introduce the presence of a king. The trumpet has been used to signal troops to charge into battle. The trumpet has been used for signaling the rise of the sun and the going down of the same (Reveille and Taps). The trumpet is even used as an instrument of musical enjoyment alone or within a symphony. 

In Scripture, many times trumpets are a battle cry of the immediate demonstration of The Lord's power. Trumpets were sounded before the people shouted at Jericho and the walls fell down flat at the power of God (Joshua 6:16-20). Also, trumpets were sounded first then the jars that were in the hands of Gideon's soldiers were broken. The entire Midianite camp was thrown into disarray by the power of God at the sound of the trumpets (Judges 7:19-24). 

Trumpets were used in the calling the Hebrew people to camp and to break camp to travel (Numbers 10:5, 7). Trumpets were used in Jewish festivals and there is even one called The Festival of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-24). Some of the most well known trumpets are those that have the judgments of God that follow them, found in the Book of Revelation.

However, there will be a certain trumpet that some songs declare Gabriel will blow, but at which the sound will finalize God's command and the archangel's words as The Lord descends to take His glorified Bride home. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 describes this event -

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'"

When you marry this passage with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, you get the order of things. This passage reads -

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."

The order then is - (1) the Lord descends from heaven with a loud command, (2) has an archangel say something, then (3) The Trumpet Call of God is sounded. Only after The Trumpet sound do we start seeing the results - the dead in Christ rising first, then those who remain being "caught up" or Raptured to meet them and Jesus in the air. 

Ever heard a king or submarine captain declare an immediate law or order into action, but the law/order does not activate upon the words coming out of his mouth. There is a seconding of the declaration by the next in command - for a king, his advisor and on a submarine the captain has his executive officer. The seconding is a way of verification and agreement from the representation of the king's council or captain's crew. The sound of the trumpet is what makes the law active for the king and on a submarine you simply have the carrying out of the command after the words - "Very well then...".

With this imagery in mind, we can now picture our Lord returning for His Bride. When He descends from Heaven, I believe His command is a personal, transforming one - "Chad Pritchard, be glorified through my victory and come home!" Then perhaps the archangel echoes that command and proclaims Christ worthy to declare it. Then The Trumpet sounds and the execution of the words spoken comes into being - perishable clothes itself with imperishable and mortality with immortality. First, those who have already died in Christ go to meet Him, then we join them to be with Him forever, but it all begins with A Particular Trumpet.