HOW TO DEAL WITH THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 8:4,5,7,9,19,20

Topic: How to Deal with the Voice of the People

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: NOW MAKE US A KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them…howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them,…Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, NAY; BUT WE WILL HAVE A KING OVER US; THAT WE ALSO MAY BE LIKE ALL THE NATIONS;…"

1 Samuel 8:4,5,7,9,19,20

Another important area of influence is the voice of human beings. What others say and do influence many people. Most of the time we want to be like others. Whatever the people in your peer group are doing is what you want to do! But many times that is not the will of God.

God created a special nation called Israel. He planned to rule the nation directly through His prophets and spiritual leaders. When the people of Israel realized that all the nations around them had kings, they also decided to have a king. Even though what they were experiencing was better, they just wanted to follow the crowd. That is what I call “the voice of the people”.

It is such a strong voice that it often drowns out the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. You must be careful not to become someone who is easily affected by the opinions of those around. No one can be a successful minister if he still wants to please people around. That is why a church must not be run by democracy The essential nature of democracy turns people into men-pleasers and liars.

"…for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10

If you want to serve the Lord, you must be careful not to become a man-pleaser. I am wary of people who are very conscious of making good impressions everywhere. Such people are usually two-faced and can easily betray you.

On the 10th of March 1989, I qualified as a medical doctor. I was pastoring this fledgling church along with some other medical colleagues of mine. As was the custom, after one year of working in the hospital, most of my colleagues left the country for the USA and England. They were going to do further studies and earn more money. At that time, I came under a lot of pressure from family and friends. They said, “You are a doctor. You have a bright future before you.” My father wanted me to specialize at the Cambridge University but I knew that the Lord had called me and I could not leave the ministry. My father-in-law even offered to help get me into a good department of the Teaching Hospital.

I always noticed the anxious and questioning look of my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law is very sweet and really cared about us. She was worried about both her daughter and me. I’m sure she thought I was destroying my life by refusing to pursue a lucrative and dignified medical career. One day the pressure was so much, I had to tell my dear concerned mother-in-law not to bring up the topic anymore. At that time, our church was an unimpressive group of students and struggling Christians. 

A pastor’s job has always been a controversial and disrespected profession. My father said to me, “What sort of job is this that pays by the collection of people’s pennies? That is not an honourable way to live!” I was under a lot of pressure. If I had yielded to the pressure of the people, perhaps all the souls who have been saved through this ministry would have perished. I am sure that there are people who are not in the ministry today because they listened to the voice of the people. 

I have decided to ignore the voice of the people when I am sure that God wants me to do something. I may look controversial! I may displease people! But I am accountable to God for my calling. Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel! People around say, “Do this” or “Do that”! They say to me, “You must have a hospital.” Others tell me, “You must have a university!” Still others say, “You must travel more often to other churches.” But what does God say?

Does God want me to use a million dollars to build a hospital or does He want me to use a million dollars to plant churches? I intend to do His will. You ensure that you do His will for your life and I’ll make sure that I’m doing His will for mine! The voice of the people is the voice that drowns the voice of the Holy Spirit.

There are many ladies who yield to the voice of the people. “Why are you a virgin at this age? Enjoy yourself and have some fun!” They will put pressure on you to marry an unbeliever. “He’s a good guy. If you marry him you will be happy.” But the silent voice of the Word of God tells you not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. I know some associate pastors who are told by the congregation members, “You are a great pastor. I only enjoy coming to church when you are preaching.” The voice of the people is telling them, “If you were your own boss and not an assistant, you would do very well in ministry.” Perhaps they would do very well in ministry. Perhaps God is calling them to a great new work. But make sure that it is the voice of the Holy Spirit that you follow and not the voice of the people.

Some Jezebel-like wives tell their husbands, “You could have a nice car and a lot of money if you broke away from this tyrant of a General Overseer.” “Come on,” they say, “Do your own thing!” The voice of a wife is a very strong voice. It takes a very principled man to stay on course when his wife is prodding him to flow in another direction.

Never forget this! The voice of the people is the voice that drowns the voice of the Holy Spirit. It was not they who called you into the ministry! People cannot bless you! People cannot promote you! If you follow what people say, you will have to look to people for promotion. But promotion does not come from people, it comes from the Lord.

"For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another."

Psalm 75:6,7

Not only are people powerless to help you, but they often turn against you after a while. Do you remember how people hailed Jesus as the Messiah on Palm Sunday? Just a few days later the same people screamed, “Crucify Him!” The people who hailed Him, did a one hundred and eighty degree turnaround and murdered Him.

Do not let the voice of friends or family come up higher than the voice of the Spirit of God.

Excerpt from:

The Art of Hearing

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills