John 12:28-29

Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 25^th & 26^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

According to Jesus’ interpretation of the Voice, “the ruler of this world will be driven out,” a reference to the end of Satan’s domination of earth. But that’s not all that the Voice means.

1 Samuel 3:2

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 25^th & 26^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Biblical writers in the Old Testament are fond of making puns as a way of teaching truth. What happened to Eli’s physical eyesight was a reflection of what had happened to the whole nation’s spiritual vision.  In a sense, Eli symbolized the lack of hearing and recognizing the word of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 25^th & 26^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Recognizing the voice of God may be a challenge for you. Don’t feel you are an exceptional case. Given a variety of difficult situations, we are all sometimes hard pressed to know that voice, and so are led back to some fundamental guidance found in the Bible…

Revelation 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 18^th & 19^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

This is the voice of invitation that begins in deep love for the lives on the other side of the door, not unlike the profound love Jesus had for all sorts of people on the other side of the road. “Hear my voice” isn’t just a descriptive phrase in this text; it is a performative one.

John 18:37

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 18^th & 19^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Who better to understand the power of the voice than a Roman procurator, accustomed to giving orders and being obeyed by his subordinates?

Colossians 4:5-6

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 18^th & 19^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Such speech is about the word directed toward the “outsiders,” that aims at a different kind of power, one that is “gracious” in its role of “answering” the questions posed to the Good News.

1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved us.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 18^th & 19^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Out of love, redeeming, gracious, initiative-taking love, God speaks. He breaks the silence so that He can break the hold of debilitating sin on the lives of his children.