Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | kalos | 154232 | ||
How does God speak to us? 'I am a bit distressed even talking about this issue because my comments are meant to try to rein Christians in a little bit, to keep them off of the fringe... 'But whenever I have to rein Christians in a bit and talk about this kind of thing I feel badly because I realize that some people are straining at the bit for the best of reasons and with the best of intentions...They want to experience more of the working of the Holy Spirit in their life. And here is Koukl coming in, apparently throwing cold water on the whole operation. 'I feel bad about that because I have no intention of quenching the work of the Holy Spirit. My entire goal is to be very, very careful and look closely at the specifics of what's being held to be true to see if they do, in fact, line up with the directives given in the Scriptures. Or, are we drawing some wrong conclusions that cause us to go over the edge and maybe do some spiritual damage to ourselves and others?... 'I think I'm somewhat of an evangelical iconoclast because I'm always breaking up people's parties, so to speak. An iconoclast is an image breaker, someone who kind of attacks, to some degree, cherished notions. Sometimes that bothers people and I 'm sorry about that. I don't mean to cause trouble for the sake of trouble, but I do mean to force people to think clearly and Biblically, even about those ideas they cherish the most. And, to many of us, the thing that we cherish the most is this idea that we have a personal hotline to God and we ought to expect Him to speak to us about our decisions. 'I had a very stimulating conversation last week about this. I talked about it on Sunday in some detail, and then a friend of mine wrote me a note and offered me eighteen references from the book of Acts that seem to contradict my point of view. So what I want to do for just a few moments is to talk about these particular references and see if they do contradict what I was saying last weekend. 'I have to make clear what my point of view is so that it's not misunderstood. Let me capsulize it for you very quickly. My point of view is basically four quick points: 'First of all, learning to hear the voice of God is not taught as a Christian discipline that we must learn in order to live the optimal Christian life. This is the "hotline to God" view in which we get specialized and tailor-made instructions for our personal lives. That is not taught in Scripture. 'Secondly, God sometimes does give specialized instructions, so I'm not saying that God can't do that and I'm not putting God in a box. He does sometimes give specialized instructions. He did in Biblical times and He does in the present. But when we read in the Bible especially in the New Testament, which is what our discussion is about today when He has done it, such specialized instructions are clear first of all. They are not mumbled. They are not whispered. They are not nudged. And they are, almost without exception in the New Testament, a sovereign intrusion by God into the circumstances rather than something that is first sought by a Christian. 'Thirdly, God's intrusion in these cases is sometimes through special gifts in the body that I believe are in full operation today, but are by very nature individual. In other words, every person has his own gift and each person does not have every gift. So this working through gifts can't be a means of every Christian hearing from God. In other words, sometimes God intervenes with a prophetic word, but since prophetic words only come through those people who have the gift of prophecy, it's not the kind of thing we all have to cultivate, to learn to do. 'Finally, there are clearly workings of the Spirit in the area of teaching, conviction of sin and comforting of individual Christians. I admit that those workings are private, individual and tailored to individual people. Those kinds of things are not in question here. 'We're going to do a little Bible study. We're going to look at eighteen references suggested in the letter to me that was an attempt to offer contrary evidence from the Scriptures to the point of view that I just described for you. All of these references come from the book of Acts. We will see if these references actually undermine the basic point I have been making or not. In a sense, I hope the Bible study will go beyond just the meaning of the passages because what this will do, as we walk through it, is help us to learn how to be more precise and particular about our Bible study and not draw conclusions hastily or inappropriately from the Scriptures. But take a close, methodical look to get a clear idea of what is actually being averred here about Christian disciplines and God speaking.' ____________________ Acts and the Voice of God by Gregory Koukl To read more go to: (www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/actsvoic.htm) |
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2 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | Aixen7z4 | 154239 | ||
God speaks to us through his word, and personally. He either uses both, or he says nothing at all. It is such a good opportunity for two points of view to come together! And God would meet us there. Without the word of God, we cannot judge a revelation. Without the Holy Spirit working in us, we cannot understand the word of God, and it is useless to us. One group knows the Bible very well, or so it seems, but they get such a high from knowing that they do nothing to put the word into practice. They know in a general way what he might want done, but they are never sure what God wants done in the here and now. Another group gets such a high from feeling the presence of God that they go on impulse to do a thousand things, then think it not important to know if they were right things, for whatever God says is right. One group would say we should not be discussing personal experiences here. We should fill this space with Scripture. The other group says we are wasting our time with study. We should listen for the voice of God, and move. I know these people. One group met yesterday and talked, and they have not decided what to do, except to study more. Another group had decided that God wanted then to go to a specific spot to witness. But the last time they went, it rained, and they had to leave before it had started. Now they have decided to wait until God tells them to try again. One group would say we should not be discussing personal experiences here. We should document every statement with Scripture. The other group says we are wasting time with study. We should not be satisfied with obeying Scripture. We should listen for the voice of God, personally communicated, and we should be ready to move when we‘ve heard it. I know these people. And I wish that they would get together. I say that God uses both Scripture and the promptings of the Holy Spirit to lead us. The first without the second leaves us sitting in a secure spot, doing nothing. The second without the first has us wandering aimlessly, doing this and that that possibly adds up to nothing. The two need to be together, and the two sides need to get together, synergistically, to do God‘s will. Testimony and Scripture come together in Genesis 24:27. “I being in the way, the Lord led me”. The way is the word. The leading is by the Spirit. The two are inseparable. “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried” (2 Samuel 22:31). The way and the word come together in perfect harmony (Psalm 18:30). With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments (Psalm 119:10). The heart and the word, in harmony. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). The Holy Spirit speaks the word of God, the written word of God, to guide us. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you (Philippians 4:9). He, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you (John 16:13) and give you peace (Galatians 5:22). He will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. He will guide you with his eye (Psalm 32:8). |
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3 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | DocTrinsograce | 154240 | ||
Dear Dr. Aixen, I believe that Kalos posts answered the question very concisely, very scripturally, and very kindly. We cannot affirm the Word of God too highly. "Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name." (Psa 138:2b) We do not want to give confidence to people who are in error. As Luther put it, "Unity wherever possible, but truth at all costs." In Him, Doc |
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4 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | Aixen7z4 | 154242 | ||
Hello, Doc: Hope you are doing well. I would like to agree with anyone who says anything on this topic, while encouraging them to consider what others are saying. God wants each of us to do his will. To do it, we need to discern it. I assume that all who seek God are sincere, and I do believe we need to get together, and help one another with this. and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works (Hebrews 10:24). |
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5 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | DocTrinsograce | 154243 | ||
Dear Dr. Aixen, If you hope to agree with everyone on everything, then it would be best to let posts like Kalos' stand unhindered. This will also be of the greatest benefit to the sincere God seekers. In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. (Titus 2:7) Please, sir, let me lovingly provoke you to the good work of a high view of Scripture. In Him, Doc PS I am carefully considering how one agrees on everything, assumes sincerity, unifies over error, while considering and provoking one another. Working through the implications of such locutions makes my head hurt. Perhaps my inadequacies, alone, contribute to making it sound a bit jejune. My apologies, sir. |
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6 | How does God speak to us? | Heb 1:1 | Aixen7z4 | 154244 | ||
We can agree with anyone who is seeking the will of God, whether through his written word or through personal interaction with him. Both are valid, and we can remind him that the two need to go together. Psalm 119 and John 16:13 go well together, and those who quote either one should reconcile them in themselves and with each other. |
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