"The Lord told me . . ."

That has more to do with not fretting about food, drinks, and clothes as taught in Matthew 6:25-34, as well as practicing wisdom according to Proverbs:

Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

Great comment. Pray for wisdom and google motor car reviews?.............. Maybe flip a coin? Know that whatever course you chose was preordained by God who worked in you to will and do of his good pleasure.

 

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

 

Did the Lord tell Boston Corbett to shoot John Wilkes Booth? So he claimed, but at his hearing he changed the story to shooting in self-defense. Some near him at the burning barn claimed he did not shoot. Regardless... hearing God's voice is no loophole. But those determined to have a loophole in a lust for revenge can usually find it. Corbett did.

 

God is God of love. Not one that is violent or seeks revenge. He could never do anything bad due to being The God of all Gods. Love, mercy, grace, etc.

 

It is remarkable that the voice of God is unheard, yet through that voice everything that was created and the creation continues by that same authority to this day.

The Scriptures are not the only authority of God, all creation is available for Him. The heavens declare, the earth moans, all creatures great and small are in His awareness and control.

Yet, humankind has the audacity to actually limit the voice of God to a written page?

I love and respect the Scriptures. I take the Scriptures at face value. Certainly, God does speak through and primarily through the Scriptures.

But what do the Scriptures state is their purpose?

What was the statements concerning the Scriptures The Lord Jesus Christ used?

When one prays, is there the expectation of an answer?

When one seeks Him with the whole heart, is there the promise He will be found?

Is the promise lacking that those who call upon Him should expect silence! Or, is the promise that of, “I will answer...”.

What manner of prayer life is seen when posters do not expect to hear?

It is no wonder the believers are seeking that which is friendly rather than that which is Godly!

The believer’s life should abound in answers to prayer, hearing from God, discerning His leading, becoming acquainted with His voice, His Word, His throne and applying all diligence to following Him in every aspect of Holy living.

 

The problem, to me, is not whether God speaks in various ways, including words, but when in fact did He communicate? Many claim to talk for God in the church, but many are lying to their doom. And few, it seems, have anything like the evidence of good fruit that I would look for to know God really spoke at all.

 

James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

always on my mind when I prepare to teach others.

Not too much preparation, not too little, less of me more of Him.

 

I would have no problem if a preacher from the stand made this comment... While I was studying scripture to prepare for my sermon this morning, the Lord impressed it on my heart to share these words from him to you... Now does this fall under the category, the Lord told me?... Was it audible?... Was he talking to the Lord and was the Lord talking to him?... How many have been to church and heard a sermon and said, that sermon was directed to me?... One of my favorite stories that I heard a preacher tell was this... After giving a sermon and greeting all who came, a woman came up to him and said: Preacher I got nothing out of your sermon!... This preacher had been a preacher over 60 years... Undaunted he said to the woman, it appears to me you didn't bring anything to get it with... Brother Glen

 

The missing element in this whole discussion is a clear distinction between revelation and personal guidance. Revelation is truth for all, and personal guidance is God leading an individual in His will. We must not add to God's revelation (Prov. 30:5-6), making the Charismatics wrong in their "prophecies," which often try to add "truth" to Scripture.

Individual guidance is different from revelation in that it is only aimed by the Lord at one individual and God's will for that person's life. It is not meant for anyone else but that one person. This is taught in many passages, such as Ps. 32:8-9, Prov. 3:5-6, etc. I experienced hearing God's voice in my heart when he called me to be a missionary and at other times. This does nothing to change my doctrine of the revelation and inspiration of Scripture.

Will God reveal something to someone about someone else? I have no reason to doubt that He will. But it must be specific guidance, not general truth. I once knew a man who was urged by the senior missionary to move to work with a certain tent-maker missionary. Another missionary had guidance (not words, per se) from the Lord to the effect that the difference in theology would make the proposal fail. This turned out to be on target, and the team only lasted about a year.

 

That may be a useful rubric for experiencing God. I do not believe He would ever author scripture again until the two witnesses and 144,000 appear, if they are literal. Also, personal leading is what has definitely happened to me.

However, a few things give me pause:

1. Perpetua. Her story, and those of her companions, isn't scripture but it does include some things that may be considered lessons to others.

2. The speech of those condemned to die as martyrs before their accusers. I am ever floored by what these people, led by the Spirit, say. It reveals Jesus in a way that may be considered general lessons to those of us left on earth.

3. My own personal directions that led to salvation and my personal directions in the last two years since becoming a genuine believer. While these experiences are very personal, they also touch the lives of many people, and once I have recorded them, I bet you could get some wisdom from the story. Just like anyone else who experiences such direction.

None of this is scripture of course, but you could draw lessons from them for the edification of others.

Just my two cents.

 

If I may, you are giving instances of example, rather than communication from God. The Lord enables such people as Perpetua and other martyrs, and even your own story, to be examples of the believer rather than direct communication from God, which is what the thread is about. I would put such examples under general/natural revelation; we see the image of God in others.

As Paul told Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).

 

The Redeemer is not silent. His sheep are hearing impaired.

Often the world uses the world “challenged” rather then impaired when it comes to one who has some deficiency in mental, emotional and/or physical attributes.

But, believers do not hear, not because of attempting to engage despite a challenge, but rather most do not hear because their own neglect, the impatience, and the enticements of the world have impaired the hearing to the point fellowship is lost.

To replace that deficit, many rush into emotionalism of modern charismatic frothing or worldly manipulated worship to get that sense of “first love” never understanding that which they rush to embrace drives them further from the truth.

 

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." This is a Greek 3rd person imperative, a form English does not have. So Jesus is commanding the reader of Revelation to pay attention, whoever they might be.

 

Sargent, looking hard at a recruit, “Do you hearrrrr me!?”

 

Do Marine DI's ask?

 

Or Agarn yelling at F Troop, "Haaaarrrrraaaarrrr."

 

Hmm, so what you are saying is that my examples are testimonies. Testimonies, in fact, being an account of God touching lives directly. However, they do not advance the cause of sound doctrine, or better define the Gospel, since we have the Word.

I can agree with this.

That said, this seems to set up two tracks of revelation: doctrinal and testimonial. Testimonial revelation can be mind numbingly powerful of course, but can never dip into the realm of doctrine, of what the Gospel is, as that is the purview of scripture and the apostles.

Although, logically this means NT prophecy, as seen through Agabus' prediction of famine or his warning to Paul about going to Jerusalem, is not necessarily barred for the modern day. God just chooses not to work that way currently, except in extraordinary circumstances.

I say that because the prediction of famine or warning to Paul are not doctrinal. They are in fact very personal and directed to another individual, as with Betsie ten Boom to Corrie, or predict something of importance to the local churches, as with the martyrs such as Perpetua. In both cases the revelation is very limited compared to doctrine, but carries the the weight of being the very Will (I daresay Word) of God in a particular circumstance.
.
Just food for thought. John of Japan I wonder what you think of this analysis? I am merely trying to take things apart logically.

 

Regardless, Charismatics are in for a rough time if they claim they have what I refer to as testimonial revelation. It's not like Samuel Morris heard wrong or Corrie got a possibly false prediction from Betsie. Its not like Perpetua could dream wrong. No, if God communicates, He communicates. Also, apart from fortune telling, as Charismatics often do, this is stuff that hits you in the gut with how important or timely it may be for your life.

Thus, the second some "prophet" gets it wrong once, we know there is a problem. Given the NAR organizations cannot claim 100% accuracy with their prophets, we know to relegate them to the realm of false prophets unless they can show a Charismatic prophet is accurate in all predictions. If such a case ever happened, we know to treat them as a NT prophet like Abagus, but to give them no authority whatsoever in doctrine or Gospel.

Wow, that turned out to be complicated. I do believe I have systematized the idea of two types of revelation: "personal" and "general" in modern context.