Prophesy is not simply foresight, it is also insight. The Holy Spirit is alive and well on the planet earth:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:17-21
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. John 16:13-15
You conclude:
But more to the point of whole discussion, you are rightfully concerned about people like Joseph Smith, the Pope, Jim Jones and many others who declare to have a personal revelation from God, the only true doctrine and compel others to follow their leader.
But I would put anyone who asks others to follow himself or his private revelation rather than God in exactly the same bucket and that is why I eschew all doctrine and traditions of men including Calvin and Arminius and seemingly neverending authorities and commentators.
I assert that we must focus utterly on the Great Commandments to love God absolutely and everyone else unconditionally. We must let nothing whatsoever obscure our view of God. No doctrine, tradition, authority or mortal must get in between unless the Father personally establishes it which He did in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures.
Protestants believe in the sufficiency of scripture.
But I would put anyone who asks others to follow himself or his private revelation rather than God in exactly the same bucket and that is why I eschew all doctrine and traditions of men including Calvin and Arminius and seemingly neverending authorities and commentators.
Neither man taught or believed in "personal revelation" or took their doctrine from that . Both men were scholars that drew their doctrine from scripture . That was a part of the issues that the reformers had with Rome..
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. John 16:13-15
This is not a promise of 'PERSONAL Revelation' It is a promise of Illumination .I have to honest AG , what I have read in the last couple of days sounds like gnosticism
But I would put anyone who asks others to follow himself or his private revelation rather than God in exactly the same bucket and that is why I eschew all doctrine and traditions of men including Calvin and Arminius and seemingly neverending authorities and commentators.
I assert that we must focus utterly on the Great Commandments to love God absolutely and everyone else unconditionally. We must let nothing whatsoever obscure our view of God. No doctrine, tradition, authority or mortal must get in between unless the Father personally establishes it which He did in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures.
1-The Lord tells us to try all spirits to see if they be of him.
2-The Lord is consistant same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Now many believe that it is every mam for himself which is confussion! will there NOT be Orderly giudance for those who are HIS? I do not believe as the deist we are on our own!
3-Does not the Lord leads through prophets and his annoited ones who are called as was Aaron. (Amos 3:8;Heb.5:4)
Amos 3
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Hebrews 13
1 LET brotherly love continue.
2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb. 5
Ministers must be called of God as was AaronChrist was a priest forever after the order of MelchizedekJesus Christ is the author of eternal salvation.
1 FOR every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
EX.28
1 AND take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priests office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aarons sons.
2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aarons garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priests office.
4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priests office.
I believe there is structure and a pattern that is of the Lord. I believe there is a firm foundation, a restoration which was promised, and if you study each dispensation you will see there was instructions from the Lord which the previous generation did NOT have for did not relate to their circumstans, but to each dispensation the WORDS of the Lord is given to enable those to get through the mind fields. The Lord reveals according to our needs to know.
There are people in this world who seem to address every disagreement with their religious views by claiming that it is rooted in heresy somehow, and they always seem to imply that the other guy is the heretic. It is a way of insisting on conformity with their views.
Jesus does not work this way. Nor does the Holy Spirit. Nor did the ancient apostles.
We should instead, as you have also encouraged, exhort all to come to Christ, receive those He has sent, follow His example in meekness, humility, and kindness, and let His light shine through us.
Matthew 11:28-30Thanks for all your good posts and your fine example in this regard!
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear [also translated "reverence"]:
Amen to that! So often doctrines, traditions, and even systems of theology takes us further away from the truth, rather than help us understand it more!
I assert that we must focus utterly on the Great Commandments to love God absolutely and everyone else unconditionally. We must let nothing whatsoever obscure our view of God. No doctrine, tradition, authority or mortal must get in between unless the Father personally establishes it which He did in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures.
Yes! How true! So many of us settle for a relationship with doctines, traditions, and systems rather than the person of Jesus Christ! A poor substitute IMHO...
Again, we differ on the Word of God. You see the word of God as the written Scriptures. As I explained in post 21, I know the Word of God personally. He is alive from the beginning to the end; He is Jesus Christ. He indwells in the person of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, it is impossible for any mortal to complete the word of God He is God! Ahhh, it is so refreshing to hear someone say this. Most do see "the Word" as what is just written on paper. The Word is Jesus and He is alive and doing great things. AG, this comment got me happy this morning, lol.