In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God!
“During the days of the New Testament, and the early church period, God’s audible voice, although rare, was connected to the redemptive plan of God in Jesus Christ. Once the Bible was completed, there was no longer any need for God to speak to people audibly or to provide direct (divine) communication. God has communicated everything necessary for faith and life, worship and service, in His sufficient Word. To use the ‘God told me’ language violates the sufficiency of Scripture. Simply put, it needs to stop.”
Wrong. The cessationists do not have Biblical grounds to definitively claim that God does not and can not speak to someone today. And I have first-hand experience otherwise.
Certainly the role of God speaking to the apostles and prophets during New Testament times was more necessary before the canon of scriptures were completed. But the Bible is GENERAL revelation. EVERY believer experiences personal revelation. After all, Jesus said His sheep hear His voice.
John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
The confirming work of the Holy Spirit who leads us is personal revelation. Being a believer requires this.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
And even within the New Testament we see personal revelation that is not limited to “the redemptive plan of God” unless saving the physical lives of believers counts as being His redemptive plan. See Acts 11:27-30 and Acts 21:10-12.
I have a friend who shared the visions that someone he knows experienced, and they were received long before Hurricane Harvey was expected to hit Houston and cause a major disaster. These visions gave dire warnings about the destruction that was going to come here. My point here is not to debate whether this person received a message from God. She acted on the warning and evacuated and was safe. I did not receive such a warning but still advised some of my family here to evacuate, not based on any visions or prophecies, but simply out of prudence.
But back to the subject at hand. The New Testament confirms that there are two witnesses who are going to prophesy at some future date, and this proves Biblically that prophecies have not completely and permanently ceased.
Revelation 11:3
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
But a day is coming in which prophecies will completely and finally cease.
Zechariah 13:3
It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
But this day has not yet arrived, as we can see from the passage in Revelation.
And, as a confirmation to me, I have heard God audibly speak to me on more than one occasion. As a specific example, He spoke to me and told me I was about to meet some people who needed to travel to another city (He specifically told me the city) and that I should take them there. They did, and I did.
Now this has been an extremely rare occurrence for me. I wish that it was continuous or at least common, but it is not.
I certainly agree with the advice to use caution about buying into claims other people make about God speaking to them. If other people tell you to do something based on God speaking to them, you need to ask why God did not tell you directly. It is certainly possible that God might give someone else a message for you, as He did with Agabus in the passages cited above, but the Bible also clearly warns us not to believe every spirit, and to beware of false prophets, teachers, and even false Christs.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.
I also cringe a bit when someone claims they heard from God, particularly when they are at the pulpit. I remind myself that the person may be trying to communicate how they experience the changes in their lives caused by the Spirit.
I know the Spirit may not be speaking in a voice directly to me but He is transforming me. If He is transforming my heart, my mind and my thoughts and I was trying to explain this to someone I might say he spoke to me. I usually say I was drawn by the Spirit to a particular scripture. For example, on this topic I was drawn to the following scripture:
2 Cor 3:18
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
God told me not to make any comments, so I’ll just shut up.
It happened again recently. I was listening to a sermon online and the preacher said, “God told me.” Apparently everyone in the congregation enjoyed it from the response I heard, but I immediately turned it off.
In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God!
The Holy Spirit tells me stuff all the time. And the Holy Spirit is God. So no sale here.
God has “spoken to my heart” many times. I was taught, and I believe it to be true, that anytime anyone hears a word from God, it must line up with scripture. I have no problem with that. None whatsoever. Prayer is not a one way street. God answers prayer, and sometimes He also confirms His WORD, scripture, in dealing with us. Not usually in an audible voice, but in “a still small voice” in our spirit. But then, not all people believe that we are spirit soul and body. Some denominations teach that the soul and the spirit are the same. They are not. “The Word of God is alive...rightly dividing the soul and spirit”. It is the spirit part of us that communicates with God. He does so by His Holy Spirit. The idea that once all the first century apostles and disciples died off, God no longer communicates with us except through the letters they wrote and the O.T., is a man made construct. God said, “the same yesterday, today, and forever”. And, “I AM the LORD. I change not.
Mathew 24:36.