The whole counsel of God is not exactly a dime store flash in the pan sort of understanding--most of the time--whether directly from God or over time through a variety of channels.
I was once in a Communist country. College students asked me what they should do in a certain risky but popular situation. I counseled them to pray earnestly and pray some more. We all knew they were talking about risking at least their careers and likely their lives and families.
I said IF after praying earnestly as long as they could manage given events, then to take the matter to the most mature Christians they knew and ask them to pray and then come together again and give them Godly counsel.
And then to pray some more. Perhaps fast and pray.
And if they still felt led of the Lord to do the risky things . . . then go to some precious wise old saints with whom they tended to frequently disagree but whom they knew to have a close relationship with God. And ask them. And pray some more.
IF THEN, they felt led firmly to do the risky things, TO DO THEM FULLY AWARE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE . . . AND CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD BE WORTH IT--IF THEY COULD DO THAT, THEN GOD BLESS THEM. That doing right and Godly things carrys right and Godly harvests
One student not a Christan but who's family background was Christian went out and did an exceedingly courageous wonderful thing and paid very dearly. He did not regret his decision at all though it cost him enormously in suffering.
I Cor 12-14 is the Biblical model. We are to be iron sharpening iron. We are to submit one to another. We are to help bear one another's burdens. AND AT THE END, WE ALL STILL SEE THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY. That includes the head of the Roman group as well as the newest baby Christian. That includes all of us. It evidently pleases God to set it up this way.
It certainly keeps us humble and seeking Him.
Yes, many folks of a certain kind of psychology can give up on the dialogue, the dance, the tension of not having everything pinned down in obsessive compulsive specificity and certainty. Such folks tend to find very rigid, narrow, fossilized religious codes and groups to become a part of. Often they feel much more comfortable and in control.
But it's a delusion; an illusion.
Whether illusion or not, Life is very, VERY complex. Lots of explanations will seem right unto man yet lead to death.
The Israelites were much more comfortable and felt much safer having Moses pin down all the detailed specifics rather than each individual having to face God alone at the tent of meeting.
But that's not God's preference. He wants the individual dialogue AND HE HAS REQUIRED THAT WE NEED EACH OTHER--PEERS TO PEERS. I think it's about humility and learning to Love as He Loves.
This is a good example of the phenomenon in which I was raised. If one agrees with the "word", then it is from God. If one disagrees with it, then it is a "false word".
Yes, there's plenty of that in Pentecostalism. AND, THERE'S PLENTY IN NONPentecostalism--even in Romanism. It just happens in different venues, at different levels, with different ranks of leaders. It's still a human group seeing through a glass darkly and making pronouncements.
Sometimes I think the quakers had it best . . . wait until God moves on the whole group and makes consensus obvious supernaturally--even if it takes all night or all week.
The times that folks and even groups get it wrong is perhaps not the most surprising thing. It's the number of times that individuals and groups following I Cor 12-14 get it right. That's amazing in this complex world. Certainly amidst many Godly truly spiritual counselors there is wisdom and life.
But mostly, organizations foster deadiliness.
What leaders of such systems *really* want is for the people to follow them, to do as they say, all the while telling them (while sweeping the contradiction under the rug) that they just want the people to "trust God alone".
Romanism has plenty of such contradictions as well. There are more stereotyped, hierarchically buttressed and supported; enforced, applauded standard responses to mollify the sheep ABOUT such contradictions but there are plenty of them around.
Certainly leaders love followers following them. It's a very human thing very exemplified in the Roman group, as well--perhaps to the max. There's so much dust and wailing trying to demand all Christendom to follow them yet again.
Occasionally one finds someone who truly wants all they know to follow GOD ALONE. That person is priceless as they are led of The Spirit. Oswald Chambers was such a one.
The whole system is just self-worship dressed up in 'hearing from God' language. Gnosticism is the error of Lucifer, Eve, Korah, Simon Magus, Luther and Benny Hinn.
A long line of Popes was left off that list. And probably most of the Roman Bishops and Cardinals.
In each case the legitimate divinely appointed authorities [incarnate divine representatives] are spurned, and the agent takes to himself 'spiritual authority' and privilege he does not have, and attempts to get others to follow him. Knowing that he has no legitimate divinely instituted authority, he tempts us by telling us to listen to God alone, but then he tries very hard to get us to listen to him. Gnosticism was the first and greatest heresy the early Church faced. And now again in these times, it has returned with a vengeance. As in the Garden, once again it is luring man away from the Church's legitimate authorities to that great elixer of knowledge falsely so called, a 'higher', private, secret, 'spiritual knowledge' that can be had through oneself, by oneself, in oneself, directly 'from the Spirit'.
Certainly such ills plague the church--THE ROMAN BRANCH as much as any. But ORGANIZATIONAL GNOSTICISM IS NO ANSWER.
Concerning your closing quotation from adiaireton8, and your response - these especially - the Word concerning the Spirit given came to mind:
1 Corinthians 22 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
[T]he mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations...has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
~Colossians 1:26-29John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.1 John 2:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.