Does God speak?

[Guest]

Thanks for all the scriptures.

Not sure if it answers the question: "Does God Speak"

Nevertheless... interesting scriptures you've brought up.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

I've been a christian a little over 10 years now. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed the body speaking in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

I may be missing something... can you explain. Or explain why I haven't seen this.

[Guest]

I've been a christian a little over 10 years now. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed the body speaking in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

I may be missing something... can you explain. Or explain why I haven't seen this.

From what I understand, the Greek word translated there as "speaking" is laleo, which literally means to utter a voice or emit a sound. That would include speaking, but is not limited to it and so could include singing.

That reminds me; I was once ministering at a nursing home and met a little old lady who only spoke in hymns! Everything she said was a line from a hymn! She must have memorized hundreds of them.

Beyond the issue of speaking vs. singing, I think the greater point is the "one-anothering". For me, the most pure and Biblical form of church is when everyone can participate. Someone shares a song; someone prays; someone gives a testimony; someone shares something they've learned from scripture; someone else sings a song; etc. A most remarkable thing often happens in these types of "unscripted" meetings: through the people sharing in their various ways, a clear picture emerges of what the Lord is saying to the group. It is very powerful.

[Guest]

When Paul wished to speak to the Corinthians about the gifts of the Spirit, he began by reminding them that the gods they had served previous to becoming Christians were "dumb" or "mute" (1 Cor.12:2). I believe that this was to contrast the speechless idols with the speaking God whom they now served.

Some of the spiritual gifts (e.g., word of wisdom, word of knowledge, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation--possibly including teaching and exhortation) were probably listed in order to give examples of the way that God speaks to the church.

Apart from the gifts in the church, there are many examples in scripture of God speaking to individuals through dreams, visions, angelic and human messengers, and even audible voices. If someone were to say that God no longer uses such means of communication, that person would have to come up with better proofs than any I have seen presented.

Our God is a personal God, who seeks relationship with His rational creatures. He is not merely an object of worship removed afar off in heaven, but "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Jesus pointed out that God's people "will all be taught of (that is, "by") God" (John 6:45), and He invited any who wished to come, to take on His yoke, and learn from Him (Matt.11:29).

Certainly, this "teaching" and "learning" take place largely through the instrumentality of the scriptures, but the scriptures themselves would not exist apart from this other kind of "speaking" that God did to the prophets and apostles. The burden of Jesus' message to the disciples in the upper room was that, as He had once been with them to teach and guide them, they would soon have the Holy Spirit to fill that role in their lives (John 14-16).

God spoke to His people from the time of Adam through at least the times of the apostles. It would seem strange to think that a God who had demonstrated a penchant for communication for over four-thousand years would, for inexplicable reasons, suddenly lapse into silence when the apostles died.

[Guest]

Good point, thanks for the responce.

[Guest]

God spoke to His people from the time of Adam through at least the times of the apostles. It would seem strange to think that a God who had demonstrated a penchant for communication for over four-thousand years would, for inexplicable reasons, suddenly lapse into silence when the apostles died.

I guess what for me has been most confusing and troubling is all the guys (pastor/teachers) that supposedly hear from God, yet their teaching things like dispensationalism.

Now... if you asked them, they're praying and asking God to lead them and guide them during their study.

Take for example Chuck Smith. You know him, probably well. How do we reconcile him "hearing from God" and yet teaching things that aren't from God's word (i.e, dispensationalism).

If we say, well it's all a matter of interpretation, my question then becomes, where is the Spirit of God in all of this?

Ron

[Guest]

This question, as far as I know, has no easy answer.

That God speaks seems biblically certain. That not everyone who claims to have heard from God has really heard Him seems equally certain.

One conclusion we can probably reach from this is that God may not speak as frequently as people claim he does. He might not even speak as often as we strongly desire for Him to. The desire may be so strong as to lead us to interpret our own thoughts and impressions as His voice speaking to us.

This then raises the question, "How does one know for sure when God is speaking and when we are just getting interesting ideas in our heads?" This question has vexed many a well-intentioned child of God, but it places the responsibility in the wrong place. It is not for us to develop methods or principles concerning how to know if God is speaking. It is for God to speak in such a way as to be heard distinctly. If the shepherd hopes for his sheep to hear his voice, he must speak audibly to the sheep. The sheep bear no responsibility in the matter, other than to hear the voice and follow the shepherd.

You mentioned Chuck Smith. I do not believe that Chuck will very often claim that God has spoken any given word to him. He is not careless, as many charismatics are, with this kind of claim. When I have heard him say that God has spoken to him, it was not with reference to anything other than personal guidance in his life. I have never heard him say that God revealed to him his doctrinal positions or gave him such-and-such "vision" for the direction of the congregation. He may well have been led by God in these areas, but he does not talk much about it.

As for the Holy Spirit's guidance into doctrinal truth, I believe that this guidance is gradual, and comes over time as we are able to receive it (John 16:12-13). I also do not think most theological truth comes to us in dreams and visions, but rather through honoring God's truth in the diligent study of, and meditation on, His Word. It is, in my opinion, a life-long process of learning (we have so much first to un-learn!). That is why it is not safe to assume that we must necessarily be correct in our present understanding of disputed matters. We might think that, if we were incorrect, God would have led us out of our error. However, it may be, rather, that God knows we are "not yet able to receive" it, and so the right time simply has not yet come for us to know.

[Guest]

More and more, James' advise is hitting home.

Let not many of you become teachers... ~James

Thanks for responding. You're correct: "This question, as far as I know, has no easy answer."

Ron