Thank you for your posting. It is good to hear that you hear God. Your experience is similar to my own in that God spoke "straight out of the scriptures" (directly quoting known scripture) at first. I think he did that in my case perhaps for 2 reasons:
- So I would recognize his voice as being the word of God. A SIDE NOTE for everyone's consideration: Anything spoken by God is the word of God (like everything he says in heaven to the angels) whether it is written in the bible or not.
- When he spoke, he emphasized a particular word within the verse whereas I always read that particular verse in monotone. That let me know that this word wasn't coming from my memory as I would have remembered it in monotone (like I'd always done before).
Later he would share things that were not directly quotable from the Bible, explaining what is meant by particular scriptures or showing things to come, which is something Jesus PROMISED the Holy Ghost would do (John 16:13).
Having said that, I am significantly curious about one thing. Seeing you support the truth of God speaking, may I ask which portion of Post #1 you disagreed with?
Love in Jesus,
Kelby
I really disagreed with this:
"God cannot lie. And he will only speak truth...even about your leaders. If they are
blind leaders, God would tell that truth to you if you ever gain the ability to hear from God directly...and THAT is the reason you are told that God no longer speaks."
Through the whole post you were putting down leaders, and calling them blind. And not just in this statement. I've had some excellent leaders in the last 15 years. Both seminary professors and my pastors. You may have had bad experiences, but when I left certain denominations, I had no more issues.
As a teacher myself, I think you do have to trust the people who are teaching you. Yes, you need to learn from God. But, God gave us pastors and leaders.
"11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Eph. 4:11-13
I don't like the way you dismiss pastors as "blind leaders." While there are some, there are a lot more who are not blind. I also think it is important we are in a body of believers. God's plan is not to have us be individuals, who are not connected to anyone else. Just our Bibles and God. That simply was never the plan God had. The church IS God's plan. And a leader who is a spiritual leader, not just an administrators.
So, if you really think most pastors are blind leaders, I think you need an attitude adjustment and maybe a change of churches. When the preacher IS wrong, we do need to go and talk to them. If they continue to ignore what we have said, and others feel the same way, then it is time for the pastor to move on. I have been in a few churches where the pastor got off track. One pastor was really bad. But all the members left, leaving a great fellowship split up. That pastor should have gone. But if you can find no support from knowledgable Christian members, time to look at yourself, or leave the church.