By T. A. MacMahon
Co-Founder of The Berean Call
Let’s say I were to voice the question, “Heard from God lately?” to a very large crowd that had a mix of Christians and non-Christians. Among the crowd would be professing Christians, biblical Christians, cessationist Christians, charismatic Christians, pentecostal Christians, contemplative Christians, progressive Christians, conservative Christians, as well as a few agnostics, skeptics, and atheists.
Their first thoughts related to a response to my question, no doubt, would be as diverse as their religious perspectives. For example, atheists and skeptics would think I was delusionary. Agnostics wouldn’t think much about it nor probably even care. Contemplative Christians would react to my question as supportive of their intuitive feelings-oriented approach to hearing from God. Some of the charismatic and pentecostal Christians might respond in the same way. Conservative Christians and those with a cessationist bent might worry that I had bailed on the written Word of God in favor of personal subjective communication with Jesus. All biblical Christians, I would hope, would restrain themselves from thinking ill of me doctrinally for at least a few minutes. They would give me the opportunity to explain what I meant by my question and then would search the Scriptures to see whether or not it was true.
Let me make a seemingly controversial statement before I start explaining myself. If someone who calls himself a Christian is not hearing from God, he’s in trouble—not potential trouble, but serious trouble—guaranteed. His situation is like that of a man in the middle of a minefield without a map or any device to guide him and keep him out of harm’s way. That said, what do I mean by “hearing from God?” Click here to continue reading.
Related Article by T.A. McMahon:
Jesus said that His sheep know His voice, they will not follow any stranger (someone who is not from Him). I have found this to be true. I thank God that His mercies are new every morning; His compassions fail not. GLORY TO GOD.
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Firm
My dear wife has tried to attend these women’s so called bible studies at local churches with the big name women leaders mentioned in the article. So far it mostly comes down to these teachers saying “god told me to tell you”, so, she just quietly gives up going. In doing so her fellowship with the other women suffers especially when asked why she stopped going she will try to politely tell them.
Our position is that this extra biblical revelation has taken over. Try to find a big name Christian teaching or movie without, it, if it’s out there it’s rare.
Lillia,
Great observation: A lost soul does not need the Bible to be saved; the Bible is not part of the gospel message. Millions can’t read; even today; even in my street.
Lost people need to hear the Gospel; they need to accept God’s gift of eternal life through hearing about Jesus; it is something repeated in the bible: Hearing. And in which way God decides to respond (which He will because He is faithful and does not lie) to those who call on His name, is up to Him, not me. I may share the gospel until I’m blue in the face, it’s God and the Holy Spirit who decide how to deal with the sincere individual.
Too many Christians live easy, comfortable, cable-TV lives in their developed world countries, totally clueless of what goes on around the world.
If we have already admitted that we are sinners, have repented and accepted Jesus Christ as our Messiah and Savior, believing that He died on the cross and took our place, arose on the third day and is preparing a place for us with Him, and is coming again in great glory, then I do not see a need for all of the R.Catholic trappings of spiritual formation, etc. It all seems like emotional idolatry to me. Those who are fooled by this Spiritual Formation nonsense, invented by Ignatius Loyola who started the Jesuits (this order went out to kill many Jews and Protestant believers and was political and violent) may never have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Those who are promoting these unbiblical practices will have to answer to our Lord in the future judgement. They are leading many unsuspecting or ignorant youth to their own destruction. This is blood on the leaders’ hands.
Very well said!
I read this there too and finally found an article I can agree with and that puts it so precisely. I am glad you posted this because now I finally know where you stand on this issue.
“Are all subjective personal experiences with Jesus likewise condemned? No. Everyone who has believed the gospel began a personal intimate relationship with Him. That can’t take place without the involvement, to some degree, of one’s emotions. It may also include some form of personal communication with Jesus—if He chooses, how He chooses, and when He chooses. The principle of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit personally interacting with believers is found throughout Scripture. Paul’s life in Christ reveals his often-subjective guidance and communication with the Holy Spirit. Subjective? Yes. For example, Paul is forbidden by the Spirit to preach in Bithynia and is redirected to Macedonia (Acts:16:7-10
). That communication was subjective, meant only for Paul at that time. Was this an objective command of God, indicating that believers are never to go to Bithynia to preach? No! Peter writes to believers in Bithynia, so obviously the gospel was preached and believed there (1 Peter:1:1-2
). Three things are demonstrated in those verses and many others: 1) The principle that God communicates to believers is established; 2) He communicates objectively through instructions and commands for all who read His Word, and 3) He communicates personally and subjectively with individual believers. ”
And God spoke to Ananias about Paul and Peter about the Gentiles, etc. Nothing has changed today.
I was getting to tired of the same erroneous positions on this. One was that anything anyone claims is from God, is taken as such. Another was that the only way to hear from God is through reading the Bible. Another was cessationism, where they think that just because the Bible has been completed, all God’s work has ceased from communicating to believers, the gifts being in operation (some of which involve communication also, such as word of wisdom), the baptism of the Holy Spirit, miracles, and the like. Another was that any ‘experience’ must be false, and emotions cannot be involved. Yet funny how the fruits of the Spirit all involve emotions! And that is an experience, just as salvation is!
God has not ceased being who He is. He may change how He does things, but only when that time comes. Some claim that the gifts and such ceased around the time Revelation was given. But how many Christians since that time have had access to a complete Bible from then until now? Exactly. Not too many. How many still depend on Him for healing? Plenty. And so on. In 1 Cor. 13 it says that these things will only cease when we are with Him face to face (His return and Kingdom) and we certainly do need them all to operate until then! The key is to check if what is heard aligns with the Bible. Sure, satan twists Scripture all the time and many are fooled. And that is why listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance is crucial.