The other night I had a dream, one of a handful I have ever had through which I felt God spoke to me. I woke up with a start and realized the significance of it at once.
The subject of whether God still speaks to us is more contentious than you might think. On the one hand, some people feel that the very idea of God still speaking undermines the authority of Scripture. On the other hand, people attribute to God all sorts of wacky things they have concocted mostly out of their own imagination.
For the record, in over 40 years of ministry, I have never heard anyone offer a word or insight they felt equalled the authority of Scripture, except for liberal theologians, of whom the less said the better.
I feel we need to negotiate this minefield, for on the other side of it is a significant truth, and that is that God still wants the sheep to hear the shepherd’s voice. The question is how do we do hear that voice?
It’s very clear to me at least that Scripture is by far the most usual way, and certainly the only indisputably authoritative way. Why would God have anything else to say to you until you’ve listened to what he’s already said?
But what about other ways?
Whatever you make of the New Testament concept of prophecy, there is little doubt that Scripture calls us to be a prophetic people. That is the correct interpretation of Revelation 19:10, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And you can take that from G.K. Beale, who is without doubt the gold standard in understanding the last book of the Bible. And he is by no means “charismatic,” at least in the way that word is normally used today.
For me, prophecy in this sense refers to our capacity to hear Biblical truth and apply it accurately to peoples’ lives, but in a way that stretches us beyond our capacity simply to hand out Bible verses. It involves a God-given insight into someone’s situation, to which we then apply the truth of the Scriptures.
For instance, at a church service the other evening, I approached a lady applying to her heart the Biblical truth that God does not disappoint us. I did not know her, even by name, but passed on the Biblical message I felt God had for her. And it turned out it was a message she needed to hear in some very difficult circumstances she was going through.
On another occasion, when I was explaining the Gospel to a non-christian young man, I backed up my assertion that occult involvement was wrong by suggesting that his mother and grandmother could predict the future by clairvoyant means. He was so astonished by my insight that he opened his heart to hear the message of the Gospel and was happy to receive a copy from me of Tim Keller’s outstanding book, The Reason for God.
Why did God have to resort to a dream to communicate something to me? It was probably because due to my own stupidity, stubbornness or circumstances I could not hear in my daily devotional life the personal application of the Biblical truth the dream contained. God is merciful. I needed a jolt, and I got one.
When in Athens recently, we witnessed stories of God revealing himself to Muslim refugees through dreams and visions. Not surprisingly, these all had Biblical content. Their visions of Jesus were straight out of the description John gives us of him in the first chapter of Revelation. That left the missionaries in the great position of having to answer the question, “Who is this man we have seen?”
So let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Every time we read the Bible and God applies it to our heart, he is speaking. And don’t be surprised if he speaks to you other ways too. But if it’s God, one way or the other, his voice will always be rooted in his Word. That’s the Maker’s Manual, and there’s no substitute for reading it.
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AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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