God spoke to our forefathers "through the prophets" and "by His Son," one Scripture writer said. Another quoted the Son as telling the forefathers, "I have much more to say to you" by the Holy Spirit, whom He calls "the Spirit of Truth," who "will guide you into all truth."
Obviously, we, you and I, need to be listening all the time now, right now, today, tomorrow; you can be sure Hes talking if He really has "much more" to say to us. Furthermore, Hes your friend, a good one, and friends talk.
The first writer mentioned was the author of Hebrews, who doesnt identify himself. The other was John the apostle, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (
Hebrews 1:1-2
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
and
John 16:12-15
"There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, `The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.'
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
for starters.
John 15:12-17
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
tells a lot about friendship; please read it, too.
This matter of Gods speaking is central to the faith, beloved. It means we begin with God, not ourselves. The Creator, the Potter, speaks to the creature. That way we dont make God in our image. He makes us in His image. He makes us in His image and then explains it to us.
This drives the world crazy: when we say God has spoken. It gets only a little bit upset when we speak of a mysterious God, far off, who might just be a creation of our own minds. But when we insist that God has spoken, that changes everything.
Weve been looking in recent weeks at the ways God speaks to His people the gifts and how they work. You see, God truly does speak to us through the church, through other people. But dont ever forget: He also speaks to us through the Word, through circumstances, and directly.
The agent in all of this, of course, is the Holy Spirit, as we saw in John. But lets look again at how Paul says it in
1 Corinthians 2:10
But* it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
b-16. Its so practical that he says we have "the mind of Christ." Paul so rightly expresses this as "power" look at
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,* I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan.* For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
. This, of course, is how Jesus described it, too: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
).
Remember, beloved, you have the Holy Spirit in you and upon you. If youve been baptized in or with the Spirit, youve been saturated with the Spirit. And as you stand in the Council of God (
Jeremiah 23:16-22
This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says to his people:"Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes.They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the LORD! They keep saying to those who despise my word, `Don't worry! The LORD says you will have peace!'And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, `No harm will come your way!' "Have any of these prophets been in the LORD's presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? Look! The LORD's anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned.In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly. "I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me.I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words,and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
) you are in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus (
Ephesians 1:3
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
) He can and will speak to you.
Share This article
Link was copied!
About The Author
Bob
Slosser
Bob Slosser passed from this life on September 13, 2002. He served in many roles at CBN over the years. In announcing his death, Dr. Pat Robertson said of him, "Bob Slosser served on the Board of Directors of CBN since the 1960s, and was not only a Trustee of Regent University since its founding, but served very capably and for a time as President of the institution. We know that he is with the Lord and is no longer in pain, but we are all saddened at the loss of a dear friend and fellow worker for many years."
