The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

Group Discussion # 9
Questions:
1. In what ways have you experienced what you thought might be the “voice of God,” either through experience or emotion? How certain can you be that it was in fact God’s voice?
A: When I was asking God to open a door for my family to settle. There were ways where we could have pried doors open, but felt it was not where God would have us be. God opened the door through one person who knew of our situation and through his connections worked out the details for us to come to Canada. There were many hurdles to navigate through, but as we prayed and others prayed with and for us, we
felt confident that God was in this as He worked miracle after miracle (so it seemed to us) to obtain immigration Visas. Space does not permit to share details. I am not certain this was not necessarily God’s voice we heard, but we had peace in our hearts that this was His way of confirming His plan for us.

2. Many people become more desirous to hear the “voice of God” outside of Scripture when there are difficulties in their lives. What is the danger in this? Explain.
A; The danger is that we want to hear the “voice of God” to speak to us when we want something desperately or dealing with difficulties, that we confuse what our own hearts may be “speaking” to be God's voice, to make us feel good because He is responding to our need. This could give us false comfort or directives to follow.

3. How have you been mislead by what you thought was God’s voice? In what ways did this confuse you?
A: Before I came to trust Christ as my Savior I thought what I was taught from the Hindu scriptures was God’s voice. The uncertainty of eternal life and the endless life cycles of reincarnations were confusing to me. Jesus offered me Eternal life because He died for my sins. In fact, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 (NIV)

4. Hard cessationists have been falsely accused of denying that God can work miracles today, when in reality they do not deny that God can work miracles, but that God gifts particular people to work miracles. Hard cessationists may pray for God to miraculously heal someone of cancer just as hopefully as continuations. Does this clear up some misunderstanding? Explain.
A: Yes this does clear some misunderstanding. I want to believe that God answers prayer and He may choose to bring healing whether it is through medicine or miraculously. My God is all powerful. (I don’t want to be a deist).

5. A verified prophet is one who performs an incredible sign or wonder, leaving no doubt in the minds of the observer that he or she is a prophet. Have you ever witnessed this? Explain.
A: I have been in meetings where many simultaneously speaking in tongues and it was confusion. Other times I have heard some one speak in an unknown tongue and there was interpretation, but I still was not certain that it was from the Lord.

6. God speaks in many different ways. The argument of this lesson is that we cannot be certain that we are hearing “God’s voice” unless it is verified through rightly interpreted Scripture or a verified prophet. How important does this make our study of Scripture? Explain.
A: This is very important that we study the Scriptures so we can rightly interpret God’s Word’s and that all claims to be God’s voice is verified by Scripture. Nothing can contradict God’s written Word and still claim to be God’s voice.

7. How do you often “put God in a box” in your own life? Explain.
A: I often put God in a box by limiting God’s power to change me. Sometimes I tell God what I want Him to do as if I know what is best.
At times I don’t pray believing that God hears my prayers and He delights to answers prayers in accordance to His will.

8. How was your thinking most challenged by the lesson? Explain.
A: I realize that there are theologians and scholars who studied and come to different understanding regarding if God’s still speaks today and if the revelatory gifts are still evident. I need to be open, because God is not limited to my limited understanding. If someone or some thing claims to be of God voice, then it must meet the test of God’s written Word. The criterion for God’s prophet as set forth in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (NIV)
20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."
21 You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?"
22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
Also see > Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (NIV)
1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,
2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"
3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.