Does God still speak to us?

Of course He does. I have noted before that I have walked through a change in my thinking with respect to charismatic gifts. I once described myself as a leaky cessationist. I meant by that that in principle I agreed with the cessationist position, but that of course I need to leave room for God to be God. My own father experienced multiple unusual experiences where God seemed to be communicating to him. I now describe myself as a cautious continuationist. That means that I agree in principle with the continuationist position but leave room for a healthy skepticism of the often tough to swallow claims of some charismatics.

What I find interesting, however, is where both groups agree with each other. Precious few cessationists are water, or Spirit tight in their thinking. When my father would recount hearing God tell him, when he was a young teenager, and before he was even a believer, that He was going to send him around the world teaching people about Him, and that he should take Vesta, I don’t think even John MacArthur would wince.

At the same time, happily there are precious few charismatics in the world who insist that we all append their revelations to the back of our Bibles. Apart from cult leaders, charismatics agree with cessationists that the canon of Scripture is closed, that whatever experiences they may be having, it is not the same thing as what happened to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos. Even continuationists believe that infallible canon revelation has ceased.

Which means, doesn’t it, that we’re really not too terribly far apart? We all agree that God can, in one way or another, communicate to us. Even the Bible itself says that the Spirit testifies to our spirit that we really are the children of God. Not that God has children. Not that we are called to be His children. That we, we whose literal names are not literally in the Bible, are literally His children. That is God speaking to us. Even cessationists believe that God continues to speak to us. Some of us believe He reveals things through dreams and visions. All of us believe in testing the spirits. Some of us believe we can feel checks in our spirits. All of us believe in being Bereans. Some of us believe we have been given a message God wants us to give. All of us believe we have heard, even if spoken from a man, a message that God wanted us to receive.

I believe sometimes people try to rationalize their sins or bolster their opinions by suggesting God told them something God didn’t tell them. I believe sometimes people try to hide from a message from God for fear that it might mean they have to repent or might make them look weird. I believe we should show the same grace we would like to receive to both kinds of people. I believe we should be careful how we speak, especially when speaking of how we believe God spoke to us. I believe we should be careful how we judge, especially when speaking of how others believe God has spoken to them.

Circumstances, under God’s sovereign hand, can and do change. The shadows have passed away with the coming of Jesus. The canon has closed. God, however, is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is there, and He is not silent.