You say:
So, if I need both the Word and the Spirit, what am I to do? Listen to what God is saying today? OK, fine. Whom is He speaking through? Is there a true Bible-type apostle or prophet living today? If so, where is he?

I say:
Why do you need a prophet or an apostle, God speaks directly to you by His Spirit ? The OT is full to the brim with examples of God speaking.

I recall when my youngest actually was present when our Pastor was giving instruction regarding water baptism, and at some point the Pastor turned to my youngest and asked him, 'Have you heard the Lord?' He answered truthfully, 'Yes' and that if one really listens one should be able to hear Him. The Pastor was rather perplexed and said, 'You can only hear God through the Bible'. My son merely repeated that He could also hear God.

After all God is hardly silent, is He ?

We speak to God in prayer, and by gum --- God is able to speak to us directly. (unless God is dumb?) After all most of us were saved as a result of someone preaching, 'faith cometh by hearing' but one needed to have a preacher, preaching. Now if we were saved and one had no Bible (you know someone living in the Amazon, or on a remote Island etcetera.), or preacher, then I suppose one might conclude that someone spoke to us, but who would this be ? Obviously God. In today's world there is much deafness to the voice of GOD, but there is not doubt God's voice BOOMS...louder enough to have Israel begging Moses to tell God to stop; enough so that even when He spoke to Saul of Tarsus, they were effected even though they could not see or hear. God's voice not only BOOMS but Elijah called the voice, 'the still small voice' and certainly I understand the voice of our Shepherd to be both gentle and severe, depending on what He is speaking to us about. If we are covering our sin, He might need to really speak very directly to us. Normally when we are sinning we don't really want to read the Word and well, He will have to speak directly, or through a brother or sister, be imaginative here. God has been known to use creatures that don't have the right sort of vocal chords to get his message through. Especially to mad prophets who are sinning, and when His children are in error. Sometimes it could get quite noisy indeed.

"This is my Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him"
"In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son"

What was your reference to Mary all about. Are you ex-Catholic Charismatic ?

There is so much that God longs to talk intimately to you about that is not contained in the Bible, for example in 1 John 1:1-3 (It is clear there if fellowship with God.) - This love he has for His beloved is not always as you put it contained in the 100%...sometimes He might say something as direct as 'I love you' or who knows, be imaginative there. (Remember young Samuel ?) You are crossing the street and do not see and oncoming vehicle and suddenly in your spirit you hear, "Watch out!"

What that might be for you now is just to read His Word and that is good, this way when He speaks to you, you will know your Shepherd voice, "My sheep hear my voice."

Enjoying God,

Last edited by straw; Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:44 AM.