Introduction

How does God communicate in your church?

The question though simple is quite valid for many Church leaders and members.

James and Nina Rye in "The survivor's Guide to Church Life" (1) address the subject in the following way.

"Preachers and Prophets We were at a large Christian gathering. A minister came to the microphone and said he believed God had given him a picture to share with us. He described his picture and what he thought God was saying. We listened and evaluated what he said. A few minutes later he preached a standard twenty-minute sermon. We listened and evaluated what he said. How does God communicate in your church? For many Christians he communicates through sermons and Bible studies which have been prepared by the preacher. Other Christians acknowledge that he speaks through sermons, but claim that he also speaks in a variety of other ways; through prophecy, tongues and interpretation, and through visions. Christians on both sides of this barricade have libraries full of juicy horror stories that they could tell against each other, but such material is no ground for deciding doctrine."

So how does God speak in your church and what restrictions do you place upon God speaking to you?

Scripture says that God spoke to men through a donkey (Numbers 22:28) and through a chicken (Matthew 26:74).

How will you allow God to speak to you and how can we safely respond to the prophetic?

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