The notion that one can and habitually hears from God outside of the Bible has been gnawing away in my mind for many years now. It certainly chomped away in recent years, since moving to Melbourne. For a while, I was open minded and entertained the possibility, my own experience (or lack of it) notwithstanding. Not a week will pass by, especially if I attended the mid week prayer meeting where there are no constrains to one “exercising gifts”, without someone claiming to have received “a word” or “seen a vision”. Invariably these are vague, with either a complete absence of or severely lacking details.

I have not let these claims or my own experience bother me too much as I otherwise enjoy being in the company of these folks, worshipping and serving alongside them.

Recently however, in the course of making major decisions for the church, this underlying difference has come to the fore. No longer can the difference be ignored. The “hearers” have claimed to have heard something different to what has been decided and had asked that everyone hold off. I replied firmly that unless one could point to specific reference in the Bible to demonstrate where that decision has been in violation of God’s commands, no one should insist on action which is based solely on such hearing or visions. I suggested that otherwise, we would be tossing and thrown about from one point to another, based on what one or more person claim to have heard, “seen” or dreamt.

I was expecting push back on my views but a week has passed and no one has. In the mean time I have prayed and read and thought some more and I am convinced more than ever before, that if I remained where I am, I will have ongoing battles with this. Claims of hearing and seeing stuff in addition to Biblical revelations is such a prevalent practice in my current circles that it is only a matter of time before this issue surfaces again. I am hopeless ill equipped in terms of theological knowledge and understanding and have had to constantly research and try to understand more. I have written to people for their views and bought books to read. I don’t know what else to do to know where the truth lies or how best to respond to any more claims of hearing and seeing stuff.