Communicating with Him

[Welsh cake]

That would be a major fail for you WC. Sadly I can't be so dishonest.

This wouldn't be the first time where I honestly have no idea what you're babbling on about fr0d0.

I'm so tired, in more ways than one.

[Drich]

You can't have your cake and eat it fr0d0.

I always found this an odd saying.

What else are you supposed to do with cake?

It means you can not have your cake (and admire it) and also eat it (thus destroying the art work that goes into sculpting it)

Not every cake is a work of art.

Who wants to look at cakes anyway?

I believe the term was coined after a wedding cake, or so I was told.

[FallentoReason]

It begins with the reading and understanding of the bible.

Agreed, anything that is personally experienced must conform to scripture. Although, we seem to have a different take on scripture.

To Chad and Drich:

But even within scripture things seem to be so radical. The classic talking burning bush for example. Why doesn't God seem to speak out like that anymore, let alone in my head like my Christian friends?

[Drich]

It begins with the reading and understanding of the bible.

Agreed, anything that is personally experienced must conform to scripture. Although, we seem to have a different take on scripture.

To Chad and Drich:

But even within scripture things seem to be so radical. The classic talking burning bush for example. Why doesn't God seem to speak out like that anymore, let alone in my head like my Christian friends?

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

[Zen Badger]

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

So when serial killers etc claim that god told them to do it, should we take them seriously?

[Tea Earl Grey Hot]

It begins with the reading and understanding of the bible.

Agreed, anything that is personally experienced must conform to scripture. Although, we seem to have a different take on scripture.

To Chad and Drich:

But even within scripture things seem to be so radical. The classic talking burning bush for example. Why doesn't God seem to speak out like that anymore, let alone in my head like my Christian friends?

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

What you seem to not be realizing is that many atheists who come from Christian backgrounds have tried over and over to "ask and seek out God" only to become even more confused and frustrated with scripture and the Christian worldview before ultimately become atheists.

[Drich]

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

So when serial killers etc claim that god told them to do it, should we take them seriously?

That is why we must first have a solid understanding of what the bible says. So when we hear "voices" we can decern who is doing the talking. For God will never tell someone to do something outside of what has been contextually recorded in the expressed will of God. So if someone says God told me to murder this person or this group of people we can go back to the work of the Holy Spirit as outlined in the bible and see the holy Spirit forbids murder. So if the man in question is hearing voices we can say, the voices were not from the God of the Bible.

[Zen Badger]

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

So when serial killers etc claim that god told them to do it, should we take them seriously?

That is why we must first have a solid understanding of what the bible says. So when we hear "voices" we can decern who is doing the talking. For God will never tell someone to do something outside of what has been contextually recorded in the expressed will of God. So if someone says God told me to murder this person or this group of people we can go back to the work of the Holy Spirit as outlined in the bible and see the holy Spirit forbids murder. So if the man in question is hearing voices we can say, the voices were not from the God of the Bible.

Since there are many passages in the bible where god commands his followers to kill in his name you might want to reconsider that statement.

[Drich]

It begins with the reading and understanding of the bible.

Agreed, anything that is personally experienced must conform to scripture. Although, we seem to have a different take on scripture.

To Chad and Drich:

But even within scripture things seem to be so radical. The classic talking burning bush for example. Why doesn't God seem to speak out like that anymore, let alone in my head like my Christian friends?

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

What you seem to not be realizing is that many atheists who come from Christian backgrounds have tried over and over to "ask and seek out God" only to become even more confused and frustrated with scripture and the Christian worldview before ultimately become atheists.

Then the question should be has the person sought God out according to the prescribed path outlined in Luke 11?

If no, then why would anyone expect that they should get a result any different than the one they got?

---

Since there are many passages in the bible where god commands his followers to kill in his name you might want to reconsider that statement.

This one?

For God will never tell someone to do something outside of what has been contextually recorded in the expressed will of God.

It means God will never tell anyone to Murder because He has commanded otherwise.

God gives this authority to the state to take life, but not to an individual.

If you think otherwise then please show one example in the NT that Christians are commanded to Murder. If you can not then know you are pulling an example outside of the contextually recorded Law or Expressed Will of God.

(I am looking for book chapter and verse)

[FallentoReason]

Once you learn to ask and seek out God, (Through the bible) you will be given a measure of the Holy Spirit to indwell you, and depending on how you use this gift of the Spirit, will determine God's direct involvement in your life and how you are able to perceive this involvement. So in a sense God still does reach out to His people. Most of us however to not understand what is being communicated or how to reach back.

With all due respect, this almost sounds like the No True Scottsman fallacy. I was a reborn Christian and even saved up my pennies to do missionary work in Thailand.

Then the question should be has the person sought God out according to the prescribed path outlined in Luke 11?

If no, then why would anyone expect that they should get a result any different than the one they got?

Personally, I used to like Matthew's version because of the extra lines "your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven". My missionary work apparently didn't count for anything though.