Peter's broad invitation, Elijah, and New Testament precedent
Mike argues that if God told you exactly what he was doing, "you'd race him to get there" — withholding information is part of the design — and calls the Holy Spirit conversation "the most abusable part of scripture," with weariness toward broad promises made in God's name. Peter at Pentecost spoke to everybody ("It wasn't to Steve"); individual direction in the New Testament is scarce — Elijah was a lone wolf, healings happened individually, and Jesus was careful about who he said things to in crowds. Ben cautions that individual words claimed as God's can leave people misrepresenting Jesus.
Clips from this
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The Holy Spirit conversation is 'the most abusable part of scripture'
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'If he told you exactly what he was doing, you'd race him to get there'
Hear the full conversation →
More on Discernment
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Mike frames the question: are more people hearing from God?
- Does it seem like more and more people are hearing from God — and is that real or a lie and a huge distraction?
Ben asks Mike for a two-sentence framing; Mike says listening to the book of Job while mowing made him furious when Bildad 'received a word from the Lord,' turning a bad human argument into an unarguable divine claim.
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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Does God speak more now? Indwelling Spirit versus prophets
- Does God talk to people as much now as he did in the Old Testament or New Testament?
A host asks whether God talks to people as much now as in the Old and New Testaments. Ben's key distinction: the indwelling Holy Spirit means more people can have the experience…
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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How to tell your voice from God's: the Bible test and leniency
- How can you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking?
Ella distills the question: how do you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking? Her first answer: we have a Bible — what God is telling you is probably already in it ('Ben's gonna have a proud papa moment').
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God