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When the Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it was marked by the ability to hear God’s voice. As the Apostle Peter declared: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). Now everyone could hear from God in the same way as the Old Covenant prophets (Numbers 12:6; Hosea 12:10)! Under the New Covenant, we can all experience relationship with God first-hand (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
Afterwards, we see this promise unfold in the life of the church. Just as Jesus promised, the Spirit acted as his continuing voice, guiding his people into truth (John 14:26), spoke about salvation and healing, lead them into mission and spoke about “things to come” (John 16:12-13).
Today, the voice of the Spirit is still speaking to continue the mission of Jesus. The same Jesus who walked the earth two millennia years ago is ministering via his Spirit (John 16:7) to sons and daughters, young and old in our congregations. He is speaking to transform us into followers of Jesus with words that are creative and life-giving (John 6:63; Matthew 4:4). When we hear God’s voice, we will be called to die to ourselves and experience resurrection life (Matt 16:24-25). We will be led into partnership with kingdom ministry and mission.
Jesus’ call to disciples everywhere remains – hear his voice and follow (John 10:27).
The Role of the Church
When we recognise the place of the Holy Spirit in discipleship, the role of the church becomes clear.
God has appointed the local church to be the primary vehicle through which people can experience the voice of the Spirit in ongoing ways (Acts 15:28). “Making disciples” (Matt. 28:19) involves equipping our congregation members to recognise and respond to the voice of the Spirit. When people hear from heaven, they will never be the same.
Of course, hearing the Spirit also has its risks. Humanity’s sin and selfishness mean that people can get it wrong – sometimes with devastating consequences. The words “God told me” have been used throughout history to manipulate, control and abuse. Such experiences are often the reason why church leaders reject the fullness of our New Covenant inheritance.
The challenges are real, but not insurmountable. In order to facilitate Spirit-led discipleship in our churches, we need to create communities that facilitate hearing God’s voice in ways that are both theologically sound and pastorally safe. At God Conversations, we are committed to providing resources that help do this. Our prayer is that you may build the church where everyone can recognise and respond to the voice of the Spirit for themselves. Ultimately, our goal is to make disciples who build God’s kingdom wherever they go.
50 Days of God Conversations
Equip Your Church to Hear God’s Voice
50 Days of God Conversations is a tool that equips everyone in your congregation to recognise and respond to the voice of the Spirit for themselves (Acts 2:16,17). The program is based on the conviction that the experience of hearing God lies at the centre of discipleship and belongs in the accountability and safety of the local church. The program includes a 7-week small-group video Bible study, leadership training, a launch day and special Sunday Service focus during the 50 days period.
- Positions the Spirit at the centre of discipleship
- Focusses on the local church community
- Addresses pastoral problems and pitfalls
Speaking Events
Equip your people to be the church who hears God’s voice. Book Tania for your next ministry event.
Article: In our Call to Make Disciples, Let’s not Relegate the Spirit to the Backseat
We know that the core mission of the church is to make disciples and that discipleship is all about following Jesus, but what does this look like in practice? Often our strategising falls to the human side – what we do to help people follow Jesus. So, we encourage new Christians to become a part of a church community, receive teaching about the Gospel, read their Bibles, pray regularly and live in godly ways. These are all important to the discipleship process. But there’s one crucial component missing… the Holy Spirit.
Article: God “Told” Him to Quit his Job and He went Bankrupt: Why we Need the Church to Hear God’s Voice
We don’t need to be in church to hear God’s voice. The beauty of the New Covenant is that Holy Spirit speaks to us wherever we are! This is one of the reasons Jesus said having the Spirit would be even better than being with him (John 16:7). So then, why do we need the church to hear from God? God’s voice is best recognised and responded to in the safety and accountability of the church community. This is the pattern we see in the early church and there are some excellent reasons for it.
Podcast: Spirit vs Scripture: The Theological Problem of Hearing God’s Voice
Many Christian denominations today believe that God has stopped speaking outside the Bible. It’s an odd premise given that the New Testament is clear that the Holy Spirit was given to everyone to hear from God on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16,17, 39). The reasoning for this position lies in the relationship between Spirit and Scripture. It is said that the claim to contemporary revelation represents a claim to divine authority and as such, places our experience on par with the Bible. This podcast episode resolves the problem by highlighting the ultimate source of authority.
Video: Does God Speak through Dreams, Visions & Prophecy? | Tania Harris & Jim Osman
On this episode of the UK’s Unbelievable podcast with Justin Brierley, Tania Harris makes a biblical and experiential case for the ongoing activity of the Spirit communicating through dreams, visions and prophecy. She engages with cessationist pastor Jim Osman, author of ‘God Doesn’t Whisper’, who argues that people who claim to hear God’s voice are misled and that the Bible is the only way in which Gods revelation comes to us today.
Podcast: Three Surprising Insights from my PhD on Hearing God’s Voice
Recently I completed my PhD in practical theology, examining the theology and practice of hearing God’s voice. Since then, people have asked me what I learnt from my work. As with all PhDs, it’s a long and sometimes complex read, so instead of you having to fossick through 80,000 words, this episode brings you the three most surprising insights. They include the neglect of revelatory experiences in the Protestant academy and their relationship to Catholicism; the central place of revelatory experiences in the New Covenant and discipleship and the unnecessary conflict between the Scriptures and the Spirit.
God Conversations for Children Pack
We believe that God speaks by his Spirit to children. As the scriptures tell us he poured out his Spirit on both the old and the young (Acts 2:17).
Our desire is that whole families would be equipped to recognise and respond to God’s voice.
Included in the God Conversations for Children Pack is a lesson plan, activities and resources to use during the God Conversations ministry visit. The content is aimed at children aged 7-10 years and can comfortably be taught within a 35min program. Please feel free to adapt the content to best meet the age and needs of your children and the program length you are working with.