You may hear a question such as, “Why did God stop talking to people as He talked to them in the Old Testament times?”
Some churches teach the unscriptural doctrine that God no longer talks to us. By teaching this, they confuse many people.
God does speak. God does lead.
How does God speak? He speaks to us through the Bible of course. When we read, if we trust in Him for understanding and do not get puffed up with pride, He speaks to us. He speaks to us through prophecy in our church services. He speaks to us through the prophetic songs in the Spirit in our weekly meetings. He speaks to us through the teachings of the apostles when they send them out in publications, when they come to the local assemblies, or when they teach at the various camp meetings throughout the year. He speaks to us through creation as we learn more about His creation through scientific inquiry. He speaks to us through the historical artifacts if we will open our ears to His voice. He speaks through a still small voice. He speaks through dreams and visions. He speaks through every gift of the Spirit. He speaks through the wisdom that He imparts to those He sets into the offices in the Church. He even speaks to unbelievers, but they don’t listen to Him.
Throughout the Bible, God spoke through His holy prophets. Now, some people claim that God no longer speaks in this way. However, God has restored the ministry of the prophet and the office of the apostle to the Church. There are false prophets and false apostles just as there always were. However, the false doesn’t make the real any less real.
Whoever is committed to doing the will of the Father will know the difference between that which is false and that which is real. In fact, there are people with big voices through media such as radio, TV, or print, who set themselves up as the authority. They don’t use the name, apostle, but take the authority as if they were apostles. Of these, there are some who oppose those who have truly been set into this office of authority. It has always been this way.
If the Bible is the only authority, where did the doctrine “The Bible is the only authority” come from. It isn’t in the Bible. It either comes from special divine revelation, demonic influence, or the fallen human mind. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura doesn’t say what you said. There are five solas in all that were part of the protestant reformation in the 1600s. One is Christ alone. You have eliminated Christ. Another is grace alone. You have eliminated grace. The Bible without the Holy Spirit is dangerous. The Holy Spirit without the Bible is nonexistent since the Holy Spirit draws us to the Bible and explains the Bible. There are only three sources of information: God, demons, and the fallen human mind. However, the fallen human mind has exalted itself to the level of a god in this age. It now seeks to control. And the fallen human mind is under the control of Satan. As the Bible says, it’s deceitful and desperately wicked. However, Jesus is real and knowable. He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. As God tells us through 1 Corinthians 12, “No one can say Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost.”
I need to address your last comment directly.
“The easiest reason the Spirit doesn’t talk today is because the dead don’t talk.”
In this, you claim God is dead. My God is alive.
God SPOKE. He does not speak. If he did, we would have one denomination and one belief system without 400-page books resolving difficult passages, trying to adapt other passages on grecian slavery and women’s hair styles to today’s society, or asking each other the meaning of the book of revelation’s symbols. God would tell us, and give us all the same answer if he were to speak today. Sola scriptura means the Bible is the only authority. God never says anything without authority, so if God does not speak outside the Bible because it is the only authority, then he doesn’t speak any more at all. Otherwise we would canonize modern prophesy.
The easiest reason the Spirit doesn’t talk today is because the dead don’t talk.