The point on grief was exactly what I was saying: you cannot grasp it unless you have experienced it, yet you can to some point understand and share the grief and pain, if not the depth and intensity of it.
Revelation from God CAN be personal and unique. But it also can be corporate. Revelation from God can be direct, or secondary through an intermediary agent. Throughout the Bible there are examples of angels appearing to communicate a message from God to humans. Revealed information from intermediary sources is not to be confused with hearsay, which is our judicial definition as utilized. Revealed information can be revelation; it can also be inspiration, as when inspired by God.
"Your mother told me to tell you to come home for dinner" would be a direct revelation, or transmittal of information. "I heard your neighbor say that your mother wants you to come home for dinner" would be hearsay.
Again, I respectfully disagree. Wholesale in this context refers to a broad based, sweeping experience. It does not necessarily imply 100% results. By the Biblical definition, there is only one Christian church. The New Testament books are written to different churches based on geographic location. The seven churches in the book of Revelation is similar, detailing in concise terms the congregational distinctions.
For the most part, Christian churches are not competing. They often ascribe to doctrinal differences, but those are in the organizational structure. I am a non-denominational evangelistic church member. My neighbor is Lutheran. Another is Catholic. My good friend is Mennonite. My sister is Methodist. My daughter is Baptist. Now when we all get together for tea and crumpets, we are all Christians. We harbor none of the 'conflicts' of our denominations and are not striving to convert one another. Soul, condition, destiny and relationship are our concern. Christian churches SHOULD share the same truth (in simplest concept) - that Christ set things right with God for us because we couldn't.
