I wasn't saying that the people he talks to are working in the background. Quite the opposite, actually.
These are the spiritual gifts, and talking to God directly would fall under prophecy. Now, the reason I believe the gifts are equal is because someone that has the gift of prophecy may wish they had another gift like faith or giving, in the same way that someone with the gift of mercy and serving might wish they had the gift of prophecy or leadership.
And I assume that God takes no control about what those with prophecy do with what he tells them unless they specifically ask. He does give us free will after all. It's up to those people with whom he speaks to choose whether to keep it a secret, or use it to spread the good news.