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Try The Spirits
The Scriptures warn us very clearly that we are to make sure what we are listening to and receiving is really from the Lord. We are to "try" them and we are to "prove" them. The same Greek word is used in both Scriptures quoted above -(dokimazo) -" to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve". In the KJV it is translated also as: allow, discern, examine, approve. This testing applies to doctrines, beliefs and people. Prophetic Ministry The emphasis today on prophetic ministry is quite strong. By "prophetic" ministry I am not referring to those teachers who specialize in "end-times" teaching and discussion (i.e.- the Lord's return, end-time events etc.) but rather I am speaking towards those who move in revelation gifts, signs and wonders, and the miraculous. The last 30 years has brought a strong emphasis on prophets and apostles and today we have many who are proclaimed as such. It is not my intention here to debate whether there are such a thing as apostles in this day and age, but let me say that a close reading of the New Testament will reveal quite a few people who are called "apostles" by the Lord in addition to the 12 Apostles of the Lamb. These ministries can be a source of blessing and growth for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. They can also be a source of ruin. We would do well to heed the admonition of Scripture and "prove all things" as well as "try the spirits". Five Signs of a Ministry Going Off-Track There are warning signs that we can observe and to which we should take heed. I am sure these are not the only ones, but they are a place to start. Warning #1 - Revelations are used to elevate and build up the status of a movement and the leaders of that movement. The Scripture tells us that the "..testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy..." Rev. 19:10 (KJV) All revelation should lead to the glorifying of Jesus, not of men or women. All revelation should elevate Jesus, not men or women. All revelation should build up Jesus, not movements or egos. He is to increase, we are to decrease. No group of people are going to "usher in the Kingdom of God"... Jesus is the King and He is the Conqueror! Neither does the Kingdom of God depend upon a particular group of people, no matter how special they may feel themselves to be. Warning #2 - Revelations become a means to determine the will of God. Dreams, visions, prophetic utterances, words of wisdom or words of knowledge are not the means to find the will of God. These divine gifts are to be (1) CONFIRMATIONAL or (2) PREPARATIONAL, but never by themselves are they to be DIRECTIONAL. Revelation from the Lord normally is used to prepare you for something that is coming or to confirm to you something that is coming or happening. When Paul spoke to the people at Berea, he spoke revelation from the Lord. The people then went home, proved everything by the Scriptures and then believed! These people are commended in Scripture as being "noble". (Acts 17:10-12) If someone tells you "I have a word from the Lord for you" and then proceeds to give you their revelation, it is not wrong to say, "Thank you. I will pray about it." and then GO PROVE IT! Put it to the test. And it is not wrong to put it before those pastors and elders that you sit under. II Cor. 13:1 "...In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." Matt. 18:16 "....that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." A few years ago my wife and I felt led to talk to a young lady who was coming under the direction of a "prophetic" group. As we spoke to her we discovered that she had been given certain revelations and had been told not to tell anyone about them, not even her parents. It was very hard to get this out of her, and when we discovered that part of the revelation was that she was to leave her parents and move in with some of these people for a year of "training and discipline", but that she was not tell anyone about it or where she would be we became alarmed. Eventually we broke through this false spirit and I am happy to say that the young lady is in the ministry today and serving the Lord with joy. If you have received certain revelations and you cannot put them before people you trust, people who have nothing to lose or gain by them, something is wrong! If you feel that you must have a prophecy or "word" in order to know God's will, something is wrong - with you! Warning #3 - the movement becomes pre-occupied with symbols, numbers, images and dates. While the Lord does use these very things we are not to be consumed by them. Jesus is to be the focus of our lives and of our love. He is the Head of the Body, the Church, and in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. If God speaks to us in sign and symbol He also will interpret what we need to know. When the disciples wanted to know the time of the Lord's return to set up the Kingdom, He told them plainly that they were not to be concerned with the "times or seasons" .... they were to get busy doing the will of God. Acts
1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Warning #4 - Those who give the revelations are not willing to have themselves or their revelations tested or corrected. I
Cor. 14:29 "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other
judge." If anyone will not allow their revelations to be judged, get away from them! If the "prophet" or "apostle" thinks that their elevated status lifts them above the "common people" judging their revelations, get away from them. Warning #5 - Revelation becomes a replacement for the Scriptures and for common sense. When people base their lives on dreams, visions, and prophecies all sorts of evil will eventually creep in. All these things are changeable. The Word of God does not change. Learn to study it, to "rightly divide" it. Base your life solidly on it. Seekers Many who seek revelation gifts are very good folk who simply want to know God's will. They will go to certain ministries to "receive a word" and sometimes go to great lengths to get a revelation. Often they get very depressed if the "prophet" does not give them a word. To them I say, SEEK THE LORD. Seek His face. When He desires to give you a revelation, a prophecy, a dream or vision HE CAN DO IT! And He will. Over the years of our ministry to Him, He has given us prophetic utterances, visions and revelations. THESE HAVE COME TO PASS! But we do not seek those things. Our focus is seeking Jesus, not His gifts.
May the Lord grant you joy and peace in your believing. Pastor Jim |
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