Many in American Christian circles are reeling from the revelations concerning false prophets in our midst; men who are well-known and respected, and the pain their silence [in the midst of deception] is causing the Body of Christ. This concerns the accusations against Shawn Bolz and the Leadership of Bethel Church. I plan on writing in-depth on this situation in my next post. But I want to take a few days to do my own due diligence and to listen to what the Lord has to say on the matter before I comment. It is important, in the Spirit of Truth, to be righteous about what I express.
But first, I want to approach the subject of receiving our anointing and any prophecies we might be given. It is very important to be discerning at this point in our lives. Far too many of us Christians are not being mindful that false prophets actually exist. We are too easily influenced by our souls -- that part of us that is connected to our own thoughts and desires, our emotions, and our own free wills, rather than what the Lord is imparting to us. As the Bible warns us, these false prophets come disguised as men [and women] who have "a word" for us from God. The Bible says these people can be used by Satan, appearing as a "roaring lion, looking for someone to devour", and "come dressed as sheep, but inwardly, are ravenous wolves".
How are we to protect ourselves from them? We must learn to use our discernment, and test the spirits so that we might recognize them by their actions and teachings. Matthew 7:16 tells us we will "recognize them by their fruit, which is their contrived [artificial, made-up, phony] doctrine and self-focus" (Amplified version of the Bible). But what is discernment? The problem is that far too many Christians don't read their Bible, and therefore have no idea what the word means, how God defines it, or how we are to employ it. According to the Hebrew and Greek definitions of discernment, it means (to be able) to understand; to know for certain by experience, and by observing and reflecting; to recognize and be acquainted with.
What stands out to me is the notion that to "be discerning" requires the ability to distinguish between good and evil, truth and lies. And how are we to gain that knowledge? Through a personal relationship with God/Jesus and to perceive and understand His will through our relationship with the Holy Spirit! But if you never study His Word or seek to hear the Holy Spirit's wisdom, counsel, or understanding, how will you ever know what God's will is? Or experience that personal relationship so that you can recognize their voices and God's Truth?
Do you remember Matthew 24:11, in which Jesus warns His disciples about the rise of false prophets as a sign of the End Times? "They will deceive many" is the message given by our Lord. They will be cunning and convincing, leading many astray. They will pretend to speak for God, but instead, uttering their own manufactured truth. That is what we are seeing in today's Church culture, because the Body of Christ has been lacking in discernment -- no knowledge, no experience, no relationship with the One who leads us to all truth ... the Holy Spirit.
And this brings me to the Biblical precepts that I want to discuss before I bring you my next post on this current issue facing the Church. I believe that 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 and 14 are at the center of this controversy. These are the chapters that have become very difficult and contentious for the family of God. They have caused quite a lot of division and questions among various Christian denominations as Churches all compete for dominance in proclaiming their theological positions.
These chapters concern the Spiritual Gifts; whether they are for today, and to whom they are meant for. I have spent the last 8 years pursuing God's Truth in the matter, turning off the indoctrination being offered by various teachers and denominational doctrines in order to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, as He teaches my spirit through the depths of God's Word. It is actually a very simple message given in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, which gives us a complete picture of how God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus work together (with us) to expand the Kingdom of God on earth. Here is what those verses say:
It is the same Holy Spirit who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts (Verse 4). The Lord Yahweh is one, and He is the one who apportions to believers different varieties of ministries (Verse 5). The same God distributes different kinds of miracles that accomplish different results through each believer's gift and ministry as He energizes and activates them (Verse 6).
First, it is very important to recognize that these verses establish that the Holy Spirit, plus Jesus (referred to as Lord Yahweh), plus God are One. They are three distinct "personalities" if you will, of the One True God. [NOTE: John 10:30 and John 14:16-20 establishes this as well. They are all One and they will make their home in us and will live inside us.] So, now let's look again at 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (see above paragraph) and see how simply God lays out His plan to work through us to expand His Kingdom. Verse 4 says that God, as the Holy Spirit, distributes the many different varieties of spiritual gifts (which are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gifts of faith, healing, power to work miracles, prophecy, discernment , speaking different kinds of tongues (languages), and the interpretation of tongues.
Then verse 5 says that Jesus, as Lord Yahweh (God) allocates certain ministries to certain people [by His grace] and those ministries are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Then verse 6 says that this same God (the same as Holy Spirit and Jesus) distributes different kinds of miracles (or empowerment) that accomplish different results (the results He wants) through our gifts and ministries, as He energizes and activates them. And how does He do that? By the same Holy Spirit that Jesus says lives in us and is in Him! It is a picture of both a symbiotic and beautiful relationship. They interact in a mutually beneficial relationship that both benefits Them and us.
It's really very simple ... It's the Holy Spirit that gives us the spiritual gifts; Jesus assigns the ministries; and then God, the Father, equips those gifts and ministries with His power [miracles] to accomplish His will. That's not my interpretation -- it's the actual Word of God! Instead, men [who, in their own pride and willfulness] decide they are the arbiters of who and how God wants to anoint, assign, and equip His people to serve Him. But have these "prophets" actually heard from the Holy Spirit? Do they have the experience of maturing in their relationship with the Spirit in order to recognize His voice? Or are they hearing the whispered lies of the Enemy that they can gain a following that benefits themselves while pretending they are working for the Kingdom?
And what about the Body of Christ that is willing to listen to them? Are they using God-given discernment produced from their own maturing relationship with God and the Holy Spirit? Are they observing if there is "fruit" from this "prophet"? And are they familiar enough with the Bible to accurately vet the prophecies and test to see if they might be receiving deceiving and lying spirits. Can they even recognize the warning signals the Holy Spirit might be giving them?
I believe we are living in those End Times that Jesus warned would be filled with many false prophets. The culture of the Church has been an invitation for those lying spirits to tempt the people of God; both the Leaders as well as the flock. But I strongly believe that it is the responsibility of the followers of Christ to seek to understand what His Word tells us ... But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). A lot of hurt and disillusionment from the Church could be avoided if we walked in this commandment, and if we actually took time to read and study the Word. But it is the responsibility of Church leadership to seek and hear from the Holy Spirit on how to equip, nurture, and encourage the Body of Christ to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal their particular calling/ministry, and how to discern that they are hearing correctly. That includes accountability to each other and their flocks.
So, I will have more to say in my next post about how I'm discerning the latest scandal in the Church. But this I know for sure... our God is bigger than any attempt by Satan to disparage YHWH's Word or purpose for His followers. Let us pray that repentance is forthcoming from all involved, so the Church can be restored and renewed with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, throwing off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles us. We serve a Merciful but Righteous God. His will be done in this situation as we keep the eyes of our hearts and spirits on Jesus!
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
