STEPS TO JUDGING PROPHECY!

As New Testament Christians we need the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our Churches today. But we should also realize that there are both true and false gifts. 

Jesus warned against false prophets, saying, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt. 7:15).

Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have is from God (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

This means that we shouldn’t believe everything we hear just because someone says it is a message from God.

Last week we learnt that there are three types of prophecy: 1) Fore-telling the future, 2) Forth-telling the Word of God, and 3) Praising God.

Fore-telling is different from forth-telling. Fore-telling reveals the future. This implies that it has an element of the Word of Wisdom in it. Forth-telling is telling you the Word of God as it is.

Today we want to understand how we can effectively judge prophecies - “STEPS TO JUDGING PROPHECY!”

1 John 4:1-3 says, “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many FALSE PROPHETS in the world.

Paul and Peter writing to the Church in their day warned against false prophets, false apostles, and false prophecies (2 Cor. 11:13; 2 Pet. 2:1).

1. The first step to judging prophecy is: Recognizing the false prophets and false teachers including false brethren.

This is noteworthy: if you cannot be trusted, your prophecies also cannot be trusted! If someone lies habitually, we can’t believe his prophecies because he lacks integrity.

If someone is not faithful in paying his tithes, we can’t believe his prophecies because God will not speak through a thief.

How then can we recognize false prophets? We can recognize false prophets by their fruits.

In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus warned us about false prophets saying, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

Jesus described false prophets as coming to you “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (v. 15). They appear to be very humble, very meek – just like the rest of the sheep. You can’t tell from their outward appearance that they are ravening [predatory] wolves.

But Jesus told us the way to know them. How? In Matthew 7:16-20 Jesus warned us about false prophets saying, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”... 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

By their fruits you shall know them. If someone lies habitually, you can’t believe his prophecies because he lacks integrity. If such a person cannot be trusted, his prophecies can also not be trusted.

Worldliness is the order of the day in their churches (1 Jn. 4:5-6). Sin is not talked about or it is trivialized. The life of righteousness and holiness is left out.

False prophets are popular with the world because they tell people what they want to hear. Apostle John warns that Christians who faithfully teach God’s Word will not win any popularity contests in this world. They tell you that you are lifted and blessed when they know that you are on your way to hell. Why? This is because people don’t want to hear their sins denounced; they don’t want to listen to the demands that they change their behavior.

They are professing Christians whose loyalty is more to personalities than to the Word of God (Matt. 7:21). They worship the creature more than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).

They are more concerned with their own desires than with God’s glory and honour (Phil. 3:18-19).

Their doctrine is usually self-centered rather than God-centered (Matt. 7:21-23; 2 Tim. 4:3-4).

They accept human teachings and traditions even when those teachings contradict the Word of God (Matt. 7:24-27; 1 Jn. 4:6).

They seek and respond to religious experiences and supernatural manifestations as their final authority in validating truth, rather than grounding themselves in the whole counsel of God’s Word (Matt. 7:22-23).

False brethren do not endure sound doctrine but seek teachers who offer salvation with the “broad road” of unrighteousness (Matt. 7:13-14; 2 Tim. 4:3-5).

2. What is the fruit of their ministry? The greatest proof of the authenticity of your ministry is changed lives. The fruits of false teachers are unwholesome characteristics evident in the life of their followers. You will not see changed lives in their congregation.

3. They love flamboyant or “bogos” life styles. They like titles. You find them answering titles like “Reverend.” Only God’s name should be revered (Ps. 111:9). By answering that, they are taking the place of God. “Reverend” is not one of the 5 ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11.

They also take titles like Dr. when they never saw the four walls of any University. They answer Archbishop. I have never seen any Archbishop in the Bible.

They do not do what they preach. Many of them tell you, “Do what I say, but don’t do what I do.”

Some of them wear cap on their head like the Jews while praying in the church. But the Bible says that we should not do that (1 Cor. 11:3-4).

They wear big crosses on their necks, and big rings on their fingers. A good number of them have developed “Mr. Ibu” kind of stomach, and you wonder whether they fast at all.

They sell holy anointing oil. They sell holy combs. They direct people to pray to a rod of wood, instead of praying to the Father, in the name of Jesus. They use holy water to pray for people thereby shifting the people’s faith from Jesus to water. This is idolatry.

Many of them baptize Infants. The Scripture does not allow infant baptism because baptism is an outward manifestation of an inward reality (Mk. 16:15-16). Children can only be dedicated to God.

A good number of them are divorced (Mal. 2:16). If you are divorced you have no message (Matt. 19:5-6).

False prophets attract attention to themselves: The Holy Spirit never attracts attention to man, to make man Lord. When the Holy Spirit is in manifestation, He always makes Jesus Lord.

4. Does the prophecy agree with the Scriptures? It is very essential that we are full of the Word of God, because you cannot judge prophecy without a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures (Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:1-3; Prov. 4:20-22).

If it is a true prophecy, it will be in line with the Word of God, because the Spirit and the Word agree. Why must true prophecy agree with the word?

The Holy Spirit was the One that inspired holy men of God to put down on paper the inspired Word of God – the thoughts of God.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit is never going to tell you one thing in the Word and another through prophecy.

The Holy Spirit never contradicts Himself. So, if the prophecy does not agree with the Word of God, it is false.

For instance, a certain fellow prophesied saying, “The Lord would have me tell you merry Christmas.” This is false prophecy because it is contrary to Hebrews 9:26, 28.

Another one prophesied saying, “The Lord said that except you divorce your aged wife and marry that sweet sixteen, your ministry will never prosper.” This is false prophecy because it is contrary to Malachi 2:16.

 

5. Does the prophecy glorify Christ? We can judge prophecies and prophets according to their attitude toward Jesus. If they lead us away from Him, or if they create division in the Body of Christ, they are false.

Jesus speaking about the Holy Spirit, said, “He shall glorify Me” (Jn. 16:14). If the prophecy is right and the prophet is right, they will testify of Jesus. If either attracts attention to man, however, it is wrong, because “He shall glorify Me.”

Paul is saying here that when spiritual gifts including prophecy, are in operation, they will make Jesus Lord. If the prophecy is of God, it MUST point to Jesus.

1 John 4:1-2 says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”

6. Does the prophecy draw attention to man? If the prophecy attracts attention to man, it is wrong, because “true prophecy ought to glorify Jesus and not man” (1 Cor. 12:3).

7. What do they believe about Christ? Do they teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man? To know whether a prophet has the Spirit of God, we should discover if he acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being.

A true servant of God believes that Jesus of Nazareth, as revealed in the Gospels, is the Messiah, God’s only and unique incarnation of Himself.

A true teacher must also teach that Jesus became a man with a human body. God the Son is forever fully God and fully man, though in immortal, incorruptible flesh. A teacher who denies Jesus’ full and true humanity proves that he is not from God.

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error (deception)” (1 Jn. 4:6).

8. Do the prophecies come to pass? There are some who are presumptuous and prophesy out of their own minds. Their prophecies are not fulfilled (Deut. 18:20-22). If it is God that has spoken, that Word must come to pass. Nothing can stop it from being fulfilled (Isa. 55:11; Matt. 5:18). Realize that not all prophecies are of God even though they may come to pass (Deut. 13:1-5).

9. Does this prophecy draw you closer to God or away from God? Does this prophecy try to turn you away from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to follow or does it keep you on that very way the Lord has commanded you to follow? If the prophecy is of God, it will draw you closer to God. If the prophecy is of God, it will not turn you away from the path God has commanded you to follow.

10. Do the prophecies produce liberty or bondage? 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak…” (NIV).

If something is done in the same spirit of faith that we are in, it will produce liberty. If it’s not, it will produce bondage. God does not want to bind people or hold them in bondage. God is concerned about liberating people – setting the captives free. If people are of the same spirit, they will know it. The “same spirit” is what is important (Rom. 8:15).

Therefore, this same “spirit” that we have is not the spirit of bondage.

Some prophecies bring bondage instead of liberty. If prophecy produces bondage like fear, it is false. Don’t allow anybody to bring you into bondage through his prophecy (2 Cor. 11:20).

A certain fellow prophesied saying, “Thus saith the Lord, “That so much fear is coming that He himself the Lord is afraid.”

This prophecy is certainly false because it produces bondage of fear.

Another fellow who claimed to be a prophet said, “I’m a prophet of God. If you want to get to heaven, you’ve got to do what I tell you to do.” He added, “You women have got to dress the way I tell you to. Even if you already dress that way, you won’t make it to heaven, unless you do it because I tell you to. And I am telling you not to wear any silk dress. Wear only cotton dresses.”

A passage in Acts 20 shows us that what happened in the Early Church is still happening today (Acts 20:28-30).

Paul warns by the Spirit that such men would rise up from within the flock, creating division and “...speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

10. Realize that the anointing abides in you. 1 John 2:20, 27 says, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things……27 But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.”

The words “unction” and “anointing” mean the same thing. “But the anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you...” When things are not right, something on the inside of you – an unction of the Lord, the anointing that abideth in you – tells you so. The Holy Spirit is there to inform you if things are alright or not, and you will know immediately. By this anointing or unction, we know all things.

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)                              09.09. 2018