1 Corinthians 12:10 KJV
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
I want to give some attention today to the oft neglected spiritual gift of "discerning of spirits."
1 John 4:1-3 KJV
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
It seems to me that there is little effort by Christians today to discern whether something is genuinely of God or not. If a man "say" he has faith, the bulk of Christendom tends to simply accept that as good enough and, from their, our only criterion of judgment is whether we perceive them to be "successful" or not.
If they seem like they are popular
If they seem like they have a good following
If they seem like they are making people happy
Those are the things that people think matter.
We have men like Joel Osteen, the pastor of the huge Lakewood Church in Texas. His message is far from that of the true man of God. He compromises subjects like hell and even heaven, claiming that men can have their "best life now."
There are doctrines and there are practices that hit much more close to home even than does Osteen's false ministry. We as Christians must learn to discern the spirits. We must learn to try the spirit of ministries and those men leading them based not upon what works and appears to be successful, but what is Scriptural. And if we do not have the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits, then we need to be humble enough to heed the warning of those who do.
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
I want to give some attention today to the oft neglected spiritual gift of "discerning of spirits."
1 John 4:1-3 KJV
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
It seems to me that there is little effort by Christians today to discern whether something is genuinely of God or not. If a man "say" he has faith, the bulk of Christendom tends to simply accept that as good enough and, from their, our only criterion of judgment is whether we perceive them to be "successful" or not.
If they seem like they are popular
If they seem like they have a good following
If they seem like they are making people happy
Those are the things that people think matter.
We have men like Joel Osteen, the pastor of the huge Lakewood Church in Texas. His message is far from that of the true man of God. He compromises subjects like hell and even heaven, claiming that men can have their "best life now."
There are doctrines and there are practices that hit much more close to home even than does Osteen's false ministry. We as Christians must learn to discern the spirits. We must learn to try the spirit of ministries and those men leading them based not upon what works and appears to be successful, but what is Scriptural. And if we do not have the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits, then we need to be humble enough to heed the warning of those who do.
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