Testing what I hear

 

Someone I know is so in tune with spiritual matters that she senses the spiritual status of people around her. For her, this is so distressing that she avoids crowds because those who reject Christ have a strong effect on her emotions. She is also discerning with all media, so their television set is often turned off. I’m uncertain how this happens but know that God calls all His people to be discerning. He says:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:1–3)

Normally these verses are applied to sects that try to imitate Christianity. They will not acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord who came in the flesh to die for our sin, nor will they fully acknowledge their sin and need of His grace. However, this sort of deception also creeps into churches. Some may attend yet err in their understanding of His identity and of the way of salvation. They may claim to follow Christ but cannot spot errors. Christians are told to test all spirits and be wary of what they teach because some are religious but actually not for Christ but are anti-Christ. 

This attitude is described as one person in the following long passage. It also describes the power behind the subtle lies that can deceive even genuine believers for a little while:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:1–17)

Not everyone is gifted in discernment, but our protection from false teaching is secured in the Lord Jesus Christ. He works through His Word to help His people stand firm and recognize lies. The key is to read the Bible and keep short accounts with God so we can hear Him clearly. This long passage is a warning but also an assurance. I was chosen to glorify Christ, not to make up anything that suits what appeals to my flesh. Not only that, the One who called me also promises to keep me.

PRAY: While some of this seems complicated, Jesus I know that You are quick to impress my heart when someone teaches a lie that is against You. I might not have an immediate answer for them, but know that I can find truth in Your Word. I’m so glad to have the Bible and access to it, and to have the Holy Spirit who helps me recognize solid Christian teaching. I’m also thankful that You persist in feeding me truth to keep me trusting You — rather than anyone or anything else. Thank You, Jesus.

God works wonders but so does the enemy . . .

 

Modern technology is full of extraordinary visual tricks that seem to make impossible become possible. Some television commercials make me shake my head and wonder how they did that — at the same time realizing these stunts are trying to influence me to buy their products.

In the OT, the word WONDERFUL often refers to the extraordinary deeds of God. He struck down Egypt with His wonders, and did wonders for His people in the promised land. The psalms are filled with praise for His wonderous works and even the curses sent for disobedience were called wonderful.

This word also points to other activities or ideas that are beyond doing or grasping. For instance, the writer of Proverbs 30:18–19 says, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.” When referring to Himself, God says in Genesis 18:14. “Is anything too hard (too wonderful) for the Lord?” then tells Sarah she will have a son long after the age of childbearing has past. That wonderful act was the birth of Isaac a year later.

Jeremiah declared, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” And God replies, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

In the NT, the ability to perform “signs and wonders” came from God, but it could also come from the evil one. For example:

Mark 13:22. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.”

Hebrews 2:4. “God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Acts 2:43. “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

Signs and wonders confirm the authenticity of the wonder worker and God bears witness to His great salvation through wonderful actions such as those found in the gospels and Acts. Yet even though a wonderful deed can create awe, only the Holy Spirit can change human hearts. Not everyone who sees a wonder comes to saving faith, particularly those wonders that are performed by demonic powers. That is, signs and wonders are no substitute for spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this reason, the people of God need discernment and a true understanding of who Jesus is:

1 John 4:1–3. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 also tells me to “test everything; hold fast what is good” in the context of “do not quench the Spirit” and “do not despise prophecies” giving me two clues to areas where false ‘wonders’ might fool me. One is when the Holy Spirit tells me something and I stifle or push it aside as if pouring water on His fire. Disobeying God in any area of life makes me open to deception. This is why this verse is written in these steps:

James 4:7. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

I cannot resist the devil when in a state of resisting God. The power to resist him, even discern his activities, is a power that comes only to a heart yielded to the Lord.

Secondly, I’m not to despise or treat with contempt any prophetic utterance. Prophecy can refer to the future but usually refer to telling forth truth about God. Since this is the role of a preacher, then one area of danger is refusing to listen with respect to sermons. As soon as I turn my thumb down in distain I put myself in danger. Yes, the messenger might be a false prophet, but my attitude toward that speaker or the message can make me vulnerable. Contempt for another person is not the way of Jesus Christ. Having such an attitude messes with my ability to discern when God is at work from when the devil is trying to fool me.

Any wonderful event or activity that brings praise to God and glorifies His mighty power and grace should also be shared as such, not glory given to the event or activity or to the persons involved. Failure to do this is not necessarily a sign that God did not do it, but it is evidence that my heart is more interested in drawing attention to the wonder rather than the One who works wonders and is worthy of my praise!