From The Pastor's Pen... - 3/19/12 - Try The Spirits

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God, for many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1 AKJ).

In the above verse from 1 John the 4th chapter, John is literally telling his readers to try, or check

every spirit behind a claimed revelation or truth. You see, John knew, as we should likewise, that,

rarely will we find the whole truth when dealing with Christian teachers and/or authors. But,

hopefully you've already discovered that for yourself. Simply put, it's wise to be cautious when

navigating the spiritual waters of concepts and teaching which are abundantly available today.

That said, let's take this vital Kingdom principal one step further. As believers, we need to learn

to skeptically examine, any and all, preaching, or teaching, which appears questionable even within our own church or denomination. Of course, every seeking believer may easily do so by, measuring

every purported fact or prophetic claim thru the lens of the preserved scriptures, Apostolic doctrine, and historical Christianity (see 2 Timothy 2:15). (We recommend the Authorized King James as the most accurate and authoritative translation to date). Actually, there are two tried and tested methods by which that end can be properly achieved:

#1. Point by point - Take note of the plural form of the word "spirit". Don't assume that, because part of what an individual teaches is accurate, that the entirety of it will always be equally as legitimate. Try, or

test, the spirit in each separate instance.

#2. Check all teaching and preaching by a healthy skepticism, again, comparing the entirety to the

Holy Scriptures, and knowledge of historical Christianity contained therein, by always being alert

to attempts to ignore the whole counsel of the written word (see Acts 20:27).

One final note; as serious believers, we must never fail to remember that, Jesus, the Living Word, remains the same, yesterday, today and forever (see Hebrews 13:8) and, therefore, Biblical truth is never influenced, nor can it be modified, by the secular norms of a particular time, societal opinions, or the doctrines of men. In short, the preserved scriptures must always be our final authority for faith and

practice.

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy

came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1: 20-21 AKJ).