False Prophets
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Pure motives
Follow the way of Love - love is patient love is kind, it is not self-seeking!
2. Proximity to God - you got to be close to hear God’s whisper
3. Presence of humility - not to call out but to call up
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
4. Participant in community of God’s people - not in isolation
16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
We - not I, prophecy is team ministry - there is no ‘I’ in team, prophecy is so needed to bring insights to the church, but needs to work alongside the other ministry gifts. the apostolic which anchors the revelations, the teacher who verifies biblical truth, the evangelist who brings an outward focus, and the pastor who brings timing and sensitivity.
5. Accountable to discerning leadership
Who are for you and love us enough to say Yes and love us enough to say no!
“We have been so afraid of despising prophecy that we have neglected judging it” John Bevere
Should judge both prophecy and the one delivering it before receiving it.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
Prophets do not need to behave in a wierd way this can distract from God’s message being delivered.
There is a difference between doing a symbolically wierd thing because God has shown you how he is going to speak through it, and being wierd because it creates an identity which sets you apart as “the prophet”!
32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Last days there will be deception - false prophets will arise who will draw people to themselves rather than the heart and rule of God.
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
Number 1 target of the false prophetic is the wounded or offended:
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
It reminds me of
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
See that - we do not accept something as true just because it is accompanied by signs and wonders, by calling Jesus Lord, nor by driving out demons.
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
This is from within the church - “from your own number” who distort the truth - this is the key! SO be on your guard. Jesus described these wolves also:
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
They may have all the appearance of being a believer but
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
Speaking into peoples desires -
21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
Prophecy re my imminently finding lady I will marry - that’s not you God is it?
It is not about the ‘I’ but about the building up of the body.
If it’s all about our own development, our own growth even in gifts of God, our own becoming all we can be it is putting ourselves first! This is covetousness, rather than contentment.
Rather we should be asking, how can the body be edified? How can the gifts be released and grow in the body? Rather than be worried about us receiving a prophecy, it should be about that a true prophecy is given to upbuild a person or the church - no matter who it is given to! It is not about the super-prophets becoming more super, but about the body growing in hearing God for themselves! AMEN!
In Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
It is all about justifying self, and spiritual pride, look we must be approved by God because we call him Lord and are able to do all these amazing things in his name! It is being the resounding gong from 1 Corinthians 13 where the motivation isn’t love.
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
Love of the truth
10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Levels of Prophecy
Thus saith the Lord - 100% right or 100% wrong - God has spoken word for word or it is false.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us (Acts 15:28) - reflects a general consensus about the will of God. May or may not be 100% accurate, but from best of abilities as a group believe to be the will of God.
Does this mean anything to you? I get a sense than maybe… fully open to testing, may not be fully accurate but trying to hear God - makes no claims of authority.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of clear teaching sometimes in churches interpretation of a tongue can take the form of prophecy of God speaking to us. What may have happened is:
During a time of worship 1 person expresses their heart to God in prayer in tongues, another person gets a sense of what is being said - the interpretation, and another person at the same time in connecting with God receives a prophecy. The person with the prophecy jumps the gun and delivers what they have received. As a result, the person who received the correct interpretation concludes they must have misheard and is discouraged - the church ends up not being built up by the interpretation of the tongue.
During a time of worship 1 person expresses their heart to God in prayer in tongues. The correct interpretation could be something like… I thank you Father God that you love me as your child and you will guide me. Because of wrong teaching a person sensing the heart of the tongue reinterprets this as from God to us as “Thus says the Lord, I am your Father and I love you as my child and I will guide you”.
When God speaks to us, He isn’t wanting to be awkward, why would He use Chinese whispers when He can speak to us directly or if through another person directly through prophecy?
Finally Paul challenges those who see themselves as prophets or spiritual:
37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. 38 But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
If they continue by belief or practice to bring disorder into God’s church, not discerning the body, nor submitting to authority and sound biblical order. They are not following God’s commandments, nor recognising God’s character or authority and the result will be they will not be recognised by God.