T&I, prophecy, testimonies, preaching, teaching can come from various sources. All should be judged by the Scriptures.
1. They can come from someone trying to deceive, manipulate, and control.
2. They can come from someone wanting the approval and adulation of "the crowd" so they say what is expected and what people want to hear. Some people long to be considered "spiritual" or "gifted" or "prophetic."
3. They can come from someone who has mental problems and thinks he/she is hearing from God.
4. They can come from a sincere person who is deceived and passes that deception on.
5. They can come from a person who sincerely believes God has given them a word and it is limited by their own prejudices, lack of knowledge, grammatical limitations, etc.
"All should be judged by the Scriptures." How?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
1. Some fakes may be disprovable with this method. But even this is "iffy": can you guarantee that a statement is in conflict with scripture, as opposed to a mere "apparent contradiction" with it? In the exact same way apparent contradictions between two scriptures are resolved, any (or nearly any) alleged message from God can be reconciled.
2. Genuine messages cannot be proven to be genuine. There is no way to tell if a true statement, one that agrees with scripture, actually came from God or merely from the person. One may argue that it doesn't matter. If one argues this, however, one is admitting that it is entirely possible that God never actually speaks through anyone. (Which is fine by me, but not so fine to a lot of people's statements of faith! )
3. Some messages are scripture-neutral. They don't contradict scripture, but scripture doesn't address the content of the message at all. "God says that we are to tear down this building and build a new one, ten times as big, and the carpet is to be canary yellow!" Did this message come from God?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
3. Some messages are scripture-neutral. They don't contradict scripture, but scripture doesn't address the content of the message at all. "God says that we are to tear down this building and build a new one, ten times as big, and the carpet is to be canary yellow!" Did this message come from God?
My only comment here (since I am not the expert on interpreting scripture) is that this COULD be said to be a genuine message based on the "obey them" and "touch not" clauses which really is a catch-all.
My only comment here (since I am not the expert on interpreting scripture) is that this COULD be said to be a genuine message based on the "obey them" and "touch not" clauses which really is a catch-all.
Well, yeah, if it came from the pastor. But if it came from a layman, giving an interpretation or a "word from the Lord", I guess you have to discern. And since everyone won't discern the same way, I guess you'd have to vote on whether this is really God's command or not. Or roll a die, BB?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Well, yeah, if it came from the pastor. But if it came from a layman, giving an interpretation or a "word from the Lord", I guess you have to discern. And since everyone won't discern the same way, I guess you'd have to vote on whether this is really God's command or not. Or roll a die, BB?
Ya know, I had a nearly identical thought as I was reading this.
Ya know, I had a nearly identical thought as I was reading this.
In the Old Testament they had the urim and thummim. The High Priest had a pouch in his breastplate and the urim and thummim were a black stone and a white stone. A question requiring a yes or no answer would be asked and the high priest would reach in and pull out a stone. The white stone meant yes and the black stone meant no.
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Sam also known as Jim Ellis
Apostolic in doctrine
Pentecostal in experience
Charismatic in practice
Non-denominational in affiliation
Inter-denominational in fellowship
In the Old Testament they had the urim and thummim. The High Priest had a pouch in his breastplate and the urim and thummim were a black stone and a white stone. A question requiring a yes or no answer would be asked and the high priest would reach in and pull out a stone. The white stone meant yes and the black stone meant no.
I wonder if they had the equivalent to today's Department of Weights and Measurements to make sure the white and black stone equaled each other in number?
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