Testing.
No, I’m not trying out the new mic at the church’s building.
I’m talking about testing the spirits.
Have you ever been so dedicated to something, so moved by something, but then find out everything you thought you knew about that thing was a lie? It can utterly shatter you, especially when it concerns your spiritual growth.
I was telling a friend how at this time last year I was slapped in the face with the revelation and realization of false teachers, and since then, I feel it strongly being laid on my heart to really be cautious of what I’m reading, listening to, promoting, etc., and share what I’ve learned.
Friends who’ve followed my personal Facebook page know this from a post I shared last year, apologizing for helping to further Satan’s lies.
This was my post:
“A few things have been revealed to me over the past few days, and I really feel the need to make a few changes, and I also feel the strong conviction to apologize, as I have possibly caused others to stumble, and that is NOT my intention as a Christian. Over the past couple days I have posted videos (rather lengthy ones) that I've encouraged everyone to watch (AND I STILL DO!!). These videos expose movements in worship and music as well as through the church collectively and individuals who follow Bethel and other false-doctrine [teachers] (such as Hillsong [Bill Johnson] and Elevation [Steven Furtick]). I have posted music from individuals out of Bethel, and these songs are incredibly popular right now. Corey Asbury's Reckless Love being one of them, Jesus Culture, Leeland,... the list goes on as I am learning. Again, incredibly popular individuals who are all over the radio, infiltrating our lives. I have been sharing their music, and with that comes their foundations rooted in Bethel and their false teachings. If you are a follower of Bethel (and I see that many of my friends and family are), PLEASE educate yourselves on what they believe and what they are doing. The videos I've posted recently...shed so much light on what they are spreading. And it is NOT something I endorse, condone, or support in any manner.”
*You can tell just how new all of that was to me, being I listed Bill Johnson with Hillsong. LOL
Just before this, I had the youth (being that I was the youth leader within our church) singing songs from false teachers, and it absolutely grieved me spiritually, realizing I had possibly caused them to stumble—naively, of course.
This was only the tip of the iceberg in understanding what Scripture has warned in passages like 1 John 4:1-6 and 2 Peter 2 (seriously, you need to stop here and read these!). Since then, I’ve had to learn the hard way to really test the spirits.
I’m trying to use good, Biblical discernment and balance so I’m not overly “paranoid,” but there are just so many false teachers out there, it’s crazy! Many we’ve listened to our entire lives.
And even the ones helping point out these false teachers are confused themselves with key doctrine, like baptism (as so many modern Christians are). So, it’s been difficult for me to trust anyone lately. But maybe that’s what we need to be aware of; we need to be on guard. We are warned about that many times over in Scripture. In fact, in Matthew 7:13-23, just before Jesus warns of false prophets, He speaks about the narrow gate.
We have to realize the gate of life (“life real and genuine… a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions [among them a more perfect body], and to last forever…real life after the resurrection” – the definition of life [original Greek word zōē] per Blue Letter Bible – *In other words, to be saved*), is narrow, indeed, and as Matthew 7 continues, not everyone who calls out, “’Lord, Lord’” will be saved! ← PAY ATTENTION!
It is up to the genuine Christian to live out 2 Peter 2 and 1 John 4, testing the spirits, using proper Biblical discernment. The only way to do that is by reading and studying Scripture. Constantly!
As I’ve mentioned before, I do use certain organizations’ and individuals’ informational tools to educate myself and others, and will continue to do so if I feel what they present is Biblically sound, even though I may not fully agree 100% with their beliefs on doctrine (I’m mainly speaking baptism here—which there are many great evangelists and apologists out there with awesome content, but may not believe baptism is necessary for salvation; please read here for more information—but there are other areas of doctrine as well).
Here are some videos about testing the spirits and information about well-known false teachers. *Of course, ALWAYS begin with Scripture. Compare man’s word with God’s Word. ALWAYS.*
And Check out Provoked to Proclaim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/provokedtoproclaim/
*Melissa Dougherty, Doreen Virtue, Alisa Childers, and Provoked to Proclaim do not sponsor, endorse, or is not affiliated in any way with Lights in the Darkness and its contents
Resources
Childers, Alisa. November 13, 2022. Bethel Redding & Modern Apostles: A Biblical Analysis. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://youtu.be/lYAtKSua59M (added at a later date to update a broken, invalid link)
Dougherty, Melissa. 2019. “Test the Spirits? What Does That Mean? How Do We Do This?: Breaking Down 1 John 4:1-6.” Retrieved February 23, 2021 from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA_atUucAgc
Virtue, Doreen. 2019. “Ex-Bethel Student Tells All: Lindsay Davis Testimony.” Retrieved February 23, 2021 from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=winCHM9yuY4
Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved February 23, 2021 from, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2222&t=ESV
All Scripture (unless otherwise noted): English Standard Version Bible. 2021. BibleHub.com and
English Standard Version Bible. 2016. Crossway