 |
|
 |
St. Paul School of Leadership & Discipleship Lesson 81 - part 3 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" The Saint Paul School WHERE JUDGMENT BEGINS (PART 3) "At The House Of God" INTRODUCTION Millions of Christians are praying for an end time harvest of people experiencing Jesus Christ as Savior. However, not many comprehend the price that must be paid to have that harvest. There must be laborers who are cleansed, consecrated and challenged by the Holy Spirit to advertise to the world what is means to belong to Jesus. I see great changes coming to today’s churches and denominations. Youth are ready to imitate those who follow closely to Christ. Pastors and leaders are examining their priorities and exchanging once-hallowed but merely human traditions for humble, biblical truths. Judgment has begun at the house of God. The process may get painful but the holiness and power that will come from it will set on fire a worldwide army of followers of Jesus. We continue exposing the places where God’s Spirit is shaking things up in the churches. Review the last two lessons for the first two areas of change that are coming: 1) God’s heart for Israel and 2) His call for a church full of bold witnesses. Here is number three. NUMBER 3--THE "PROPHETIC WORD” DANGER Prophecy is one of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit. Various denominations interpret it differently. One side sees it as "forthtelling”—the anointed preaching of the Word of God. My charismatic brethren view it as more "foretelling”—uttering what they believe to be a special word from the Lord to their listeners. I see both sides as "prophetic” and necessary to the growth of the body. The great danger lies in the "foretelling” of "Thus saith the Lord” when the Lord hasn’t spoken. Danger also lies with the Christian who depends more on his favorite prophet that he does on knowing the Word of God and how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit through greater intimacy with God. The devil has also snared many a "prophet” who became enamored in his popularity and began taking his own (or the devil’s) thoughts for "thus saith the Lord”. He then excused it by saying no prophet is always right and hitting or missing is part of the practice needed to develop the gift. That’s where it gets scary. The poor soul who receives such prophetic error may have his life ruined. God did not allow His true prophets to play games with "thus saith the Lord.” To be wrong was to pay with your life. Some of my charismatic brethren are finding it wiser to say "I have a strong impression that may be of the Lord—I’d like you to check it out”, rather than grieve the Holy Spirit with too many "thus saith the Lord” assertions. One other thing. A true prophet of God will always be open to testing and correction. He knows that the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, tells his followers not to despise prophecies but to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good”. (1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21) And he knows that no prophecy or "word from God” will ever be contrary to what God has already clearly said in the Scriptures. He is also open to having his prophecies judged by other spiritual men and women to see if they ring clear in the Word of God and have the witness of the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 14:29) The fact that many Christian pastors and leaders now see the "prophetic word” danger is a good thing. This closes them down to careless, proud, or even false and devilish "prophecies” while keeping them open to true utterances given by the Holy Spirit to warn, strengthen or encourage His children. NEXT LESSON: The Greatest "Evidence” Of Being Filled With The Holy Spirit Related Articles · More Articles |
