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These are both exciting and difficult times to be a Christian. Exciting because as you consume the understanding of the Bible, you realize we are seeing almost all the signs of the “end times”. Difficult because as promised, we are seeing more false teachings, increased persecution of Christian values, and people falling away from the faith in record numbers. Churches are becoming colder and more about religion than relationships with God and each other.

In the past two years, I have heard and read more of a cacophony of questionable or outright false teachings than ever before in my lifetime.  It also seems for every one repentant soul coming to faith in Christ in our church, there are two leaving for one reason or another.  The Holy Spirit AND Satan are working overtime to prepare us for the end that is coming.

While we see so many churches and movements focused on miraculous “signs and wonders” to prove their faith, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find proclaiming Christians who read and understand the scriptures that are meant to provide their faith. Many Christians today cannot quote enough scripture that would lead someone to salvation, answer the challenging questions of the secular world, or stand up Biblically against abortion, Critical Race Theory, socialism, and the like. This makes it easy for many to be led astray or believe false teaching coming from false prophets on all sides. I would suggest that every Christian movement or denomination have “wolves in sheep’s clothing” among them. It is just another sign of the times.

Obviously, this is nothing new since the early church under Peter and Apostle John in the scripture above struggled with a similar proliferation of false Christs and false teachings labeled “Anti-Christ”. They had to be bold enough to speak out against those people and exhort the church members to follow THEM and their example. These are choices Christians have made for millenniums, and these conflicts are even more egregious in these times.

The Word tells us to study in order to stay true to the truth and not be led astray by “every wind of doctrine”.  In my ministry, I feel compelled to exhort on this theme wherever I go. Just call me the “anti-Prophet” Prophet. For me, it is clear that there are no more “Apostles” or “Prophets” required to interpret, add to, or subtract from the Gospel of Christ. The Word of God, rightly divided, is sufficient to drive every believer into all truth. People that want to interject themselves as interpreters, or call attention to themselves and “new revelations” are fully suspect in my consideration. If you need more than simple faith in Christ and His Word to fill you with His spirit, you might want to “test the spirits” that are speaking to you. His filling you spiritually is not about emotion or feelings. While there is nothing wrong with having emotions about your faith, your faith more importantly needs to be based on truth and absolute conviction no matter how you are “feeling”. If you find yourself drawn towards sensational, self-promoting preachers or teachers stressing emotional/experiential worship over foundational teachings of the Bible…you need to test whether you are being misled by your emotions, or not.

In Matthew 7:21-24 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

This passage means many things, but primarily I think it underlines that believers are to obey God’s word with the power of the Holy Spirit helping them and not be focused on the “signs and wonders” of prophecies, casting out demons, or doing “mighty works” that draw attention to themselves. If you have the calling or ability to do these things, great!  If you don’t, you shouldn’t waste time or attention on those at the expense of reading, praying, and simply obeying God’s word. People who say “Lord, Lord…” can come from many different angles or motivations.

Finally, I have to declare that any Christian leader or speaker who questions the basic true Gospel of the deity of Christ, any aspect of the Trinity, or Biblical authority over the believer should be shunned nor listened to by the spiritual believer. This is not a time to experiment with new theologies or man-made theories regarding the nature or character of God. Sure, there are many things we will never understand clearly in this life, but if our faith is built upon the solid rock of God’s revelation in the Bible, we will be satisfied by faith that God is in control of that which we do not understand. That is why He is a Sovereign God…and we are not.

So I encourage you to “test the spirits” whenever you hear someone saying “the Lord revealed to me” or, “God told me” something that does not line up or is clearly included in the Bible. As mentioned in previous blogs, my favorite new saying is “If it’s true it’s not new, and if it’s new it’s not true”. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

In these last days, Satan is using false preachers and teachers to divide the Body of Christ, the Church, as never before.  In these times it is much easier and faster for deceit and division to be propagated over all the new media of the world. It doesn’t take more than five minutes on Youtube to find a plethora of “Christian” leaders attacking each other, claiming new doctrines, or trying to manipulate people with emotion and “miracles” versus proclaiming the simple and eternal Gospel of Christ. This can be very discouraging if we allow ourselves to be drawn into these “discussions”.

At this Easter season, may all true believers unite in the core message of Christ, Him crucified for the redemption of man’s sins, and His powerful resurrection which confirmed and proved for all time His deity and position over the world and the church. He is coming again for those who love and obey Him, not those who generate mystical or mythical theologies about Him. We are his “bride” and the bridegroom is coming very soon to be reunited based on His covenant and plan from the beginning of Genesis. Nothing has changed, so until then, hold fast to Biblical truth and test all strange spirits and messages that don’t line up with those truths. “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”.