To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date sent: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 11:15:48 -0500
Subject: HF039 - Appraising All Things
Hebraics,
I had hoped to move on to other things, but I continue to be
pressed in my spirit to provide additional insights into an apostate
movement at work today that I believe is the precursor to the great
antichrist revival Paul says will cover the earth in the last days. This
study is repetitive in some areas, but it will contain more information on
how to deal with 'strange' happenings today.
It is crucial that believers learn how to appraise spiritual things
accurately. This study contains materials that we offer to the
disciples of Christian Challenge. I will interpose throughout the
study Scriptural notations. You can use these notations for
additional study. (Cf. is a Latin designation for 'compare.')
In addition I am going to share situations that I have personal
knowledge of that will give the readers additional emphasis on why
God's people need to be wise and discerning. (I will do this without using
names.) Too many of God's people are finding out the hard way that not
everything that is of a supernatural nature is of the Lord. I hope this
study will benefit you.
This is Bible Study HF039 - Appraising All Things.
Those who are born from above have a unique ability to recognize
the things that are of God. The believer's ability to place a value on all
things becomes more acute with spiritual maturity. In this study we will
look at how the child of God can come to know the things that are of the
Lord. Paul said that a spiritual man 'knows' and 'appraises' all things.
In 1Corinthians 2:12, the apostle says, "Now we have received, not
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we
may know the things freely given to us by God. The word 'know' is
*eido* in Greek. It means 'to see, perceive, to turn the eyes, the
mind, or the attention to anything; to get knowledge of; to be
skilled in, or to know the meaning of.
Then in verse 15, Paul says, But he who is spiritual appraises all
things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. The word 'appraises' is
*anakrino* in Greek. It means to examine, to ask questions, search,
discern, and enquire into, to scrutinize, to sift. In a forensic sense it
means to hold an investigation to determine the excellence or the defects
of any thing.
The apostle is bringing out the strength and beauty of a believer's
spiritual life. The crown of a believer's walk is his ability to know that
which is of the Lord. It is this spiritual ability that protects a
believer from error. Satan cannot successfully mislead a mature child of
God.
Two other Greek words relate to this area. They are *ginosko* and
*epignosis*. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd, and I know
(ginosko) my own and my own know (ginosko) Me. (John 10:14)
Then Peter says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge (epignosis) of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2Peter1:2)
Ginosko means to be personally acquainted with; to understand; to
have knowledge. Epignosis speaks of a deepening knowledge. It
means precise and accurate knowledge.
This brings us to the importance of discernment. The ability to
know if a thing is of God is important because the supernatural
realm makes up more than the things of God. Satan is a spiritual
being. The hallmark of Satan's work is deception. Paul said, For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the powers, against the world forces of this spiritual darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
(Eph6:12)
We are especially warned that in the last days there will be a great
increase of deception at work in the earth. The Lord said that this
deception would be so acute that even the very elect will have to maintain
a special guard. (Cf. Matt24:24; 1Tim4:1-6; 2Tim3:13.)
To take this a step further, the work of demons is closely linked to the
prideful flesh of man. Demons work with fleshly people. And what the
fleshly person attributes to God are 'soulish' powers that are in
cooperation with spirits of darkness. (Cf. Gal 5:19-21)
How do we know if it is a soulish power at work in a person, or if it is
truly of the Spirit? Later in this study I give some basic principles you
can use to judge a thing. However, James gives us the basic description of
how soulish powers work. Listen to his writings. (Cf. James 3:13-18)
"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do
not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that
which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.." The word
'natural' is *psuchikos* which speaks of the soul or mind. Its reference
is to the sensual side of our lower nature. Notice how 'psuchikos'
connects to 'demonic.'
Then James goes on to describe what is truly of the Lord; "But the
wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without
hypocrisy." (It would help if the reader would take each of these
words and study their Greek meaning.)
When prideful flesh is at work it glories in itself. It seems that the
Corinthian Church is a classic example of an immature flesh-driven church.
Certainly there were godly people in the Church, but the Church itself had
such a low level of consecration that many of the peoples were unable to
discern evil works. They were unable to discern with 'another' Jesus was
being preached. (Cf. 2Co11:2- 4,14,15.)
On the other hand, the Thessalonians believers seemed to be more
mature. (Cf. 1Thess5:12-22) Paul told these believers there were
things they should do in dealing with people who claimed to speak
for God. In verse 21, Paul says, Examine everything carefully. The way
Paul taught to examine things was by use of the Scriptures. The 'what is
written' is always to be the testing ground for teachings, and
experiences, and prophecies. (Cf. 1Co4:1,6)
Then Paul says believers are to, Hold fast to that which is good. If it
is a true revelation, it will be in accordance with the Word of God. It
must be kept for future generations.
In verse 22, the apostle continues; "Abstain from every form of evil.
'Abstain' is the word *apecho*. It means to hold back; be distant from.
The evil in view is anything falsely attributed to the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit will never give a revelation that runs contrary to God's Word.
This applies to a prophecy, a teaching, or an experience.
A good example of this is when teachings began to center on
money. Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and mammon."
Mammon was the Greek god of wealth. The word came to
represent a lust for silver and gold. Of course this is where we have a
need for spiritual balance. It is God's will to prosper His people. But we
have to understand what true Biblical prosperity is.
The balance comes in where God's people are told to keep a
pilgrim attitude about life. We are to hold tightly to Jesus, and
loosely to the world. Paul said, "For the love of money is a root of all
sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the
faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10) The
apostle included this thought; "If we have food and clothing, with these
we are to be content." (Verse 8)
True Biblical prosperity has a spiritual base. It is an outflow of a
proper relationship with the Lord. This proper relationship has a heart
attitude that is set forth in the word 'humility.' We are to live with
humble hearts before the Lord, never striving after things of the world.
The Lord Himself said that if we will seek first God's kingdom, and His
righteousness, then everything else will be provided for us.
I've shared about teachers who chide listeners about asking for
Scripture for everything. Certainly we should not rush through the
Scripture to find support for something we want to believe. Yet at
the same time, we must be careful to apply God's Word, rightly
divided, and in context, to anything that claims to be a revelation. Any
true teaching will stand the scrutiny of the Word. The point is that for a
person to claim to speak for God is not sufficient. (Cf. Rev. 2:2; 2:14;
2:20; 2Co13:5.)
What then are we to examine? To begin with we are to examine
ourselves to make sure we are in the faith. But we are also to
examine teachings of others to make certain they are in agreement
with the gospel message. This is where caution is important. It is
easy to prove many things in the Scriptures, but are these things in
accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan does his work through
half-truths. (Cf. 1Co15:1-4; Gal1:8,9; Rom10:8-10)
Then we are to examine things that are said to be spiritual
operations. Demonic spirits bring a false anointing. These spirits
love to prophesy. They love to provide information about people.
They love to be the center of attention. Careful examination will
often reveal a deceiving spirit at work.
It is here what I wish to share some situations that I've come
across in my many years of ministry to show how people can be
duped. I'll leave off the many failures that we are all aware of when it
comes to well-known television evangelists. The one I will share you are
likely not to know about.
I counseled a fallen minister who found out that what he thought
were gifts of the Spirit were actually workings of a strange spirit. This
man came from a line of pioneers preachers of his movement. He saw
miracles. He knew things about people that he could not have known in the
natural. But it always left him puzzled. For some reason this anointing
drew him to women. He had had more than one failure in this regard.
Why was he unable to discern? Some of it was due to his roots.
The movement he was from taught that it wasn't God's will for
believers to understand the supernatural. He was taught to do
things by faith, and let God fill in the blanks. Yet all during this time
this brother continually had a sensing that something was wrong.
Then there was the case of the leader of a missions group. He was
well respected. He traveled to various Churches, was known to
prophesy, and do all the things that were expected with his
religious roots. The problem was this gentleman was having
incestual relationship with two of his daughters. And his son who
was a missionary was also involved. What is wrong with this
picture? (Both men are in prison.)
Then we have this one - A friend of mine was holding a meeting in
Chicago with a particular religious group. At the hotel room where
he was staying, a lady knocked on his door. She had been sent to
his room by the leadership to provide for his needs. (You can
guess which needs are in mind.) What is wrong with this picture?
Keep in mind that these situations are not hearsays. I also ask you
to keep in mind that the things I am sharing is not a picture of the
Church at large. There are many, many God-fearing pastors, who are
faithful to their charge, and who would never ever think of doing the
things that I am describing.
Here's one more. The pastor of a large church in Houston, begins
showing the young men under his care how to help meet each
others needs sexually. This experience becomes a breeding
ground for spirits of homosexuality. (Please do not ask me for
names, etc.)
Forgive me for being so explicit. Also forgive me if you feel I am
being too negative. I am not a negative person by nature. I see the
Church is a holy institution, and wondrous in all her beauty. But
what I am sharing now is not a picture of the true Church. It is a
picture of an apostate working in the earth.
These are only samplings of cases I am aware of. And all these
cases come from the same kind of movement. Think about it. Why
are marriages coming apart, ministers remarrying, and carrying on
as though nothing had happened? What is wrong with this picture.
The 'something is wrong' is what the apostle tried to warn us about. He
said, "But the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall
away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines
of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1) The word 'deceitful' is an interesting word in
the Greek. It speaks of a restless, wandering spirit, that works a
deception. A more literal translation says, "They will believe spirits
which deceive and teachings of demons."
Lets shorten the study a bit. Here are some things you can do to
arm yourself.
First - Keep in view that not all supernatural things are from God.
Don't be afraid of offending the Lord by questioning. Remember that
everything the Lord has, the enemy has a substitute.
Second - Understand that anyone can be deceived, even the most
devoted of believers, if the believer is ignorant of how Satan works. It
is this knowledge that will help keep you on guard.
Third - Learn to trust your own spiritual judgment. This is what the
renewing of the mind is about. As we consecrate ourselves to God's
service, we find our ability to judge becoming keener. (Cf. Rom12:1-3)
Fourth - Understand that discernment and testing aren't the same
thing. You discern by the Holy Spirit. You test by the Word of God.
Therefore when you may sense a thing is wrong, don't ignore that
sensing. But the more you become acquainted with God's Word,
the more you will be able to determine why what you sense is
wrong. [Be willing to test every experience; dreams, visions, etc.,
by the Word of God.]
Fifth - Be willing to adjust the way you do things. Even the apostles had
to make changes. Peter would not go to Cornelius' house until the Lord
opened his understanding. (Cf. John7:17)
In all this, every believer must study the Scriptures to make sure
they have a clear understanding of the gospel message.
May the Lord bless you.
Shalom in Christ,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)