1/27/2021
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous message we shared with you a brief summary of what I call the Great Deception. The focus of that message was on end-time events. Unfortunately, any message from any minister which speaks of generalities on any scriptural topic tends to be far too quickly forgotten by too many listeners. In this message I want to share with you much more specifics about deception. This message was quickened to me after I heard a recording from a professing Christian last Friday night. Paul said, in
To lay the groundwork for this message, I have three main theses or hypotheses. In mathematics or philosophy, they are called postulates, or statements that we assume to be true. First, all men, whether Christians or non-Christians, are subject to deception. We all know that the great deceiver is the devil, who comes to every human to try to deceive us. That deception first came to Eve, who fell for his lies. The devil wants to destroy as many people as possible through his lies, deception, and half-truths.
The devil, in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, even came to Jesus with lies and half-truths, to try to deceive Him. Of course, Jesus, who is the Truth, always refused the lies of the devil by saying, "it is written," that is by standing on the word of God. The word of God is likewise our defense against the lies of the devil. Unfortunately, our understanding of the word of God may be different than the word of God. That is why we see so many divisions in the church. That also makes us more vulnerable to deception.
(3) In terms of unusual manifestations, how does it line up with the life of Jesus? I do not recall any verse when Jesus did any of those things that we have seen at the Toronto church or its off-springs. The closest thing that comes to my mind was when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. In John 11:43, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Of course, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. But the crying at Toronto was/is for an entirely different reason, namely self-centered.
Who searches the scriptures daily? We need to be well-versed in the word of God.
Somewhere back in the mid-1970's some personal friends of ours, who were Christians, told me they had gone to an Episcopal church to hear one of the world's foremost evangelists. I will not mention the evangelist's name but I will call him Sam. According to my friends, Sam talked about Acts, Chapter 3, when Peter and John healed the lame man. Peter said, in Acts 3:6, "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee ..." Sam said that Peter was actually a very rich man but what Peter meant was he had left all of his money at home. Now if you believe that, then I have a bridge I want to sell to you. Peter did not even have enough money to pay the tax, until he got it, with the instruction of Jesus, from the mouth of a fish. I have rarely ever heard such a ridiculous statement, except when I heard an apostle and a prophet both say that "the Bible says that money is the solution to every problem." To the best of my knowledge, Sam is still on earth. He has a set of DVD's about how to overcome fear. He wants to sell them to you and the price is only $90.00. On the other hand, I know several ministers who will be happy to share with you about how to overcome fear, and their price is zero.
(5) What is the character of the source? Sometimes it is not easy to determine the character of the source, particularly with traveling or visiting ministers. But if you see a fellow Christian frequently, then you can observe not only his life but also the lives of his children, if he has any. Jesus said, in Matthew 7:20, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Let me repeat that. "By their fruits ye shall know them." About 12 or so years ago, the pastor of a charismatic church about 30 minutes from us would always invite me to attend his church when he had some "big-name" prophet or teacher for a weekend conference. At first, I went to several such events at his church, but I was rather disappointed. About the third time I went to hear a "big-name" prophet, I got up from my seat and walked out while he was still talking. On my way out, I passed a young man who was recording the audio and video of the speaker. As I went by the young man, I said, "There is more anointing on you than on the speaker." Actually, I have stood up and walked out of at least four meetings of Christians, most of which were in a believer's home. On one occasion when I got up and walked out, the hostess followed me and asked me what was wrong. She said, "Are you sick?" I said, "no, I feel fine." Then she asked me why I was leaving. I responded that I don't witness to what is coming forth. Somewhat amazingly she continues to invite me to her home to listen to all of the big apostles, prophets, teachers, and evangelists. But how does their life measure up?
(6) If you hear or see something questionable, run it by a more mature Christian. The Lord has safeguards for His sheep through shepherds who have walked the straight and narrow path. If you are not sure who to seek counsel from, I will be happy to give you several names and contact information of men who have a good measure of understanding and discernment. However, the Person who will always give you perfect counsel every time is the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
To lay the groundwork for this message, I have three main theses or hypotheses. In mathematics or philosophy, they are called postulates, or statements that we assume to be true. First, all men, whether Christians or non-Christians, are subject to deception. We all know that the great deceiver is the devil, who comes to every human to try to deceive us. That deception first came to Eve, who fell for his lies. The devil wants to destroy as many people as possible through his lies, deception, and half-truths.
Revelation 12:9, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
The devil, in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, even came to Jesus with lies and half-truths, to try to deceive Him. Of course, Jesus, who is the Truth, always refused the lies of the devil by saying, "it is written," that is by standing on the word of God. The word of God is likewise our defense against the lies of the devil. Unfortunately, our understanding of the word of God may be different than the word of God. That is why we see so many divisions in the church. That also makes us more vulnerable to deception.
John 8:31-32, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Note the conditional "If." That verse does not say, "the truth shall set you free." We were set free at Calvary. The Lord now is in process of making us free, provided that we continue in His word, not in man's word.
Our second postulate is that no human being, Christian or non-Christian, ever believes they are being deceived. If we thought we were being deceived, we would do something about it. About 50 years ago a true prophet of the Lord and a personal friend of ours shared an experience he had around 1960. At that time he had a leadership position in the Assembly of God church and was an invited speaker at a big convention in the Zion, Illinois, Assembly of God church. As such, he was on the platform with many high-ranking leaders in the Assembly of God church. He said that a word came forth during that meeting. When he told me that, I knew that he was the man who spoke that word. He said that after 10-15 years he only remembered the essence of the prophecy but that another man, who was sitting in the big auditorium, and who later became the "apostle" to our New Testament house church, could quote that prophecy word for word.
What he prophesied was directed toward the leaders of the Assembly of God church. What he spoke was this: "Your carnal mind has deceived you, you are calling the deception God, and you are reveling in the deception." He said that when that word came forth, he saw with his natural eyes what looked like a jagged streak of lightning which went from the platform to the back wall of the auditorium; and when it hit the wall, it exploded with a very loud noise and all the people sitting in the auditorium stood up and started confessing their sins. He said that he had heard that same sound only once before in his life when lightning struck a juniper tree in the high deserts of Oregon. He also said that if the Assembly of God leaders on the platform had a gun and murder was legal, they would have killed him. After that meeting, he immediately went and wrote out his resignation from the Assembly of God church. That prophet will be 105 in five months.
I shared that for two reasons ... first that we might understand that even leaders in charismatic churches can be deceived. I am personally aware of at least three different charismatic churches when ALL of the elders were deceived. Second, we all know that all of the true prophets recorded in the Bible were persecuted by their own fellow men. That is still true today. In John 1:11, speaking of Jesus,
Our second postulate is that no human being, Christian or non-Christian, ever believes they are being deceived. If we thought we were being deceived, we would do something about it. About 50 years ago a true prophet of the Lord and a personal friend of ours shared an experience he had around 1960. At that time he had a leadership position in the Assembly of God church and was an invited speaker at a big convention in the Zion, Illinois, Assembly of God church. As such, he was on the platform with many high-ranking leaders in the Assembly of God church. He said that a word came forth during that meeting. When he told me that, I knew that he was the man who spoke that word. He said that after 10-15 years he only remembered the essence of the prophecy but that another man, who was sitting in the big auditorium, and who later became the "apostle" to our New Testament house church, could quote that prophecy word for word.
What he prophesied was directed toward the leaders of the Assembly of God church. What he spoke was this: "Your carnal mind has deceived you, you are calling the deception God, and you are reveling in the deception." He said that when that word came forth, he saw with his natural eyes what looked like a jagged streak of lightning which went from the platform to the back wall of the auditorium; and when it hit the wall, it exploded with a very loud noise and all the people sitting in the auditorium stood up and started confessing their sins. He said that he had heard that same sound only once before in his life when lightning struck a juniper tree in the high deserts of Oregon. He also said that if the Assembly of God leaders on the platform had a gun and murder was legal, they would have killed him. After that meeting, he immediately went and wrote out his resignation from the Assembly of God church. That prophet will be 105 in five months.
I shared that for two reasons ... first that we might understand that even leaders in charismatic churches can be deceived. I am personally aware of at least three different charismatic churches when ALL of the elders were deceived. Second, we all know that all of the true prophets recorded in the Bible were persecuted by their own fellow men. That is still true today. In John 1:11, speaking of Jesus,
"He came unto His own and His own received Him not."
When the great deception accelerates, where will Christians turn to hear the word of the Lord?
I mentioned earlier that I have three postulates for this message. The third thesis is that cultures are different in many respects. This past Monday morning the Spirit quickened to me that white charismatics are influenced primarily by our intellectual pursuits ... the mind. We like to dissect and argue about the meaning of scripture. We have a granddaughter who, up to this point in time, has been totally consumed by an intellectual quest for spiritual things. Her fleshly efforts have led her astray. Likewise, after visiting a great number of predominantly black charismatic churches, the people therein are influenced primarily by emotions, generally very demonstrative.
Let me hasten to add that I am not, and never have been, prejudiced against any race of people, not even long before the Lord sovereignly apprehended me. The Lord created us as it pleased Him. Eleven years before the grace of God called me, I was in the Air Force, stationed in Houston, Texas. I started playing duplicate bridge there. I played bridge twice at the all-white bridge clubs. Houston at that time was still highly segregated. But I stopped going to their games because I sensed the people were snobs. Instead, I started playing in the all-black bridge games. I was the only white person to play in their league and it was a delight to be in their company.
Back in the 1950's and early 1960's charismatics were often called "holy rollers". Since that time, we have seen numerous, different so-called outbreaks of various types of experiences come forth in a variety of different places. For example, gold dust floating down, feathers, smoke, uncontrolled and prolonged laughter, extreme dancing, and other unusual manifestations. From Wikipedia, (quote) "The Toronto Blessing has become synonymous within charismatic Christian circles for terms and actions that include an increased awareness of God's love, religious ecstasy, external observances of ecstatic worship, being slain in the Spirit, uncontrollable laughter, emotional and/or physical euphoria, crying, healing from emotional wounds, healing of damaged relationships, and electric waves of the spirit. "Holy laughter", as a result of overwhelming joy, was a hallmark manifestation, and there were also some reports of instances of participants roaring like lions or making other animal noises. Leaders and participants present in these services claim that most of these manifestations, including some people roaring like lions, were physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power." (end quote) Other manifestations at that Toronto church included shaking, shouting, and rolling on the floor. That same set of manifestations then spread to Brownsville, Texas, and Lakeland, Florida. My advice for those who are enamored with the practices of those churches in Toronto, Brownsville, and Lakeland is very simple. I would not go there.
I personally saw a woman roll up a slight incline on the floor. I saw a man apparently thrown against the wall by no visible means. At a weekend conference in eastern North Carolina in 1977, after the meeting, a few saints started dancing. I sensed it was of the Lord, but it quickly deteriorated into a work of the flesh. One time a brother asked me to go with him to a meeting in Richmond, Virginia. He was the invited speaker. At the end of the meeting, he said that we all should pray. After praying for a few minutes, I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. They seemed to be covered with oil. On another occasion in Tennessee, at a weekend gathering of saints, I slept on a pull-out couch in the host's living room. I had privacy because a pull-out door was closed to the rest of the house. Very early that Sunday morning, the Lord woke me up and the room was filled with thick smoke. Before I got up, the Lord gave me a prophecy for the host and a message for the believers later that morning. A number of different professing Christians have testified about their so-called visits to heaven. A few have even said they could visit heaven almost anytime they wanted to. The question is, how many of those great multitude of unusual manifestations have been from the Lord and how many have been from the devil? Only the Lord knows. But all such manifestations demand that we have discernment to distinguish the source or we can easily be deceived.
Recently, I heard a message from a professing Christian. One of the first things he said was, "God, if you give me an "out-of-body experience" then I will ..." At that point, a big red flag went up. No man in Scripture, not even Paul, asked to receive an "out-of-body" experience.
It is true that Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven, but not at Paul's request. Paul also said that whether he was caught up in the body or out of the body, he could not tell. I believe to ask the Lord for an "out-of-body experience" is very dangerous. I believe it opens yourself up to a possible demonic influence. Any time I hear testimonies, like that young man gave, I turn it off.
Then that young man later described his "talk" with God at the final judgment. He said that God reminded him of the things that he had done "wrong" and the things where he could have done "better." At that point, red flag number 2 went up big-time and I did not listen anymore. When any man "sins" and sincerely asks forgiveness, God FORGETS and it is just as if it never happened. The devil is the only one who "reminds" us of what we did wrong in the past. Further, for God to say, you could have done some things "better" is not in my category of thinking. We either do the will of God or we don't. There is no "gray" matter.
How can things like that happen? Very easily. We hear other professing Christians talk about those types of experiences and we tend to say, "Wow, that must be God." So we just assume it is OK for us to try to do the same thing. I assume that young man's purpose was to warn others of the final judgment; at least I hope that was his motivation. However, I have to question the source of that dream and any more of that type.
Also, consider when any Christian says, "Lord, if you just do xxx for me, then I will do yyy for You." It doesn't work that way. That is just the opposite. The Lord says (in a multitude of scriptures, such as Isaiah 30:18), if we do xxx, then He will do yyy.
I do not question the motivation of that young man, but I greatly question his understanding of the ways of the Lord. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will reveal to him the ways of the Lord and give him a greater measure of discernment.
Way back in the 1970's, the man who many considered to be the "most spiritual man" in our New Testament house church asked the Lord to show him angels. That was the way he expressed it. Shortly after that, while he was working in his office, he said a large number of angels appeared in the room. About one year later that same man came to our elders' meeting and said that the Lord told him to divorce his wife. Well, no one could believe that, because scripture is clear that the Lord hates divorce. When two other elders confronted him, he said, "I don't care what the Bible says. The Lord told me to divorce my wife." Before he actually did divorce his wife, he started living with another woman and later married her. I believe that man was deceived and it started when he asked to see angels. Of course, there are fallen angels as well as angels who are faithful to the Lord. That incident caused unrepairable damage to our house church. One of the elders who confronted the man who divorced his wife, a number of years later told me privately that he was not moving on with the Lord and did not want to, because he had seen too many Christians get "off-base" when they tried to mature. Was the first tragedy an impetus that led to the second tragedy? Only the Lord knows. But we are being watched by both other Christians and non-Christians. Our actions may have a detrimental effect on others.
Far too many professing Christians get carried away (emotionally) when they hear anything that seems to be supernatural or miraculous. If the Lord wants to give me a supernatural experience, that is His business, but I will never ask for such.
Many Christians in black churches seem to want to be slain in the spirit, apparently believing that will make them more mature. The only scriptural example of being slain in the spirit that I know of was when Saul of Tarsus fell to the ground on the road to Damascus. But I find no example in the Bible when one Christian laid hands on another Christian and they were slain in the spirit.
About 10 or 12 years ago a brother asked me to attend a meeting in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he was to be the guest speaker. Several hundred people were there. The speaker asked me and two other ministers to sit on the platform with him. After he finished his message, none of which I remember, he asked that all those who wanted prayer to go to him or another of the ministers to be prayed for. Quite a large number of people surrounded me. I had never seen any of those believers before except for the guest speaker. The closest person to me was a woman, perhaps in her fifties. I gently put my right hand on her shoulder and started to pray for her. In no more than three seconds, she fell backwards, but was caught by several people behind her. I believe that if I had said "peanut butter" she would have fallen backwards because she was so expectant of being slain in the spirit. Our emotions, our psyche, can powerfully control us.
Somewhere around 1973 I went with another elder, at his request, to a weekend convention in Ohio. The convention was put on by a group of churches with headquarters in the Los Angeles area. The number one leader of almost 100 churches across the country was the featured speaker. On a Saturday afternoon, their leader told me to come forward because it was my time to receive ministry. I had never seen that man before and he had never seen me. Then he proceeded to tell me a number of things about me, all of which were absolutely true. Then he told me a number of things about my wife, whom he had never seen, and all of that was absolutely true. That is rather impressive. It makes you think it is the Lord. Not necessarily! Psychic power can be rather amazing, but I said nothing.
Then, less than one year later, the number one man of that group of churches on the east coast invited my wife and I to come to their church in New Hampshire. We went. On Saturday afternoon, the pastor of that church asked me to bring the word of the Lord to their church the following Sunday morning. I accepted. I never told anyone, not even my wife, what the Lord told me to share. On Sunday morning that pastor had me to sit on the raised platform with him and five of their elders. Just before the pastor introduced me, he went to one of the elders, kicked him in his leg, and said, "You have a prophecy; prophesy." Then that elder rattled off very quickly a prophecy. The pastor then went to all of the other elders, one at a time, and told them also to prophesy. Each one of them prophesied in rapid-fire order. Then the pastor introduced me and gave me the microphone. First of all, it was very unusual for anyone who was not a leader in their organization to be allowed to speak. When I received the microphone, the first thing I did was to weep. Then I said, I don't need to say anything because these elders just prophesied everything the Lord told me to say and in the exact order. That is really impressive. You would have to say that this must be God. Again, not necessarily. It can still be psychic power, although I did not know that at that time.
There is much more to that story, but it is not edifying to continue. Suffice it to say that the Lord revealed to me the sinister, evil source behind those churches' attempt to control me and make me one of them. That group of churches turned out to be a cult, where the people were controlled by fear. They had been taught that if anyone did not accept and walk in every word spoken to them by their elders, then they would be in rebellion and terrible things would happen to them and their wives. I know for an absolute certainty that to be true. In less than two years after they abandoned their attempts to control me, the Lord smote the number one leader of those 100 churches.
Now, up to this point I have mentioned a few specific examples of deception that have been learning examples in Christ for me. But the devil has a multitude of ways to try to deceive us. We are all unique, but the devil knows all of our most vulnerable areas. Therefore, it is not possible to make a list, neatly written down, to cover all possible situations. Instead, in closing, I want to share with you some general principles that may be of help to some believers.
(1) Never seek for supernatural or unusual experiences. Seek the Lord. That means we should always trust and obey the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you spiritual ears to hear what He is saying. Back in the 1970's I went to a small gathering of believers in someone's home. The speaker, who I will call Sam (not his real name) was considered a spiritual giant by some. He routinely prophesied over many different believers. After the meeting was over, I went into another room. After a few minutes, a young woman came into the room where I was sitting. She was smiling and very excited. She said to me that Sam was in the other room prophesying over many believers. She asked me, "Don't you want to go and have Sam prophesy over you?" I said, "No." As a personal testimony, never in my life have I ever asked to receive any word of prophesy through a fellow believer. If someone comes to me with a word of prophecy, I will certainly listen, but then I must judge whether the word came from the Lord. Around 1975 a fellow elder asked me a question. He asked me if I had accepted every word that two elders from different churches had prophesied over me. My response was simple and straightforward. I said that I believed some of the things they said were true and for the present, some of the things they said were true but for the future, but I did not witness to everything they spoke. I said, "When I eat a grape, I swallow the pulp and spit out the seed."
I mentioned earlier that I have three postulates for this message. The third thesis is that cultures are different in many respects. This past Monday morning the Spirit quickened to me that white charismatics are influenced primarily by our intellectual pursuits ... the mind. We like to dissect and argue about the meaning of scripture. We have a granddaughter who, up to this point in time, has been totally consumed by an intellectual quest for spiritual things. Her fleshly efforts have led her astray. Likewise, after visiting a great number of predominantly black charismatic churches, the people therein are influenced primarily by emotions, generally very demonstrative.
Let me hasten to add that I am not, and never have been, prejudiced against any race of people, not even long before the Lord sovereignly apprehended me. The Lord created us as it pleased Him. Eleven years before the grace of God called me, I was in the Air Force, stationed in Houston, Texas. I started playing duplicate bridge there. I played bridge twice at the all-white bridge clubs. Houston at that time was still highly segregated. But I stopped going to their games because I sensed the people were snobs. Instead, I started playing in the all-black bridge games. I was the only white person to play in their league and it was a delight to be in their company.
Back in the 1950's and early 1960's charismatics were often called "holy rollers". Since that time, we have seen numerous, different so-called outbreaks of various types of experiences come forth in a variety of different places. For example, gold dust floating down, feathers, smoke, uncontrolled and prolonged laughter, extreme dancing, and other unusual manifestations. From Wikipedia, (quote) "The Toronto Blessing has become synonymous within charismatic Christian circles for terms and actions that include an increased awareness of God's love, religious ecstasy, external observances of ecstatic worship, being slain in the Spirit, uncontrollable laughter, emotional and/or physical euphoria, crying, healing from emotional wounds, healing of damaged relationships, and electric waves of the spirit. "Holy laughter", as a result of overwhelming joy, was a hallmark manifestation, and there were also some reports of instances of participants roaring like lions or making other animal noises. Leaders and participants present in these services claim that most of these manifestations, including some people roaring like lions, were physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power." (end quote) Other manifestations at that Toronto church included shaking, shouting, and rolling on the floor. That same set of manifestations then spread to Brownsville, Texas, and Lakeland, Florida. My advice for those who are enamored with the practices of those churches in Toronto, Brownsville, and Lakeland is very simple. I would not go there.
I personally saw a woman roll up a slight incline on the floor. I saw a man apparently thrown against the wall by no visible means. At a weekend conference in eastern North Carolina in 1977, after the meeting, a few saints started dancing. I sensed it was of the Lord, but it quickly deteriorated into a work of the flesh. One time a brother asked me to go with him to a meeting in Richmond, Virginia. He was the invited speaker. At the end of the meeting, he said that we all should pray. After praying for a few minutes, I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. They seemed to be covered with oil. On another occasion in Tennessee, at a weekend gathering of saints, I slept on a pull-out couch in the host's living room. I had privacy because a pull-out door was closed to the rest of the house. Very early that Sunday morning, the Lord woke me up and the room was filled with thick smoke. Before I got up, the Lord gave me a prophecy for the host and a message for the believers later that morning. A number of different professing Christians have testified about their so-called visits to heaven. A few have even said they could visit heaven almost anytime they wanted to. The question is, how many of those great multitude of unusual manifestations have been from the Lord and how many have been from the devil? Only the Lord knows. But all such manifestations demand that we have discernment to distinguish the source or we can easily be deceived.
Recently, I heard a message from a professing Christian. One of the first things he said was, "God, if you give me an "out-of-body experience" then I will ..." At that point, a big red flag went up. No man in Scripture, not even Paul, asked to receive an "out-of-body" experience.
It is true that Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven, but not at Paul's request. Paul also said that whether he was caught up in the body or out of the body, he could not tell. I believe to ask the Lord for an "out-of-body experience" is very dangerous. I believe it opens yourself up to a possible demonic influence. Any time I hear testimonies, like that young man gave, I turn it off.
Then that young man later described his "talk" with God at the final judgment. He said that God reminded him of the things that he had done "wrong" and the things where he could have done "better." At that point, red flag number 2 went up big-time and I did not listen anymore. When any man "sins" and sincerely asks forgiveness, God FORGETS and it is just as if it never happened. The devil is the only one who "reminds" us of what we did wrong in the past. Further, for God to say, you could have done some things "better" is not in my category of thinking. We either do the will of God or we don't. There is no "gray" matter.
How can things like that happen? Very easily. We hear other professing Christians talk about those types of experiences and we tend to say, "Wow, that must be God." So we just assume it is OK for us to try to do the same thing. I assume that young man's purpose was to warn others of the final judgment; at least I hope that was his motivation. However, I have to question the source of that dream and any more of that type.
Also, consider when any Christian says, "Lord, if you just do xxx for me, then I will do yyy for You." It doesn't work that way. That is just the opposite. The Lord says (in a multitude of scriptures, such as Isaiah 30:18), if we do xxx, then He will do yyy.
I do not question the motivation of that young man, but I greatly question his understanding of the ways of the Lord. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will reveal to him the ways of the Lord and give him a greater measure of discernment.
Way back in the 1970's, the man who many considered to be the "most spiritual man" in our New Testament house church asked the Lord to show him angels. That was the way he expressed it. Shortly after that, while he was working in his office, he said a large number of angels appeared in the room. About one year later that same man came to our elders' meeting and said that the Lord told him to divorce his wife. Well, no one could believe that, because scripture is clear that the Lord hates divorce. When two other elders confronted him, he said, "I don't care what the Bible says. The Lord told me to divorce my wife." Before he actually did divorce his wife, he started living with another woman and later married her. I believe that man was deceived and it started when he asked to see angels. Of course, there are fallen angels as well as angels who are faithful to the Lord. That incident caused unrepairable damage to our house church. One of the elders who confronted the man who divorced his wife, a number of years later told me privately that he was not moving on with the Lord and did not want to, because he had seen too many Christians get "off-base" when they tried to mature. Was the first tragedy an impetus that led to the second tragedy? Only the Lord knows. But we are being watched by both other Christians and non-Christians. Our actions may have a detrimental effect on others.
Far too many professing Christians get carried away (emotionally) when they hear anything that seems to be supernatural or miraculous. If the Lord wants to give me a supernatural experience, that is His business, but I will never ask for such.
Many Christians in black churches seem to want to be slain in the spirit, apparently believing that will make them more mature. The only scriptural example of being slain in the spirit that I know of was when Saul of Tarsus fell to the ground on the road to Damascus. But I find no example in the Bible when one Christian laid hands on another Christian and they were slain in the spirit.
About 10 or 12 years ago a brother asked me to attend a meeting in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he was to be the guest speaker. Several hundred people were there. The speaker asked me and two other ministers to sit on the platform with him. After he finished his message, none of which I remember, he asked that all those who wanted prayer to go to him or another of the ministers to be prayed for. Quite a large number of people surrounded me. I had never seen any of those believers before except for the guest speaker. The closest person to me was a woman, perhaps in her fifties. I gently put my right hand on her shoulder and started to pray for her. In no more than three seconds, she fell backwards, but was caught by several people behind her. I believe that if I had said "peanut butter" she would have fallen backwards because she was so expectant of being slain in the spirit. Our emotions, our psyche, can powerfully control us.
Somewhere around 1973 I went with another elder, at his request, to a weekend convention in Ohio. The convention was put on by a group of churches with headquarters in the Los Angeles area. The number one leader of almost 100 churches across the country was the featured speaker. On a Saturday afternoon, their leader told me to come forward because it was my time to receive ministry. I had never seen that man before and he had never seen me. Then he proceeded to tell me a number of things about me, all of which were absolutely true. Then he told me a number of things about my wife, whom he had never seen, and all of that was absolutely true. That is rather impressive. It makes you think it is the Lord. Not necessarily! Psychic power can be rather amazing, but I said nothing.
Then, less than one year later, the number one man of that group of churches on the east coast invited my wife and I to come to their church in New Hampshire. We went. On Saturday afternoon, the pastor of that church asked me to bring the word of the Lord to their church the following Sunday morning. I accepted. I never told anyone, not even my wife, what the Lord told me to share. On Sunday morning that pastor had me to sit on the raised platform with him and five of their elders. Just before the pastor introduced me, he went to one of the elders, kicked him in his leg, and said, "You have a prophecy; prophesy." Then that elder rattled off very quickly a prophecy. The pastor then went to all of the other elders, one at a time, and told them also to prophesy. Each one of them prophesied in rapid-fire order. Then the pastor introduced me and gave me the microphone. First of all, it was very unusual for anyone who was not a leader in their organization to be allowed to speak. When I received the microphone, the first thing I did was to weep. Then I said, I don't need to say anything because these elders just prophesied everything the Lord told me to say and in the exact order. That is really impressive. You would have to say that this must be God. Again, not necessarily. It can still be psychic power, although I did not know that at that time.
There is much more to that story, but it is not edifying to continue. Suffice it to say that the Lord revealed to me the sinister, evil source behind those churches' attempt to control me and make me one of them. That group of churches turned out to be a cult, where the people were controlled by fear. They had been taught that if anyone did not accept and walk in every word spoken to them by their elders, then they would be in rebellion and terrible things would happen to them and their wives. I know for an absolute certainty that to be true. In less than two years after they abandoned their attempts to control me, the Lord smote the number one leader of those 100 churches.
Now, up to this point I have mentioned a few specific examples of deception that have been learning examples in Christ for me. But the devil has a multitude of ways to try to deceive us. We are all unique, but the devil knows all of our most vulnerable areas. Therefore, it is not possible to make a list, neatly written down, to cover all possible situations. Instead, in closing, I want to share with you some general principles that may be of help to some believers.
(1) Never seek for supernatural or unusual experiences. Seek the Lord. That means we should always trust and obey the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you spiritual ears to hear what He is saying. Back in the 1970's I went to a small gathering of believers in someone's home. The speaker, who I will call Sam (not his real name) was considered a spiritual giant by some. He routinely prophesied over many different believers. After the meeting was over, I went into another room. After a few minutes, a young woman came into the room where I was sitting. She was smiling and very excited. She said to me that Sam was in the other room prophesying over many believers. She asked me, "Don't you want to go and have Sam prophesy over you?" I said, "No." As a personal testimony, never in my life have I ever asked to receive any word of prophesy through a fellow believer. If someone comes to me with a word of prophecy, I will certainly listen, but then I must judge whether the word came from the Lord. Around 1975 a fellow elder asked me a question. He asked me if I had accepted every word that two elders from different churches had prophesied over me. My response was simple and straightforward. I said that I believed some of the things they said were true and for the present, some of the things they said were true but for the future, but I did not witness to everything they spoke. I said, "When I eat a grape, I swallow the pulp and spit out the seed."
(2) If you go to a church that regularly participates in any of those emotional manifestations like those in Toronto, Brownsville, or Lakeland, you might ask the Lord if He wants you to go to another church. Nothing will hinder or prevent the moving of the Spirit of God like traditions of any kind. Let me emphasize ANY KIND, including those we think are scriptural. The reason is because any tradition in any church soon loses its spiritual significance to us mortals. The Holy Spirit, not any man or woman, MUST be in control. Spontaneity is a necessity for any church to thrive or survive. I have said many times that the best church I have ever seen was the New Testament house church of which we were a part in Fairfax County, Virginia, back in the 1970's. But even that church totally disintegrated after about 12 or 13 years. One of the many reasons that church fell was because we got into a traditional rut.
(3) In terms of unusual manifestations, how does it line up with the life of Jesus? I do not recall any verse when Jesus did any of those things that we have seen at the Toronto church or its off-springs. The closest thing that comes to my mind was when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. In John 11:43, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Of course, Jesus wept over Jerusalem. But the crying at Toronto was/is for an entirely different reason, namely self-centered.
(4) Does it agree with Scripture? This principle is not as simple as it sounds because there is so much disagreement concerning the meaning of many scriptures. In any event, we should be like the Bereans.
Acts 17:10-11, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Who searches the scriptures daily? We need to be well-versed in the word of God.
Somewhere back in the mid-1970's some personal friends of ours, who were Christians, told me they had gone to an Episcopal church to hear one of the world's foremost evangelists. I will not mention the evangelist's name but I will call him Sam. According to my friends, Sam talked about Acts, Chapter 3, when Peter and John healed the lame man. Peter said, in Acts 3:6, "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee ..." Sam said that Peter was actually a very rich man but what Peter meant was he had left all of his money at home. Now if you believe that, then I have a bridge I want to sell to you. Peter did not even have enough money to pay the tax, until he got it, with the instruction of Jesus, from the mouth of a fish. I have rarely ever heard such a ridiculous statement, except when I heard an apostle and a prophet both say that "the Bible says that money is the solution to every problem." To the best of my knowledge, Sam is still on earth. He has a set of DVD's about how to overcome fear. He wants to sell them to you and the price is only $90.00. On the other hand, I know several ministers who will be happy to share with you about how to overcome fear, and their price is zero.
(5) What is the character of the source? Sometimes it is not easy to determine the character of the source, particularly with traveling or visiting ministers. But if you see a fellow Christian frequently, then you can observe not only his life but also the lives of his children, if he has any. Jesus said, in Matthew 7:20, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Let me repeat that. "By their fruits ye shall know them." About 12 or so years ago, the pastor of a charismatic church about 30 minutes from us would always invite me to attend his church when he had some "big-name" prophet or teacher for a weekend conference. At first, I went to several such events at his church, but I was rather disappointed. About the third time I went to hear a "big-name" prophet, I got up from my seat and walked out while he was still talking. On my way out, I passed a young man who was recording the audio and video of the speaker. As I went by the young man, I said, "There is more anointing on you than on the speaker." Actually, I have stood up and walked out of at least four meetings of Christians, most of which were in a believer's home. On one occasion when I got up and walked out, the hostess followed me and asked me what was wrong. She said, "Are you sick?" I said, "no, I feel fine." Then she asked me why I was leaving. I responded that I don't witness to what is coming forth. Somewhat amazingly she continues to invite me to her home to listen to all of the big apostles, prophets, teachers, and evangelists. But how does their life measure up?
(6) If you hear or see something questionable, run it by a more mature Christian. The Lord has safeguards for His sheep through shepherds who have walked the straight and narrow path. If you are not sure who to seek counsel from, I will be happy to give you several names and contact information of men who have a good measure of understanding and discernment. However, the Person who will always give you perfect counsel every time is the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Zephaniah 2:3, "Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger."Isaiah 55:6-7, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."
Amen.
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