1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark were Preaching the Gospel of Christ on the Island of Cyprus. They traveled from Salamis to Paphos, which was the Capital city and ridden with idolatry, witchcraft, immorality, and all sorts of sin. We must remember that in those times, there was no Light of the Gospel of Christ, so Satan had his way with the people and all forms of darkness was the result.
We read in Acts 15:6 that it was in Paphos that they came across a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. The Scriptures tell us that this man was a sorcerer and a false prophet. And when they had come through the Isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus. This man performed types of magic and claimed to be of God, but he was actually from Satan.
Bar-Jesus called himself the son of Joshua which drew large crowds to hear him speak and perform magic that he called miracles. I’m sure this man charged the people money to watch his show as he gained notoriety and fame. It has always been about money and fame. Nothing has changed from then until now.
This is exactly what we see in the Church world today! This man was a Jew which allowed him to be highly thought of and religious, to begin with. Then, he referred to himself as the son of Joshua which would lend itself to him being a teacher and a prophet. This would cause people to want to come listen to him speak and perform magic.
In the 1950’s and 60’s these people would travel from town to town selling a cure-all drug or potion and were called snake-oil salesmen. Today they come dressed in three-piece suits, driving fancy cars, and professing to be an Apostle or Prophet of God. Bar-Jesus preyed on the people of Paphos because they had money to spend but little true knowledge of the true Word of God. In the people’s defense in those days, they did not have access to the written Word of God. What they knew had been passed down by word-of-mouth so their only form of education was by listening to people.
Today, false apostles and prophets prey on people seeking to see a Miracle of God or hear a Prophecy but are not willing to study the Word of God for themselves. These are the folks that are easily sucked in by the words and tricks of modern-day false Apostles and Prophets.
Like Bar-Jesus, they come in the Name of Jesus and profess to be called Apostles and/or Prophets but they are not. They are nothing more than religious snake-oil salesmen seeking fame and fortune off the backs of gullible Christians.
This is why John wrote Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (John 4:1) The enemy is tricky and he is an expert at lying. The best of us can be fooled.
Does God still call people to be Apostles and Prophets? Yes, He does. How can we tell the difference between a God-called Apostle or Prophet and a man-made, false Apostle or Prophet? Test and discern the spirits. Watch them and listen closely to their words. Ask the Holy Spirit. In my experience, anyone who calls themselves an Apostle or a Prophet is probably not. People who seek a title and a position are not seeking the Kingdom of God first. Also, anyone who charges money to receive a word or a miracle is not of God. Jesus never charged anyone anything. In fact, Jesus instructs us to go, preach, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:7-8)
The Truth of the Gospel of Christ will…...….turn the tide……..in this world.
Testing the spirits, Doreen
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