Testing 1,2,3
Hello All,
Below is this weeks question. If you have answered the question already please respond to the post of someone else. If you have not answered the question please do so.
Blessings,
How could keeping Deuteronomy 18:20-22 in mind benefit the Church today?
I believe that church today can benefit today by asking God to give us the gift of discernment so that when we hear a word from a so call prophet we will know that it’s not from God. That person should be shut down by the church.
Deacon Danny in what ways would shutting the person down who spoke falsely look like. Because in some essence prophetic word may take years to come true, such as my own calling. So what evidence can be used to shut them down?
The saints are running around and desperately looking for a word from God. These verses in Deuteronomy18:20-22 gives a greater knowledge and understanding to the church today about a Prophet. It helps me to be very careful and not to react but wait to see if the spoken words by the Prophet will become a reality/true. God said and not man if the Prophet speaks and it materializes in the lives of God’s people he or she is a real Prophet.
Greetings Leaders,
As we look at Deuteronomy 18: 20- 22, the church is warned of false prophets. The passage offers “to test” or measure if the prophets words do not come to pass, then they are not the Lords words, all the same if they (the Lord’s words) do come to pass then that does not mean that the person is God’s prophet. Deuteronomy 13 warns of a test to challenge ones heart to see if the individual loves God with all of their heart and soul. The Lord God is testing one’s faithfulness to him by allowing false prophets among the people. The warning is that fulfilled signs and wonders can be deceptive and when a company by false teaching they are not from the Lord. I studied this from my ESV stay bible.
Thusly , we as a people should not only not listen to them but was also put death to that particular spirit.
Richard, I like the way you put it about false prophets in testing their hearts to see if they truly love the Lord. We as the people of God will see that person with the love of God all over them and in their life. We are either going to stand for God or we will fall running behind a spoken word that is not true.
Keeping Deuteronomy 18:20-22 in mind can benefit the Church today by having us be aware of those who pretend to speak for God, but don’t, that there is a penalty of death associated with such action. That those who do so God will reward them with death. It is put forth that we should not even fear them because they were not sent by God. There is so much danger of being misled by false prophets and God knows this so he provides us guidance to follow.
Now we know that God is not a man and would not lie and we know that God does not contradict Himself. So it is important for us to take heed to this. But not only that but if they speak in the “name of other Gods”. Wow, that’s deep. I equated “other gods” to those things people worship and proclaim to others that by doing such and such and placing importance in those things other than seeking God first that it will garner them success, fame and money. So in essence those things like money and programs that people glorify above God and they deem it to be more important than seeking God can be considered gods with the little “g”. As a church this reminds us that if there is any cause for us to suspect the genuineness of a prophet, we know from this scripture that “if the thing does not happen or come to pass”, that it is not from God.
I think this particular text could benefit the church today because it helps us to walk in integrity when we bringing forth a prophecy. This text also helps the church to be able to recognize a false prophet and false prophecy. Today, the church experiences so many “words of the Lord” that tickle the ear but this text encourages us because it acknowledges that it happens and what we experience or may one day experience is not just our imagination or assumption. It further proves to today’s church that we should not fear the false prophet because of their presumptuous speech.
“The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.”
Acts 13:4-12 NIV
I think this scripture can help us all. I believe we need to face the enemy (False Prophets) and call it what it is. Rebuke it in the name of Jesus
God wants us to continue in the faith but to sharpen our discernment and ask for wisdom daily. We do live in a world with false prophets. It helps the church today to meditate on Deuteronomy 18:20-22, and not just these verses only, but the word of God in its entirety [the whole Bible] to be able to recognize when a false prophet is in our midst. We will be victorious being obedient!