Wild Flower Press, Inc

Prophecies, Dreams, Visions, Angels . . . and your destiny?

Part One -- Don't shoot (or run away with) the messenger

by Terry Craig
©2008

First things first.  The Lord looks for yielded, faithful servants who will speak and live out His message here on earth.  While we cannot do a single thing to earn our salvation, faithfulness and "works" (using the Lord's gifts and talents for His kingdom) will be honored and rewarded in Heaven.  Servants such as the apostles Paul and John who lived out their testimony to Jesus would be examples of faithful messengers.  The problem with messengers has always been that we tend give them the attention and adoration we owe to the Lord OR we dismiss them altogether when they are people we wouldn't choose.  Either way, we can end up ignoring the message of the Lord. Christians must settle in their minds the fact that God is God.  He can use anyone or anything as a means of delivering His message to us.  

DON'T  CONFUSE  THE  MESSAGE  WITH  THE  MESSENGER

One of the biggest problems encountered in discerning whether or not a manifestation is from the Lord is that we place a huge amount of stock in judging the person who claims to be God's agent with a message.  While there is a place for looking at the vessel that's being used, this shouldn't be the sole means of determining the presence of God in a message.  Why?

If God asked you and I to be the selection committee for "Special Manifestations and Messages of the Lord" jobs, there would be distinct rules and requirements for all applicants as well as a proviso regarding strict compliance with behavior standards.  But, you know what? Not only can God use a shining example of a man or woman, He can and will sovereignly use a pagan or a Pharisee when it suits Him.  God can even use a jackass!   [Nu. 22:19-31]
 
The Bible says it is a good thing to have those in the Body we see as wise counselors, those who are mature in the Lord and know His word, but we must be careful about assigning too much importance to a mere vessel.  Jesus Christ is the only person who 100% embodied the will and message of God.  Everyone else falls short. The argument that God can't speak through a broken (or even a corrupt) vessel is simply not scriptural.  Thinking that God will only use perfect (or perfected) vessels is just as false.  When we emphasize the vessel (as opposed to testing the message and seeing the actual source of the message) we come up with ideas like these:

False idea number one: If someone can prophesy or perform miracles, this is a stamp of God's ultimate approval, of His blessing -- it's a sign of continuing holiness or purity.  This line of thinking also leads people to assume that if a person is being used of the Lord, he or she can't be influenced or used by Satan.

Christians want to believe this.  We want to think there is some pinnacle, some point here on earth where a person can become completely immune to the sin, doubt, and darkness all around us -- but it's just not so.  Jesus is the ONLY person who never slipped, never sinned (and He will still be the only one when the last day of earth has elapsed).

Scripture says, for freedom, Christ set us free.  If you are "free" that means you are free to believe and do whatever you want.  While Father God wants you to choose Life, to choose to let the Holy Spirit work IN you not just through you, you are still free to choose sin.  It was that way in the Garden and it's still that way now.
 
The most dangerous place any Christian can stand is on the ground of pride, thinking he or she can become immune to sin or be untouched by it's allure.  While most people see this as generally true, they are often all too willing to exalt a mere man or woman onto some lofty pedestal of admiration, not thinking about how all the catering, protection, insulation, and adoration make these people even bigger targets for the enemy and more prone to fall.   How many "famous" Christians have to plummet into the muck (and take the good name of the Lord with them) before we wise up?

Accountability is a good thing, but keep in mind that the larger the audience, the larger the venue, usually the less TRUE accountability is in operation.  The higher a pedestal we've placed someone on, the less likely they are to be honest with "peers," or even to think they have true peers!

Although we can and should look at the fruit of someone as we consider their ministry, it is very important to realize that the person cannot be the final, determining factor in whether or not a message or work is from God.  We must test the MESSAGE, not just the messenger.  Walk with me for a bit of road here and see if the Lord might be speaking to you about something.

False idea number two: When a righteous person falls into sin, it automatically discredits everything they've done in the past.  In the Old Testament, Moses, the chosen leader of all Israel, disobeyed God before they reached the promised land.  Because of this, he lost the privilege of escorting the people into that land.  Yet his place as a Patriarch of faith remains.  His place remains as the one through whom the Lord delivered Israel, who brought them the commandments of the Lord.

False idea number three:  If someone falls into sin, they won't be used by the Lord in the future.  Adam and Eve gave into sin and were cast from the Garden of Eden, yet the word of the Lord to Eve (in the midst of her correction) was that her Seed (Jesus) would ultimately conquer Satan.  Peter the apostle denied even knowing Jesus on the night the Lord was betrayed, yet after he had repented he was used mightily by God, beginning on the day of Pentecost.  Was this the only time Peter fell down on the job?  No.  I hope you're getting the point that we're all human, and as such we are imperfect and will remain that way as long as we're in this flesh.  This is not an excuse for sin, it's a reality check.

False idea number four:  To be used in bringing forth a mighty work, a person must be perfect first.  Such thinking led to the idea that the Virgin Mary had to be without sin in order to give birth to Jesus, which led to the thought that she had to be miraculously conceived (born without original sin).  But, in scripture, Mary herself said the Lord was her Savior.  In other words, she didn't have salvation outside that which Jesus provided.

False idea number five: If a person is used mightily by the Lord, they can pass this "gift" onto their children.  This idea has a small seed of truth in it.  God has made promises to certain believers regarding their children.  But this is no blanket guarantee that our children will inherit our ministries or that they will be faithful with what God gives them.

An example would be the people of Israel deciding that they wanted a king to rule them because the prophet Samuel's sons, whom he appointed as judges when he grew old, were completely corrupt.  The people told Samuel that, because his son's didn't walk in his ways, they wanted a king (instead of Samuel's sons) to rule over them. [1 Samuel 8] Let's ponder this a moment.

• Samuel was a prophet but his sons don't appear to have moved in his gifting.  Even though Samuel selected them as "judges" they didn't fulfill their calls to this post.
• Instead of going to God with the problem and believing He could set it right by either removing these men or bringing them to repentance, the people of Israel decided to demand a king.  It was a sad turning point for Israel.  They claimed they were rejecting corrupt men, but their "solution" showed the deeper issue was that they didn't trust God to protect them.  They wanted a man as king instead of the Lord.  This demand grieved both Samuel and the Lord (who took it as a personal rejection!)

Although the Lord is immensely interested in you and your children, each person (including your child) has to come to God as an individual.  Being related to a person with a gift doesn't guarantee you will have the same gift.  Even if the hand of the Lord is upon you in the same way it was upon your mother or father -- you can choose to use the gift for God's glory, use it for your own gain, or choose not to operate in it at all.  God will be the judge of your trust in Him and your faithfulness to Him.

False idea number six:   God will only work through those who are "in authority."  The question becomes, authority given by whom?  Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, the apostles and multitudes of people selected by God, were generally not those who were in positions of recognized authority.  In fact, many times in scripture we see prophets who were called to stand against those in authority who had become corrupt.  Example:  Jesus standing against the authority of the Pharisees (the respected religious leaders of the day), telling them they were "snakes," and "white-washed grave stones."
                                       
God asks us to actively submit to the governmental authority over us unless it conflicts with what we know to be His will.  Jesus even told his followers to pay taxes to the corrupt Roman government (that used some of it's resources to crucify innocent people).  However, passive submission to any "authority" that demands we disobey God can lead to the worst atrocities.  An example here would be the government of Adolf Hitler killing millions of Jews, the handicapped, and others he considered to be unfit while many "good" people and many in church leadership in Germany stood silent because they were being submissive citizens.  An example of godly resistance to authority  would be when the Pharisees of the Council in Jerusalem forbade John and Peter to preach in the name of Jesus.  Their response was "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

False idea number seven: God will only work through those who are formally trained.  Examples that disprove this are numerous.  The primary illustration would be that there is no evidence that Jesus had any training from the men who were considered the "teachers" of the day.  Of the apostles, only Paul had the formal training (before he became a follower of Christ)-- but he was willing to set much of it aside to become a man who pointed to the simplicity of the cross of Jesus Christ.

False idea number eight:  God can't use that fruitcake (weirdo, tatooed man, or gold-laden makeup slathered woman).  Listen, I'm probably just as bugged as you when I see some of these strange peacocks gliding around with entourages and body guards or strutting around on stages.  What's with these folks???  But, we have to remember God can use ANYbody -- even these guys.  Think of it this way:  It's not that the Lord is honoring them or their methods.  Despite all the hype, showmanship, (and yes, sometimes the lies) God occasionally may be honoring the desperate NEED of someone out there in the audience and using what you or I think is a jackass to do it.  Always keep in mind that God isn't interested in efficiency or frugality over a human life.  So what if it took a million dollar program to reach one soul who wouldn't have come to your church meeting?  God has all the time and money in the world.

I will stop here and say to those in who are using "miracle ministry," prophetic claims, or angel visitations to promote themselves--know that God MAY use you on some occasion, but if it doesn't humble you and bring you to a place of seeking Him with your whole heart, you will stand one day and be asked to account for it.  If you "market" such things (or even the possibility of them) in order to draw people to yourself or to sell your works, know you are grieving God and you will be held accountable. Further, if there is "power" moving through you, but God isn't getting the glory, you need to consider whether or not it's really the Lord who is using you.

False idea number nine:  Only those who belong to God can work miracles or prophesey.  What did Jesus say?

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."  [Matt. 7:21-23 --  NIV]

"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time."  [Matt. 24:24-25 NIV] 

I read an article the other day and the writer astutely observed that people walking with the Lord aren't even tempted to believe the kooky guys with 50 wives who live out in the desert and claim to be reincarnations of Jesus.  The REAL temptation comes (and will grow as the time of the end draws nearer) when people see great signs and wonders.  False prophets will sometimes even use the name Jesus in some way -- but the big questions are: Whom are they wanting you to glorify, to love, to trust, to follow?  To what or to whom does their message point?

Paul the apostle was definitely anointed by the Lord, his work was accepted by the other apostles, and signs and wonders often accompanied his preaching.  But the people of Berea didn't just look at the man, they didn't just accept "signs" as credentials, they didn't just take somebody's word that Paul was from God--they tested the message he brought to them!  They weren't criticized for daring to test the message of a recognized apostle, they were commended.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [Acts 17:11  NIV, underline mine] 

Testing  the message is often a more effective tool than what we think we know about a messenger.  We may or may not have the ability to "know" the person claiming authority or power to work signs and wonders--but we CAN test the message he or she brings.  If it encourages the exaltation of an experience, angels, or people instead of Jesus Christ,  it is a false message.  If it preaches a message contrary to the gospel (If it adds some sort of work or law to the simple grace of Jesus Christ) it is a false message.  We don't earn salvation before we're saved and we can't pay for it or add to it once we are.

In the New Testament, at the church at Cornith, people were reportedly arguing over who they should follow (some said it was a teacher named Apollos, some said Paul). Paul wrote the following to them:  

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.  I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering.  What's important is that God makes the seed grow.  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." [1 Cor. 3:5-9  NLT]

The key to eternal life isn't a manifestation, an organization, a denomination, a physical location, an angelic visitation, an "apostle" or even a fellow believer.  Any crusade or experience with one of those things as the hub of it will eventually lead people astray.  Anything that exalts something other than Jesus will eventually fail. 

1 Timothy 2:5-6a  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men . . .

End of Part 1

                                                                                  Copyright 2008 Terry Craig

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,  Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)