DOES THE CHURCH PASS THE TEST? Derek Prince
From: Protection from Deception. Derek Prince
Every trend or movement in the Church must be tested to determine whether it is from God. “For every tree is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:44) People can be “drunk” or “intoxicated” in the Spirit, but look for the fruit. In the New Testament church, supernatural signs were always designed to follow and affirm the preaching of God’s Word. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus told the disciples: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” The following are five primary fruits by which we can authenticate present moves within the church.
The Fruit of Repentance
In the New Testament, God demands repentance more than He demands faith. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by calling people to repent (See Matthew 3:2). Anyone he baptized was required to first bear the fruit of repentance. When Jesus came, the first recorded word He preached was “Repent.” After His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples that when they preached to the nations, they should teach that repentance precedes forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47). Paul’s ministry reflected the same priority. Speaking in Athens, he said: “God…now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
True repentance is not an emotion but a decision of the will – a decision to turn away from sin and unrighteousness and to submit unreservedly to the lordship of Jesus Christ. The church has an urgent need to place renewed emphasis on repentance and on the confession of sins. Sin that we do not confess becomes a formidable barrier to revival. Until we confess our sins, all the preaching and praise songs in the world will produce no effect. Wait on the Lord to reveal your sins to you.
We must walk with one another in fellowship, confessing our sins. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16). We have access to God through the cleansing blood of Jesus, but first we have to walk in the light – we must walk with one another in fellowship, confessing our sins. If we are out of fellowship, we are out of the light, because walking in the light entails fellowship. Jesus’ blood cleanses not in the dark, but in the light; thus, fellowship and confession of sins are crucial to being cleansed by Christ’s blood (1 John 1:9).
The Fruit of Respect for Scripture
Jesus called Scripture “the word of God” (Mark 7:13; Luke 8:11), and He set his seal upon it with five simple words: “the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). If we believe in Jesus, we believe in the Bible. If we do not believe in the Bible, then we do not believe in Jesus, either. In Isaiah 66:2, the Lord says: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Here God combines repentance – a humble and contrite spirit – with a fearful respect for His Word. Two reasons why we should tremble at God’s word are: First, God’s Word is the way through which God the Father and God the Son come and make their home with us (John 14:23). Second, we will ultimately be judged by God’s Word (John 12:48).
God never contradicts Himself. Thus, every spiritual manifestation must be tested according to Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Anything that does not correspond to Scripture must be rejected.
The Fruit of Exalting Jesus
In John 16:13-14, Jesus promised His disciples, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me.” The Holy Spirit’s supreme function is to glorify Jesus. Any authentic spiritual manifestation also glorifies Jesus, focusing our attention on Him alone.
When human personality takes the stage and assumes supremacy, the Holy Spirit withdraws. Exalting human personalities instead of the Holy Spirit has often inhibited genuine moves of the Holy Spirit. Pastors are wonderful people but they cannot take the place of Jesus. Charismatic personalities who occupy a pedestal incur the jealousy of God, who says in Isaiah 48:11, “I will not give My glory to another.”
The Fruit of Love for Fellow Christians
In John 13:35, Jesus told His followers, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Any religious activity not characterized by love and community Paul dismissed as fruitless discussion (1 Timothy 1:5,6). Each of us must ask the question: Has my faith made me a loving person?
The church must undergo a similar interrogation. When a move of the Holy Spirit occurs, we must ask: Does it produce Christians who sincerely love one another, regardless of denominational labels? Does the movement cause such love that unbelievers wonder in amazement at the community and compassion of Christians?
The Fruit of Loving Concern for the Unreached
Jesus told His disciples in John 4:35, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” If these words were true in Jesus’ day, their truth is even more urgent today. Many Christians who could be working in the harvest fields of the world are instead entangled in the snare of materialistic self-centredness. A genuine move of the Holy Spirit must release a multitude of new labourers into the harvest fields.
Does the Church pass the test?
If a significant number of Christians in a given movement pass most or all of the above tests, we can safely conclude that it is indeed a genuine move of God. It does not meant, however, that everyone or everything in the move is without blemish or flaw. None of God’s people are flawless, but God is amazing in what He accomplishes with weak and fallible people when they surrender to Him.