DISCERNING “APOSTLES” & SPIRITUAL ADVISORS
How can one discern a spiritual advisor’s teachings or someone titled “apostle” in the modern age?
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 2:17 (KJV)
“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”
-2 Corinthians 2:17 (NIV)
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.”
-Matthew 10:8-10 (KJV)
COMMENTARY: These scriptures clearly show that the spiritual gifts of the apostles were to be freely given. In Matthew 10:8-10 it’s also clear that the work and ministry of the apostles was to be humble and modest…without taking even two coats or two pairs of shoes on their spiritual journey.
How many “apostles” have flashy suits and expensive wardrobes? How many have closets bigger than a 3rd world shanty or an overpriced tiny apartment in NYC? What message is being sent to those that lack adequate food, clothing, and shelter when the messenger is wearing accessories and clothing with a monetary value capable of improving their situation for a decent amount of time? How many request payment before any “miracle” or spiritual work can be done? How many have done so and repented after serious personal examination of their ministry, relationship with Jesus, and knowledge of the truth in God’s word?
Shouldn’t the church help struggling families and those in need pay the bills through some form of charity?
“DON’T YOU STOP TITHING!!”
-Kenneth Copeland
How can you give 10% when your income goes to 0%?
What type of church would you expect a high ranking spiritual advisor to run?
There may be answers in the Book of Revelation and other scripture...
This may be a good benchmark to help discern a spiritual leader by their church…many of the churches today reflect the above.
What description would you want for your church and ministry?
Are you willing to be favored yet poor and persecuted?
Are you willing to be faithful to God’s word and show true brotherly love in fulfillment of the royal law?
“If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
— James 2:8-10 (KJV)
HOW WOULD A SPIRITUAL ADVISOR PRAY?
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
— Matthew 6:7 (KJV)
“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”
— Timothy 2:16-18 (KJV)
HOW WOULD A SPIRITUAL ADVISOR LIVE THEIR PERSONAL LIFE?
“(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
-1 Timothy 3:5 (KJV)
COMMENTARY: The scripture speaks for itself. If someone is a high ranking spiritual leader you would expect to see fruits of the spirit in their personal life and household. While some with failed personal lives use negative experiences to help others through their ministry…any advice has to be put into context. Would you trust marriage advice from a person that has been happily married once (with children having successful marriages by example) or someone who had a string of failed marriages and distant relations with their children?
Truth is, you can receive great wisdom from both.
It’s all in the spiritual advisor’s approach…
Is the one with “bad fruits” demanding you do something in some black and white manner as if they have authority over you (and the issue) or are they WARNING YOU from a place of love based on their poor results and personal experience? Is the one with the “good fruits” telling you only what they do with excellence or are they humble enough to admit their own faults, failures, and lessons learned?
Sometimes you have to have the humility to minster on what NOT to do.
If someone with bad fruits is giving you advice and demanding things from a place of assumed superiority (on something they failed to accomplish) you should question their heart and if there’s an element of pride in place of the humility we should embody in the example of Jesus.
MIRACLES, SIGNS, & WONDERS
Jesus’ Ministry (Audience & Means)
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
— Matthew 10:5-8 (KJV)
“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”
— Matthew 16:4 (KJV)
“For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom”
— 1 Corinthians 1:22 (KJV)
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
— Exodus 4 2:9 (KJV)
“And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
— Numbers 21 6:10 (KJV)
“For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
— Luke 11:30 (KJV)
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
-Mark 16:15-19
AFTER JESUS’ DEATH (FAITH, BELIEF, & SIGNS)
“Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not…”
-1 Corinthians 14:22 (KJV)
“For we walk by faith, not by sight…”
-2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders…”
-2 Thessalonians 2:9 (KJV)
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
And this will we do, if God permit.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
— Hebrews 6:1-6 (KJV)
What’s up with Hebrews 6?
Why aren’t you healed after repenting or being prayed over?
One should never find “fault” in the hands of those who prayed when something prayed doesn’t come to pass…for unanswered and answered prayers alike reflect God’s will.
Todd White does this in the above video and many NAR leaders preach that if you haven’t repented (of some sin known or unknown to you) then healing won’t take place and prayers will go unanswered (as if they know God’s will).
Todd White says “this is part of the gospel” yet doesn’t tell us where in the Bible you can find such a claim. My assumption is that all of this comes from perverting the message of Hebrews 6…please see above section on Hebrews 6 for more study.
Can spiritual gifts be taught in a school?
Where do they come from?
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
-1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (KJV)
COMMENTARY: Obviously the scripture suggests spiritual gifts come from God. If that’s the case, do you need to go to school to obtain them?
Just remember…”we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
If one begins to believe that salvation is based on the appearance of “spiritual gifts” or being able to do something (like performing Biblical miracles or the signs of the apostles) they run the risk of thinking in terms of “salvation by works” and not by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
CONCLUSION
John 14:12
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”
-1 Corinthians 9:18 (KJV)