”In this you all are knowing the Spirit of God: every spirit which is confessing Jesus Christ in flesh having come, out of God is...”
-The very first thing to look for when testing a spirit is, what do they say about Jesus? If we are going to own our own Pied Piper prevention, this is where we start. Rule #1 for good fruit inspectors - what do this person say about Jesus Christ? John says we can know for sure, and it all begins - and ends - with Jesus. His is the Name above all names, the greatest Name in history, sweet honey on the lips to some, bitter gall and guilt to others. His is the Name which launched a thousand ships - of missionaries carrying His Name (along with their own coffins) to the ends of the earth, which inspires feats of great love and sacrifice and which (sadly) tears families and nations asunder (very sad reality, but Jesus Himself predicted the same - cf Matthew 10.34-36, 24.9). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end - of history AND of Truth. And so we can know whether someone is teaching true truth which is authentic and carries the heavenly seal of approval by this. Teaching which is heavenly-sourced begins and ends with the basic premise that Jesus is heaven-sent. He came from God, and became a flesh-and-blood man, the God-man. Infinite almighty God became a finite man and took on frail flesh. The Incarnation, we call it. Unreasonable, inconceivable, and otherwise scientifically impossible, yes. But this is Christianity 101. This is where we start, this is what you look for.
Anyone who is teaching with the power and help of the Holy Spirit will reinforce this most basic tenet of the Christian faith, because the Holy Spirit came and still does come in order to glorify Christ. “He will guide you into all truth... and He will glorify Me” - that’s exactly what Jesus said (John 16.13-14). All the other religions, non-Christian religions, and all the sects and cults which have spun off of the Christian faith - they whiff on this right here (now there may be a few which get this right but then whiff on something else, but that is another discussion).
But so, this is our ready position (tennis players). Got Jesus? Alright, now we can proceed. Look for this, first and foremost. If someone is teaching, purporting to be teaching truth, specifically Christian truth, inspect this. What do they say about Jesus? Who is Jesus? And corollarily (is that even a word?), make it your goal to be absolutely sure yourself of the truth about Jesus. Maybe it would help you to write out what you know about Jesus, what you are convinced is true about Him (no, it would definitely help). Your own personal Jesus statement. Look up and write down the verses of Scripture which give you this assurance. Savior. Promised Messiah. Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. God’s Son. God Himself. The God Who loves you. Born of a virgin. In Bethlehem of Judea. Grew up in Nazareth. He was a real live Person Who lived and died to rescue and bring to heaven you and me and anyone who believes IN Him. But don’t just take my word for it, don’t write what I just wrote - do it for yourself. And know for sure what you believe about Jesus. Test the spirits yourself - you can do this!
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