Bible Study How to Test the Spirits?

[reddogs]

Galatians 3:
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

1 John 2:
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1 John 4:
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit also have the anointing that gives us the right of understanding of all we need to know. Unlike those who teach heresies and have no truth found in them. We know we are not going to be deceived by the false teachers (antichrist) that have gone out into the word, but are none of Christ as they have no anointing of the Holy Spirit, 2 Timothy 3:1-7.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit would never replace the teachings of Christ, but as what we started in our learning from the teachers in our beginning we now know how to discern that of what is being taught to us as we study for our self to know for a surety through the Holy Spirit confirming and giving us understanding of that which is being taught us by others. The Holy Spirit will also bring those scriptures we learned from back to our remembrance as we teach others, John 14:26.

1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. This is why it is said in vs. 27 let no man teach you which means do not allow those who are false teachers having not the anointing of the Holy Spirit teach you. We are to safeguard ourselves from false teachings. The Holy Spirit is all we need to correctly interpret that of what we are being taught, 2 Timothy 2:15, 16.

Well look what Paul gives us...
1 Corinthians 14:27-28
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

The thing is, speaking (or singing) in 'tongues' can be from 'unclean' spirits, and to just say its a 'Holy' one and feel we have a 'spirit' from God, does not make it so..

 

[reddogs]

In my experience, those who have turned to sensuality in an attempt to experience God usually neglect, or badly twist, His word, refusing to live in conformity to it. And so, they migrate into "Christian" living that isn't spiritual, but fleshly, that is of a kind with the rest of their mundane living where, through their physical senses, they interact with their environment and other people and creatures.

Many Christians want God, who is an immaterial Spirit, to be just as tangible, just as accessible to their physical senses, as anything, or anyone else, in their lives. In fact, they expect more from Him in this regard, since He's God; He has to "show up" in supernatural ways, throwing them to the ground in demon-possession style, forcing them to babble unintelligibly, or cry out in hysteria and convulse, or give them tingles, zaps or warm oozies, or appear as a fog, feathers or gold dust falling from ac/heating ducts.

Rather than the "inner witness" of the Spirit through his transformation of their desires, thoughts and actions (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 2:13), his illumination of their minds and hearts to divine Truth (John 14:26; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16), his strengthening of them in times of temptation and trial (Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:13), his conviction of them (John 16:8; Revelation 2-3), and his comforting of them in seasons of suffering and sorrow (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), these Christians look for external "signs," searching for a physical intersection with a non-physical God. But in their sensual pursuit of God, they take up silly, paganistic and trivial counterfeits of God "showing up." They thrill over a tingle across their skin, crying out, "It's God!" or they jabber like a monkey and declare, "The Holy Spirit is here!" But in the record of Scripture, when God "showed up," His appearance was nothing like such silly things:

Exodus 13:21-22
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Exodus 14:21-22
21 ...and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Exodus 24:16-17
16 The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.

Exodus 40:34-35
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Leviticus 9:23-24
23 Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
24 Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

1 Kings 8:10-11
10 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

Acts 2:1-4
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

And so on.

It's always been amazing to me how eagerly the sensual Christian can be led to accept as from God the weak, trivial things that are these days declared to be from Him. But this is what happens when believers are keen to make interaction with God, who is a Spirit, a physical, sense-oriented, fleshly thing.

Galatians 5:17
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Romans 8:5-8
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Matthew 16:4 (NASB)
4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign..."

Yes, they rather have a 'sign' and declare themselves full of what is 'holy', rather than allow the fruit of the Spirit be manifested and actually live it...

 

[for_his_glory]

Well look what Paul gives us...
1 Corinthians 14:27-28
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

The thing is, speaking (or singing) in 'tongues' can be from 'unclean' spirits, and to just say its a 'Holy' one and feel we have a 'spirit' from God, does not make it so..

Exactly, especially when there is no interpretation. I have spoken in tongues and always had another to interpret. As far as singing in tongues I would rather do that at home in privacy as that is only between me and God. There are fake ones out there as well I know and what one speaks needs to be for edification or instruction for the body of Christ as the Holy Spirit speaks through us.