I’m going to describe a scenario for you… this is a scenario that is played out literally millions of times every week. A person goes to a church building, faithfully, each week; sometimes even twice or three times per week, and dutifully listens to a message, from someone whom they have venerated, and allowed to speak into their mind… someone whom they have allowed to shape the most important part of themselves; the most important part of their lives, because it will affect their eternal destiny..
And since this is so important, you would think that precisely what message is being taught, would be of utmost importance… but for many people; the message is secondary, or even tertiary to other aspects of the “church” (and yes I’m using air-quotes here).
The people I have talked to, have told me that many enjoy going to a church building, for the social aspect of it; they get to see their friends, and participate in activities, and have food… the message isn’t even foremost on their minds – to them, it’s just another part of the social club experience – and my friend, that is dangerous.
It is dangerous because these precious people, are allowing their very beliefs to be shaped by a message each week, that they aren’t even examining against scripture… they let it slide, just because they like the people, they like the atmosphere, they enjoy the social club, and they feel like they “belong” and so they don’t give much thought to what they are actually feeding their soul – or just let it slide because to them, it just isn’t important enough.
So today, what I want to share with you, is what the scriptures say about the true Gospel message, and to show you the genuine article, so that you can know without any doubt, what the true message is.
We are talking about the message, because this issue keeps coming up… and I hope you understand my heart on this; anyone who knows me, knows that I am not against pastors, preachers, leaders, teachers or evangelists. I am also not anti-church. We are the body of Christ, and the church is His bride – I could no-more be against the church than I could be against Jesus Himself.
I just greatly differ on a few main areas:
1) I don’t believe the church is a building. I believe the church is the assembly of believers, the body of Christ, and not a building. Wherever believers gather, whether it be indoors, or in the open air, even on a mountain, that is the church. (Ephesians 1:24 – 2:6, Acts 7:48-50)
2) I believe that the main purpose to gather together with believers is to uplift and encourage one-another in the love of Christ, and our identity in Him, and to promote good works (which is our belief on Jesus) – any good deeds are a fruit of His Spirit. (Hebrews 10:23-25, John 6:29, Galatians 5:22-23)
3) I believe that any message which is not in-line with the Gospel is a false message. Any spirit which doesn’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, is a spirit of anti-Christ. Any one who preaches a different Jesus, is not a true messenger of God. And there are many of those messages, and many of those spirits in the world today. (2nd Corinthians 11:4, 1st John 4:2-3)
So as far as the message is concerned, God takes it seriously, and so I do as well.
The reason why God (and by extension, myself) take this matter so seriously, is because it goes to the very heart of our identity in Christ. Hearing the right message, can build us up, strengthen our faith and belief on Jesus Christ, and help us to stand firm against the enemy who wants so desperately to keep us bound.
Conversely, hearing the wrong message basically helps the enemy do his job… it can break our spirit, hinder our relationship with Jesus and rob us of our identity, because we start believing the wrong message instead of the right one; which sabotages our identity that Jesus came to restore us to.
Take for example one of the scriptures that I just mentioned… 1st John 4:1-4. It says:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
We can learn a lot right from these four verses. And I love the way that this starts… by reminding us who we are: Beloved. This right here destroys a lot of wrong thinking, because there are a lot of people who get beat down by legalistic, works-driven preaching every week, and they don’t even realize that they are the beloved of God. He loves you more than you can possibly imagine, and the sooner that you can grab hold of that fact, the better off you will be!
The rest of verse 1 decimates even more common erroneous beliefs. The first of which being that the message really doesn’t matter; that as long as someone preaches using the Bible, and uses the name of Jesus, and mentions God and Grace once-in-a-while, that everything is fine. I encounter that a lot, and let me tell you that it is a very dangerous and destructive mindset that keeps many people trapped.
Look at what the verse says: Do not believe every spirit! Not everyone who comes in the name of Jesus, or claims to be doing God’s work actually is! This is not paranoia, or tin-foil hat stuff, this is a simple fact. Yet there are many who are doing exactly what this says not to do… they believe everyone who stands behind a pulpit, wears a nice suit, has a likable personality, or has letters before or after their name, like Dr, PhD, or ThD.
However, none of those things are a good way to tell if someone is genuinely teaching the right message… the true message of the Gospel. The verse says to try (or test / examine) the spirits to see if they really are from God, because many (not just a few, not just some here and there) but many false spirits have gone out into the world.
Verse 2 tells us how to really know… what the real test is: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is of God.
Now, this means much more than what we typically think it means, because we think it means just someone saying: “Yes, Jesus walked on the earth as a man”… but no. Anybody can do that. Enlarge your vision of what this statement in the verse is actually saying. Christ is not just Jesus’ last name… it is a Title… in Hebrew, it is המשיח, the Promised Messiah, the Anointed One. And by acknowledging or agreeing that He has come in the flesh, is to also acknowledge and agree that He accomplished His purpose, the redemption and salvation of all who believe.
There is a lot there in that statement. It is not vain words, nor is it empty. To acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to acknowledge that your sins have been completely judged on the cross and purged from your conscience (as we studied previously) – Hebrews 10:1-2.
To acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to acknowledge that your old identity of sin is gone and you are now a new creation in Him (and we have studied plenty of times before). – Romans 6:11.
To acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to acknowledge that you have been completely sanctified and made Holy by Him (you aren’t waiting for it or trying to get it yourself) and that you have His Spirit of Holiness living in you and quickening (making alive) your mortal body, right now. – Hebrews 10:10, Romans 8:11.
To acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is to acknowledge that you are healed (including physically) by the sacrifice of Jesus, that He carried your sicknesses and pains in His own body, and that by His stripes you are already healed. – 1st Peter 2:24.
This is what it means to truly say that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and so if you honestly look around today, you will not see much of this being proclaimed. You will not see many preachers teaching this. But notice verse 3: Any spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of anti-Christ.
This one statement forces a lot of people to do something that they don’t really want to do… take an honest hard look at what message they are really listening to and feeding on. It may not be pleasant, but it is the most important decision that you will make, because it will shape your belief, and put you on a future path for this life, and all the way into eternity.
As verse 4 says, You are of God, you have overcome all the liars in Christ. So why would you spend even one more second being bound by lies that Christ has paid to free you from? Nothing is worth that price!
This is why the Gospel is called the good news! Because in Christ, all of the things I have listed today about acknowledging Him (and even more) is yours, today, right now! To disregard, or downplay these things is to take away from the good news, and make the cross less than what it is. But if the good news is not being taught, many are not hearing, and so many cannot believe if preachers are too busy preaching “fire and brimstone law messages” that never even touch the good news!
Take a look at Romans 10:13-17:
“For whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias said, Lord, who has believed our report?
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Take special notice of verse 15 here. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Law of Moses, and rules and regulations and traditions, and the bad news of God’s wrath and judgment.
Oh, wait. It doesn’t say that!
It says “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace and bring glad tidings of good things!
Why aren’t more preachers doing that… well a lot of it says to do with verse 16, the next verse… not many have obeyed the gospel (you obey the gospel by believing it, that’s Romans 1:5 and 1st Peter 1:22).
Many pastors themselves don’t even really believe the Gospel, if you dig down deep into their faith. And I’m not picking on them… please don’t think that… it’s been going on for generations. People sit under one leader who doesn’t believe, and those people become pastors themselves, and teach others the same way, and the unbelief gets passed down from one generation to the next.
This is what makes the question so striking for us today, as it was in Isaiah’s day: Who has believed our report?
I encourage you today, don’t spend another moment sitting under a message of doubt and unbelief, in the name of social entertainment. Don’t feed on spoiled-milk or rotten-meat just because the person who serves it to you has a nice personality. It’s just not worth it!
Test the spirits, choose the genuine message, and you will be very glad you did. You have overcome those petty, foolish lies… they cannot hold you any longer.
Be blessed.