Test the spirits

[dys]

Backstory:
When I first found Jesus Christ, I didn't start reading the bible for a year. Shortly after I found Him, I entered a GIM chatroom to find it empty except for Grad. I asked Grad "you are a Christian, right?" His response: "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." At the time I thought it was a bizarre response and I figured Grad was a little strange (sorry Grad). Fast forward a year and I started reading the bible. Now we've all heard the claim that the bible is 100% true. At the time I thought the claim was most likely hogwash. How could a book that was written 2000 years ago be 100% true. Through practical experience I came to realize that the bible IS 100% true. It all started with this passage:

"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."
John 4:3 (KJV)

One day, I came across a guy that claimed to be a minister in a message forum that seemed extremely knowledgable in matters of religion, faith, God, etc...He had a lot to say and was very articulate and entertaining in saying it. But there was something about him, something that I couldn't put my finger on, but I didn't quite trust him. So I gave him the test. I asked him "Do you confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?" And he failed the test. As soon as he failed the test, I went to work trying to find out as much as I could about him. I eventually discovered that the guy was a connected Mason and practicing Satanist.
I was to repeat this experience over and over and over again. Anyone that failed the test was proven to be a fraud, occultist, or liar. On the other hand, the very few that passed the test always turned out to be the real deal.

The ones that failed the test did so in the following ways:

1. Refuse to answer.
Either by ignoring the question or answering in a nonresponsive way (ie- Don't be silly. You don't need to ask me that.)
2. Answering without actually confessing.
This is done by saying something along the lines of "I believe as you do."
3. Answering incompletely.
Some will say "Jesus is come in the flesh." Tricky one, because they could be talking about any Jesus other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Or some will say "Christ has come in the flesh." Again, which Christ? Their Christ, or Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The ones that passed the test always do so willingly, quickly, and directly. See the first paragraph of this post, pertaining to Grad. I hope this information will be beneficial to both believers and non believers. Non believers can still verify that a particular individual is genuine. If someone tells you that they are a believer in Jesus Christ of Nazareth and they can't pass this test, they are NOT a believer in Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

For the record, I confess that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is come in the flesh.

dys

edit to add: I want to make it clear that those that fail the test don't pass the test on the 'second try'. In other words, if someone fails the test by saying "Christ is come in the flesh" my typical response would be "Please elaborate. WHICH Christ are you referring to?" They WILL NOT say which Christ.

[Dogman]

Good example of so called Christians eating other people that believe in the same thing, but were taught different..

That is why organized religion is not cool at all or will I play.

[madfranks]

I think that's a good test. There are way too many snakes in the Body of Christ these days. And to dys and everyone else, I also confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

[Horn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZocpwWLsyE

[Grad]

Dear Dysgenic,

you are very kind to me; thank you, my friend. :)

I've forgotten about our chatroom exchange years ago.

It was nice to remember the things of old.

I hope everything is good in your life.

For the last few years I have been blessed by the Lord with many great blessings and I am in need of nothing,
except I wish for as many of my family and friends saved through Jesus Christ as possible.

Let the Lord bless you too, if that's His will.

:)

[StreetsOfGold]

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh and....

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

[Old Herb Lady]

For the record, I also confess that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is come in the flesh.

Dys it is a good test, but it is not thorough enough for me. There is no way that I can believe that a person is a true Christian by confessing that.

Let me explain... If you're just meeting someone for the VERY first time and you test them with that, don't you think that there are evil people in this world that could let it roll right off of their tongue with no conscience and gain your trust and do great harm to you because you now trust them that they are a 'Christian' ?
(think of the pathological liars like Casey Anthony for example)

What if someone really is true Christian and they are just a brand new Christian and are not yet comfortable with talking about God yet. They could fail the verbal test because their heart was too afraid to express it even if they feel it, know it, believe it in their heart 100% but just can't say it to you or they do not understand what you are asking of them.

What if a person only shares their soul with with God everyday and does not go out into the world and confesses it to all. Are they evil. No.

I don't think it is fair to judge someone based on this.

I have been ripped off by more Christians in my life than I care to recall. I had them steal from me & take advantage of my generosity right in my own home right under my nose. I've taken in a homeless woman & her daughter , I've given my time, my money, my heart to people who would confess their heart to Jesus & turn around & stab me in the back.
Yes, I would totally do it all over again, however I would not have the trust that I had in them knowing what they could do.

Don't be deceived. You have to discern. I trust very few people. I am a sinner & want to be a better person and want/need to be closer to God,
but I will not let other people rob me, hurt me, take advantage of me because they passed a verbal test, now they'll practically kill you if look at them wrong.

" We must be careful, then, on insisting that others believe exactly as we do when the Scriptures are silent or difficult to interpret with certainty. Typically this is where disagreements arise. There is nothing wrong with the guide, but those who use it are not always skilled in doing so. Even an infallible guide can be misused, for it is always used by fallible people."





Test 2: Matt 7:16-20 "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." NIV

Test the lives of those pretending to be send by God. Are there inconsistencies in their lives? Is their lives in agreement with God's Word? Are they receiving glory for what they do, or is God receiving glory? Are they relying on God only for direction or are they basing their teachings on writings from men? Are they or their followers putting their word above the Bible? Have any of their prophecies never come true? (Remember the devil is a liar and will mix truth with lies. If any of their prophecies has never been fulfilled, unless it is predicted for the future, even though they gave some prophecies that were fulfilled, they are not from God!) Any inconsistencies like these will reveal to you if they are from God or not.

Test 3: 2 Peter 3:3-7 "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. NIV

The Spirit of God always speaks in accordance to God's Word, the Bible. He acknowledges its authority. Anyone putting anything above the Bible or anyone degrading the Bible, is not from God!

1 John 4:4-6 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. " NIV

2 Peter 2:1-2: "But there will also be false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves." NIV

[SLV^GLD]

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is incontrovertible fact.

Romans 10:9 says that salvation comes from confession and from believing in the heart. Only God and that person knows what lies within a person's heart.

Testing another man would be to place me in a position of judgement. Judgement is reserved for God, who I am not and cannot be.

Discernment is granted from my Higher Power and, in my experience, only at the times it is necessary. I operate under faith and on principle with little regard for whether my fellow man does the same for this is the fundamental nature of Unity.

[Awoke]

I confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

We are told to test the Spirits, not so we can judge them, but so that we may prtect ourselves from those malicious ones.

[SLV^GLD]

"Test" indicates a pass/fail condition. One must judge what is passing and what is failing in order to conclude the results of a test. Judgement would not be the ends but the means.

I pray for discernment and trust that it will be given when needed. My experience has been that it is so.

[dys]

For the record, I also confess that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is come in the flesh.

Dys it is a good test, but it is not thorough enough for me. There is no way that I can believe that a person is a true Christian by confessing that.

Let me explain... If you're just meeting someone for the VERY first time and you test them with that, don't you think that there are evil people in this world that could let it roll right off of their tongue with no conscience and gain your trust and do great harm to you because you now trust them that they are a 'Christian' ?
(think of the pathological liars like Casey Anthony for example)

What if someone really is true Christian and they are just a brand new Christian and are not yet comfortable with talking about God yet. They could fail the verbal test because their heart was too afraid to express it even if they feel it, know it, believe it in their heart 100% but just can't say it to you or they do not understand what you are asking of them.

What if a person only shares their soul with with God everyday and does not go out into the world and confesses it to all. Are they evil. No.

I don't think it is fair to judge someone based on this.

I have been ripped off by more Christians in my life than I care to recall. I had them steal from me & take advantage of my generosity right in my own home right under my nose. I've taken in a homeless woman & her daughter , I've given my time, my money, my heart to people who would confess their heart to Jesus & turn around & stab me in the back.
Yes, I would totally do it all over again, however I would not have the trust that I had in them knowing what they could do.

Don't be deceived. You have to discern. I trust very few people. I am a sinner & want to be a better person and want/need to be closer to God,
but I will not let other people rob me, hurt me, take advantage of me because they passed a verbal test, now they'll practically kill you if look at them wrong.

" We must be careful, then, on insisting that others believe exactly as we do when the Scriptures are silent or difficult to interpret with certainty. Typically this is where disagreements arise. There is nothing wrong with the guide, but those who use it are not always skilled in doing so. Even an infallible guide can be misused, for it is always used by fallible people."





Test 2: Matt 7:16-20 "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." NIV

Test the lives of those pretending to be send by God. Are there inconsistencies in their lives? Is their lives in agreement with God's Word? Are they receiving glory for what they do, or is God receiving glory? Are they relying on God only for direction or are they basing their teachings on writings from men? Are they or their followers putting their word above the Bible? Have any of their prophecies never come true? (Remember the devil is a liar and will mix truth with lies. If any of their prophecies has never been fulfilled, unless it is predicted for the future, even though they gave some prophecies that were fulfilled, they are not from God!) Any inconsistencies like these will reveal to you if they are from God or not.

Test 3: 2 Peter 3:3-7 "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. NIV

The Spirit of God always speaks in accordance to God's Word, the Bible. He acknowledges its authority. Anyone putting anything above the Bible or anyone degrading the Bible, is not from God!

1 John 4:4-6 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. " NIV

2 Peter 2:1-2: "But there will also be false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves." NIV

I have to ask you Old Herb Lady, have you ever tried applying this test? Because I have, to preachers and ministers and self proclaimed 'people of God'. And most of these people could NOT pass this simple test. They would NOT confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. My experience is that there are very few people that pass this test. John knew the score of this game.

dys

[Old Herb Lady]

NO, Dys, NEVER ! The answer is their business not mine !!
I have enough of my own business to worry about !
The Biblical "test" was meant for the preachers, ministers, etc....
I try to not depend on any of them for anything so I have no need to "test" them.
They just get in the way of you & God.

1 Thessalonians 4:11
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.

Also, I do my part in helping people come to God as the need arises & if I feel that I absolutely have to.
I do not test people nor have a calling to save all the people in the world.
I am way too free-spirited and just spread his message of love & light the way my heart directs me too.

I do not like in-your-face-preachy people who try to Bible thump me & expect me to recite verses to them off the top of my head.
( Not you Dys ! I'm talking about people who do this in the general public)

I think I probably get through to people more doing it my way then the way that the Bible screamers do.

(BTW, I practically got accosted at the grocery store one day when I parked too close to the yellow parking spot/line. I got out of my car told the lady next to me Oh sorry maam I musta parked too close to you,. She said nooo, your fine, I have plenty of room. I said OH OK, thanks, Have a nice day, God Bless. I was walking into the grocery store and she should have been leaving in her car by now, but NO ! She chased me down and said Hey what church do you go to ? She went on & on & on , I wanted to scream. She starts following me around asking me to recite John 3:16 and a bunch of others verses . She wouldn't shut up & I resent people that do this to me. My salvation is MY business ! )

[Awoke]

I kind of do both. I make it known that I am a Christian, and that I enjoy talking to people about it, and leave the ball in their court. If they want to talk, they will ask me things, and I will discuss the Lord in accordance with what the Lord has planned for those who ask me.

So I don't thump people, but I make myself available for discussion to anyone.

[JJ.G0ldD0t]

So I don't thump people, but I make myself available for discussion to anyone.

Former Fundie bible thumper here...

That is how you do it. The Spirit that live within you will draw them to you.

Its the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. Rom 2:4




oh and at the risk of appearing to belong to the Fer REALLY Seriously super secret Christian club.... (kidding)


I truly know Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

(serious)