B.I.B.L.E.- Recognizing THE SPIRIT OF GOD

BASIC INSTRUCTION INSTRUCTION
BEFORE LEAVING EARTH

HEY! Welcome back everyone to a new edition of Meetta's Blog.

To remind you...B.I.B.L.E. column is to teach "New Believers" or "New Converts "in Christ (also others of you who may be seeking, but have not yet decided to follow Christ)...principles of God, basic knowledgeable facts about our Lord Saviour (Jesus of Nazareth), and other character building traits. I will also provided information on how to live a "Christ Like Life".

For this column, just to remind you again, you should have your own bible handy to follow along. I use the Life Application Study Bible. N.I.V., The New International Version by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton Illinois. But use what you have and feel comfortable with , SO LONG AS IT TEACHES THE WORD OF GOD without too much lost translation AND you understand it. Remember to always pray to Jesus for understanding and wisdom through the Father God, in Jesus name BEFORE you start to read "THE WORD."

So, let' s get started shall we. Many new believers and even seasoned believers struggle with the question of "How do you know what teachings to listen to and live by when it concerns God?" and "How do we know WHO to believe?

These are both good questions because their are charismatic, charming, eloquent, attractive, (even famous) persons who represent and head many religious sects around the world. These religious sects teach different doctrines and many proclaim to be the right teachings of God and even using certain passages, (though not complete) to mis-lead you. I have found a way to tell and the teaching of it comes directly from the Bible. Today's lesson is called "TESTING THE SPIRITS."

The text for today's lesson is 1st JOHN verses 1-6
* Please note; This is Jesus' Disciple Apostle John speaking)

SCRIPTURE

(v.1) Dear Friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are form God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (v.2) This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (v.3) but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

(v.4) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater that the one who is in the world. (v.5) They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. (v.6) We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not form God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

FOOTNOTES

(v.1 & 2) "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits" means that we shouldn't believe everything we hear just because someone says it is a message inspired by God. there are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from the Lord;

#1. Check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible.
#2. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers (1st John 2:19,
#3. Their lifestyles (1st John 3:23 & 24)
#4. And the fruit of their ministries (1st John 4:6).
#5. But the most important test of all, says John, is what they believe about Christ. Do they teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man? Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. Give them these tests to see if they are indeed speaking God's truth.

(v.3) The antichrist will be a person who epitomizes all that is evil, and he will be readily received by an evil world. He is more fully described in 2 Thessalonians ch. 2:3-12 and Revelation 13. The "spirit of the antichrist" is already here! * Those who reject Christ are unknowingly or consciously siding with the spirit of the antichrist.

(v.4) It is easy to be frightened by the wickedness we see all around us and overwhelmed by the problems we face. Evil is obviously much stronger than we are. John assures us, however that God is even stronger. He will conquer all evil--and his Spirit and his Word live in our hearts!

(v.6) False teachers are popular with the world because, like the false prophets of the Old Testament, they tell people what they want to hear. John warns that Christians who faithfully teach God's word will not win any popularity contests in the world. People don't want to hear their sins denounced; They don't want to listen to demands that they change their behavior. A false teacher will be well received by non-Christians.

Thank you for (re) joining me for another
edition of B.I.B.L.E.
Please check out the archive section to the right of this page for your favorite articles. Meetta
Thanks so MUCH!