Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God and have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:1-6, NRSVue)
This is important to test the spirits and to discern the will of God.
Many now say this is Biblical. I want a church that preaches and teaches the bible. Well, stoning children who talk back to their parents is biblical. But that is not loving or what God calls us to be. So, which is the right answer?
We are known in the world by our love, Jesus said. Love is biblical. Love is what God calls us to live out. Love is the thing that should be the basis for everything we do, not if it is biblical.
The Bible is a collection of books and stories that points us to who God is and how God is in our lives and working in the world. The Bible is not the end-all, be-all for deciding what we do. It is a book given by men for the purpose of connecting us to God and telling God’s story. It is not the end of God speaking in the world.
Discern what God is leading us to and follow God.
Not a book or a set of guidelines to maintain a power structure and power.
God is love and calls us to love.
aSacredRebel 