WHO ARE THE TRUE PROPHETS OF GOD?

Jeremiah 23:18 (NIV 1984) But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?

There are messengers within the church who do not speak the words that God is saying. Oh, they may read from the Bible, preach sermons from it, and use Christian platitudes to give the appearance of orthodoxy, but their teachings, and the causes they emphasize, expose theological drift. Traditional biblical stances soften to make room for unholy alliances with secular, humanistic causes that are more favorably looked upon by the general public. This is nothing new. Theological drift in the church has gone on since the time of Jesus; the author of Hebrews warns us of such (Heb 2:1); yet, when speaking of the church, Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against her (Matt 16:18), which begs the question: why does it seem the gates of hell are prevailing against us? Why does it seem the enemy so easily penetrates our ranks and allures some of our best and brightest off-course? Could we have, maybe subconsciously, misunderstood what the church actually is? Could it be that it is not the evangelical network of megachurches, parachurch organizations, Christian radio and TV networks, or the denominational heavyweights that have come to represent her? Could it be that it is more local, more off-grid than we thought? Maybe the big powerful thing we thought was the true church is in fact a facade, one primed for infiltration and negative influence.

Some of what we’re starting to hear in church seems a bit off. Is climate change now to be on the list of major Christian concerns? Are we to trumpet the causes of diversity, equity, and inclusion as presented by today’s liberal elites? And, are we to soften our language on sexual sin and the life of the unborn because those are too “political” for the church’s attention? What about personal holiness? Does the Bible, as some high-profile preachers have said, only “whisper about sexual sins”?

There are prophets emerging from the traditional evangelical church that are trumpeting nontraditional causes. Yet, are they God’s prophets, or are they running with their own message? These modern-day “prophets” suppose it is their calling to correct the doom and gloom preaching of the past; so, they declare a softer message, “No need to fear judgment, God accepts you as you are; He is for you, but if we don’t address our climate, the earth will burn and everything in it.” Doom and gloom still. The answer? Activism, electric cars, and fewer cows; never mind the absurdity of it all, along with the global poverty and food crisis that would result. Man’s soul-sickness is replaced by the supposed planet’s environmental-sickness, and just like that a new gospel emerges, one where we are the saviors and Planet Earth is the one in need of salvation. Forget, for the moment, that the planet may not be in such dire straights and that we probably couldn’t fix it if it was; this all seems a bit like false prophecy. “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.” (Jer 23:21)

When the true word of the Lord comes it turns people away from rebellion against God and restores their faith. Years ago my favorite T-shirt had a picture with an activist on the left sporting a T-shirt that said “Save the Whales”, an activist on the right with a T-shirt that said “Save the Forests”, and Jesus in the middle, arms around both, wearing a T-shirt of His own that said “Save Mankind”. Nothing against stewardship of the forests and whale population; those are good things, but the ultimate cause of God is to redeem people through the blood of Jesus and lead them into personal holiness and enduring faith, all in the context of a like-minded community. This is THE gospel and a plumb line for a prophet’s message. True prophecy turns people from evil deeds while false prophecy affirms them in their evil deeds (Jer 23:22b). Who is speaking God’s words today? Only those who have stood in His council and heard His voice (Jer 23:22a). Perhaps, we can be numbered among them.