This series of postings will address the work of God and Satan in the area of guidance. Guidance, as this study will show, is to be based solely on God’s Word, not church doctrine nor the pontifications of famous ministers. One proof of a minister’s God-centeredness concerns public acceptance and rejection. According to the Lord, if one is FAMOUS–accepted by Christendom–he is a fake. If he is of God he will be INFAMOUS–hated and despised by the church. See Persecution.

Obedience is a misunderstood subject within professing Christendom because God’s guidance is often mistaken for Satan’s guidance and visa versa. Understanding the difference is extremely important in the present and future life of the believer. One’s obedience to God’s Word is due to the work of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. By the same token, one’s obedience to Satan’s word is due to his spirit–the spirit of Antichrist–in one’s life. There is no middle ground; the believer obeys either one or the other; one must be either hot or cold; one cannot serve two masters, etc. One of many commands concerning the choice one must make was given by Joshua when preparing Israel to enter the Promised Land as recorded in Joshua 24:14,15: “… choose you this day whom you will serve …” whether the heathen gods or the God of their fathers. In verse 16 the people answered, saying that they would obey the Eternal God. Thus we all declare our allegiance to the God of the Bible at our introduction to Him–mistakenly called “the salvation experience” by the masses. Having convinced the unknowing supplicant that he/she is instantly saved, ministers pull the new convert into their Babylonian religion and convince him/her that he/she is on the path to heaven. See Bait and Switch. The church’s heresy revolves around spiritual guidance–who does one listen to and obey? Let us enter into a study of the two choices available to mankind–God and Satan. Let us determine how they work and man’s reaction to their influence.

Beginning in First John 3:23,24 those who call themselves God’s people are reminded that they must obey God in order to qualify for eternal life. Beginning in 4:1 God issues a warning to those rejected and despised saints who believe and obey Him. Because multiplied millions of believers consider themselves part of the Body of Christ, I will include them in the following discussion in hopes that some will come to believe God, turn from their heathen religions and embrace the Lord.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Note that God identifies prophets with the spirits in which they operate. In this passage He is warning the church not to be concerned about those false prophets outside the church, but rather those inside the church who are trying to divide her and draw followers to themselves. This problem was showing up in many if not all of the churches as is evidenced by Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 1:10-15 in which he laments that there are those who were creating divisions (denominations) within the Body of Christ. Some of the people were wanting to follow individual ministers instead of God. Paul condemned their heretical attempts with a question: “Is Christ divided?”

In First John the apostle reveals that division in the church is not always initiated by power-hungry false prophets, that sometimes it is the people who want to follow a particular minister to the exclusion of others. Paul is adamant that everyone, without exception, follow Christ only and reject anyone who did not lead them to Christ through God’s Word. He further emphasizes this theme in First Thessalonians 5:21,22: “Prove all things (teachings); hold fast to what is good (God’s Word). Abstain (reject) from every kind of evil (not God’s Word).” It is in the realm of spiritual guidance that the Institutional Church fails to obey God’s commands relative to trying the spirits of ministers. Clearly God is warning that not everything done under the heading of “the Word of the Lord” is in fact of Him. Hundreds of different “churches,” each going in a different direction, proves the necessity for the warning. Having spent many years in various church circles–from the totally dead to those on life support–I am very well acquainted with spiritual guidance of both types. From my experience and from observing what passes for “church” on the international scene, I contend that 99% of what goes on “in the name of the Lord” is of Satan. See All That Glitters and Progressive Christianity. To be continued. L.J.