TESTING PROPHETS

We should welcome prophecies, but they should always be tested. 

Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil (1 Thes 5:19-22).

Living with Imperfection

There are no perfect prophets. There are very few perfect prophecies. I would expect that even experienced prophets get it wrong sometimes. I suspect that most prophets would be very happy, if they got it right 90 percent of the time. An even larger percentage of prophecies from God will be slightly contaminated by something the prophet has added from his own heart. This is normal even for experienced prophets, because all prophets are human.

The solution is not to reject all prophecy, but to test all prophecy. Even if a word comes from a "big name" prophet, we should not assume that it is correct. Christians often feel guilty about rejecting a word, because it came from a well-known prophet. They should remember that prophets with big reputations will still be wrong at times. In fact, because there is more pressure on them to prophesy, they will make more frequent mistakes. There is no shame in rejecting their prophecy, if it is tested and found to be incorrect.

There are no perfect prophets. Even the Old Testament prophets got things wrong at time. God allows his prophets to make mistakes to keep them humble and to prevent the church from becoming too dependent on them. We must become more relaxed and comfortable in dealing with impure and incorrect prophecies, so that they can be discarded without drama. As we get better at testing prophecies, we will get better at calmly saying, "That was not from God" or "He missed the bus there", without feeling guilty.

We must also learn to reject prophecies without killing the prophet. The church should accept a mistake as a reminder that all prophets are human. The prophets should be glad to hear about their mistakes, so they can learn from them.

Prophets (must) humbly accept the truth that they see through a glass darkly, that they know only in part. In other words, they make mistakes. Mature prophets urge everyone to who they prophesy to judge, test and compare with scripture everything they say. They are not offended when people are careful (Stephen L Mansfield - Pastoring the Prophetic).

Testing prophecies

The Bible gives a number of principles for testing a prophecy.

1.      1 Cor 14:4 - It must build up the body.

2.      2 Tim 3:16 - It must agree with Scripture.

3.      John 16:13,14 - It must exalt Jesus.

4.      Deut 18:22,22 - It must come true.

5.      Deut 13:1-5 - It must lead to God and obedience to him.

6.      Rom 8:15 - It must produce liberty

7.      2 Cor 3:6 - It must produce life.

8.      1 John 2:27 - It must be attested to the Holy Spirit in each believer.

All prophecies should glorify and honour Jesus.