Counterfeit or Real

(1 Cor 12:10 NRSV)  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

In our world high cost and ways to make a fast buck, there are so many counterfeits.  At times without a trained eye it is hard to tell the real from the counterfeit.  I remember a trip I had to the Philippines some years ago.  As I was walking through a park I was confronted by many sales people.  One was persistent shoving sunglasses in my face saying “Ray bans”.  Finally after a time I asked how much and he shouted out only $10.  Knowing that good quality sunglasses cost much more than that, I asked to take a closer look and found the spelling off by one letter, COUNTERFEIT!  On another trip to another country with a companion we ran into a similar situation and I had a hard time convincing my travel partner not to buy, for they were counterfeits.

Then, there was a time in our own city when I saw a scam at work.  Many years ago I owned a remodeling business.  One day while working on a room addition someone pulled up in a car telling us they got stuck with several new VCRs and needed to sell them.  I had an employee get suckered.  I tried to tell him it was too good to be true and that he should not do it.  At that time VCRs were still costly and the guy was offering them at a bargain price.  I thought maybe they were stolen, but the guy showed some kind of receipt.  I still had my doubts, but the young man wanted a VCR.  He gave the man the money and the guy drove off.  Now the box seemed to be still stapled and sealed by the manufacture.  The young man opened the box and what was inside was a big brick.

You see, this is how false teaching and deceiving spirits work.  They seem legit and promise big things, but when all is settled each person that had been deceived is left empty and disillusioned.  Satan, the enemy of the church works much the same way, in his attempts to trip up God’s people to cast off their faith.  The spirits of evil and deception operate in churches by people who look like any other believers.  On the outside they look like the real deal, but what’s inside is empty and false. 

In the Christian world we have so many different teachings and doctrines; it is hard for one to tell the real from the counterfeit.  From the churches earliest years, even before all the founding Apostles were even gone there were those creeping in with false teachings.  Read the letter to the churches in Revelations and see what many of them dealt with, as well as the following examples.

 (2 Pet 2:1-2 NRSV)  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. {2} Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned.

 (2 Tim 2:16-18 NKJV)  But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. {17} And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, {18} who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

This is why we need to know God’s Word and be filled with His spirit and allow Him to lead us.  As Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about God’s spirit manifesting in the believers and the body of Christ.  We find him telling them that as needed the spirit will work in a manifestation of knowing what spirit is at work.  To put it this way God wants to work through us so we can tell the difference between the counterfeit and real.  Let me say this, for there to be a false, there has to be a real. 

The false is always similar to or almost exactly like the real.  A person would not be so easily deceived if the false looked nothing like the real.  We need to trust in the leading of God’s spirit to help us know the difference.  We cannot lean on our own feelings and emotions because they too can be easily tricked.  We cannot solely lean on our traditional doctrines because they could be teachings of men replacing biblical truths.  We cannot trust in the majority, like a good magic act a whole crowd of spectators are all fooled even if just one is not.  There are so many teachings today that are popular and have a great number of followers, but that does not make it truth.  We have many ministries and churches full of emotion and demonstrations, but when in times of real trial we find so many empty and wanting.  Don’t get me wrong I myself love a great worship experience that I put my whole heart and emotion into, but I don’t put my faith in that.  I must be full of the Word of God and trust in His spirit to lead me into truth.

  (2 Tim 2:15-16 NRSV)  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. {16} Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety,

(John 16:13 NRSV)  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

There are real spiritual manifestations today, but we should not take those for granite and test them all.  In all the years of growing up in Pentecostal, Charismatic church’s, what I have seen is a real lack of proper teaching and understanding of the spiritual manifestations.  Because of the lack or improper teachings, we have seen so many misunderstandings and abuse in the churches that allow spiritual manifestations. 

I believe there are three areas we need the discerning of spirits. First, we have an enemy, Satan, who is a liar and deceiver, out to trip up God’s children.  Satan and his demons know how to incite our emotions and present something that looks and feels so real.  If we are not careful we get so caught up in excitement and personalities that we get tricked into accepting something to be real when it is actually not from God.

Second, there is the human element of error or deception.  This is because of several reasons.  As stated before improper or lack of good teaching on this matter is a major reason.  I have also seen well intentioned people jump out a head of God’s spirit and operate on their own; this is often with disastrous results.  Then we have men and women who for gain use tricks to look like it is God’s manifestation.

Then there is the real, but because of the false many shy away in skepticism.  They need to be around those who in love will minister God’s goodness.  They need to be around those who will allow the skeptics to ask questions and through relationships trust those to judge and prove what was manifested is of God.

We are instructed to test all things and see if they are from God, yet, often we throw logic out the door and let too many things happen in churches that should not be.  Then, we have Charismatic leaders who put down those who question what they have done.  Let’s face it, if someone says they are a prophet and they miss it far more often than hit it they should be called out on their false prophecies.   Yet, we should not be too critical or judge a mater not of God just because the person being the instrument of the manifestation does not have the same doctrinal views as yours, unless it is a denial of Jesus that came in the flesh and the son of God.  Let’s see what the word says about this.

 (1 Th 5:21-22 NRSV)  but test everything; hold fast to what is good; {22} abstain from every form of evil.

(1 John 4:1-13 NRSV)  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. {2} By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, {3} 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. {4} 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. {5} They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. {6} 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. {7} Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. {8} Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. {9} God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. {10} In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. {11} Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. {12} No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. {13} By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

In closing this week, I want to say that discerning of spirits is probably one of the most important to operate in the body of Christ.  This is the one that requires God’s love at work and good teaching. Without God’s love at work we will come off prudish and judgmental.  This is a manifestation that requires patience and quietness to wait on the Lord in matters of the manifestations.  It can not be confused with intuition and feelings.  A person must be strong and of great courage, because there will be times to speak out against something that is accepted by the majority.  Yet, I feel those that God uses in this manifestation need to be meek and humble before God and all men.  If today, there is a need for a certain manifestation to be in operation when any others are present, it is this one.  We need to know the false from the real.