How do you know if a prophecy which you get from another person is really from God?

[xdisciplex]

Is there even a way to know it?
I mean it's also not difficult to make up religious sounding stuff like:

My child, my child, I love you so much. I am your father and I have given you eternal life and I will draw close to you if you draw close to me. Remember, those which follow me receive eternal life but those which stay in the world will be condemned.....

I just made this stuff here up, but as you can see it's not difficult at all to make up religious talk and to sell it as "prophecy" from God. I bet that among baptists prophecies or words from God aren't very popular.
But among charismatics and pentecostals they are more popular. The problem is what do you do if you get such a prophecy? How do you know it's real? Can you even know it? Would you take it seriously? You know what I don't like about this stuff? It makes you kinda submit to others. There are always those people in charismatic churches which are more spiritual than you and have more gifts and yadda. And since these people are obviously more spiritual the others which are less spiritual kinda submit to them and if such a person gives you a prophecy then you don't know what to do with it. I don't like this at all. I don't want to hear from somebody what God is supposed to be saying to me. Such prophecies could be right but they also could be wrong. I feel like many people think that they can speak for God. Think about it, if somebody is REALLY speaking for God then these are God's words! This would mean that such a prophecy has the same level as the bible because both are God's words!

I don't know, but I feel like some people like saying such stuff. I also notice it in my house meetings. There is a woman which sings and plays the guitar and it's always the same, at the end of the worship session or whatever you want to call it she starts singing in tongues. This is usually the time where I become annoyed and hope that it'll soon be over because I think that this stuff is pretty awkward. And then she also often sings stuff where you don't know if these are her own thoughts or if she thinks that she's talking for God. Stuff like:

I want to bless you. I love you. I'm your God, don't be afraid, I will erase all your problems and so on....

I sit there and don't know what she's doing. If these are her own thoughts or if this is supposed to be God speaking through her.
This is very confusing and I think that all these things open up the door for spiritual abuse. Imagine you're looking up to a christian who has all kinds of gifts, or at least pretends to have them, and then this person gives you a word from God which totally demoralizes you and which drags you down then you have the problem of not knowing wether this was from God or not and then you become alienated from God now knowing if God is really like this or not, isn't this terrible? :tear:
When I think about all these things then sometimes I think wether it's not be better to simply be alone as a christian and to not have anything to do with other christians. I have to say that before I knew any other christians it was a totally different feeling. It was just me and God in a world of non-christians. Somehow this felt cool, kinda outlawish.
But the first time where I was confronted with other christians I felt totally strange. They seemed so weird to me, I couldn't relate to them at all and then I thought maybe I'm simply not supposed to be a christian because I'm not like them. Somehow I feel like if you want to be a christian you just have to become a member of a church and then you simply have to accommodate and be assimiliated no matter if you like it or not. But most of the christians which I know are so strange and I can't relate to this and I also don't want to become like them but somehow this is what you have to do as a christian. You have to go to a church and you have to deal with people which you usually would not even talk to because they're so weird. This sucks. Sometimes when I'm in church or in the house meeting I have moments where I feel like waking up from a booze-up and coming back to my senses and then I think: What in the world are you doing here!? Because I feel like I'm in the wrong movie. I do things which I would never have done a few years ago. I go to church and watch the weirdest things which make me feel like I'm in a bad movie. I see charismatics dancing in totally awkward ways, waving flags,lying on the floor and making things which are simply so awkward that I wish I could simply vanish into thin air to escape these situations. I guess if somebody of my family came to this church they would think the people there are lunatics and sometimes I also ask myself wether they are normal. But it's like as a christian you simply have to deal with these people because they are also christians. But sometimes I have these moments where it's like I'm looking at myself from the outside and then I think about wether I have not simply gotten into some sect and wether christians aren't simply weird people.

 

[TaterTot]

I think I'd be finding me another place to worship.
"Prophecies" can happen, I think, but they have to line up with the word of God, and a prophecy isnt necesarrily a word about something that is going to happen. I'd be leary of it.

 

[Kris]

Hello x,
If I were you, I would be finding a different house meeting. Sounds more like a freak show than a worship service. Expect to attend alot of different churches to find a somewhat stable group of christians. I usually attend, get very involved for about three months, then end up quitting. I did this for over a year until I finally found a church with overall, stable people. We have been at the same church for almost 10 years. We have a child so putting him around unstable folks wasn't an option.
Out of all of the churches in our area, there is probably only one out of 5 that are good. This means we have a handful of really great, godly churches here. I will pray for god's will for your life, and I would really like to see you get involved in a stable christian church in your area. I would stay away from Pastors or others who have "Prophesies", often they are cults. My prayers are with you raise:

 

[Jack Lavictoire]

I don't go for that kind of thing... I believe that their are people with the gift of prophesying but as for people who tell us the obvious - well I don't pay much attention to them. (They don't impress me) I've been in Christ for 20 yrs now and I can give witness of only one prophet. Anyway, I would find another church. After all, bad company corrupts good character. I think that these people are talking out of their imagination rather then being led by the Spirit of God. They have a very healthy imagination that is very unhealthy to others.

Test and prove all things - right! :thumbs:

 

[xdisciplex]

Hi!
But the problem is that I don't know where to go else. Actually I thought God wanted me in this place. The way that I got in contact with this house meeting seemed so directed. I thought it was from God, but it doesn't really help me. I don't learn anything there.

 

[El_Guero]

You need to be in the Word, you need to be in prayer with God, you need to be in submission to God, & you need Christian fellowship.

In my experience, those that play the 'profecy game' come in two types. Those that are immature and those that are heretical.

Yes, God does use genuine profecy - but, by the Biblical testimony there is A LOT more narrative than there is 'profecy'. If a group (& individuals in the group) are not evidencing fruit of the Spirit (witnessing, acts of service, genuine worship, and genuine proclamation of the Gospel to fellow believers) I really do not believe they can be in accordance with Eph 4:11.

IMHO - you need a Bible based church (I do recommend Baptist), but you need to be in the Word of God and in fellowship with like minded men and women of God.

Hi!
But the problem is that I don't know where to go else. Actually I thought God wanted me in this place. The way that I got in contact with this house meeting seemed so directed. I thought it was from God, but it doesn't really help me. I don't learn anything there.

 

[genesis12]

In response to xdisciplex only:

I was simply walking thru the house the other day when the Presence of the Holy Spirit embraced me. I could not stop my hands from lifting, my mouth from speaking words of adoration and praise. That is one of the wonderful ways that God communicates with His children. My response was out loud in English, not in tongues, and I did not prophesy. That stuff is salami, salami, baloney. There are no modern-day prophets. Forget utterances in an unknown language. Enjoy the young lady's guitar, tune out any so-called prophecy. We are to rest in Him, not disassemble Him, analyze Him, look to external sources to explain Him. God is. He manifested Himself as The Son, and is with us today as the Holy Spirit. Yield to Him, not endless Q&A. Find in HIM the answers as you yield, as you walk in harmony, in fellowship, with him. Here is a website for German-speakers that I listen to as I visit these forums.

http://tinyurl.com/r6m2g

I'd rather "spend" 15 minutes listening to it than a lifetime listening to any so-called "prophet". :thumbs:

 

[Jack Lavictoire]

Actually I thought God wanted me in this place. The way that I got in contact with this house meeting seemed so directed.

Ah I wish I could help you but this is something your going to have to work out for yourself. I don't know what God wants for you... All I know is that if I wasn't sure that God wanted me somewhere and I didnt' like what I saw I would move on.

Guess you've got some soul searching to do huh!

No worries, God is at work and of course He's going to work it all out in the end.
Give Him thanks for that... :thumbs:

 

[xdisciplex]

But once I saw somebody speak in tongues and it sounded very genuine like a real language. It also wasn't at a charismatic church. The man was speaking in tongues and then somebody else had the interpretation for it. This was pretty impressive and I think that it was genuine. But this is totally different to the stuff which most people call speaking in tongues.
I feel like as a "real charismatic" you simply have to speak in tongues and the people might also be exposed to peer-pressure and then they simply start babblin'...

 

[genesis12]

Babble. Tower of Babel. Confusion. Forget modern-day prophets, forget tongues. Genesis 1:1, John 1:1ff, Hebrews 1:1ff. We know Who God is. He needs no interpreter. In accordance with His Will, He visits us. Modern-day prophecy and tongues are not in accordance with His Will. Period.

 

[xdisciplex]

But didn't the early christians do this? Somebody speaks in tongues and others interpret?

Does this mean that all christians which speak in tongues are deceived and not even christians? If they were christians God could simply tell them to stop it.

 

[genesis12]

Hebrews 1:1-2 speaks to that. NOW He speaks to us thru His Son. There WERE prophets and there WERE folks who could speak other languages at Pentecost, so that all gathered there could understand what was being said. Christians who speak in tongues today are fooling themselves ~~ it comes from the brain, the mind, the will, the emotions; it is not spiritual communication with God, no matter how sincere they may be. That doesn't keep them from being a follower of Christ. God tells them to stop it in His Word. They simply pick and choose in what some refer to as "majoring on minors." "Straining at gnats." You can "spend" your time in better pursuits.

 

[xdisciplex]

Hi!
But Paul himself says he wishes that the others would pray more in tongues and he himself prayed in tongues, too. If this was so good and Paul also recommends it then why should it not exist anymore today?

1Co 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

 

[El_Guero]

x

IMHO - you are focusing upon different giftings and confusing them. Satan trembles in fear of Jesus - when was the last time that you trembled in fear of God?

I think you need a good Bible believing Church. Not that tongues or profecy are inherrently wrong - but, my experience is that WAY TOO many people in those circles are influenced by the latest and greatest fad. And I knew some godly, conservative people within Charismatic & Pentecostal churches - but, I have known some that are taken with their own 'word' and will not listen to God through His Bible.

 

[bmerr]

xdisciplex,
bmerr here. My friend, when I read your posts, I can't help but think of Eph 4:14: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive".

You often seem quite "tossed to and fro", x.

Paul knew that miraculous gifts were coming to and end. They had their purpose, (confirming the word - Mark 16:20), and when that purpose was fulfilled, there would be no more need for them. The word is long-since confirmed, the faith has been once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). There is no more revelation.

Consider Paul's command to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

If miraculous gifts (tongues, prophecy, knowledge) were going to be available, why would Timothy need to study?

Something else to consider is the fact that when these neo-Pentecostal groups send missionaries to lands where they don't speak the language, they need to study the language beforehand, or have an interpreter. in the Bible, those with the gift of tongues spoke the language of their audience, without learning it themselves first.

Might I suggest more time in study of God's word, and less time on-line?

In Christ,
bmerr

 

[genesis12]

I had to go outside to clean out the water fountain, put in some clean water, and then use "birdspeak" to get them to return. It wasn't a confusing babble of sounds, but sounds that the birds clearly understood, because they came! :laugh:

Anyway, xdisciplex,

Lots of folks think that the Word of God is confusing. That's a pretty low opinion of God! God is not the problem, man is! Paul emphatically states that tongues (a language foreign to Believers) is not for Believers, but a sign for unbelievers who hear the Gospel truth in their own language. There were multitudes of Jews and Gentiles in the Middle East. The whole thesis of Paul addressing "tongues" in 1 Corinthians is that no one should be speaking tongues (speaking in a foreign language) in the presence of others hearers who could not understand what was being said. (1 Cor. 14:33-40). Come to the USA, stand up in a meeting of a Southern Baptist congregation, and began speaking German, during the Pastor's message. Paul said, "Don't do that!" If I were present I would surely interpret, but my response would be in the German language, directly to you, going something like this: "What the heck are you doing?!!" "eijeijei, was machen Sie denn da?!!" :saint:

Additionally, using tongues as prayer language clearly violates 1 Corinthians 14:22, and this condemns the modern tongues movement as deceived; they speak and teach in error. Go to the scriptures:

"Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6). Verses 9-11 lists the sixteen languages which were spoken. These were languages, not mystical utterings. These Jewish pilgrims had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, as they had been done for centuries. God wanted the Jews to hear the "wonderful works of God." (Acts 2:11) The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah. Many of these pilgrims, being only recent visitors to Jerusalem, did not know about Jesus Christ and what He did. Those who lived in the areas of Jesus' travels spoke Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Many of the arriving pilgrims did not!

The reason, clearly, for the ability to speak multiple languages (16 of them!), was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28f. Foreign languages were a special sign gift, given to the Galilean disciples to show the unbelieving Jews et al that Jesus whom they had crucified was indeed the Messiah.

Think for a minute. If God has a message specifically for you, why would he assign someone else to deliver it? God speaks directly to you in your Bible study, your quiet time, and in your prayer life. Go for it! :thumbs:

 

[xdisciplex]

But if all these things are not available anymore why are so many christians doing it? I mean why doesn't God protect them? I know christians which are totally sincere and which ask God for tongues and then speak in tongues. Why does God allow them to be deceived? The bible says if you ask for an egg God won't give you a serpent.
If you cannot even rely on that God will protect you then you have a problem.
And I also don't know what to think of those christians which pray in tongues. Shall I not take them seriously anymore or how shall I think of them? Shall I see them as deceived or what? Then I might also become arrogant and think low of everybody who is babblin' in tongues.
And what about being slain in the spirit? Then I guess this also isn't real. But if it's not real what exactly makes the people fall down? Somehow this makes no sense at all. It's impossible to explain all these things as being not from God while at the same time saying that people which do this are still christians. If a christian who serves God lays hands on people and they are slain then how can this not be from God? If it's not from God it can only be satanic but how can it be satanic if this person is a christian? You see, it doesn't make any sense.

 

[El_Guero]

Because, He appointed some as Apostles, prophets, priests, kings, scribes, & one as Christ. And if God is not speaking to you through the appointed writers of the OT & NT, God is not speaking to you.

IMHO

Think for a minute. If God has a message specifically for you, why would he assign someone else to deliver it? God speaks directly to you in your Bible study, your quiet time, and in your prayer life. Go for it! :thumbs:

 

[El_Guero]

x

what big cities are you near? there are some good baptist churches in Germany.

 

[xdisciplex]

@ El

This whole "But God speaks to you through the bible" stuff doesn't help me. Tell me, what do I do if I have to make decisions for my life and have no clue what to do? Read the bible? Come on.
What do I do if I don't know what to do with my life, what to study, what job to take, where to apply? Why does God leave me alone with all important decisions? Does God not care about such "trivial" things? Shall I simply live as if there is no God and decide everything alone? Why can I not go to God and simply get an answer from him?! I really cannot stand this "But God speaks through the bible" stuff anymore.