IDENTIFYING FALSE PROPHETS PART 1

By Gavin Aleogho 

God helping me, I will be starting a series on how to identify false prophets.

By false prophets, it includes but not limited to false pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists or whatever title they decide to parade themselves as.

The burden to write on this topic is based on the rate at which many supposed Christian of today are being swayed around by the increase of these individuals who parade themselves as Christians, Christian leaders or spiritual leaders.

They have given birth to a lot of supposed Christians who cannot differentiate between their left from their right, solely depending on the personality of their supposed ‘man of God’ for deliverance and miracles.

This article will help you to identify them, peradventure you are among their congregation or you happen to visit a church where they are.

Mind you, these persons can be found either operating independently (like them running their invented ministry), or they can be among true church of God where they are given position of leadership, unknown to the Church authority.

So, let’s start!

Centre of Attraction

One major sign to look out for in identifying false prophet is to find out who they are attracting people to. Are they attracting people to themselves, the devil or to Christ? What is the focus of their supposed ministry? Are they drawing people’s attention to themselves or to Jesus Christ who is the centre and reason for Christianity?

It is very important to look out for this sign, because Christianity can be simply summarized as; Jesus Christ, reconciling human back to God. Jesus Christ is the ONLY mediator between God and man. This is what the Bible teaches.

But we have a problem, when a supposed ‘man of God’ decides to make himself either directly or indirectly the mediator between his followers and God. This is a big problem! I am sure that is not Christianity, even though it is clothed in Christian form.

A Pastor friend shared with me and my wife, the story of a supposed church he was invited to worship. How he angrily left the gathering when a supposed ‘man of God’ came up and declared that his body is the pool of Bethesda, that everyone in the gathering should come forward with a sachet of water and money. They should drop the cash on the altar and use the water to touch his body. He said, the prophet instructed the congregation to use the water to cure any kind of problem or sickness. You can agree with me that there is something wrong with this practice.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that God cannot use any means to heal anybody. The problem is, when healing is done in a ministry and there is nothing in the process pointing or suggesting that Christ Jesus is the originator of the miracle, I become suspicious of such process or individual.

Check it out; an account is given in the book of Acts 3:12-13a, after God through the hands of Peter healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. Peter gave this testimony about the story:

“And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus…”

Apostle Peter never took credit for it. He never said anything that suggested that it was time for his (Peter’s) ministry to be glorified. No! He said the miracle was done to glorify, lift, magnify, show, present Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Besides, when Jesus Christ died, something remarkable and symbolic happened. The veil between the Holy of Holies tore down, giving everyone access to the Holy of Holies.

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom...” Matthew 27:51.

What does this suggests? It shows that what prevents laymen from coming into God’s presence was torn down. Now, you don’t need a prophet, pastor or apostle to access heaven through prayers. “For through him (Jesus) we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father”. Ephesians 2:18. You now have the access through Jesus Christ to God.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrew 4:16 

In Christianity, the essence of the miracles that are done through us is to draw people to Christ. It is not to draw people to us, our church or ministry. It is not to enrich our pocket. It is to enlarge God’s Kingdom on earth.

When a person who claims to be a pastor, prophets or whatever,  starts making himself the centre of attraction, that is not the true Christianity.

Special things to be wary of in the case of false prophets

1. Be careful with anyone who makes himself or herself a prayer machine for you.
2. Be careful with anyone who tells you to bring offering so that your prayers can be answered.
3. Be careful with anyone who ignores your sins, but tells you that your seeds can bring you your desired miracles.
4. Be careful with those who prophesy in the name of the Lord so that you can constantly depend and rely on them when troubles come.
5. Be careful with magicians on the altar, who does things that doesn’t have biblical bases.
6. Be careful with those who will never teach you to grow spiritually to attain to great height, so that you can constantly look up to them instead of Jesus.

The NLT version of the Bible puts James 5:17 this way: Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!

What this shows is that every man of God is just like you, you can attain to their height if you give yourself to prayers.

Take responsibility for your Christian life. Study the Word by yourself!

...to be continue.