Be Slow to Judge and Condemn and Quicker to seek for Understanding

Yes, I can miss it too! A false teacher, you said?

"JOSEPH PRINCE is a false teacher. He believes in eternal security. He is a false teacher," a pastor opined.

"BENNY HINN is a false teacher. He performs too many miracles. The devil is helping him," another guy on Facebook said.

"BISHOP OYEDEPO is a false teacher. He's too engrossed with prosperity teachings," another anonymous critic said.

"Baba ADEBOYE is a false teacher. He believes and teaches that we have to tithe, which is wrong," a member of the RCCG said, and left the church.

Wait, chill. I've also severally been called a false teacher.
A popular blogger in Nigeria carried my matter 'for head' and tagged me in one of his articles.
He wrote:
"A fast-growing preacher, AKANDE OLATUNJI believes in eternal salvation. I'm afraid he will mislead his followers."

Actually, I didn't cry when I read this. In fact, I was glad. Oh, dear, I'm not ashamed to declare over and over again, that I am ETERNALLY SAVED.
Well, let's save that topic for another day.

Many in the Church think every Prophet out there is a false prophet and every teacher who teaches other than what they believe is a false teacher.
Hey, chill. I used to believe that, too.

When Signs and Wonders show up, many credit it to the devil.
Who is a false Prophet? Who is a false teacher?
Are Signs and Wonders from the devil?
Is Joel Osteen a false teacher? Is Benny Hinn a false Prophet?

If you are tired of reading posts of “Heresy Hunters” branding every preacher as false, then here is a different take on the subject of “False Prophets and False Teachers.”

Note: The doctrine that miracles have passed away and prophets don’t exist now is a demonic doctrine.
Cessationism is of the devil and I don’t teach the doctrines of demons.

Let’s get everything straight:

A false prophet, against popular opinions, is not someone who misses some of his prophetic words. Shocked? If someone’s prophecies coming to pass or not coming to pass, determines whether they are true or false, then the girl Paul encountered, who was possessed by “the spirit of python” or “spirit of divination” must be a true prophet. She was getting her prophecies right, that’s why her masters were earning a lot with her and her word about Apostle Paul was right.

The prophetic ministry under the New covenant is different from the Old covenant.
Prophet Agabus got the revelation right that Paul would suffer in Jerusalem and he tried stopping Paul from going to Jerusalem, but Paul was found saying – “Holy Spirit asked me to go to Jerusalem”.

Who is right? If Paul is right, then, is Agabus a false prophet just because he messed up a prophetic word? No.

If it had been that way, Luke would have named Agabus as a false prophet (Acts 20:22, 21:4, 10-13).

Under the New covenant, we have been instructed to “judge every prophecy” because there will be mistakes as each believer is in different stage of maturity.
It says; “Judge the prophecy” and not “Judge the prophet”. Wait, don’t run away.

A false teacher, against popular opinion, is not someone who teaches a wrong doctrine. Shocked?

As of 2001 (as I read), there were more than 33,000+ denominations in Christianity.
What is the reason for so many denominations? Differences in interpretation of the Bible!
If there are so many differences, then how do you know who is right and who is wrong in doctrine?
Everybody thinks “My doctrine is right” but how do you know who is right because everyone uses the same Bible.

Now, let's go deeper.

Think about this:

God gave a dramatic revelation to Peter that the Gentiles could receive Christ and become the people of God.
Later, in Galatia, He separated himself from the Gentiles and was blasted by Paul for missing the truth. Peter acted against the truth, even though he had a clear, dramatic encounter. Is Peter, a false teacher for messing up this truth? No (Acts 10, Galatians 2:11-14).
Haha. I think I caught your mind there.

Jesus never said “EVERY Prophet is a False prophet”, but that’s what many believe. Jesus said “MANY false prophets will come”. Jesus didn’t say, “ONLY false Prophets and false messiahs can perform Signs and Wonders”, but that’s what many believe. Jesus said “False prophets and False messiahs will perform Signs and Wonders."
That doesn’t mean the Church has to stop performing Signs and Wonders. That’s Himalayan Stupidity. It is like burning all your money as there are fake money in the market.

Is Benny Hinn a false prophet? Is Joel Osteen, or Joseph Prince a false teacher? Benny Hinn can’t be a false prophet because he doesn’t mess up the major doctrines. Are there flaws in His teachings? Yes, but that doesn’t make a false prophet, because as I already said, no one can claim to have 100% perfect doctrine.
Joel Osteen is not a false teacher because he believes in the major doctrines of the Church. Are there flaws in his teachings? Yes, but he qualifies on the majors. They have flaws in their teachings and holes in their ministry, that doesn’t make them false.

Who doesn’t have flaws and holes, except Jesus? Everyone does.

I disagree with Benny Hinn or Joel Osteen, Bishop Oyedepo, Baba Adeboye and others in many areas, but that doesn’t mean I’m Messiah’s Man and they are of the devil.
Differences in doctrines will be there until we ALL humble ourselves to the Holy Spirit completely because He is the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Unity.
Until unity breaks out, let’s disagree in love.

Revelation is progressive, not instant. We receive more and more as time passes by, as we grow deeper and deeper in God. What you knew when you got saved and what you know now are miles away. You grew in your understanding about God and His Kingdom. You now have beliefs you didn’t have when you started. I believe everyone will agree on that.

So if I’m in Level 1 and you are in Level 5, then you will have more revelation and understanding than me. I can’t understand your revelations and beliefs because I’m in Level 1 and not in your level. In the same way, a toddler can’t understand secondary school maths. A Level 1 person cannot grasp what Level 5 person is walking in. The problem arises, when Level 1 people call Level 5 as false because they don’t have what they have, they don’t believe in what they believe in.

But if we respond in humility, Holy Spirit will open a new level to us or else we will keep judging those on a higher level than us and won’t grow.

God will not contradict His book but He will contradict your commentary on His book. He will contradict your understanding of His book. Yes, we must be sharp in discerning false spirits invading the Church but we must also be open to the Holy Spirit.

There are false prophets, false teachers and Cults. They will be there until the devil is removed once and for all. We must be discerning everything with the Holy Spirit’s help and not by our own ideas or denominational beliefs or own understanding.
If we do it outside of the Holy Spirit, we will end up in the devil’s lap.

Conclusively, learn to disagree in LOVE!
Remain blessed.

#Olatunji

By: Akande M. Olatunji