"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." (1Thessalonians 5:19-22 NIV).

As the Word of God spreads throughout the world many people-groups are experiencing the renewing work of the Holy Spirit resulting in genuine conversions and contagious Christianity. All over the globe believers are recognizing they have a role to play in the mission of the church and that they have spiritual gifts, new aptitudes and empowerings for specific ministry. Because we are positioned in a spiritual theater of war and still have a sin nature, it is possible that the ministry of spiritual gifts can be ensnared by confusion, carnal mixture and counterfeit.

How can we test the authenticity of spiritual gifts? I’d like to give a brief overview from the Scriptures:

1. The Test of Doctrine - (The Problem of Heresy) (1John 4:1-3).
2. The Test of Knowledge- (The Problem of Ignorance) (1Corinthians 12).
3. The Test of Love - (The Problem of Carnality) (1Corinthians 13).
4. The Test of Order (The Problems of Irrelevance, Confusion, Self-absorption, Exclusion, Weirdness, Poor Timing, Excess, Lack of control, One-up-manship, Inappropriateness, Disruptive Chatter, Disregard for Order and The Forbidding of Speaking in Tongues). (1Corinthians 14).
5. The Test of Fruit (Problems of Immorality and Spiritual Barrenness) (Matthew 7:20; Galatians 5:22).

1. TEST OF DOCTRINE: Does this spiritual gift adorn the true doctrine of Jesus Christ? If a person speaks in tongues, prophecies or teaches and does not believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah prophesied in the Scriptures- God’s Son, fully God and fully man, their gift is to be rejected as false (1John 4:1-3).

2. THE TESTS OF KNOWLEDGE, LOVE AND ORDER: Does the use of this spiritual gift measure up to Paul’s corrective passage in 1Corinthians 12 through 14? Reading through these three chapters you get the idea that the church at Corinth was experiencing a problem due to the misuse of spiritual gifts. In Chapter 12 he sees that the problem was due in part to ignorance, in Chapter 13, lovelessness, and in Chapter 14, disorder. Some of the abuse was due to immaturity and carnality. At other times the abuse was a result of demonic deception.

In 1Corinthians 12, the apostle addresses the problem of ignorance by teaching what the spiritual gifts are, how they are uniquely apportioned by the Holy Spirit to individual members of the body of Christ so all members might work together under His Headship, each making valuable contributions that will edify, equip and encourage the whole.

In Chapter 13, Paul addresses the problem of pride. After teaching on our need for one another’s ministry in the previous chapter, making a clear case for the inter-dependence of every member in the body of Christ, Paul addresses the charismatic megalomaniacs. Notice the 'hype': "And if I ..know ALL mysteries and ALL knowledge; and if I have ALL faith, so as to remove mountains." (1Corinthians 13:2). Paul indirectly warns that one of the manifestations of spiritual pride is overstatement and overclaim. Beware exaggeration that often accompanies spiritual manifestations. We must speak evangelistically, not evang-elastic-ally. The truth about God’s work can stand on its own and does not need to be stretched. Reports do not need to be embellished. Those with genuine gifts of knowledge should not come across as 'spiritual know-it-alls'. Nor should those who possess a multitude of spiritual gifts come across as 'spiritual have-it-alls'. Love does not boast and it is not proud (1Corinthians 13:4).

All gifts, including those of great faith and power, are to be at the full disposal of the Holy Spirit. There is no precedent for bullying mountains from hither to yon to prove a point. The Lord Jesus is not playing a game of: "Anything you can do, I can do better" with the powers that be. The gifts are to serve the purpose of advancing God’s kingdom work of building up the body of Christ and winning the lost.

The exercise of spiritual gifts is abused if our motivations are impure. If they are used as a means of control, self-authentication, to prove a point, nothing is gained. (See 1Corinthians 13:3). The manifestation and exercise of spiritual gifts must be judged by the 'love-test' (1Corinthians 13:4-7).

Paul then addresses the problem of disorder in 1Corinthians Chapter 14. Paul recognizes that a genuine gift may be exercised in improper ways so that it fails to effectively build up the body of Christ. A right gift may be ministered at the wrong time. A person may have the right word for the wrong people. A person may have the right word for the wrong meeting. The correction of these errors is more subtle, but no less important. The gifts of discernment and the proper use of spiritual leadership are required here. If all manifestations of spiritual gifts were genuine then the discernment and leadership Paul describes in Chapter 14 would not be necessary. The apostle looked for a manifestation of godly order rather than disruption; clarity rather than confusion; decency rather than disharmony (1Corinthians 14:33,40; Ephesians 4:3). Because the gift of discerning of spirits is highly subjective, and the possibility exists that impressions may be inaccurate, it is good that it be used with the other complementing gifts and tests described in the New Testament that help bring confirmation. In this particular situation, Paul addresses the problem of the excessive use of the spiritual gifts rather than their under-use.

3. THE FRUIT TEST (Matthew 7:20;12:33; 13:23; Luke 4:20; Galatians 5:22-23): Does this spiritual gift evidence the indwelling life of the Lord Jesus Christ with the accompaniment of the fruit of the spirit? In other words, is there character as well as charisma? If a person says the right words, but his or her life is consistently immoral, out of line with Scripture, the ministry must be disapproved.

Let us be ready to encourage that which is genuine but not afraid to exercise discernment.

Yours,