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NASB | Titus 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Titus 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's chosen ones and [to lead and encourage them to recognize and pursue] the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness, |
Subject: A fanatic, a zealot or a prophet? |
Bible Note: I have also experienced a similar situation. I have led a woman's Bible study for over 25 years. Many of the women who have been involved were new believers and I tend to be very protective toward them. For about 15 years I struggled with a woman who seemed to have prophetic gifts and was very demonstrative and vocal. She tended to manipulate and meddle and try to tell people what to do, but she would use the Word of the Lord and had supernatural insights that were hard to ignore. I struggled with judging her, yet I would constantly have to correct her with the Word when she would seem to go way too far in telling some of the less mature women what the "Lord" wanted them to do. It kept me on my toes ALL the time. Often I felt as though she was trying to shove a whole turkey down the throat of a new born babe and giving them tasks that they were yet unable to achieve, setting them up for unattainable "works" from which they may truly find as stumbling block to their spiritual growth. I love the Word of God and I use my gift of teaching His Word always with love and the leading of the Holy Spirit...not my own agenda. I would have to constantly have to call her on her actions concerning other members and I would go to the Lord on this many times. She was big on displaying tongues, prophecy etc. but I felt she did not have enough respect for the Word nor did she seem to hem herself in by it. She was rude, she was self-serving, she would do things that would cause the women's families to become upset...particularly husbands. Yet she KNEW things that could only be known supernaturally. One day the Lord finally answered my prayers for what was I dealing with. I can't believe I didn't see it all that time as it was clearly in His Word all along. The Lord called me by name and said You don't know them by their power, but by their fruit. I cannot explain why I was so deceived for so long when, as a "teacher" of His Word, I should have realized much sooner. Here is the Scripture: Matthew 7: 15-20 NKJV, [15] Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? [17] Even so, every good tree bears good fruit but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] THEREFORE BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM. Her supernatural abilities and showy, pushy and dominant personality were such that they blinded me from realizing my judgment should be discerned by judging her fruit. Whether deliberate or misguided, though she may even have believed that she was hearing from the Lord, she often was not. (Psychics also often believe their gift is from God yet it is demonic), or she may be hearing from her own spirit. Whatever the case may be probably because she was negligent in her respect for His Word, she was led astray and causing havoc in the lives of others in the body of Christ. |