In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul gives us this admonition:
“Do not quench the Spirit.” (That’s the Holy Spirit.)
And in the very next verse (1 Thessalonians 5:20), he says:
“Do not despise prophecies.”
The New Testament emphasizes the value of that gift of prophecy that has been given to the church. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:1:
“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”
What is the Gift of Prophecy?
Prophecy is something that is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to give forth a word that is directly from God to us, using a child of God as an instrument to speak from God through the Holy Spirit right to us. That’s that gift of prophecy. And Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:20:
“Do not despise prophesies.”
Prophecies can come in many forms:
A sermon
Bible teaching in a class
A home Bible study or personal study in God’s Word
Someone who has a specific word from the Lord for you
A casual conversation with a brother or sister in Christ where you suddenly realize, THAT was the Lord, and that was for me.
God desires to speak to us and He has given the church this gift of prophecy to bring forth His truth on a personal level. Therefore, when Paul says, “Do not despise prophecies,” it is so important to keep an open and responsive heart to whatever the Lord may want to speak to us.
Exercise Caution: “Test All Things”
While Paul says we are not to despise prophecies, in the very next verse (1 Thessalonians 5:21a), he warns us to exercise caution when he says:
“Test all things...” (The NASB translates this: “but examine everything carefully.”)
John, in 1 John 4:1 puts it this way:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
So, it’s very important to test these things. There is a lot going on out there that may seem dynamic or impressive, but is not from the Lord—attempting to say things that are of the Lord, but are not.
Jesus Himself, talking about the last days in Matthew 24:24–25, says:
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”
The New Testament has an awful lot to say about false teachers and false prophets and warns us to be very careful. So, things may come along that sound so wonderful, that many people will gravitate to these things but, very possibly, at the same time, those things may not be of the Lord at all.
So, Paul says to be very careful. Examine it very carefully. Examine what? He says “all things.” Everything. Anything and everything that purports to be spoken of from the Lord, be very careful. Test it. Examine it.
Do not be quick to jump on any so-called “Christian bandwagon,” the latest big thing that may be happening, and people are rushing to it because they think it’s new and it’s exciting. Paul says be careful about those things!
The Example of the Bereans
During Paul’s second missionary journey, he went down to the city of Berea, and to the synagogue there. It says there in Acts 17:11 :
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
So they checked things out! Is this really true? They examined Paul’s words against the written Scripture before embracing them, and as a result, many came to faith—all because they tested what Paul way saying against God’s written Word.
So, Paul is saying here, anything that you come across that is purported to be of the Lord, take the time to check it out for yourself. Make sure it is.
Four Tests for Examining Prophetic Words
How do you do that? How do you test it? I just want to give you four points that will help you along that line.
1. Is it in perfect agreement with God’s written Word?
When the Holy Spirit fell on the believers in Acts 2, and they were speaking in tongues, and they were speaking in the various languages, people wanted to know What in the world is this? Peter preached a sermon and quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel, right out of Scripture, and basically said, What you see here is what was spoken of right here in Joel. He showed them in the Word: this is that. Any work of the Holy Spirit must be backed up by God’s written Word or you don’t need it.
Two Examples of False Claims:
Setting Dates for the Return of Christ
People often claim to have calculated the date of Jesus’ return: We’ve got the date! We’ve figured it out! We’ve analyzed all the signs and the Scripture and it’s going to be on … a particular day. Many people will get all excited about it—and it doesn’t happen! Setting a date is contrary to God’s written Word! In that Word, Jesus explicitly stated that no one will know the day or the hour. So, no! Whatever date they set will be wrong!
Excusing Sinful Behavior
I remember one time a lady had come to my church office for counsel and we spent some time together. Then she said she needed to make a phone call to see if her car was ready, it was at the shop. I encouraged her to use the phone in the outer office. She made the call, and something really upset her. She got SO angry that she started screaming and cussing on the telephone, and then slammed the phone down. She realized then that I was sitting in the other room, so she looked at me and said, “God told me to do that!” No. No. God didn’t tell her to do that. There are people who will say a lot of things, and do a lot of things that are contrary to the clear Word of God, saying, “Well, this is what the Lord wants me to do.” Stick with the Word.
2. Does the prophetic word come to pass?
Does it actually prove out? That’s another test. The beauty of that is that we have the privilege to step back and say, Well let’s just see if this is the Lord. Take time to test it. Don’t get caught up in the terror of the urgency of the moment when you’re told God says you need to do this and you need to do it right now or it’ll be too late! God gives us the freedom to step back and say The Lord says we’re to test these things, so I’m going to look to the Lord. I’m going to pray and see if this is really from the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 18:21–22, God puts it this way to His people:
“And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Even if a prophetic word does come to pass, it must still align with God’s Word to have been from Him. God says in Deuteronomy 13:1–3:
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Brethren, there are a lot of crazy things going on out there, and some may even appear to be true; but, ultimately, we are to base our lives and our understanding of what God has to say to us, we are to rest ultimately and finally on God’s written Word. If it’s not in perfect alignment with the Bible, you can know that it’s not of the Lord.
3. What is their testimony concerning Jesus Christ?
If someone is speaking as if from the Lord, that speaker’s life and message should be clearly pointing to and glorify Jesus Christ Himself.
In 1 John 4:2–3, we’re told this:
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
The essence of that statement is that there’s a clear exalting of Jesus as Lord in that ministry. In Revelation 19:10d we’re told:
“… the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Is this message pointing very, very clearly to, and based upon Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
4. Does the Holy Spirit confirm it to your own heart?
If somebody has a word from the Lord and it’s directed toward you and for you, and they’re saying The Lord told me this is what you should do, you must wait upon the Lord for the confirmation of the Holy Spirit to your own heart.
The Call to Panama
I remember hearing the story of a couple that really wanted to be servants of the Lord, and were praying about what the Lord would have them do. At one evening service at their little church, somebody got up and said, “The Lord told me that He’s calling you to Panama and you’re going to go to Panama!” Everybody got excited. They were applauding. The couple is thinking, That’s interesting. That came out of the blue!
But everybody gathered around them so convinced it was of the Lord that they laid hands on them and prayed for them. Caught up in the congregation’s excitement, they moved to Panama on faith. After two years of failure and discouragement, of giving it the best shot they could, they realized This was NOT the Lord. They came back depressed and discouraged wondering, What’s going on here? That wasn’t the Lord!
When somebody has a word for you about what they think God is telling you to do, if it’s truly from the Lord, it will either confirm what the Holy Spirit is already speaking to your heart. That’s a good confirmation. Or, if it does come out of the blue, then stand back and let the Holy Spirit clearly confirm it to your own heart. God’s got your number! Let HIM confirm it to you.
Those are some helps as to how to test things out, to see if they’re really from the Lord. But after saying that in verse 21a, to test all things, Paul goes on and encourages us about what to do with those things that have passed the test.
Hold Fast to What Is Good
1 Thessalonians 5:21b finishes with:
“...hold fast to what is good.”
When you test something and know in your heart it is truly from the Lord, actively lay hold of it and hold fast to it.
Hold Fast to the Sword of the Spirit
In 2 Samuel 23, Eleazar—one of David’s mighty men—stood his ground alone against a Philistine onslaught. He just stood his ground and massacred a bunch of Philistines. He fought so long and hard that when the victory was won, basically single-handed, his hand was literally fastened to his sword. He could not let go of his sword. It was just stuck to him.
May the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, be so part of your life that you cannot let go of it. It’s just part of you. Say, Lord, I just want to know Your Word better and better and better as I walk this pilgrim’s walk.
Conclusion
In Christendom, you will find all kinds of things that are so-called a message from the Lord. There will be those who say, This is from the Holy Spirit, and it’s totally out of left field. You’ll find those who say, I don’t want anything to do with that Holy Spirit stuff. I’m not interested in any of that.
So, what does the Lord have to say in the midst of all that going on around us, right here in the so-called church. Here’s what God says—He says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21:
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things and hold fast to what is good.”
That’s just the right space to walk in for genuine spiritual growth in this life. The Lord will be faithful. God bless you as you walk on with Jesus, knowing that He loves you and He wants to share spiritually with you.
About Pastor Brian
Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.
