What spirit are you listening to?

2Co 11:3-4  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  (4)  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Here Paul is correcting the Corinthian saints. He explains to them that many of the so called super apostles that have come to them are preaching another Jesus, from another spirit, which ends up being a different gospel than the one they received. It amazes me that so many people today are doing the exact same thing. You hear them saying that was a good word. The problem is that many times the good word they heard contradicts the last word they heard, and they said that it was a good word also, and they seem to be oblivious to it.

One of the reasons is that there is *way too much of a spirit today* of just accepting what someone who appears to have authority says. Far too many evangelical pastors promote this kind of thinking. One of the reasons is that so many leaders, apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers have just accepted without question what they have been taught. I cover all of the *fivefold gifting’s* because this post is geared at all evangelicals both Pentecostal and Cessationists. It is equally rampant in either group. The title of the leaders makes little difference. It can be the whole fivefold ministry or it can be just elders, pastors and evangelists and teachers. Either way the results are the same.

It does not matter what gospel, Jesus or Spirit that Herbert Mason preached; or what gospel, Jesus or Spirit  that D.L. Moody preached; or what gospel, Jesus or Spirit that Martin Luther preached; or what gospel, Jesus or Spirit John Calvin preached; or what gospel, Jesus or Spirit John Wesley preached.  It really only matters what gospel, Jesus or Spirit that Paul, Peter, or John preached.  And we each have a responsibility to prayerfully seek and search the scripture for what the gospel, Jesus and Spirit was that the first century apostles preached.

Frankly you will find that it is different than the gospel, Spirit or Jesus that most all preach today. The gospel that Peter preached can be clearly seen in Acts 10:38-44. It is a very simple message. The gospel, Jesus and Spirit that has been handed down has been leavened with the leaven of the Pharisees. Jesus warned that the first century believers should beware and take heed. Of what you ask? Of the leaven of the Pharisees, and he went on to say that the leaven of the Pharisees was the DOCTRINE/TEACHING of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:6-12; Luke 12:1 & Mark 8:15.) The warning included the leaven of the Sadducees and Herod also.

This warning was not idle. He did not warn that it may happen. No, indeed, he warned that it would happen. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his glorious kingdom was going to be leavened by the leaven of the Pharisees. This is precisely what happened, so it is imperative that we prayerfully search the scripture and diligently seek what was being said to the first century Christians. This means that we must always examine who was being addressed, and what was the entire context of what was being said. We should ask ourselves this question; will the audience relevance and the entire context back up what I am saying and if not then it should not be presented. This should take the place of our mindlessly accepting what we have been taught by others over the years.