Message: The True Fellowship

Recognizes The Spirit of Truth

April 21, 2013

The Warning, Command & Reason

The Warning: Do not believe every spirit.The Command: Test the spirits to see if they are from God.The Reason: Many false teachers are in the world.

Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The ministry of the Holy Spirit of God is to testify and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 15:26John 16:13-141 Cor. 12:3

Tests For Recognizing the True Spirit of God

The First Test: Is the message biblically faithful to the person of Jesus Christ?

Indispensable Truths of Jesus Christ

1) The historical Jesus of Nazareth is the one and only

Son of God and Israel’s promised Messiah.

2) Jesus Christ is fully God and is fully human – God in

the flesh.

Indispensable Truths of Jesus Christ

3) Jesus Christ alone is the source of eternal life, he

alone reveals God, and he alone is the sinless savior

capable of atoning for our sin.

Victorious Assurances of Truth

1) ‘You’ are the children of God.2) ‘You’ have overcome the

teachers of falsehood and deception.

3) ‘You’ are indwelt by a much greater power than the

power of the world.

Tests For Recognizing the True Spirit of God

The Second Test: What response is the message

calling for?Worldly ResponseThe Source: The World The Appeal: Worldliness

Spiritual ResponseThe Source: GodThe Appeal: Truth

Ways We Can Practice Spiritual Discernment

1) The church fellowship must exercise spiritual discernment and preserve truth.

2) The elders of the church must be the shepherds of truth in the local church

3) We must not confuse spiritual discernment with prideful legalism or legalistic criticism.

Corporate Prayer of Truth

Lord Jesus, you are truth and your Spirit is truth. Remove from our hearts all that is sinful.

By your grace, may this church remain steadfast to your truth. Keep us from the error and deceit of the evil one.

Corporate Prayer of Truth

Spirit of Truth, guide us into all truth. May the truth that is in Christ be in us.

Illuminate all that is dark within us. For God is light, and in him there is no darkness.

Corporate Prayer of Truth

Lord Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life. And it is in your name of truth we pray. AMEN