I have talked a lot about other gospels, but this is not something new. When it comes to testing the spirits, it is very important to understand that other gospels have saturated the church. Paul said, Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” So, this has been going on since Paul said this, but the church still doesn’t seem to understand you cannot go your own way and be blessed by God. Paul also points out that you cannot worry about pleasing people when talking about the desolation of the church and yes people will be offended. 

    Turning to a different gospel is like bowing before other gods as we see all through the Old Testament. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” Deuteronomy 8:19 “If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 11:16 “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.” Deuteronomy 28:14 “Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.” Deuteronomy 29:24 “All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?” 25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.” Deuteronomy 32:17 “They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear.”

    In Revelation we see the wrath that follows when the true Gospel is not followed. Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” Deuteronomy 4:1 “Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. 3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.” Every church has added and subtracted when it comes to their doctrines and theology and every church has something different that they follow. Some of this is manmade and some are doctrines of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Sometimes the changes to God’s word is subtle, other times it is blatant distortion. 

    Scripture is very clear and comes with warnings when it comes to changing God’s word to suit your own purposes. Other gospels are false teaching taught by false teachers, prophets, apostles pastors and evangelists. Jesus showed us how to defeat satan. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Many chose to take satan up on his offer, yet they falsely think God is blessing them. Many in positions of leadership are not submitted to Jesus but satan. These positions were supposed to build up the church, not tear it down. Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” 

    That is how it is supposed to be, but we were warned about those who teach what is false. Jesus said Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Paul said Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” 2 Peter 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.”

    Every church has their book of doctrines and theology that they hold on to. This is how they view the bible and in most cases, parts of scripture are left out and some is added to.  Sometimes you have to look for the other gospels, but it will be there somewhere as it seems every church has followed other gospels instead of the Way. There are basically three groups, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant. First you had the Great Schism in the 11th century which divided the Catholic and Orthodox. Then the Reformation in the 16th century was a multiplication of schisms. The Reformation turned into massive division and many “isms” were formed. The Reformation was not a good thing. Usually these isms can be traced back to men or women, other than Jesus, such as the Pope, Calvin, Wesley, Luther, just to name a few. These then turned into “isms” like Calvinism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Methodism, Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Dispensationalism. Some beliefs overlap and others conflict with each other and they agree to disagree. This journey we are taking is called “By My Spirit” and there is only one way, not many and that one way is to be guided by the Holy Spirit. John 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” We have all this division because God has turned His face from the church. If the Holy Spirit was truly guiding, we wouldn’t have such vast division in the church. All of this division has one common denominator and is the lack of power.

    So do your research and find out what’s behind what you have been taught to believe. Find out what you have actually agreed to. For example, I have heard people say how much they like John MacArthur, yet he teaches cessationism (power ceased with the disciples) which is a doctrine of demons. You won’t find cessationism in the bible. Many Christians attend churches but have no idea what that church actually believes. Ask questions but do your own research. For example, you may go to a church that doesn’t believe there is power available for today. You may have been told you were eternally secure, no matter what. You may have been told the rapture (fictional best seller) is coming. You may have been told there is no hell and God would never send you there. You may have been told God’s kingdom is coming in the future and will last 1000 years. You may have been told God is a God of love and you will not feel His wrath. As I said when we started, read the Gospels and Acts and then ask where is the power? Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him (Jesus), and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Ask the church you attend where that power is? You will learn a lot from the answer you get. But then ask that question to God because man will tell you this powerlessness is how the church is supposed to be, but scripture states otherwise. Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Because there is no power, this means the church must repent so the kingdom of God comes near once again.