What makes a movement valid?

Having studied and even taught history most of my life or at least since I stopped disliking it in high school and ended up loving it in college I have asked this question: What makes a movement valid?

Besides the many in history in my own history which is much longer than most here I have lived through quite a few which at the time seemed to be or at least were called movements of faith or even "Moves of God."

And, I have seen things come and go in both churches and television and the rise or the fall of several movement leaders over the years. So when someone starts to call an event or happening a movement or the beginning of a movement I do stand back and ask the question anew.. Is it really of God? And how do I know if it is or isn't "of God.?"

I know the obvious answer is: discerning of spirits..

But, if so, how, and if more to add, please elaborate? Need enlightening from various viewpoints which I respect.

Listening...

God bless you all much. :)
 
Hi Sandpiper,

The biggest suggestion is to ask God to show you if it's Him or not. You have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you and even if it is something that sounds foreign to your outside ears... it should resonate with your spirit. It should fully be backed up by Scripture, and if anyone tells you that certain parts of Scripture are not for today or no longer valid... stay away from, or go through what they say with a fine toothed comb. For God's Word says He never changes and no where in the Bible does it say that the things in it have stopped or not for today. That's men's ideas and ignorance of the Scriptures.

There are a lot of things that we all have been taught or have heard in church that are contrary to what the Word actually says. And if we are to grasp all of what God is doing... then we need to be asking Him to show us and teach us the truth about all things. And if we believe somethimg that we have no Scripture to back it up... it's time to stop agreeing with that belief.

Jim and I have been praying for God to show us what's Him and what is not. To remove all the things that religion and really in all honesty the devil has implanted into the church, to keep it from moving forward in the things God is doing.

Blessings to you my friend
 
Another thing... Scripture says you will know a tree by its fruit... you will know a ministry by its fruit. Even Jesus said to the people who questioned Him about who He was that if they didn't believe Him by His Words... they should believe Him by His deeds.

You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! So you will recognize them by their fruit.
Mattityahu (Mat) 7:16‭-‬20 CJB
http://bible.com/1275/mat.7.16-20.CJB

Yeshua answered them, “You have seen me do many good deeds that reflect the Father’s power; for which one of these deeds are you stoning me?” The Judeans replied, “We are not stoning you for any good deed, but for blasphemy — because you, who are only a man, are making yourself out to be God .” Yeshua answered them, “Isn’t it written in your Torah , ‘I have said, “You people are Elohim ’ ”? If he called ‘ elohim ’ the people to whom the word of Elohim was addressed (and the Tanakh cannot be broken), then are you telling the one whom the Father set apart as holy and sent into the world, ‘You are committing blasphemy,’ just because I said, ‘I am a son of Elohim ’? “If I am not doing deeds that reflect my Father’s power, don’t trust me. But if I am, then, even if you don’t trust me, trust the deeds; so that you may understand once and for all that the Father is united with me, and I am united with the Father.”
Yochanan (Jhn) 10:32‭-‬38 CJB
http://bible.com/1275/jhn.10.32-38.CJB
 
Hi Sandpiper,

There are a lot of things that we all have been taught or have heard in church that are contrary to what the Word actually says. And if we are to grasp all of what God is doing... then we need to be asking Him to show us and teach us the truth about all things. And if we believe somethimg that we have no Scripture to back it up... it's time to stop agreeing with that belief.



Blessings to you my friend

Thank you and bless you back. Well stated as usual, cturtle. I especially appreicate the above paragraph which made me think how easy it is to water down the Word to fit cultural and societal trends and take the word of people who teach that as correct interpretation. And how careful we have to be that what we accept is something not based upon the doctrines of a church or simply, as the bible says, "men" , rather than God's Word, in it's entirety. Or doctrines based mainly on the traditions followed by a particular church rather than on the scriptures. Or a mixed bag of both. So true of various teachings promulgated by churches. :)
 
Last edited:
FruitsoftheSpirit-1.jpg
Another thing... Scripture says you will know a tree by its fruit... you will know a ministry by its fruit. Even Jesus said to the people who questioned Him about who He was that if they didn't believe Him by His Words... they should believe Him by His deeds.

You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! So you will recognize them by their fruit.
Mattityahu (Mat) 7:16‭-‬20 CJB
http://bible.com/1275/mat.7.16-20.CJB


http://bible.com/1275/jhn.10.32-38.CJB

Yes, so agreed..knowing them by their fruit. See image attached too. :)
 
Thank you and bless you back. Well stated as usual, cturtle. I especially appreicate the above paragraph which made me think how easy it is to water down the Word to fit cultural and societal trends and take the word of people who teach hat as correct interpretation. And how careful we have to be that what we accept is something not based upon the doctrines of a church or simply, as the bible says, "men" , rather than God's Word, in it's entirety. Or doctrines based mainly on the traditions follow rather than on the scriptures. Or a mixed bag of both. So true of various teachings promulgated by churches. :)

So true :)
Even Jesus told the pharisees that their traditions make the Word of God of no effect

Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing.
Mark 7:13 AMPC
http://bible.com/8/mrk.7.13.AMPC
 
I'm learning about this( and the spiritual gifts) and that the satan
can imitate the gifts of the Spirit
And the gift of discernment of spirits is a gift Not a fruit. Therefor open to Satan.So yes at least it would be fruits first to me as a precaution against evil.
Fruits are eternal gifts might change.

I'm waffling I'm thinking out loud sorry if I'm going off track or haven't helped I'm still learning
 
Hi Sandpiper: As stated in previous posts it all comes down to discernment. And while discernment is a spiritual gift that some are endowed with, it is also something that can be cultivated and developed over time by simply spending time in prayer and asking God via the Holy Spirit to edify you on whatever topic upon which you wish to be elucidated. The habit of checking in with God, if worked on, will become automatic, and you can also teach yourself how to listen for the answers within yourself. Each person "hears' God differently, but once you learn to tune in to this 'divine wavelength', the act of discernment will become easier and feel more natural.

For me, discernment has often come quite naturally. I instinctively feel when something is right or wrong. I try to follow this up with prayer just to be certain, but for the most part my instincts have been accurate, even when trying to determine the validity of a movement, a news article, a charismatic preacher, or whatever the issue. In the mean time, there is nothing wrong with discussing the issue with other Christians whose discernment you trust in order to see what their 'inner voice ' is saying to them.
 
Having studied and even taught history most of my life or at least since I stopped disliking it in high school and ended up loving it in college I have asked this question: What makes a movement valid?

Besides the many in history in my own history which is much longer than most here I have lived through quite a few which at the time seemed to be or at least were called movements of faith or even "Moves of God."

And, I have seen things come and go in both churches and television and the rise or the fall of several movement leaders over the years. So when someone starts to call an event or happening a movement or the beginning of a movement I do stand back and ask the question anew.. Is it really of God? And how do I know if it is or isn't "of God.?"

I know the obvious answer is: discerning of spirits..

But, if so, how, and if more to add, please elaborate? Need enlightening from various viewpoints which I respect.

Listening...

God bless you all much. :)
Any movement of God in us is life changing, not in a circus, roller coaster, disturbing the peace kind of way. When I think of how God moves in me or my family, it's a lot like Elijah's experience. God wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in the still small voice. Most people don't know how to be still and know He is God. They live in the past worrying about something that happened, or living in the future worrying about something coming. God focuses on the individual, not the masses. He wants a personal relationship, the world - even Christians - want flash-in-the-pan experiences, not the discipleship. Just my experience.
 
Any movement of God in us is life changing, not in a circus, roller coaster, disturbing the peace kind of way. When I think of how God moves in me or my family, it's a lot like Elijah's experience. God wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in the still small voice. Most people don't know how to be still and know He is God. They live in the past worrying about something that happened, or living in the future worrying about something coming. God focuses on the individual, not the masses. He wants a personal relationship, the world - even Christians - want flash-in-the-pan experiences, not the discipleship. Just my experience.

Thanks for sharing this, Abdicate! I was thinking in terms of a "mass movement" when I started this thread but you are inspiring me by looking at a 'move of God' in the individual's life. I know what you mean by flash-in-the-pan (haven't heard that in years as was an expression of my mom's :) ) experiences. I have seen though that sometimes those temporary experiences can lead to making the efforts to get with discipleship. The problem is when someone continues to count on those high moments in their lives and does nothing about moving forward.

It is so important to get in the kind of worshipful community which supports faithfulness to Jesus, studying the Word, living the life, and provides opportunities to serve while providing the atmosphere in which to grow closer to God and what His Will is for our lives. Overall a community of loving and caring Christians who by Word and example teach and model discipleship for others. Thanks again. Good post! :)
 
Any movement of God in us is life changing, not in a circus, roller coaster, disturbing the peace kind of way. When I think of how God moves in me or my family, it's a lot like Elijah's experience. God wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in the still small voice. Most people don't know how to be still and know He is God. They live in the past worrying about something that happened, or living in the future worrying about something coming. God focuses on the individual, not the masses. He wants a personal relationship, the world - even Christians - want flash-in-the-pan experiences, not the discipleship. Just my experience.
i like your take on this

when the movement of God begins in us and we find others who are also experiencing or desiring to experience a movement of God in their life, we can really be blessed corporately and individually

i suppose any legitimate movement of God started this way - a few sincere people wanting more of God, and wanting to receive from God in a group setting

i have attended several different kinds of christian meetings, and each has it's own flavor/culture

i can always find something to Praise God about - because whenever 2 or more of us gather together in Jesus' name, there He is in our midst - Matthew 18:20

God Bless you

your post really blessed me
 
Back
Top