Imrah Ministries

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By Sidharth Mohandas

Prophecy In General

There are two particular gifts of the Spirit that Paul had to write specifically about. These were the gift of prophecy and the gift tongues. Paul had to write an entire chapter on these two gifts for the height of abuse of these gifts was more as it is in our day.

Today I will deal with how one should respond to prophecy. Scripture says,

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. (1 Corinthians 14:29)

The Greek word for “judge” here is diakrino, which means to thoroughly separate and examine. Failing to do this has led to the destruction of individuals, families and even ministries. I remember a time I heard a well-known preacher prophesying on the Media about something that would take place in the year 1998. Later when I analyzed his message, I realized his message was a message of condemnation and not a message of “edification and exhortation and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3) as it should be. 1998 passed by and what this man said did not come to pass, even though his followers endorsed what he said when he prophesied it. If they had taken heed to the Scripture to judge what was prophesied, they wouldn’t have been fooled.

Personal Prophecy

I had a friend of mine relate how a trusted man of God delivered a prophecy that a certain man was to marry a girl in the congregation. They made arrangements to get married but before the marriage took place the girl died! It’s sad how many people get deceived because they have failed to judge what was prophesied. Personal prophecy is never given for direction, it is given for confirmation. God will never speak to you through prophecy if He has not spoken to you or will speak to you personally. If such a prophecy has been delivered to you and you are not sure if it’s from God, do not receive it and act on it immediately. Wait on God and He will make things clear to you.

There is an instance where this is clearly shown: the disciples of Tyre through the Spirit urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4). Later the prophet Agabus comes to Paul and tells him that he was going to face danger in Jerusalem (Acts 21:11). Do you think Paul listened to the disciples who through the Spirit perceived danger? Scripture says he didn’t. And do you know why? It was because the Holy Spirit Himself had compelled him to go to Jerusalem beforehand (Acts 20:22). Yes, Paul did face danger in Jerusalem as the disciples of Tyre and prophet Agabus perceived, but it wasn’t God’s will for Paul to retreat. The disciples perceived danger and wanted Paul to stay in Tyre, but again God had already spoken to Paul’s heart, and no one could change his mind.

Finally, Scripture tells us, “…Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21) Let this be our gauge in judging prophecies.

By Sidharth Mohandas

I want to share with you another area of Judgment: Judgment at the Communion Service.

But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. [1 Corinthians 11:31]

Paul writes this because he heard that there were divisions among [1 Corinthians 11:18] the believers at Corinth. The believers were divided and refused to have the communion together. Paul equaled this to not recognizing the body of Christ that was broken for each of them. The essence of the Lord’s supper is that One Body was broken that by which many bodies may be united into One. The Corinthians missed this totally and were caught up in the differences in opinions among themselves [1 Corinthians 1:10-12]. Paul says that this was the reason why “many among them were weak and sick, and a number of them had fallen asleep.”. They had brought God’s judgment upon themselves because they failed to judge themselves.

But on what basis do we judge ourselves? Yes, of course in light of God’s Word. Before I partake of the Lord’s Supper, these are the following areas I specifically check in my life:

(1) Am I at peace with my brothers or sisters?

(2) Do I harbor bitterness in my heart?

(3) Have I spoken ill of my fellow brother?

Again, judge yourself, that you won’t be judged…

By Sidharth Mohandas

Judging others

As I studied the Scripture I came to realize that there some 6 Scriptures telling us not to judge others while there are about the same number of Scriptures telling us that we are to judge or instances where judgment was passed.

Here are verses that tell us that we are not to judge: Matthew 7:1-5, Romans 2:1-3, Romans 14:1-4, 10-13, 1 Corinthians 4:1-4, and James 4:11-12

And here are verses that tell us where judgment is required: 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, 1 Corinthians 6:1-4,6-7, Matthew 18:15-17

In this study I will only deal with one area where we are asked to judge in God’s Word. There are some more areas which I will post later on.

From my study I came to realize, judgment and ruling go hand-in-hand. In a Kingdom, the judgment is not by the Supreme Court but it is in the hands of the one who rules over the Kingdom. Here’s a principle that will make it clear: Where we have responsibility to rule, we have the authority to judge. On the converse, where we do not have responsibility to rule, we do not have the authority to judge. For example: Parents have the divine responsibility to rule over their children, and with this responsibility to rule, they are also given the authority to punish their kids when they are on the wrong. However, it would be wrong for these parents to go and judge their neighbors’ children.

Let me show you how Paul brings this statement out: What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” [1 Corinthians 5:12-13]

The context of this passage is that Paul is writing in response to a report he heard of sexual immorality within the church. [1 Corinthians 5:1-2], In verse 3, he says that he has passed judgment on the one who did this. But notice, he did not judge him individually, he judged him corporately with the church backing him.

He says, When you [plural] are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. [1 Corinthians 5:4-5]

The judgment passed here is a very severe one. To be handed over to Satan does not mean they literally handed this person over to Satan. Paul himself explains how this is done… it is by withdrawing the cover of protection and fellowship of the Church. You can imagine it this way, a person who is secure in the covering of the Church is like a person protected in a Kingdom. But once the Kingdom throws out this person, the protection is withdrawn and now the opponent Kingdom can attack him. But notice this is a judgment on a person who claimed to be a believer but refused to repent from his sinful ways. If we had to withdraw from everyone who committed sinful deeds, we would have to isolate ourselves from this world!

God’s Judgment

The topic of Eternal Judgment is rarely spoken of in contemporary churches, yet it is one among the 6 foundational doctrines mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-2. I personally can testify that whenever I study on the topic of judgment, I am brought to an awareness of accountability and it makes me evaluate myself in the light of God’s Word.

Judgment is often thought of in the negative, but God sees it primarily in the positive sense. God wants to judge us so that He can praise us for what we have done for Him.

Then each person will receive praise from God. [1 Corinthians 4:5b]

Judgment for the things we did not do for Him or the wrong we did is secondary in God’s judgment. I was examining how God judged the seven churches in the book of Revelations and I found that in each of them He first commends them for their faithfulness and their service [with an exception of the church at Laodicea, which is outside the scope of our study].

The second point I’d like to make under this heading is that God’s primary purpose for judgment is not to punish the wicked, but to protect the righteous. A judicial system that is just concerned with punishing wickedness is not a just system according to God’s Word.

How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked. [Psalm 82:2-4]

Punishing the wicked is secondary, the primary purpose I say again is to protect the righteous and the innocent.

[To be continued later...]