In another thread on this topic in which I posted recently, I tried to get one charismatic poster to tell me how he discerned between real and counterfeit demonstrations of the gift of tongues, and prophecy, and healing. These are the gifts that are most frequently shown to have been counterfeited. The charismatic poster simply responded by explaining there is no need to discern in this area. All glossolalia, prophecies, and healings must be of the Spirit. And so there was no means he had in place to tell the fake from the real. As far as I'm concerned, this is a sure way to find yourself deceived.
A non-Christian friend of mine was invited to a Christian ladies weekend event out at a farm. They spent an entire Saturday on the second floor of a renovated barn enjoying fellowship with one another. At the end of afternoon just before the ladies were to return home, the door to the room in which the ladies were gathered was closed - and locked. The event leader then informed all the ladies that no one would leave the room until everyone had spoken in tongues. She thought this would be an exciting and emotional way to end the day but to my friend who was not a believer and never had - nor wished to - speak in tongues, this was a nightmarish idea. My friend maneuvered to be the very last of the ladies to speak in tongues, hoping some way to escape the situation would present itself before it was her turn. When finally everyone had spoken in tongues but her, my friend decided to make up a bunch of nonsense speech and hope it would pass muster. She "spoke in tongues" for about ten seconds and all the ladies were thrilled. Not one of them had the slightest doubt my friend's "tongue" was genuinely a sign of the Spirit. This experience horrified my friend on a number of levels and she has remained deeply cynical and skeptical toward Christianity ever since.
The lack of discernment among charismatics is sometimes quite shocking! Ever heard of Todd Bentley and his kick-you-in-the-face healing? He'll not only slap, punch, or kick you into a healing but he has claimed to have raised dozens of people from the dead! Morbidly curious about this guy, my brother took in one of Todd's meetings where he claimed he was only half-filled with the power of God (he could feel the power had only reached his waist) and needed more money from the audience in order to be entirely filled and capable of raising someone from the dead. And the money flowed in!
This profound lack of spiritual discernment is my biggest beef with the charismatic folk. God can and does act miraculously. But the devil is able to mimic the miraculous. Remember Jannes and Jambres? (Ex. 7:8-13; 2Ti. 3:8) Remember, too, Paul's warning?
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
As soon as people start claiming God did this or that and are not required to prove what they claim is truly of God, then falsehood and deception soon follows. This has been demonstrated again and again by the rise to popularity of religious charlatans like Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Dayna Muldoon, Beth Moore, and on and on. What is perhaps strangest of all is that even when these people are shown to be in error doctrinally, and false in their prophecies, and fake in their healings, they are still supported by frenzied crowds of people hungry for a show. Apparently, the lack of discernment runs very deep among those who embrace this sort of "experience of God."
Selah.
