Is there a conspiracy among the popular prophets of today?
Mike Bickle
“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things (God’s truth which is His treasure to His people); they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.” Ezekiel 22:25
There is no new thing under the sun (Eccl. 1:7). Satan still has his own “ministers” who masquerade as and hold positions as godly leaders (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
According to 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 and Jeremiah 9:3, those who are not “valiant for the truth” will “perish; BECAUSE they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause GOD shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. 2:10-12)
Do you love the truth? Are you valiant for God’s truth? Are you studying to show your own self approved to the LORD? Are you enduring sound doctrine? Or, do you shun those who speak the undiluted truth of God’s Word in order to uphold the false prophets you have created an ungodly soul tie with because they feed the lusts of your fleshly nature? See 2 Timothy 4:2-5.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because MANY false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
Are you testing every person and doctrine against the Holy Word of God? If not, it’s time to repent. Those who parade themselves as being tolerant and loving and yet are not discerning, are deceived. Being naive and gullible is not a godly virtue.
“The simple (naive, gullible) believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going (discern truth from error by God’s Word).” Proverbs 14:15
There are those who actually condemn the obedient Berean believers of today who discern between the holy and the profane. These same people are so ignorant of truth and therefore deceived that they put darkness for light and light for darkness, perverting the truth (Isa. 5:20-24). In condemning others for obeying the LORD by being discerning, they actually act as if they are being loving. How absurd a picture is this?
Is it loving to condemn someone who is obeying God by discerning? How perverted a “love” we have be deceived into!
Are you noble or naive?
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10-11
The saints at Berea set an example of nobility that every single individual believer of this time should espouse. They weighed Paul’s teaching against the written Word and for this the LORD Himself said they were “more NOBLE!” Are you noble or naive?
Test of nobility or Naivety:
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11
Does the LORD see me as “noble”? This is a very important question. According to Acts 17:11, if I am “noble” I:
Am one who receives “with all readiness of mind” God’s Word as final authority on all matters of faith and doctrine and the practice of Christianity.
Honor the LORD above mere men by discerning and discriminating in a wise and godly sense.
Search the Scriptures daily to learn of the LORD and test all teachings against His Holy Word – the “more sure word of prophecy.” (2 Pet. 1:19-21).
According to God’s Word, it is not noble to be naive. According to the Word, it is noble and wise todiscern and test all things.
“Prove (test) ALL things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Some of us act as if it is a Christian virtue to tolerate any and everything that comes down the pike – “every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). We mask our selfish preservation and self-idolatry behind a false “love” that has no reconciliation with Bible truth.
Ever hear this verse?
“And they (true servants of God) shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
If you are not learning from your leaders to discern “the difference between the holy and profane,” you should immediately seek out true, God-fearing leaders who truly honor God by fully hearkening to the full counsel of His Word (Acts 20:20, 27; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 4:2-4). Those who are true to the LORD “cause them (God’s people) to discern between the unclean and the clean.” God’s Words instructs us to “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.” (Heb. 13:9) There are many “unclean” doctrines blowing through the church world today that must be exposed as those who teach them must be (Matt. 24:3-5; Rom. 16:17-18; Jude 3-4).
How is one able to please God by discerning?
“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:11-14
Knowing and living out the truth includes being personally exercised in the Word and able to divide between that which is true and that which is not.
“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14
God is calling us to grow up and discern and cease being gullible. If you have condemned those who are obeying God by discerning, you should at once repent before the LORD.
Those who scorn the discerning are here called “ungodly.” While they have an appetite for the wine of self-feeding false teachings, these same people turn and rend the godly who dare to be discerning and endure sound doctrine (these are biblical mandates – Jude 3-4). The godly are not gullible but rather discerning. They seek to please and honor their LORD supremely and do not commit spiritual whoredom by opening up and accepting every teaching and/or leader that comes along.
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. An ungodly witness scorneth judgment (discernment): and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.” Proverbs 20:27-28
Are you aware that the LORD has commanded you to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”?
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men (false teachers) crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 3-4
Below are links for your study of Mike Bickle and the Kansas City Prophets. We do not endorse all the teachings of those who have done these sites and articles, but provide these to help your discernment study.
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The quote below comes from a discernment site on the internet and was written by “Keith”:
“Passion is the cardinal virtue in many church circles today. It rates right up there with holiness. Indeed one can say and do almost anything in the Name of Jesus as long as one is passionate about it Passion is the reason that Mike Bickle and others like him are untouchable. They are so passionate. Passion is prized.
Unless it is a passion for the truth. Dare to question the biblical basis for some of the new practices and doctrines, have the audacity to confront the scripture twisting and misinterpretation, warn of ancient heresies creeping back into the church, rebuke some passionate teacher for using language about God that is unworthy of Him, advocate adherence to the historic Christian faith and watch the knives come out.
Pharisee. Religious spirit. Critical spirit. Jezebel spirit. Judgmental. Bitter. Divisive. Self-righteous. The list of personal attacks is almost endless.
I’ve often been perplexed that this area of passion is not considered as righteous as the passion of these other teachers.
I think, at least in part, it is due to the assumption that orthodoxy is automatically dead. In many circles a false dichotomy has been drawn between orthodoxy and passion.
Bickle falls into this false dichotomy when he writes, “True Christianity is a dynamic relationship with a living God, and it cannot be reduced to formulas and dry orthodoxy. We are called to embrace the mystery of God and not to lust after neatly tying up every doctrinal or philosophical loose end that we encounter.” (Growing in the Prophetic page 77)
I agree that Christianity is a dynamic relationship with a living God. And I further agree that we do not want a dry orthodoxy but don’t we still want orthodoxy? When did orthodoxy become a bad thing? Why is it assumed that a passionate heresy is somehow better? Isn’t heretical enthusiasm just as spiritually bankrupt as dead truth?
Must we choose between the two? Must we have either passion or orthodoxy?
Further, while it is certainly true that we can not tie up every loose end that we encounter, can’t we know some things certainly? Isn’t this one of the reasons God gave us His word in the first place? (I realize it isn’t the only reason.)
When did truth become the enemy of passion?
Paul had a couple of interesting comments concerning zeal or passion in today’s vernacular. Concerning the Jews of his day, Paul wrote, “I bear them witness that they have a great zeal for God but not according to knowledge.” Apparently Paul didn’t understand that zeal alone is enough.
To the church in Galatians, a letter whose primary purpose is to correct a church that has slidden into error, Paul wrote concerning the false teachers, “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous provided the purpose is good” (Gal. 4:17-18)
I get the idea that Paul didn’t see zeal or passion alone as sufficient.
We must not attempt to play passion against orthodoxy. Neither is sufficient without the other. We are to be passionate but passionate about the truth.”
...what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:37
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