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From time to time a new prophet / preacher appears on the horizon. Not always someone that can be described as a 'hard cult -' or an extremist figure, who renounces the basic truths of the Bible such as the Deity of Christ, His resurrection and the Bible. It is not someone like Sun Myung Moon (known as the Moonies in America) who regarded himself as exclusive, a mediator or as a god. It is not someone like the "prophet Joshua" of a while ago who clearly worked wilfully unscripturally and misled many. The assault is much more subtle.

Because God appointed us as 'testers' (Jer.6:27; 1 John 4:1) it now needs finer discernment. It is expected of everyone to look and listen more carefully. What do the people who attend the services talk about? What impressed them? What experience appealed to them? Why was it so wonderful to be in the services? What struck them, and what does this person talk about? Listen well to what it is that makes them excited, because that might say a great deal about the preacher.

Christians want to know: "How can an evangelist be evaluated?" Here are a number of questions which could help as a general guideline to test itinerant preachers.

Test by means of the following questions:

Most naïve Christians are satisfied if the name of Jesus is scattered plentifully like confetti during a sermon. The name of Jesus is sometimes used alternatively for God without the focus genuinely coming onto Jesus and His work of redemption. If the name of Jesus is replaced by the name of God in the sermon, there would be no change of the message of the sermon. Others speak about ‘the Lord’, a Lord so vague that no-one can distinguish which 'Lord' is being referred to. There are many 'Lords'! Is it Lord Hare Krishna, Lord Allah, or is it the Lord Jesus Christ?

When one listens superficially everything sounds so good; but listeners do not come out of that service with a greater admiration and appreciation of "What a Christ! What a Christ!" God is indeed glorified in His Son (John 14:13). The question should thus be: "Has Christ been depicted so real, so enthusiastically and so passionately, as if He has just been crucified amid the listeners, for their sakes?" (Gal. 3:1) Have people been touched and amazed by God's unique, no-alternative salvation plan in Christ? Has the sermon awakened people with an appreciation and better understanding and grasp of why He hung there?  That, when Christ hung there, He did it in my name, He suffered on my behalf, He bore the penalty in my place, and that for that reason I can now be reconciled to God? Until people have this appreciation, worked in them by the Holy Spirit, for the Son of God, all the good-sounding Biblical advice about marriage, faith, priesthood of man, the situation in the country, etc. will be only superficial and temporary. Christ is the essence of the matter, the axis around which everything revolves.

On the spiritual market there are more than one Jesus.

What does the other Jesus look like?

Very few evangelists and preachers today speak about conversion from sin. People are invited to come for healing, or to make a commitment or / and to be baptised without an appeal for breaking with their sin first. Thousands put up their hands for a sentimental 'accepting Jesus' ceremony without heart-felt repentance and detailed confession of specific sins. The unbiblical "sinner's prayer" where people are prompted what they should pray, has given many a false security that they have been reconciled to God on the grounds of such a prayer. Such people are being misled and helped to a false conversion, and after that they are declared to be saved on account of a prayer that they prayed. After their so-called conversion or commitment nothing changes! They remain in their old habits and addictive sins. They still look and smell like the unsaved world.

Jesus sends the rich young man away first to set right his sins before He can help him. Paul says the same: "Whereupon, o king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but showed first unto the people of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent (metanoia) and turn to God (metanoia) and do works meet for repentance (metanoia)." (Acts 26:19)

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ." (Phil. 3: 7 - 9)

It is not evangelisation to tell people: "Come to God just as you are! Come with your filth!" No! Conversion is to turn one's back on the things which grieve the Spirit of God. It might mean getting out of a sinful relationship or breaking with addictive sins. It might mean restitution, or to let go of sinful practices or to break with bad habits. It might even mean converting myself from my idea of reaching heaven by my good works. "Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3 : 19)

Is sin called by its name? Preaching about sin should come into its right. People should be informed from the Bible that God hates sin, and that sin puts a wall between God and man, and preachers should see to it that people are clearly informed about sin. Those who are not prepared to do it in God's way, let them rather remain silent. There is no such thing as rebate for some preachers that they are spared the pain of not speaking against sin because their ministry is so-called 'different'.

There are certain sins which do not offend anyone, such as certain general social anomalies which do not necessarily hurt. Other sins would anger many people even if merely mentioned. Just try to tell a karate instructor that karate is wrong! Just try telling someone who makes his living from alternative healing such as homeopathy, reflexology, yoga i.e.. that he is engaged in an occultic practice! There will be an outcry!

Because some evangelists handle sin discreetly, fearing that it will be offensive to listeners, the result is mass conversions, huge churches and popular preachers. Jesus said: "The world cannot hate you; but me it hates, because I testify of it that its works are evil." (John 7 : 7) and "Remember the word that I said unto you: the servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20)

"If the world hate you, know that it hated me before it hated you." (John 15: 18)

"For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." (John 3 : 20)

"I felt goose-pimples; I could not control my emotions ...! Many wiped away tears. It was a wonderful experience being with so many christians ..." etc.. We live in a time of spiritual depression and of financial recession. People have an enormous need to feel better, to experience a 'kick', rather than to come into the correct relationship with God. An emotional experience that makes someone feel better temporarily can easily be interpreted as a spiritual experience and a meeting with God. This is a form of deception. The truth sets people free. The working of the Holy Spirit and true revival may never be separated from the Biblical Word with regards to Jesus Christ, and the exposition of the Word. Jesus said in Jhn 6 : 63 "It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are the spirit, and they are life." (Jhn 6 : 63) Paul says in Rom. 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes. In Eph. 1:13 Paul refers to the gospel as the "word of truth, the gospel of your salvation". The Spirit works by means of the Word! Nothing can replace the life-giving power of Scripture - not lovely music, healings, charismatic speakers nor miracles! THE LIVING WORD IS, AND REMAINS, THE INCORRUPTIBLE SEED WHEREBY GOD ORDAINED THAT MAN WILL BE BORN AGAIN (1 Pet. 1:23) . People need to understand, Jesus says in Mat.13:19 "When any one hears the word of the kingdom and understands it not, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."

Eph. 1:17-19 : "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."

If people do not really understand through the working of the Holy Spirit, nor have appreciation of the crucified and risen Christ, no lasting change of lives will distinguish such a series of services. Superficial and short-lived conversion is usually the fruit of transient seed (nice music, healings, speakers’ charisma or miracles) which has been sown.

We easily say: "It's revival." Is it truly revival? When the Bible describes the last days as a time of great apostasy and deception, can we easily accept more "It's revival?" Popularity and large numbers do not necessarily signify revival, and are not synonymous with the truth. A W Tozer made the remark: "It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God." For that reason any popular preacher who succeeds in drawing huge crowds of people should be tested and questions be asked. "Jesus has always had more fans than followers, and many people attracted by his personality, fascinated by his power or impressed by his teaching have never truly submitted to Him as the Lord of their lives." (J Blanchard & Dan Lucarini: Can We Rock The Gospel?)

We have seen one after the other 'prophet' who came in recent years and then after a while disappeared again. Some were more, and others less, distinguishable as doubtful preachers or false prophets. Time and again they are carried for a while by the attention paid to them in the sensational media. Every time people are just being misled again. When will we learn to test preachers by the criteria of the Bible?

The greatest responsibility that can be entrusted to any person is the proclamation of the Word. Yet we find that many preachers enter that field of ministry with little, and sometimes with no Bible School training. That does not need to be a problem if he is working under the umbrella of the superior knowledge of other Christians. Paul advises Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:15 to show himself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, and warns Timothy against the heresy advocated by Himeneus and Philetus.

Anyone can err. For that reason it is necessary for every preacher, evangelist or 'prophet' to work under authority, supervision or an umbrella. Where this protection does not exist, there could be the breeding-ground for haughtiness, arrogance, and heresy. The value of a team is that they can be a corrective for one another. An important question should therefore always be: "Under whose supervision do you work?" Is the preacher a 'lone ranger'?  Is he the only one who preaches and prays for the ill?  Is he alone the gifted channel of the Holy Spirit?  Is it only his name in magazines and on bill-boards? Isn't his ministry merely an 'ego-trip'?

There are many examples of such "Humpty-Dumpty's", situations where such a talented, gifted or anointed person is put high on a pedestal en enjoys all the attention and publicity for a while, but the end turns out to be 'a great fall'.

Within the charismatic movement there is a dirty stream of water which makes many naïve Christians sick, deceives them and brings them under the power and influence of another spirit. This 'spirit' detaches people from the Word of God, as new things are proclaimed to be Biblical and part of a revival. In fact it is a revival of the occult. Houses a.o. objects are anointed with oil. Retha Wiid tells in the media how she anointed the shoes and underwear of her husband who 'slept around' in order to get him out of his sinful lifestyle. That is 'white magic', and not Biblical. John Hagee speaks about 'popcorn christians'. Those are people who jump up like popcorn in a service and then fall down. In spite of numerous Christian warnings against some of the TBN preachers like Benny Hinn, Copeland, Hagin, etc. - many naïve people cannot believe that there is something wrong with their teaching. The problem is modern armchair Christians who sit in front of TBN rather than sit in front of the Bible - as is fitting for Bible students. Bible study is hard work, while TBN offers ready-made fast-food. Those are Christians who no longer ask what the Word says, but ask what Rodney H Brown and others say ...!

Jer. 17:5 "Thus says the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm and his heart departs from the Lord."

"As we said before, so say I now again: If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." Gal. 1:9

DB Dick