WHEN REVELATION BECOMES A DOCTRINE OF MAN…

As many in the Church are crying out for accountability concerning leaders who have fallen into sin, I see a common theme. Due to the teaching of “honor” in many Charismatic ministries, some believe this is why no one will talk – because we are supposed to “cover” one another and not expose one another. Some leaders have mistakenly taught their people that they must “honor” that leader to the point of not ever questioning their methods or ministry. To do so would be to violate Scripture (Hebrews 13:17). And yet, they have taken an initial revelation from the Lord and twisted it into something else. 

This misapplied principle/revelation of honor has created many toxic environments where challenging anything a leader does is considered rebellious and sinful. This is not healthy or biblical.  And this is just one example of how a truth or revelation from God can easily become a doctrine of man when the flesh takes control.

But first, some may question if God still gives revelation. Some believe that the Bible is the final revelation of God and He is no longer giving us new truths. Some would even consider it blasphemy to think that God is still speaking! Then consider what the apostle Paul writes about the revelation revealed to the Jews in his day.

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

In God’s timeline, He is continually revealing Himself and the fullness of His plan to every generation. Paul indicates that God purposely withheld revelation to a previous generation because they weren’t ready for it. Because every generation deals with different issues and challenges, God lovingly shows us what we need to know at the right time. This is so that His ultimate plan of redemption for all mankind can come to fruition. And we will likely never have the “full” revelation of who He is – probably not even after we enter eternity! But the fact is, revelation is still happening – both personally, and corporately.

Consider the prosperity gospel. When that teaching first came into the Church, there were many who believed that true humility and holiness were best demonstrated by being poor. There was a poverty mindset over a large segment of the Church because they assumed that was what pleased the Lord. I believe the revelation the Lord intended at that time was to reveal how generous He is and how much He loves to see His children flourish. He never intended for His family to just survive – but thrive! That’s a very biblical truth that reveals the heart of a gracious Father.  And yet, some men took that revelation and decided to build an entire ministry upon it. Writing books and centering every message around this one revelation, they got locked in, unable to adjust or grow with the changing times and seasons of the Spirit. The initial revelation about God being generous turned into a get-rich-quick message that appealed solely to the flesh. And this is how doctrines of men come about. They often start with a true revelation of the Lord, but morph into a fleshly faith practice that ends up being destructive instead of life-giving.

Why is this important? Because we need to learn how to steward revelation rightly. I see the enemy sneaking into our debates about prophecy, healing, accountability, and many other aspects of our faith, in hopes that the Church will throw away the precious revelations of the Lord – simply because of the abuses. (Ex: See how much damage prophecy does to people! Stop prophesying!)  It’s akin to calling for the ban of guns because too many people are getting shot.

One solution to this issue is to simply be aware. As debates arise concerning our faith practices and policies, look for where the true revelation of the Lord starts – and ends. What aspect of a particular teaching is meant to bring blessing and not trouble? Consider what man is trying to add to the equation and hold fast to what is good. Test the rest (1 Thessalonians 5:21)!  Pray that the Word of God would rightly divide flesh from the spirit.

Let’s not allow doctrines of men to hijack what God has birthed. He loves to reveal Himself in greater measure. We just need to measure rightly.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Picture of Wanda Alger

Wanda Alger

Wanda has been in ministry for over 35 years as a worship leader, teacher, author, deliverance counselor, and speaker.

Comments

2 Responses

  1. What, we are to study the whole book and take thing in totality of the whole not just cherry pick little phrases that align with our own perspective?!? Joking, sarcasim is in the Bible too. I completely concur with your take written here. Robin Bullock has a teaching that each denomination is just a fresh revelation from the previous denomination but each one seems to stop on that new thing and camp there instead of continuing to get even more revelation, until now, i believe this generation is the one that will go all the way into Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. This will release the Glory of God to a much higher level for everyone to access if they chose surrender to God over themselves. May GOD Bless you & yours (referring to Tim Sheets messages on “GOD Bless you” that from a few weeks ago)

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