The Danger of Building a Ministry on Supernatural Encounters

It’s wearisome.

Some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have built their entire ministries on supernatural encounters, dreams, visions and prophecies.

Nearly every day, it’s a new prophetic prediction, dramatic encounter or life-changing epiphany. Indeed, some of these purveyors of prophecy seem to walk in more revelation than Paul the apostle himself, except their revelations are antibiblical. Yes, antibiblical not just extrabiblical. It’s actually more than wearisome.

I agree not every encounter we could have in the seer dimensions is recorded in the Bible. After all, John wrote plainly that, “There are also many other things which Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

A Discernment Issue

The problem is too few discern embellished, exaggerated or counterfeit encounters because they are enamored by the dramatic dreams penned with such great literary style that they just have to be true! Too few discern the fabricated angelic conversations at the bedside of the prophet because they hunger for the supernatural.

It troubles me how people become overnight superstars based on one concocted encounter that, to the discerning, defies any resemblance to biblical truth. Second-heaven dreams have prophetic celebrities out of people who are no more than fly-by-night fibbers who enjoy the attention. One Facebook post goes viral, and they quickly erect a prophetic manufacturing plant that churns contrived oracles that didn’t originate with the master orator. It’s prophetic witchcraft.

While I believe in angelic encounters, prophecy, dreams and visions, a generation has risen that makes luminaries out of Christians who behave more like Nostradamus (who was considered a seer in his day)—even when they defy biblical truth. There is popularity in predictions about everything from sporting events to extinct species. (How does that edify the body of Christ? A psychic can make those predictions.)

Danger for the Undiscerning

This is dangerous for the body of Christ. It’s a leaven that is spreading rapidly. The enemy sowed tares in the field while we were sleeping, and now we don’t readily discern between the truth and a lie. It’s beyond troubling. It’s grievous.

Why does this happen?

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