The students who attended our college group gathered as usual on a Thursday night, but for a different reason.
This time, they would be receiving personal words from the Lord as our prophetic team ministered to them.
A few of us shared what we sensed God wanted to say to one young man who was clearly a man of integrity. The messages which the Holy Spirit gave the team for him were personal, specific, and highly commending of his character.
However, “Chandler” held a cessationist view (the belief supernatural gifts like prophecy ceased after the canon of Scripture was formed).
Had he believed spiritual gifts are valid today, he would have been encouraged, uplifted, and strengthened in his faith. He would have experienced being seen and known by God.
Instead, he questioned the validity of God’s words for him and lost out on a blessing.
Christians can believe in the basic tenets of the faith, yet still hold many opposing views on secondary issues—and we’re all prone to making Chandler’s mistake.
We have a tough time making paradigm shifts when it comes to doctrinal issues, even minor ones.
A few I’ve encountered lately in charismatic circles: Might ‘word of knowledge’ refer to the gift of teaching rather than a detailed prophetic word? Does ‘anointed’ mean what we think it means? Is there really such a thing as a ‘Jezebel spirit?’
Whenever the Spirit leads me to take a fresh look at a topic, I wrestle with my feelings.
Here are some possible reasons we don’t like to change our minds:
- Conscience formation – In our early years, we were trained to feel that a different way of thinking is wrong. (It’s tough to go against your parents’ and pastor’s teaching.)
- The power of group think – We’ve heard the same thing over and over in our circles. It’s hard to think differently than “our people.”
- Fear of betraying a respected leader – Someone we trust teaches this idea, so we feel disloyal to them by disagreeing.
- Fear of conflict or loss – We fear hurting people’s feelings or losing friendships if we change our view on the teaching.
- Subjectivity – Anecdotal evidence and/or personal experience seems to verify the teaching, so we don’t feel the need to look further (maybe even despite biblical evidence to the contrary).
- The comfort of labels – Life feels more manageable when we name and categorize ideas, so we hang onto labels.
- Pride – It’s hard to say, “I was wrong about this.” We can be overly concerned about our personal rightness on issues.
- Ignorance – We simply don’t know another valid Christian point of view exists, or we don’t know much about it.
All these reasons for sticking with our current view on an issue are understandable. We naturally fear change.
Yet Scripture doesn’t commend stubborn loyalty to one’s views.
Instead, believers are praised for eagerly receiving the apostles’ teaching while also checking it against the Scriptures.
“The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:11).”
The Berean Christians demonstrated open minds and hearts. They were also good fact-checkers—even on teachings by the Apostle Paul.
They were willing to change their minds if that’s where the evidence led them.
Paradigm shifts are a form of repentance (changing one’s heart and mind).
A changing of one’s viewpoint isn’t easy. It requires humility, courage, and faith.
Next time you run into an issue Christians don’t all agree on, instead of assuming you and those in your circle are correct, you can ask:
- Which factors above keep me from considering a different view?
- If I change my mind, what might it cost me?
- What or whom do I fear?
Then pray, Lord, what do You want to show me here that I might not understand yet?
May the Lord help us be like the Bereans—willing to learn and grow, and, if needed, change our minds.
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You can grab Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church AND the accompanying study guide HERE.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
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