Note 21 at 1 Th. 5:21: Paul had just spoken of not despising prophesyings (v. 20). Now he is telling us not to be gullible. Extremes are always wrong. It is wrong to be so critical that we despise prophesyings (see note 20 at v. 20) and it is equally wrong to take everything that is spoken in the name of the Lord as true. We must exercise discernment.

Jesus said we would know true prophets (and likewise their prophesies) by their fruit (Mt. 7:15-20). If their message is leading people away from the Lord and into bondage, we should not hold fast their words. However, we need to apply wisdom when inspecting fruit. Even good fruit can go bad. There were some people who took Paul's message and twisted it to say that he had given them freedom to live a sinful life (Rom. 3:8). That wasn't so, and isolated incidents are not justification for discrediting a whole ministry. But the dominant fruit which a ministry produces is a valid way of proving or judging that ministry.

The believers in Berea also gave us a good example of how to prove all things. In Acts 17:11 the scripture says, "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." The ultimate test of any prophet or prophecy is whether or not it lines up with the written Word of God. If anything violates the letter or spirit of the Word, it is wrong. Once again, there needs to be some maturity on our part to make a judgment like this. No one has the whole truth (1 Cor. 13:12). Anyone can and everyone does make mistakes. Yet there should be an overall scriptural soundness in our doctrine. Those who blatantly violate scripture should not be judged as good.

Note 22 at 1 Th. 5:21: Notice that Paul said, "hold fast that which is good." He did not say reject the bad. That is implied but the emphasis is on embracing the good. There are some people who are on "witch hunts," just looking for the slightest mistake on a minister's part. And once that occurs, they come against them in the most violent ways, often branding them as heretics. That is not what Paul is saying.

When listening to any ministry, discernment needs to be used. Not everything that is said in the name of the Lord is truly from the Lord. But it is equally wrong to be critical of others except in the most extreme cases. Kenneth Hagin said, "Even an old cow has enough sense to eat the hay and leave the sticks." We should be as wise.