John MacArthur has often said that a lack of discernment is like spiritual AIDS. A person with AIDS does not die from that disease directly—rather, their immune system degenerates until they are defenseless against any of a thousand diseases. Likewise, when the church refuses to discern, it forfeits the protection of a strong spiritual immune system and renders itself vulnerable to death by a thousand heresies. A church with no discernment will inevitably die.

There is no segment of Christendom where discernment is more discouraged than the Charismatic movement. In fact, for charismatics it is considered virtuous to unquestioningly accept claims of the miraculous, whether they be the outlandish accounts of heaven tourism or the unsubstantiated exploits of prophets and healers.

Often there is a superficial confession that such experiences should align with Scripture. But that is merely lip service. Even a cursory glance reveals that no rigorous scriptural standard is applied to the bizarre practices that are commonplace within the movement.

However, it is not surprising that a Berean attitude is hard to find, when the prominent leaders of the movement twist biblical texts (“judge not, lest ye be judged”; “touch not the Lord’s anointed”) to safeguard their “ministries” against criticism. Add to this the modern evangelical’s obsession with indiscriminate open-mindedness, and the Charismatic movement has a leash as long as the Mississippi River.

Not only are those at the heart of the movement reluctant to question the legitimacy of Charismatic phenomena, but those on the conservative fringes make no tangible effort to police the nonstop shenanigans. Instead, thoughtful criticism has to come from a handful of cessationists—or even secular voices.

That is by design. Charismatic leaders have carefully insulated themselves and their movement from critique. In the words of Charles Spurgeon, “Thieves hate watch-dogs.”^[1]“Another Word Concerning the Down-Grade,” The Sword and the Trowel (August 1887), 399.

As John MacArthur noted in his Strange Fire sermon titled “Testing the Spirits,” “In order for [the Charismatic movement] to succeed, they have to turn discernment into an iniquity.” How else could false prophecies and counterfeit miracles—even those that have been openly debunked—continue to hold sway over so many? Discernment has to die. Charismatic leaders must manipulate people until they believe that questioning the modern-day prophet is tantamount to opposing God. That’s not a hypothetical—it’s happening every day, as Charismatic charlatans train their followers to ignore their eyes and ears, and to let their emotions overrule the clear teaching of God’s Word.

On top of that, as John says, “Evangelicalism has been intimidated into silence.” Too many Christians have turned a blind eye to the blasphemous abuses and heretical doctrine that dominates Charismatic circles—too many have failed to defend Scripture in the face of obvious hucksters. If the Charismatic movement won’t police itself—if it won’t expose and excommunicate the false teachers in its midst—the broader church must be willing to uphold the standard of God’s Word.  

And what does Scripture require of us? First John 4:1 reads, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” It is only by obedience to this crucial instruction that the church’s spiritual health in sound doctrine and holy life will be preserved. For that reason, John MacArthur used this session of Strange Fire to exhort believers, and especially church leaders, to “test the spirits.”

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