We are all prophets. We have to be because false teachers abound. You can’t take the preacher’s word for it; can’t take the denomination’s word for it; can’t take the Bishop’s word for it; can’t take the Pope’s word for it; can’t take the worship leader’s word for it; can’t take the pastor’s word for it; can’t take the evangelist’s word for it; can’t take the President’s word for it: can’t take the majority’s word for it. As I once wrote in a song: “You’ve got to find it yourself; none of these people can give you any help.”

We often tend to let the majority think for us, but we must remember that, just because the majority thinks it, doesn’t mean it is right. As in the Old Testament, the majority was often always wrong. That’s why God sent the prophets, to call the people back, because the whole nation had gone astray. We are in a similar time of a false or a fake Christianity so that merely calling yourself a Christian will not do.

We all have the responsibility to discern the truth. We have the word of God; we have the Holy Spirit; we have a God-given common sense; we can do this. We have no need for anyone to do this interpreting for us. But we have to be smart about it. Truth is nuanced. Truth is simple, but not simplistic; trustworthy, but not trivial.

And when we share the gospel with others, we don’t bury them in everything we know. At the memorial service of Earl Palmer former pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley during the Jesus Movement, and later the University Presbyterian Church of Seattle, his wife said that his driving passion was “to interpret the gospel in a way that people could discover it for themselves.”

Never has this kind of ownership of faith been more important than it is now. With so much “Christianity” being cast about, it is imperative that we know in our hearts what we mean, and when we speak about it, we mean what we say.

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 1 John 2:27