宣道会牧师麦格罗（Dr. Gerald E. McGraw ）在宣道会的刊物 The Allance Witness中报导：他和一些牧师们成立了一个“分辨说方言的灵”的特别聚会，专事替那些有说方言经验而愿意接受试验的基督徒来分辨他们的灵。经过多年的试验之后，他指出，他本来也赞成有一些方言是真的，但事实上试验的结果显示：有90%以上说方言的人，证实是邪灵附身所致。他又指出，有一些弟兄灵性非常好，作圣工也有能力，而且他从来不在公开的场合说方言，只在私下灵修之时才说。但是，经过试验之后，他的灵在奉主耶穌的名所吩咐之下，竟然说出自己是鬼。


Tongues Should Be Tested
By GERALD E. McGRAW
Man's initial contact with Satan was disastrous. No wonder Satan is called the father of lies (John 8:44), for he told Eve, "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). Yet sin did produce death. This original encounter warns us that deception is one of the devil's prime weapons.

Satan's duplicity is directed at contemporary Christians no less than at our first parents. Paul expressed his concern to the Corinthian believers: "I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Some people see the present charismatic movement as the fulfillment of prophecies that a "latter rain" will invigorate Christianity before the rapture of the church. Opponents relegate the phenomenon to spiritual delusion and psychological imbalance. But Scripture does not anticipate a total cessation of spiritual gifts within the present age. There is New Testament evidence that the gifts are divinely intended for the entire church age.

But is it safe to conclude that all contemporary tongues-speaking results from the Holy Spirit's gift? Does Satan duplicate spiritual gifts?

In testing numerous tongues gifts by scriptural criteria my associates and I have found many originating from a satanic source. This article will examine the necessity, methodology and results of such testing.

Scripture contains a number of examples of people who sought confirmation of the divine origin of supernatural communications. For instance, God did not expect the Israelites to accept Moses' mission without substantiation ( Exodus 4:1-9).

As the angel of the Lord informed Gideon of his assigned triumph over the Midianites, Gideon requested, "Shew me a sign that thou talkest with me" (Judges 6:17). The angel of the Lord obliged by bringing fire out of a rock (verse 21). God did not berate him for asking confirmation.

The principle of verification is not limited to the Old Testament. At the birth of Jesus dazzling angels offered the shepherds proof of their remarkable statement of the Saviour's birth: "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12). John's gospel is filled with signs intended to lead the reader to personal faith (John 20:30-31).

The Jews were noted for demanding verification (I Corinthians 1:22). It is true that Jesus condemned such Jewish sign-seeking as arose from deliberate unbelief. After attributing his exorcism to satanic power (Matthew 12:22-40), for example, the Pharisees were condemned for seeking an additional sign. Jesus also denounced the demand for a further sign after miraculously feeding four thousand (Matthew 15:30 - 16:4; cp. John 6:30). Yet in both cases Jesus did give the true sign of Jonah. Note also His healing of the nobleman's son (John 4).



THE SUPERNATURAL CAN BE TESTED
It is evident from the Scriptures, then, that supernatural claims can be tested. Job's earlier words on the need for discrimination (Job 12:11) are echoed by Elihu (34:3-4): "The ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat. Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good."

Several gifts of the Spirit involve speech, and Scripture directly asserts the need for caution (see James 3:2-10 and Jeremiah 9: 3-8). Paul claims to have demonstrated "the signs of an apostle" (2 Corinthians 12:12). His ministry was substantiated "through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God" (Romans 15:16-19). Christ commended the Ephesian church because they "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars" (Revelation 2:2).

Similarly the gift of prophecy must be tried. Prophecy is essentially speaking for a deity -- whether or not the message includes predictions. God's people must reject the prophet who speaks in the name of false gods -- even if his predictions are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). He must reject both the prophet who professes to speak in Jehovah's name but who speaks unbidden and the prophet who professes to speak in Jehovah's name but whose predictions fail to come to pass (18:20-22; see 2 Peter 1:21 & 2:1; I Kings 22:19-23).

Christ warned to "beware of false prophets," discoverable by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-16). Through Paul the Lord commands (I Corinthians 14:37) listeners to pass judgment when prophets speak in the church (verse 29). Prophecy can originate from satanic delusion, as illustrated at the outset of the Pauline missions by Barjesus, whom the apostle addressed as a child of the devil (Acts 13:6-12), and at the end of the age in the False Prophet, who despite miraculous works will be Antichrist's accomplice (Revelation 13:19-20).

Many charismatics insist that everyone filled with the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. If this is the only way to know certainly one has been filled, no wonder people become desperate for this "evidence." One young man lay on the ground for hours earnestly pleading for tongues. In another instance the subject had been urged by charismatic tutors to keep repeating the word "Hallelujah" until he could break out in tongues. In both cases the subjects did acquire the coveted ability. Later testing, however, revealed that in each case a demon had entered the victim and had imparted the glossolalia. In the latter case the tongues demon was named Hallelujah.



TWO SOURCES
If a tongue is supernatural, it must issue either from God's Spirit or from one of Satan's spirits. Since it is an anti-Biblical and satanic delusion to assert that everyone filled with God's Spirit must speak in tongues (I Corinthians 12:30), the reader can see how seeking for tongues perilously opens the human personality to demonic influences.

If God wills to give a person a tongue, this is His prerogative, for the sovereign Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts individually as He wills (I Corinthians 12:11). If, however, a man rejects the Biblical principle that God bestows "gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will" (Hebrews 2:4) and demands the showy, lesser gift of tongues, that man must suffer the consequences if he should receive a counterfeit.

Three New Testament passages not treated earlier in this article demonstrate that supernatural speaking gifts such as tongues need to be tested. Although it has been variously interpreted, I Thessalonians 5:19-22 stands in a context of spiritual gifts. Paul admonished: "Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil."

At the start of the fullest discussion of spiritual gifts in Scripture (I Corinthians 12:14) Paul contrasted the supernatural speaking gifts with the Corinthians' former idols that were unable to speak (12:2). Such Idolatry involved demonism (10:20), and Paul wanted his readers to avoid anything false in speaking. Consequently he asserted that a man speaking by the Spirit of God will not call Jesus accursed.

Again, God's Spirit speaking through a man will gladly confess that Jesus is the Lord. The implication is that if a demon underlies the supernatural utterance he will decline to confess Christ's Lordship but will rather express his hatred of Christ. Surely the tests are stated here for a reason.

The testing of spirits is directly commanded in I John 4:1-3. Again the context refers to the fullness of the Holy Spirit and utterance gifts. The reader should note the verses in context thus: "Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" ( I John 3:24 & 4:2).

Although the Holy Spirit confesses, every spirit that refuses to confess Jesus (cp. Greek and revised versions) is not of God but of Anti-Christ. Hence the spirit (not simply the message, as The Living Bible paraphrases it) that is responsible for a tongues message or other supernatural utterance can be questioned about Jesus.

Is Jesus God's Son? Does the spirit confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh: Is Jesus Christ coming again in the flesh? Does all the fullness of the Godhead dwell in Him bodily? A spirit may be asked his purpose, since the Holy Spirit's basic purpose in the believer is clearly divulged in Scripture (John 16:14), whereas an evil tongues spirit would be present to deceive.

TESTING TONGUES
No spiritual speaking gift today enjoys more popularity than tongues and none harbors such inherent possibilities of deception. In keeping with Biblical directives (I Thessalonians 4, I Corinthians 12, and I John 4) It is proper to conduct a prayer session to test a tongues spirit. I believe that such testing is best done in a private setting, with a chairman and a small group of intercessors, and only with the full consent and intelligent cooperation of the tongues speaker.

After a period of intercession it is well -- but not essential -- for the counselee to speak in the tongue. Thereupon the chairman addresses his questions not to the person but to the spirit inspiring the tongue. If the chairman and the counselee normally speak English, the tongues spirit should be commanded to give all answers in English.

The chairman should be alert for deceptive answers. Judgment depends not upon the sound of the tongue nor on subjective feelings but upon answers given to the questions in God's Word (cp. Psalm 105:19).

The Holy Spirit promptly, freely and consistently confesses Christ. A demonic spirit will give one or several answers that betray his real identity, or he will stubbornly evade the question, in itself a refusal to confess (I John 4:3). A demon may give a number of favorable answers, for he hopes to preserve his deceptive hold on the victim, but persistence and faith will soon unveil his actual identity, name and purpose.

If a tongues gift is being supplied by one or more demons, Scripture gives full authority to cast them out (Mark 16:17). The victim first should verbally renounce ground given to Satan through practicing a false tongue and should declare his rejection of spirits inspiring a satanic gift. The leader should order the demons to depart to the abyss (cp. Luke 8:29, 31; Revelation 9:1-3) and should retest to make certain they have actually departed. In all of this God can grant "the power to discriminate between the true Spirit and false spirits" (I Corinthians 12:10, Williams).......