Exposition Before Experience
American Christianity in 2026 looks vastly different than the Christianity of first-century believers. That is, of course, to be expected when considering such things as centuries of schisms and arguments, the rise of science and technology, modern individualism, etc. Whatever tradition or denomination you may be a part of, one hint remains true throughout history: the Church has, is, and will be challenged to rid itself of false teachers. This is not foreign to the Church of the New Testament.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3, ESV)
Having been in hyper-charismatic circles, I’ve seen how certain experiences can cause one’s trust in an individual to dull their discernment toward dangerous and false teachings. This is unfortunately rather common. Men and women flock to the altar to experience God and are brought to their knees or perhaps the minister laid hands upon them and they fell to the ground. I’m not mocking these things or even expressing my own opinion on these experiences—God can do whatever He sees fit, however He sees fit. However, we should recognize that spiritual experiences are not always God’s stamp of approval on an individual. This can be seen in the words of Christ:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23, ESV)
If you and I had proven evidence that a demon was cast out or that someone accurately prophesied a future event that later proved true, we might be convinced that the individual was indeed a servant of the Most High God. It seems, however, that Jesus saw spiritual experiences not as necessarily pointing to an obedient life. This is an area where we ought to be greatly cautious. It is good to seek God and to believe that you will further encounter Him in various ways throughout the years of your faith, but when experience-seeking triumphs over biblical accountability, we create celebrity hotshots portraying a form of Christianity, but neglecting the truth contained in the Scriptures. We must be an “Exposition Before Experience” Church to ensure that our experiences can be tested by Scripture.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1John 4:1, ESV)
A healthy practice in discerning the fruit of an individual is to take a look at their doctrine. If someone claims to be a prophet but holds to a heretical view of the Trinity, that may be a strong indication that this person ought to be marked and avoided. If a preacher has some new message to share that no believer has ever taught before, our caution lights ought to be shining bright. Whatever you may see in a video or may experience in person, always take it to Scripture. The Bible is inspired by God and is therefore a sufficient standard whereby we may test ministers and preachers.
One brief note before ending this article: Christians shouldn’t shy away from all experiences merely because sinful men may try to use experiences as manipulative tactics. If we walk through life rejecting every possible experience with God, we may find ourselves dry. Emotions are not always bad—we ought to have emotional responses to what God has done for us. True worship should be done joyfully, true repentance should be accompanied by contrition, and true salvation ought to be lived with gratitude. Don’t be afraid to seek a deeper relationship with God and don’t be afraid to become emotional in response to encounters with God. Just make sure that your experiences are in total alignment with the Scriptures, and you will find yourself with healthy experiences that produce good, godly fruit.