Deeper Truths and New Revelations
by Rayola Kelley
Q: A person that is close to me has recently got caught up with R____ S______ who supposedly expounds deeper truths. Would you be kind enough to give me any insight you might have on this particular individual?
A: After checking out this man’s Website, it appears as if he is a Manifest Son of God. One of the major earmarks of these individuals is that they claim they have been given some "new revelation" from God that Christians must embrace if they are going to have power or be in the “in group.” However, there is no need for such revelation, because God has given us all the revelation we need in His written Word and through His Son (Hebrews, chapters 1-2). Granted, we can have a greater unveiling of Jesus by the Spirit as the Apostle John did in Revelation 1, but it will not be a new revelation. A good way to test any revelation is whether it is man-centered or Christ-centered. Heretical revelation puts the burden on man to somehow strive, perform, or work towards obtaining greater spiritual awareness, where Christ-centered revelation is simply gaining a greater spiritual awareness of who Jesus is, desires to be, and can be in our lives through the leading or unveiling of the Holy Spirit. Clearly, this counterfeit has put the burden on people to discover greater spiritual awareness. As you can see, it is a subtle transfer of emphasis from Christ to man.
One of the main reasons people get caught up with these so-called “revelations” is because they do not really know their position or place in Christ. Because of Christ's work on the cross, believers are placed in their different positions, with their different gifts and callings by the Holy Spirit according to the plan of the Father. A good example of this is that we each are personally placed in the Body of Christ for the purpose of edification of the whole Body, as well as having been seated positionally in high places in Christ (Ephesians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 12:11-19). We equally share the same place of importance in the Body in relationship to its working. As believers we do not earn these positions, but we do have a responsibility to understand what it means to have a right standing with God when it comes to our responsibilities in our place in the Church.
As believers, we should not be caught up with obtaining greater positions or enlightenment in God's kingdom. Keep in mind that position points to the type of relationship that must be established, and enlightenment points to the type of light we walk in. Relationship points to our type of standing before God. As Christians, this right standing is maintained when we walk in the light or according to the life of Christ in us. This is why the Apostle Paul's desire was to gain Christ in a greater measure in Philippians 3.
We also know a humble servant is considered to be the greatest in the kingdom of God, and if we want more of God, we simply ask Him for more of His Spirit (Matthew 20:25-28; Luke 11:9-13). I discovered a long time ago that whenever man is striving for the things of God, the simplicity of Christ has most likely been complicated by man in some perverted way (2 Corinthians 2-14).
It sounds as if the person close to you is truly seeking for something; therefore, I would suggest to this person that perhaps what he or she really desires is a greater or more fulfilling relationship with God such as Abraham had. A person once stated that my desire to be deemed a faithful servant by Christ was honorable, but the Lord wanted to call me "friend." Abraham was a friend of God because of his faith, not because of striving or possessing some special enlightenment or position. After all, friendship is based on an intimate relationship. Jesus stated in John 15:13-15 that He desires to call us friends, for a servant does not have the type of relationship in which Jesus can truly share the matters of His kingdom.