BE CAREFUL WHO YOU FOLLOW AFTER SPIRITUALLY

In January 1964. Several of us had gone to a restaurant. We were sitting at the table getting ready to order, when the Spirit of the Lord came upon me. I said to one of our board members who was there, "I've got to pray, and I've got to pray now."

We got up and left and went to my hotel room and began praying. And then the word of wisdom began to operate through prophecy. I prophesied for two hours. I've never had an anointing quite like that. It seemed like there were two of me, as
I sat there listening to myself prophesy.

In all these years of ministry, an experience like this one has only happened twice. You see, these things occur as the Spirit wills. In that prophecy in the hotel room, the Lord took us through six years and told us about things to come. He told us what would happen in Vietnam and some things that would happen in our government.

In this prophecy, the Lord also said, "At the end of '65, he who now stands in the forefront of the healing ministry as a prophet will be taken out of the way. He'll make a false step and Satan shall destroy his life, but his spirit will be saved, and his works will follow him. Ere '66 shall come, he shall be gone."

I took that prophecy to Brother Lindsay, because it's scriptural to have other spiritual men judge prophecy. I never made it public. Prophets make a mistake by publicly broadcasting some of these things. On December 27, 1965, my wife was at the beauty parlor, and she called home to say that this minister, who was the leading prophet at the time, had been in an automobile accident. He was unconscious, and doctors said he would never regain consciousness.

I told her, "There is no use praying. He'll be dead within two or three days." I said that because I remembered what the Lord had said in that prophecy. Then the Lord explained to me, "I HAD TO PERMIT HIM TO BE REMOVED BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE HE WAS CAUSING IN THE BODY OF CHRIST."

Two days later, Brother Lindsay called me and said, "Brother Hagin, the brother you referred to just died’’. I got out that prophecy the Lord gave us eighteen months ago and read it. It's right on.

Brother Lindsay related an experience he'd had with that prophet. Brother Lindsay said, "I told him, 'You're not a teacher, so don't try to teach.'" He was a preacher and a good one at that, and he had marvelous manifestations of the Holy Spirit in his ministry.

Brother Lindsay said, "I begged him not to teach. I said, 'You don't know the Bible, and you're confusing folks. Leave the Bible teaching to the teachers. Just go ahead and preach and exercise the word of knowledge and gifts of healings as the Spirit wills, and be a blessing to the Body of Christ.'"

This prophet said to Brother Lindsay, "I know I'm not a teacher, but I want to teach. And I'm going to teach!" It's dangerous to intrude into a ministry office to which you are not called. In the Old Testament, if people intruded into a holy place that was reserved for those who held certain offices, they instantly fell dead. Under grace, people in disobedience can last for a while. But sooner or later, those who intrude into ministry offices to which they are not called will be judged.

Many times folks see someone minister in the prophet's office, and they say, "I prophesy, so I can stand in the office of the prophet too." But they can't. If they'll keep the gift of prophecy in the realm where it should be — simple prophecy unto edification, exhortation, and comfort — they will be fine. If not, they will get into trouble.

It is dangerous to intrude into another man's office. And, really, the Body of Christ has not had the respect and reverence for ministries, gifts, and manifestations of the Spirit we ought to have. We treat the things of God too lightly.

Then Brother Lindsay related something else to me that had happened regarding this same prophet. He said to me, "This past year, I was praying with my wife and Sister Schrader about the work of the ministry. (Sister Schrader was a prophetess who has since gone on to be with the Lord.)

"We were praying about different projects in our ministry. Right in the middle of the prayer, Sister Schrader blurted out, 'Go warn Brother _________________ (and called this minister's name)! He's going to die.'" Brother Lindsay said, "I was busy, and I let that get by me, and I didn't go warn him like I was supposed to. Then later, my wife and I and Sister Schrader were again praying about ministry projects. Again Sister Schrader blurted out right in the middle of prayer, 'Go warn Brother _________ (and called this minister's name). He's going to die. He's walking in the way of Dowie.'" Here's something about the office of the prophet I want to get across to you. Sometimes when a prophet speaks by the unction of the Spirit, it can seem illogical. It may seem to interrupt what is going on because it comes spontaneously from the Holy Spirit.

In other words, when Sister Schrader blurted this out about this prophet, it had no relation to what they were praying about at all. It didn't seem to fit with what was going on, but the Holy Spirit had something He wanted to get over to them.

Brother Lindsay said, "I called around to see if I could locate this minister, and I finally found where he was holding a meeting. I called him and talked to him personally. I told him, 'I have something important to talk to you about. I want to fly out and talk to you in person. Will you be there?'"

The minister assured Brother Lindsay, saying, "Yes, I'll be here three days." Brother Lindsay told me, "I flew out there, and when I got there, he was gone. Some fellows had come along and wanted him to go hunting with them back up in the mountains. So he went with them and wouldn't be back for three days. I couldn't sit there and wait on him for three days, so I had to leave."

Brother Lindsay said, "Later that same year, my wife and I and Sister Schrader were praying again, and Sister Schrader suddenly blurted out about the same prophet, 'Go warn Brother ____________(and called this minister's name)! He's walking in the way of Dowie. He's going to die. Go now!'

"So I checked around and found out where he was holding a meeting and found out that he would be there several days. I flew to the nearest city, rented a car, and drove to the town where he was preaching. "After his morning meeting," Brother Lindsay said, "I talked to him as the Lord had instructed me, but I saw that he wouldn't listen. I said to myself, Well, he'll just have to die then.

And not too long after that, he did die." That's unfortunate, and it's not God's best. But it happens sometimes when people in the ministry won't judge themselves, and they aren't teachable. When God told me to go talk to that minister I mentioned, and tell him he was going to die unless he judged himself — he could have changed it if he had judged himself. He didn't have to die, if only he had judged the sin in his life. Sometimes things can be changed; sometimes they can't. God knows.

Here's another thing. There is a principle involved here. Be careful who you follow after spiritually. What did that prophecy mean, "HE'S WALKING IN THE WAY OF DOWIE"? Sister Schrader didn't even know what that meant; she didn't know Dowie. This prophet (DOWIE) had proclaimed that he was Elijah that was to come, and that he was the messenger of the covenant. But Jesus is the Messenger of the Covenant! Dowie had proclaimed the same thing. I read one of Dowie's sermons in which he proclaimed, "I'm Elijah number three." This prophet who died also said he was Elijah. That's what the Lord meant by, "HE'S WALKING IN THE WAY OF DOWIE."

Be careful who you read after. Be careful who you follow after spiritually. Make sure you are following ministers of the gospel only as they follow Christ. Be sure they are rooted and grounded in the Word of God. I could give you other examples of those who went into the same doctrinal error as the one they studied extensively after.

They took upon themselves the same type of ministry, or the same spirit, so to speak, as that other person. That can be good or bad depending on which spirit the minister yielded to — the Holy Spirit or evil spirits. Some way or another, whoever you follow after spiritually, or study after extensively, the "anointing" on that person will become a part of you. Whatever spirit is involved with them, will get involved with you. If you feed on their teaching extensively and they are in doctrinal error, you can get taken up with the same spirit and the same error. IF A PERSON IS IN DOCTRINAL ERROR, HE IS BEING MOTIVATED BY OTHER SPIRITS THAN THE HOLY SPIRIT. Just follow God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, and be rooted and grounded in the Word for yourself. You can read after others, of course. But don't get taken up with the same spirit they have if they are not walking scripturally in the light of God's Word. (Kenneth Hagin)