Paul instructs: 'Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.' Prophecy requires testing. Authority requires accountability.
I grew up in a charismatic church where the pastor was treated as infallible. His prophecies were never questioned. His leadership was unaccountable. It created space for abuse. Paul is saying: no. Even prophets must be tested. Even those claiming to speak for God must be evaluated.
Now I sit on an elder board where we're learning this practice. We listen to proposals carefully. We ask hard questions. We don't assume anyone has special status or insight that exempts them from accountability. That protection of prophets isn't actually honoring the Spirit. It's dishonoring the community. The Spirit is wise enough to handle questioning.
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