Should churches today try to be like the early Church in the 1st century? Listen to this lesson to learn that the early Church lacked information before the canon of Scripture was completed.and had to rely on the temporary spiritual gift of prophecy. Get an accurate explanation of prophecy in both the Old Testament and New Testament. See what tests were necessary to verify that someone was a prophet and how to tell false prophets. Take to heart the importance of interpreting our personal experiences, no matter how dramatic, in the light of the Word of God. Learn to never interpret the Scripture on the basis of these experiences.
Note: Following this Bible class, Dr. Dean sent out this supplemental information: Should we interpret our experiences by the Word of God? Or interpret the Word of God by our experiences? In our experience-based world, this question apparently confuses even many Christians. A case in point are so-called near death experiences, like those described in various books where people allege that in a state of anesthesia or near death they were transported to heaven and relate their experiences. One of the most popular of these books is "Heaven is For Real." For a helpful, biblical analysis of these types of claims I recommend an
article from The Berean Call.
