The Holy Spirit Told Me...

There are approximately 41,000* non-Catholic Christian sects in the world today with more new ones appearing every week. All use the same Bible, yet each interprets it differently, and consequently they end up teaching "another Gospel" (Galatians 1:8-9). The sad part is that they all try to justify their existence, and thus their actions of further dividing the Body of Christ by claiming,
"The Holy Spirit Told Me".

*World Christian Encyclopedia, 2010, a Protestant publication.

Common sense and reasoning by intelligent people quickly show that this mentality is not in line with the teaching of Jesus Christ, as He called for "One Fold with One Shepherd" (John 10:16).
These divisions of the Body of Christ are in opposition to the teaching of Holy Scripture, so how could it ever be possible that the Holy Spirit is prompting those who cause them?

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT YOU ALL SAY THE SAME THING; AND THAT THERE BE NO DISSENSIONS AMONG YOU, BUT THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECTLY UNITED IN ONE MIND AND IN ONE JUDGMENT."
1Corinthians 1:10. See also 1Corinthians 11:17-22

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."
Matthew 12:25

"Anyone who advances and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, HAS NOT GOD; he who abides in the doctrine, he has both the Father and the Son."
2John 1:9

"For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"
1Peter 4:17

The Bible is very clear that those who cause these divisions are not from GOD, so therefore, the Holy Spirit could not possibly be prompting them.

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of GOD; because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. By this is the spirit of GOD known: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh , is of GOD. AND EVERY SPIRIT THAT SEVERS JESUS, IS NOT OF GOD, BUT IS OF ANTICHRIST, of whom you have heard that He is coming, and now is already in the world."
1John 4:1-3

Satan will give you 99 truths if he can get you to swallow one lie.

"And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate to dwell with you forever, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHOM THE WORLD CANNOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE IT NEITHER SEES HIM NOR KNOWS HIM. BUT YOU SHALL KNOW HIM, BECAUSE HE WILL DWELL WITH YOU AND BE IN YOU."
John 14:16-17

"Many things yet I have to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, has come, HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THE TRUTH. For He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He will hear He will speak, and THE THINGS THAT ARE TO COME HE WILL DECLARE TO YOU."
John 16:12-13

What message do these verses convey? First we must conform to one of the basic rules of Bible interpretation. We must examine the context.
*To whom did Jesus speak in these verses?
This dialogue was during the Last Supper and the only ones present with Him were the Apostles. He told them that the Holy Spirit will dwell within the Church which He will found. He was not speaking to the masses here.
*That ALL is NOT in the Bible since there will be future declarations.
*That since truth is ONE, and is the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6), that the Spirit certainly cannot declare a differing truth to each of 40,000 divisions of the Body of Christ.

So how do we answer each of those 40,000 divisions when they make the claim that "The Holy Spirit told them"?

For those who claim that "The Holy Spirit told them", I must ask, "Are there 40,000 Holy Spirits telling each division a different truth, or is there only one Spirit which speaks truth to the only Church which Jesus Christ founded and speaks lies to the rest?" Which option would answer the question? It is obvious that neither does, for Holy Scripture gives us the answer.

"We are of GOD. He who knows GOD listens to us; he who is not of GOD does not listen to us. BY THIS WE KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR."
1John 4:6

There are three spirits, of which any one of them could be prompting a person.
1. There is first the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and His prompting is from GOD.
2. Then there is the human spirit which manufactures the prompts through the imagination and other human traits.
3. Finally, there is the evil spirit and its prompting is straight from Satan.

The Spirit of truth is in the Church of truth, the Church which Jesus Christ founded.
"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH."
1Timothy 3:15

How do we determine which Spirit is prompting each of us? Holy Scripture gives us the answer.

"And we are witnesses to these things, and SO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN TO ALL WHO OBEY HIM."
Acts 5:32
All who obey Him are prompted by the Holy Spirit. The disobedient are prompted by one of the other spirits.
"Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your souls: that they may do this with joy and not with grief. For this is not expedient for you."
Hebrews 13:17
This is a command from GOD.
Was Martin Luther and the other reformers obedient to their superiors?
Did they obey GOD's command in this verse? No? Then which of the other two spirits was guiding them?

We obey GOD by keeping His Commandments and His Word whether by word or by letter. In the first Commandment, GOD tells us that He must be first in our lives.
What is most important in our lives is the god of our lives. Do we put GOD first, or do we put money, or power, or worldly things, or the flesh first? If GOD is first in your lives, it is a good sign that the Holy Spirit is prompting you.