The “Fruit Test”
1. The health of their doctrine:
- Does the teaching sound strange?
- Does the teaching focus primarily on Jesus, who he is and what he’s done?
- Does the teaching neglect the need for repentance?
- Do they tell others that the gate to heaven is wider than Jesus and the apostles do?
- Do they tell others that the road to heaven is easer than Jesus and the apostles do?
- Do their teachings contradict clear teachings of the Bible?
- Do their teachings cloud clear teachings of the Bible?
- Do they treat anything as more authoritative than the Bible itself? Or, what kind of foundation are they building on (tradition, themselves, etc.)
- How do they think about, talk about, and use the Bible? How central is it to their teaching?
- Do they teach the “whole counsel of God” or are they extremely selective and imbalanced in their presentation of truth?
- Does the teaching use big themes to override specific verses?
- What or whom are they urging people to put their trust in?
2. The holiness of their life:
- Do they take sin seriously?
- Are they open to correction? How to they respond to correction?
- Do they discipline themselves and make sacrifices for others?
- Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives?
- What seems to be driving them?
- What is their relationship to money and how does it show up into their speech?
- Do you see more and more inconsistencies and compromises over time?
3. Their influence on others:
- What effect is their teaching having on others?
- What effect is their life having on others?
- Has the spiritual climate of those around them changed?
- What effect is their influence having on those around them?
