What does Tribe teach about false prophets?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on false prophets starts with Deuteronomy 13, which Brian has walked the congregation through more than once. The passage sets up a striking scenario: a prophet whose predicted signs actually come to pass. Brian slowed the room down there before reading the rest of the text, which reveals that God himself may allow a genuine sign to occur through a false voice specifically to test whether his people love him more than they love the miracle. The takeaway is not suspicion of everything prophetic but a call to do the hard work of discernment, knowing the word, staying in relationship with God, and checking the fruit of anyone asking for your trust.
Brian connected Deuteronomy 13 to Jesus's warning in Matthew 24 that false prophets would multiply in the generation of his return, and he made a point the congregation has returned to across multiple messages: you cannot have a counterfeit without a genuine article. The presence of false prophets is not a reason to distrust the prophetic gift but a signal that the real thing is also increasing in that same generation. When a congregation member raised 1 John 4 and its instruction to test the spirits, Brian said that fit exactly with what Deuteronomy 13 was already teaching. The practical test the text offers is straightforward: any spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh is from God.
The broader frame Brian kept returning to is that discernment is not optional equipment for mature Christians. It is a basic need for anyone who will face hard seasons, which means everyone. The Pharisees in Luke 6 had built a religious structure on level ground, defending their flesh under cover of scripture, and it did not hold when the floods came. Walking closely enough with God to recognize his voice, and to notice when a voice is pulling away from love for him, is the assignment the church has always had.
Taught from Deuteronomy 13:1-5 · Matthew 24:11-13 · 1 John 4:1-3 · 2 Timothy 4:3-4 · Luke 6:47-49
“You can't trust your flesh.”
From Why It's Important to Walk in the Spirit
The passage taught · 1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- May 20, 2024 Why It's Important to Walk in the Spirit Brian Hunter walks through why walking in the Spirit matters more than religious effort, using Scripture, honest conversation, and a mountain bike analogy to make the case.
- May 19, 2024 Why is it Important to Walk in the Spirit? Brian Hunter walks through why walking in the spirit matters more than religious effort, using Scripture, cycling analogies, and honest conversation with his congregation.
- December 11, 2023 The Power of Persistence in Prayer Brian Hunter walks through Isaiah 62 and Luke 11 and 18 on persistent prayer, holding God to his word, and praying with shameless audacity until he answers.
Mentioned along the way
- May 10, 2026 "Here I Am" A preteen boy, a sleeping prophet, and a God who kept calling. This Mother's Day sermon from 1 Samuel 3 explores what it means to say "Here I am, Lord, your servant is listening."
- July 29, 2024 The Return of Jesus Brian Hunter walks through Matthew 24, mapping Jesus's own words about birth pains, tribulation, and his return, and why understanding these things builds confidence rather than fear.