By Clint Cook

Over the last few weeks, I have reflected on the value of attending conferences.  As I’ve stated before, this idea is not a new one in the church.  We find examples in the Word of God where Jesus himself would withdraw from the pressures of ministry and take those he ministered with away for intense discipleship training.

Last week, General Baptist ministers gathered at the 2014 Minister’s Conference on Kentucky Lake.  I was allowed the opportunity to speak on the last evening.  As I prepared for this final session, where both new and experienced ministers were in attendance, I was led to speak on a puzzling passage of scripture in the Old Testament, found in 1 Kings 13.  In this passage, God commissioned a young prophet from the southern nation of Israel to go to the northern tribes and pronounce a sobering prophecy to King Jereboam.  God told him he was to speak the message and then go directly home, without eating or drinking anything.  The young prophet obeyed God’s directions and did exactly as he was instructed-until he was on his way home.  Meanwhile, an older prophet heard of the young prophet’s mission and met up with him as he journeyed home.  When these strangers met, for some reason unknown to us through the scriptures, the older prophet decided to lie to the young man.  He told him that an angel had instructed him to bring the young prophet to his home and share a meal.  The young prophet trusted the old prophet and agreed.  While the men were eating, God spoke to the older prophet and told him to declare that the young prophet would lose his life because he had failed to fully obey God.  As the young prophet proceeded home, a lion attacked him and he was killed.  The older prophet mourned the death of the young man and was so affected that he requested that upon his death, his sons bury him with this younger prophet.

I agree.  This IS a very bizarre passage.  Don’t you wonder why the young man would so quickly turn aside from doing exactly what God had told him?  And why the old prophet would lie and deceive the young man?

I believe this story is here for us to learn two very important lessons.  First, we must ignore distractions and follow through with doing exactly what the Lords tells us.  Second, we must not blindly trust the advice of others, even ministers, just because they are older.

After such a sobering story, how can young prophets/ministers keep from being deceived by older ministers or saints in the faith?  The simple answer is that they must get to know them.  In the above story, neither of these men knew one another.  If they had known one another, known each other’s hearts, known each other’s motivations and goals, there may have been a different ending.

This is yet another reason why conferences, like the General Baptist Minister’s Conference, are so valuable.  Older, more mature Christians must get to know younger ones.  Young preachers need to hear mature ministers share their hearts, struggles, and goals, all of which remove the stranger barrier and help prevent deception from happening.  When you listen, interact, and share with others, you are more equipped to discern whether another believer is truly looking out for your best interest and offering sound advice.

You might say that if the young prophet had remained focused and done only what he was directed to do, this may not have happened.  Or, if they old prophet had not lied this may not have happened.  Both of those are true, but I also believe that if both of these men had known each other, their story would have turned out differently.  I am so thankful for the fellow ministers and believers who want to sharpen their discernment by building relationships with one another.

General Baptist Ministries offers several conferences throughout the year.  The upcoming Mission and Ministry Summit will take place July 21-23 in Springfield, Illinois and you do NOT want to miss it!  To register, head over to generalbaptist.com or call 573-785-7746.