1 John 2:18–19 (NLT) — 18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

1. Remain

• 1 John 2:24–27 (NLT) — 24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. 26 I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
• Remain faithful to what you have been taught.
• Remain faithful to the Spirit.
• Remain faithful to the fellowship of Christ.

2. Discern

• 1 John 4:1–8 (NLT) — 1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
• Test the SOURCE
  • Do they have good fruit?
  • Are they accountable?
  • Are they just trying to draw a following? 
• Test the SUBSTANCE
  • Is it based on SCRIPTURE?
  • Is it SIMPLE?
  • Does it have SUBSTANCE?
  • Is it STABLE?
• Test the SPIRIT
  • What spirit does it produce?
  • Does it produce love for the whole body — or division and superiority?
  • Does it produce confidence in God — or fear, anxiety, and hopelessness?
    • The true gospel produces love, joy, and peace — even when it's hard.
    • Romans 14:17 — "The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"