Please don’t blindly accept what your pastor or I say. Check it all out for yourselves like the “noble” or more “fair minded” Bereans who even scrutinized apostle Paul’s sermons with Scripture.

The best thing is that the Bible doesn’t say that they’re “wrong or disrespectful” to the “man of God” by doing so, but rather even commended (e.g. noble) & exhorted (e.g. fair-minded) them for doing it! (would you dare to check apostle Paul’s sermons? – who was used by God to write about 50% of New Testament Scripture); The Good God teaches you to do so! – check this verse below:

“Now the Berean Jews were of more “noble” (fair minded) in character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

Here are the other occurrences for the “exact” same Greek word translated as “test; prove; examine” in 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Remember, it’s not meant as “test” in the English word sense of “try it” (the English word translated as test has this feel to it but not the original Greek – it’s in the sense of try as in examine only!).

Hence this verse does “not” support you to say go “try out prostitutes” or “smoke weed” etc. You just “examine” (by reason/philosophy – weighing the pro&cons in accordance to Scripture as to whether these are “good” acts to “hold on” to or not).

δοκιμάζετε (dokimazete) — 3 Occurrences

2 Corinthians 13:5 V-PMA-2P
GRK: πίστει ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε ἢ οὐκ
NAS: you are in the faith; examine yourselves!
KJV: in the faith; prove your own selves.
INT: faith yourselves test or not

1 Thessalonians 5:21 V-PMA-2P
GRK: πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε τὸ καλὸν
NAS: But examine everything
KJV: Prove all things; hold fast
INT: all things however prove the right

1 John 4:1 V-PMA-2P
GRK: πιστεύετε ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα
NAS: spirit, but test the spirits
KJV: spirit, but try the spirits whether
INT: believe but test the spirits

P/S 2:

The True Christian is required by God to use his “brains” to “think” and not “blindly” accept what anyone says with His Scripture! 😉

Final note:

Only prophecy (not doctrines) based on Scripture is not to be examined (or interpreted) privately as the verse below literally declares too:

“this first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition,” (2 Peter 1:20)

Thus in the end, only God decides (is approved to God) as to who was rightly dividing His Word  of Truth and who did not on Judgment Day! (not the number of followers nor men testify to that):

“be diligent to present thyself approved to God — a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the Word of the Truth;” (2 Timothy 2:15)