FAKE LIGHTS

 

FAKE LIGHTS

II Cor. 11:13-14 These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. NLT

Stay alert. There are many false teachers and leaders in the Church today. There are those who claim to be who they are not, proclaimers of the truth of God. They may appear to be trustworthy, but they are not. They may be good speakers and have a lot of charisma, but they are not children of God. They may be able to gather a huge following, but they are not speaking for God. It's not hard for Satan to use people who are his to infiltrate the Church and lead many astray.

How can we know who are fakes from the real children of God? We need to examine carefully what they proclaim in light of the Word of God. We must think for ourselves and ask ourselves if what we hear actually makes sense in light of what the Scriptures teach. Do the teachings hold water with what the Church has understood and taught for centuries? Are the teachings backed up by the whole of Scripture? Is what is being taught even in the Bible? Is the Bible being quoted reliable? Is the application reasonable and useful for living? Is the teaching self-serving or Christ honoring?

What about the personal life of the teacher? It is hard to know much about the life that many church leaders live today. It's easy to hide behind the mass media without exposing one's personal life. Yet, it is important to know if a person's living backs up his teachings. Does the person use the Word or his position in the church for personal gain? Does the person get involved in local ministry to help those who need it? What kind of reputation does he have amongst those who know him? These are some questions that I believe should be asked of those whom we follow whenever possible.

The Word of God changes lives. Nobody has the power to change lives. Nothing anyone says changes lives, God's Word alone does. Whenever the messenger becomes more prominent than the Word, beware. Satan is not above disguising himself as an angel of light and he often does. Not everyone who purports to speak for God does. You can be assured that if more attention is paid to the messenger than the message, it’s not from God.

Satan loves it when Christ takes a backseat to the messenger or the message. He is not above using anyone to distract us from Christ. He often disguises himself as a messenger of God to undermine Christ in the world. Be discerning and let the Holy Spirit be your guide and revealer of truth.

He who stays prayed up when discerning truth from error will know the truth and it will set him free.