PROPER DOCTRINE USED TO MATTER TO THE CHURCH

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 22, 2013 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3)
Once Upon A Time, In A Place Far Away, Proper Doctrine Used To Matter To The Church
The current apostasy just continues to grow; spiritual blindness becomes darker, and mainstream evangelicalism has largely rejected sola Scriptura in favor of its infatuation with Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM). Sadly, this all began with evangelicalism’s spiritual adultery with the sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church, which had CSM as a core doctrine and has contributed mightily to its postmodern form of liberalism that the EC refers to as Emergence Christianity.
And so we’ve now reached the exact same place in the visible church as that once encountered by Charles Haddon Spurgeon in the Baptist Union with the encroaching liberals of his day. However, what seems to be largely forgotten today within the Christian community is the command that the pastor-teacher must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).
Unfortunately, right now far too many evangelical pastors are not willing to refute those who contradict sound doctrine; and have instead, become more like Peter in Mark 8:33 where our Lord ended up having to rebuke him — “you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” In fact the following comment from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, well respected within evangelical circles, will prove enlightening to those who have ears to hear:

Jesus’ words to Peter were not only very severe, they were deliberately spoken in the presence of the other disciples (“Jesus turned and looked at his disciples”). They probably shared Peter’s views and needed the rebuke, too. The severity of the rebuke arises from Jesus’ recognition in Peter’s attempt to dissuade him from going to the Cross the same temptation he had experienced from Satan at the outset of his ministry. Satan offered him the option of using the world’s means of accomplishing his mission (cf. Matt 4:8-10).
On that occasion Jesus rebuked him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matt 4:10). Here, too, Jesus recognized the satanic opposition in Peter. “‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. `You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” Peter was opposing the divine will. He had in mind a popular messiahship. That was the way the world thought; it was not how God had planned Jesus’ ministry and mission.1

So you see, it’s not as if we haven’t had the chance to listen to the Spirit’s subtle warnings not to think like men and then try to preach the Gospel the way they think it should be preached in this biblically foreign mission field of fading postmodern America. For those who have eyes to see, it’s really right there in the text of Scripture, and even evangelical biblical scholars and pastors have said it—though apparently they haven’t realized that God the Holy Spirit is using them to speak. Or is it only with bored indifference and a false humility that we pray: “Lord use me as Your vessel.”
And I do wish you to know that I fully understand there are many who ignore my warnings—as well as those of other online apologetics and discernment ministries—considering us some kind of warped “ODMs.” But, at the same time, I offer that it might not be wise to so easily dismiss what some of us are saying. O, without a doubt, the accepted way of writing today is to do a kind of “plus-minus” assessment of a given subject. Yet I wonder, have we really actually considered this from the Lord’s perspective;  or could it rather be, simply the things of man in secular academia?
Suppose I were to write an article about cancer. Would I really need to elaborate on some of the more “positive” aspects of this terminal disease; like how it so suddenly metastasizes, and just how completely dead it kills a body? As a pastor-teacher the Bible tells me there are times where I have to — charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3), contrary to proper Christian teaching. In addition, I’m also not afraid to speak the truth from God’s perspective because Jesus says — “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30).
The truth is clear; conveniently and comfortably the evangelical community has now assimilated itself into the pragmatic business methods of the world a la Rick Warren on the one hand, and on the other it’s embracing spurious CSM, which has led to quasi-Christian leaders like Rob Bell who are attempting to exploit you with false words from within the mainstream of the visible Christian community. We need to remember that when we’re shown from the Bible that these things are not in line with what God Himself would have us do, and we still choose to walk in them, then we have made a choice to put ourselves in step with Satan himself.
In other words, these variant levels of compromised, aberrant, and/or heretical doctrines ultimately originate from the same rotten root. They derive from Satan and then his deceiving spirits are sent forth to manipulate men until the teachings of demons merge onto the broad way, and all who foolishly follow them will eventually arrive at the same eternal destination of destruction. Laugh if you will, but no matter how much we’d like to try and convince ourselves that God will just sort it all out in the end, the absolute fact remains that Jesus has left us here as His ambassadors (c.f. 2 Corinthians 5:20) to set the record straight.
Our Lord has unambiguously told us — “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you”  (John 20:21). Clearly then,  just as it was also once a part of His job, the Master has now entrusted us to warn people who are in sin—and particularly those claiming to be within the Body of Christ—to leave that practice immediately. Sin means “to miss the mark” of Christ; and when we do miss this mark, it’s God’s Name which is sullied, and it is His church that is mocked. Just take an honest look at all of the garbage this pseudo-Christian EC has already dragged into the mainstream of the visible church today.
As I close this out, for now, 1 Thessalonians 2:4 instructs ministers of the Gospel that—irrespective of prevailing opinions—and regardless of whatever culture into which our Lord sends us that — we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. Well, the time has come to realize that this isn’t a drill; to be a Christian or a pastor-teacher is not a game, and some of the saddest words in the Bible are — Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me (2 Timothy 4:10). And how it must break our Lord’s heart today that there are far more Demas’ in the church right now than there are Pauls.

Further reading

• CONCERNING FREE WILL OR THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL
• GOOD NEWS: KEN SILVA OUT OF THE HOSPITAL
• AL MOHLER AND SBTS EXECUTIVE TEAM VISIT RICK WARREN

Endnotes

1. Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., Expositor’s Bible Commentary: With the New International Version of the Bible[Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976-92), in Zondervan NIV Study Bible Library, limited ed., Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), CD-ROM, emphasis added. ↩

THE JEWS

As has been said the Jews had their origin in the morning time of history when God called Abraham, a Shemite, to be the father of a new nation. Gen 12: 1-3. God appeared to Abraham 10 times. These appearances were called "Theophanies," and were progressive and unconditional in their promises, and the promises were unconditionally confirmed to Abraham's son Isaac (Gen 26: 1-4), and to his grandson Jacob. Gen 28: 10-15. The history of the Jewish race is without a parallel in human history. Though oppressed, downtrodden, carried captive to other lands and scattered through the nations, the Jew has outlived all his conquerors and walks unscathed amid the nations. Any other race would have been swallowed up and its identity and national characteristics lost. The preservation of the Jewish race is the "MIRACLE OF HISTORY." Their "Emblem" is a "BUSH BURNING AND UNCONSUMED. No nation has ever had such manifest and visible tokens of the "Divine Presence." For them the Red Sea was driven back and the Jordan parted. They were miraculously fed in the Wilderness and Divinely sheltered and guided by the "Pillar of Cloud and Fire." At the blowing of "ram's horns" the walls of a besieged city fell (Jos 6: 1-27), and the Sun and Moon stayed in their courses that they might have time to slay their enemies. Jos 10: 12-14. The "Angel of the Lord" encamped about them, and one angel slew 185,000 of the army of Assyria for their deliverance. 2Ki 19: 35. No nation has given to the world such a number of great men. Such a man of faith as Abraham; such a great leader and lawgiver as Moses; such statesmen as Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon; such a king as David, and wise man as Solomon. No nation has produced such "seers" as the Hebrew Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, and no such man as that man above all men, the "MAN OF GALILEE."



Larkin, Clarence (2012-06-18). Rightly Dividing The Word [Illustrated] (Kindle Locations 311-317). PreservedWords. Kindle Edition.

THE SATANIC TRINITY

In the "Dragon," the "Beast," and the "False Prophet," we have the "SATANIC TRINITY," Satan's imitation of the "Divine Trinity." In the unseen and invisible "Dragon" we have the FATHER (the ANTIGOD). In the "Beast" we have the "SON OF PERDITION" (the ANTI-CHRIST), begotten of the Dragon, who appears on the earth, dies, and is resurrected, and to whom is given a throne by his Father the Dragon. In the "False Prophet" we have the "ANTI-SPIRIT," who proceeds from the "Dragon Father" and "Dragon Son," and whose speech is like the Dragon's. The "Dragon" then will be the "ANTI-GOD," the "Beast" the "ANTICHRIST," and the "False Prophet" the "ANTISPIRIT," and the fact that all three are cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev 20: 10) is proof that they together form a "Triumvirate" which we may well call— "THE SATANIC TRINITY.

Larkin, Clarence (2012-06-18). Rightly Dividing The Word [Illustrated] (Kindle Locations 1128-1130). PreservedWords. Kindle Edition.

GOD’S GOSPEL WAS FOR CHRIST TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR SINNERS

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 15, 2013 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:13-23)
 God’s Word In The Bible Makes The Gospel Quite Clear 
Let’s do something which is largely unheard in today’s highly subjective postmodern/postevangelical world; we’ll turn to the inerrant and infallible record of Holy Scripture as we examine the critical issue of the vicarious penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.
In our text from the Gospel of Matthew, which remember, is his eyewitness deposition we read in verse 21:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  (Matthew 16:21)

If we approach this verse without postmodern presupposition it’s pretty obvious that the Master is prophesying the sacrifice of His life. The following from J.C. Ryle proves helpful here:

We find our Lord revealing to His disciples a great and startling truth. That truth was His approaching death upon the cross. For the first time He places before their minds the astonishing announcement, that “He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer—and be killed.”
He had not come on earth to take a kingdom, but to die. He had not come to reign, and be ministered to, but to shed His blood as a sacrifice and to give His life as a ransom for many.1

However, we still see that the ever ebullient and impetuous disciple:

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Matthew 16:22)

But how could God not allow what He Himself had decreed some 700+ years before:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:4-10)

Yet even within the evangelical community itself we have people denying outright  Christ’s penal substitutionary atonement. This part of liberal theology would slither into the mainstream of Christendom when it made the ill-fated decision to embrace e.g. the likes of  Living Spiritual Teacher and Emerging Church guru Brian McLaren.
For the sake of this discussion I’ll simply point you to McLaren’s ringing endorsement of The Lost Message Of Jesus (TLMoJ) by Steve Chalke with Alan Mann. Leaving aside the cult-like idea of some “lost message,” you need to remember that we were told this seminal book is supposedly really good stuff by none other than “The Rt Revd N.T. Wright.”
Wright says of TLMoJ that:

“Steve Chalke’s new book is rooted in good scholarship,… Its message is stark and exciting.”2

So here following is what McLaren himself says concerning this “good scholarship,” which is so “exciting” to N.T. Wright:

Steve Chalke’s new book could help save Jesus from Christianity. That’s a strange way of putting it, I know. Not that the real Jesus needs saving. But when one contrasts the vital portrait of Jesus painted by Steve with the tense caricature drawn so often by modern Christianity, one can’t help but feeling the “Jesus” of modern Christianity is in trouble. The Jesus introduced by Steve in these pages sounds like someone who can truly save us from our trouble.
Brian McLaren, author of The Church on the Other Side  ((Ibid. 1, emphasis mine.))

Note that 1) EC leader Brian McLaren actually does admit this is another Jesus, and 2) he says that Chalke paints “the vital portrait of Jesus”. High praise indeed; and not only that, but McLaren also tells us that Steve Chalke, “could help save Jesus from Christianity.” Has helped introduce the liberal Jesus into the very heart of Christianity is more like it.
Well, to refresh your memory, below is what Chalke writes concerning God’s Gospel of Christ’s sacrifice of Himself for sinners in TLMoJ:

The fact is that the cross isn’t a form of cosmic child abuse — a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith. Deeper than that, however, is that such a construct stands in total contradiction to the statement “God is love.”

If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus’ own teaching to love your enemies and refuse to repay evil with evil. The truth is the cross is a symbol of love. It is a demonstration of just how far God as Father and Jesus as his Son are prepared to go to prove that love. The cross is a vivid statement of the powerlessness of love.3

However, returning to the passage of Isaiah 53, which I cited above, the great Hebrew scholar Dr. Edward Young brings out the truth in his classic three volume commentary on Isaiah:

Despite the innocence of the servant, the Lord took pleasure in bruising him. His death was not in the hands of wicked men but in the Lord’s hands. This does not absolve from responsibility those who put him to death, but they were not in control of the situation. They were doing only what the Lord permitted them to do.

Emphasis falls upon the Lord, for inasmuch as the end to be attained, peace, is founded upon the divine nature, the means by which it was to be attained must also be in accordance with the divine character and of divine appointment. The pleasure of the Lord had in view the accomplishing of the divine will. Hence, all attempts of sinful man to produce a Utopia upon this earth are not only wicked, they are foolish.4

Satan Speaks In Order To Try And Thwart The Will And Plan Of God
How sad that Brian McLaren et al weren’t paying attention to a real scholar of the Bible. The truth is, by denying Christ’s substitutionary atonement, men like McLaren are actually speaking for Satan. For you see, this is exactly what Peter himself was doing in our text when he rebuked His Creator by telling Him that He was not to go through with this vicarious sacrifice on the Cross — “Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
And now look at who Jesus tells us was actually speaking in this denial of the penal substitutionary atonement:

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23)

As Dr. John MacArthur has written, “Christ came with the express purpose of dying as an atonement for sin (John 12:27). And those who thwart His mission are doing Satan’s work.”5 Then during his own insightful commentary on Matthew Robert Mounce hits the target dead on when he says, “those who oppose the will and plan of God are emissaries of Satan.”6
The truth remains that the Holy Spirit has told us with crystalline clarity that the “mission,” as well as “the will and plan of God,” for Jesus was for Him to give His life on the Cross as a sacrifice for sinners. The fact is, as they attack and deny Christ’s mission of the substitutionary atonement on the Cross, duplicitous deceivers like Steve Chalke and Brian McLaren are attempting to thwart our Lord’s work and opposing the will and plan of God.
Therefore, while doing the devil’s work as his emissaries they are absolutely not laboring for God at all. Rather, such as these are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing who truly do speak for Satan himself. So don’t let yourself be taken in by them. The vicarious penal substitutionary atonement is not merely some minor area of Christian theology in which we are free to disagree.
It’s a matter of the gravest importance.

Further reading

• APPRISING MINISTRIES HEALTH UPDATE
• AL MOHLER AND SBTS EXECUTIVE TEAM VISIT RICK WARREN
• THE GOSPEL: GOD-CENTERED VS. MAN-CENTERED

Endnotes

1. J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007], 198. ↩
2. Steve Chalke, Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004,], 1. ↩
3. Ibid., 182, 183. ↩
4. Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965], Vol. 3, 353, 354, emphasis his. ↩
5. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005], 1155 ↩
6. F.F. Bruce, New International Biblical Commentary [Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 1979], 164 ↩

THE GOSPEL: GOD-CENTERED VS. MAN-CENTERED

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 7, 2013 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features

Sola fide and sola gratia, as used in the Protestant Reformation, form the basis of a God-centered Gospel; meaning that while the sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins, God Himself sovereignly regenerates those whom He will.
By His gift of grace God gives them the faith to believe in Christ, and they repent of their sins. This is actually diametrically opposed to any of the seeker-friendly quasi-evangelical movements e.g. the Purpose Driven/Seeker Driven Druckerite religion e.g. as taught by Rick Warren.
A man-centered gospel is the belief that the determining factor in whether or not a man is eternally saved, in the end, relies—at some level—upon an act of his own will i.e. human decision. This is often called synergism because it is thought to be a cooperative effort between God and man.
While a God-centered Gospel means that man has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with causing his salvation by “choosing God,” “deciding to follow Christ,” “asking Jesus into your heart,” and/or any other like phrases so common today.
The sad fact is that the contemporary mainstream evangelical community largely believes in synergism (man cooperates with God), while in stark opposition to the synergism of apostate Roman Catholicism, the Reformers like Martin Luther (well before John Calvin) taught monergism i.e soli Deo gloria.
Yet to a great extent today the Emerging Church movement overall, and voices within this Emergent rebellion against sola Scriptura e.g. like former EC rock star “pastor” Rob Bell, also strongly believes (at best) in synergism.

Further reading

• SOCIAL JUSTICE JESUS: GREAT COMMISSION OF COEXISTENCE
• DO WE NEED TO BE PERFECT THEN?
• GOOD NEWS: KEN SILVA OUT OF THE HOSPITAL

RAVENOUS WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 5, 2013 in Current Issues, Features

By Christian Research Network correspondent Mike Ratilff of Possessing the Treasure
This is a repost of an original article on Possessing the Treasure

15 Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασιν προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσιν λύκοι ἅρπαγες. (Matthew 7:15 NA28)
¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but within are ravenous wolves.”  (Matthew 7:15 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

With the ever increasing move away from Orthodox Christianity into various forms of experiential religion that we are witnesses of here and now, it seems that the bottom is falling out of Christianity, at least in the USA. It’s bad enough that we have all of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” drawing the unaware into false religions while pretending to be Christian, but there are seemingly endless numbers of our “Christian” leaders falling all over themselves embracing these heretics. For example, it was not that long ago that someone like Robert Schuller was known for the heretic he is. When John MacArthur spoke about Mr. Schuller’s heresies none of our “Christian” leaders objected. Now, we see some of them shaking hands and buddying up with Mr. Schuller as if they have been best friends forever. No one seems to mind either. It’s not that we have heretics among us, we always have them, but there are now many of our leaders either falling in bed with these people or revealing their fleshly side in some of the grossest sins imaginable. What is going on?
I do not believe that God has removed the restrainer…yet. However, it seems that there is a clarification going on. There are tests being presented to all professing believers in our time that reveals their genuineness. Those who fail these tests find themselves either in bondage to horrible sin or lining up theologically with complete heretics or completely falling away. Those who pass these tests find themselves cast off and away by the “mainstream” because they took a stand and refused to give in to the temptation as they fell on God’s mercy and grace in order to make those hard choices to not be popular or to fill up their heart’s desire from fleshly pursuits. Instead, they agreed with God and submitted to His will. It is always costly to do this, but Jesus’ disciples have counted the cost and know that possessing the treasure of eternal life in Christ is worth more than anything that can be had in this world.
Those being used by Satan to attack the church, church leaders and the flock are the ravenous wolves Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:15. Let’s look at the context of this passage.

15 Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασιν προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσιν λύκοι ἅρπαγες. 16 ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. μήτι συλλέγουσιν ἀπὸ ἀκανθῶν σταφυλὰς ἢ ἀπὸ τριβόλων σῦκα; 17 οὕτως πᾶν δένδρον ἀγαθὸν καρποὺς καλοὺς ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ σαπρὸν δένδρον καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖ. 18 οὐ δύναται δένδρον ἀγαθὸν καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖν οὐδὲ δένδρον σαπρὸν καρποὺς καλοὺς ποιεῖν. 19 πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται. 20 ἄρα γε ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. 21 Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι· κύριε κύριε, εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. 22 πολλοὶ ἐροῦσίν μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· κύριε κύριε, οὐ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι ἐπροφητεύσαμεν, καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν, καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δυνάμεις πολλὰς ἐποιήσαμεν; 23 καὶ τότε ὁμολογήσω αὐτοῖς ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἔγνων ὑμᾶς· ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν. (Matthew 7:15-23 NA28)
¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but within are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruits you will know them. Are grapes  gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So every good tree produces good fruit, but the rotten tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit nor is a rotten tree able to produce good fruit.  ¹⁹ Every tree not producing good fruit is cut off and is thrown into the fire.  ²⁰ Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” ²¹ “Not all the ones saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in heaven.  ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name, and perform many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from me you who work lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:15-23 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Those who do not fall for the deceptions of these false prophets do so by using their godly discernment to look closely at these people rather than just listening to them. How do they really live? What happens to those who follow them? Does what they say and do match up with how Jesus’ disciples are supposed to speak and act? They look at their fruit. When they see the bad fruit they not only don’t follow them, but they also warn others. Also, never forget, these ravenous wolves will be seen by most people as “right on” Christian leaders who call Jesus Lord. They even appear to do “good works” that make them very popular. I submit that Christian leaders such as Rick Warren fit this description very well. He is now a political activist who is so popular with the media and most people that he seems to have taken on a messianic aura. However, we must obey our Lord and look at the fruit. What fruit do we look at?

24 Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν· 25 καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχὴ καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ προσέπεσαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ἔπεσεν, τεθεμελίωτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν. 26 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ μὴ ποιῶν αὐτοὺς ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ μωρῷ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον· 27 καὶ κατέβη ἡ βροχὴ καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἔπνευσαν οἱ ἄνεμοι καὶ προσέκοψαν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἔπεσεν καὶ ἦν ἡ πτῶσις αὐτῆς μεγάλη. (Matthew 7:24-27 NA28)
²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears my words and does them will be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. ²⁵ And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock. ²⁶ And everyone hearing these my words and does not do them will be compared to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and the fall of it was great.”  (Matthew 7:24-27 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

The test is very simple. We must compare what they do and say with what an obedient servant of the Lord is supposed to do and say. If they are found saying and doing what Jesus would say and do then they pass the test. However, if they say the right things, but they do things contrary to Jesus’ teachings then they fail. If they preach heresy they fail. If they are caught in gross sin they fail. If they are unrepentant about what they do and say when confronted with the truth, they fail. Those who fail have built their “house” on the sand. Those who take the costly route and in obedience to Christ have built their house on the rock and even if they are persecuted, ostracized, or ridiculed by the majority, it does not matter because God is being glorified in their suffering and the second death has no power over them. As for those who fail, Jesus will tell them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Soli Deo Gloria!