“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible even the elect” (Mark 13:22).
Have you ever given thought to what Jesus was saying there? Is this happening today? All you need do is take a look at the church today. What are we seeing within the church? Preachers promise God’s blessings if you give them money, but God can’t be bought. God wants us to support the church. Yes, He will bless you if you support the church. But He likes a cheerful giver—not what some preacher says that we are to give.
Some of these men even say that they can forgive you of your sins. This is impossible. NO man can forgive you of your sins. NO man has ever died on a cross in order to forgive us of our sins. Only Jesus Christ—who did that through His shed blood—can forgive our sins. Don’t fall for this lie.
Pay close attention to what is being preached from the pulpit, on TV, and on the radio. Who is it glorifying? Is it trying to place man above Jesus? If so, then it is not from GOD. These false teachings will send a lot of people to Hell. Discern what is being taught. If it doesn’t line up with Scripture, then reject it. Not all who claim to be a Christian are Christians. The devil comes as a light, but is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This not only applies to preachers but to Sunday school teachers, Christian authors, TV preachers, missionaries—the church is full of these false teachers. If you suspect any of these people as being false, then run as fast as you can out of that setting.
Does your church look and sound like a night club? If so, ask why it is this way. Does it lack symbols of the church? Are there hymn books? Why is the preacher not dressed as a preacher, one who should be dressed in a suit and tie? Satan knows Scripture better than a lot of us. He will pervert Scripture and twist it to his liking in order to deceive us. That is why it is so important for us to be able to discern what is being taught.
Jesus wants us to hear the Word and be with other Christians. He also wants us to be able to know the truth when we hear GOD’S Word. The Pharisees were full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness, full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Does this sound like any churches today? You may be asking, is this hard on the church? Yes it is, but you need to understand that your soul and your eternal destination are at stake and is nothing to play with.
We need to get down to serious business and present the Word of GOD as it is supposed to be presented—with truth and in a manner that people can understand, not flowered up in order to make us feel good. We need to get away from rituals and entertainment. Preach Jesus and HIS saving grace, having faith in HIM to take care of us. Satan will plant these people within the church in order to undermine the work and teaching of Jesus. How do we know if they are false teachers? When we go to the doctor, he examines us to see what is wrong with us. We need to do the same thing when we examine who is teaching us. Take a look and see if he/she has a sincere prayer life, and are they fully devoted to GOD and HIS Word? Do they have the fruit of the Spirit? How do they treat sinners? Do they preach against sin, hate evil, and uphold righteousness?
Jesus told us numerous times to be aware of people who would mislead. If Jesus was concerned about false teachers, shouldn’t we be? He knew that this would be a problem. We need to obey the Lord and throw these people out of the church. Do these people honor Jesus, lead the church as Jesus would, offer salvation to the lost, and uphold the entire gospel of Christ? Do they believe in the entire Word of GOD? Are they good stewards with GOD’s money? These are just a few examples to see if they are of GOD.
If you are not a Christian, don’t let these false teachers keep you from becoming a Christian. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and begin to live for HIM. Christian, if you are wondering about your salvation, then simply ask Jesus to forgive you as well. In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus told the church of Laodicea, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert, cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” This will happen to the church if we don’t weed these false people out.
Don’t let another day go by without Jesus. You may not get another chance to invite Jesus into your life. No man can forgive you of you sins and no ritual can save you either. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can. Without Jesus none of us will live with GOD in Heaven.