False Gospels: Are You Following One?–Part 1

“For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah….” [Zec 10:2–3 ESV]

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” [Mat 7:15–20 ESV]

“And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. … And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” [Mat 24:4, 11 ESV]

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” [Mat 24:24 ESV]

“When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. … But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?” [Act 13:6, 8–10 ESV]

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. … For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” [2Co 11:3–4, 13–15 ESV]

“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.” [2Pe 2:1–3 ESV]

tone-deaf: ‘tōn-def adjective 1:  relatively insensitive to differences in musical pitch. 2: having or showing an obtuse insensitivity or lack of perception particularly in matters of public sentiment, opinion, or taste.

Merriam-Webster

If anyone is somewhat familiar with music and has ever played an instrument, you most likely know how to tune it. There are the old-fashioned “A” tuning forks that hum the perfectly pitched note when lightly tapped. Now, new-fangled digital devices help detect an out-of-tune note and perfect it. Most of these have some sort of readout that appears as a needle wavering too much to the left, or flat side, or too much to the right, or sharp side as an instrument is tuned, with the goal of getting the needle dead center of the two, making the note “in tune.” This reminds me of an anology that could be made in the spiritual world between two extremes of error that can fall somewhere on the flat side or the sharp side, with truth being dead center. You may be familiar, also, with the term “pitch perfect.” This is when someone can either name or sing a note in perfect tune without reference to any other note. It is a very rare ability, and I likewise equate this idea of being pitch perfect to aligning with the truth found in the Bible. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the term “tone deaf,” which refers to a person who is unable to percieve differences in musical pitch accurately. In the spiritual world, I liken this to someone who veers to the left or right, to flat or sharp, of the truth, the perfect pitch of the Holy Spirit inspired scriptures. And spiritual tone deafness is rampant here in the United States!

Think about it. The U.S. is a hotbed of publishers who especially target Christians who don’t “understand” the Bible. They promise everything from a deeper relationship with God to the popular 10-step platform–things like, “10 Steps to a Better Prayer Life.” Should we be reading 10-step books, or inquiring of the Author of prayer? When we want to deepen our relationship with a loved one, do we consult, by all intents and purposes, a perfect stranger? When we don’t understand our husband, wife, or child, should we, do we, ask this perfect stranger to explain our loved one’s innermost hopes and fears? Should we not go to the Source, our beloved and loving Abba? Publishing houses market these books, written by fallible people, as the source for answers to life’s most basic needs, thus usurping the place of the Bible and the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about it! In this country we have more books and study guides than any other nation, we hawk them around the world, yet look at our country! We are being misled in masses and the sickly fruit is evidenced in our worldly pursuits and desires: “Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; … My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….” [Hos 4:1, 6 ESV]

There was a time in Israel when the book of the Law was “discovered:” “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. … Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.” [2Ki 22:8, 10–11 NIV] Can you imagine the state of their society? Years and years had gone by without any inkling of their God and Savior’s own heart! Josiah, who was then king, proceeded to rid Judah of all the false idols, altars, priests, and high places because he determined to “to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul.” [2Ki 23:3]

Now, the situation in our day is a little different, perhaps more of a prelude to God’s Word becoming completely obscure. It’s not that we don’t have access to the Bible–we have ample opportunity to read numerous different translations, both in print and on the internet. The devil’s tactic nowadays rather seems to be to steer people away from, not its availability, but its veracity: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” [Jhn 17:17 ESV]. He tempts us to rely on other people for understanding, instead of trusting the Holy Spirit to teach us all things: “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.” [1Jo 2:27 ESV]

Satan also tempts us to impatience when we don’t understand what we read in the Bible immediately. Again, we have such a glut of so-called Christian books available, that it is so easy to reach for one or Google it when we want our questions answered. Again, we bypass the Source of all knowledge and wisdom and ask that perfect stranger for his or her views on the matter, instead of exercising our faith and trust in our Savior: “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. … If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” [Luk 11:9–10, 13 ESV] Yet our Heavenly Teacher knows exactly what to teach and when to teach it: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” [Jhn 16:12 ESV] “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures….” [Luk 24:45 ESV] “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. … They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”” [Luk 24:27, 32 ESV]

This devilish two-pronged attack on the Church, this suggestion that somehow the Bible is not truthful, this over-reliance on modern “teachers” who do not follow the Word by adding to or taking away from it, is hobbling many young Christians and even seasoned believers. “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”“ [Jhn 8:31–32 ESV] The Lord desires his people to be free of the shackles that bind us to this worldly society through the gaggle of false teachers, false prophets, and false gospels that are multiplying like fleas on a dog in these end times. They are serving the devil’s plan to “lead astray , if possible, even the elect.” Beware, beloved in Christ!

I want to make clear that I am not saying that reading all books is bad. We just need to vet our sources more carefully and pray diligently for spiritual discernment. Jesus said of Himself, “To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” [Jhn 10:3–5 ESV] Ask the Lord to hear only His voice and follow Him through the reading of His Word. We also need to stop resting so heavily on the crutch of our society’s norm to seek quick answers and find instant gratification. Our generation is an instant coffee type of culture: a teaspoon of Google and just add water! Again, at the heart it is a matter of trusting our Abba for His provision of wisdom and His timing. Sometimes we need to take a prerequisite class before we get to enroll in the advanced class!

In the next post, I want to point out many of the signs of a false teacher, their tactics, and their twisting of scripture. My prayer for all of my brothers and sisters in the Lord is that if they find themselves in a false church or under the influence of false teaching, that they would find full freedom in Christ. It is His desire that we separate ourselves from the false religious systems of this world: “Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” [Rev 18:4–5 ESV] Note this verse says “my people?” Paul warned Timothy about those who swerve from the truth, likening their false teaching to the spread of gangrene. But Paul also exhorts us with these words: “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”” [2Ti 2:19 ESV] Stay “tuned” for my next post. Amen.