Tim Challies 7 minute video below provides biblical signs of false prophets. These points described false teachers in Jesus’ day as well as they describe them today.
After his video, there are two very brief videos wherein false teacher Brian McLaren talks about Jesus and the church and how a new Christian ought to think.
The signs in Challies video expose McLaren as well as the many other false teachers that have been written about in this blog.
I closed this post with a song by Shai Linne, a Christian hip hop artist, because his words are biblical and show the unbiblical nature of McLaren’s 2 minute advertisement for another of his poisonous books.
I recommend that Challies points be noted for future reference, especially if you are a new Christian or are a Christian with a mainstream evangelical background.
The 7 Marks of False Prophets: 1. they are man pleasers; 2. they have harsh criticism for devoted servants of God; 3. they teach their followers from their own wisdom; 4. they ignore biblical doctrine of great importance and focus on trivialities; 5. they mask their false doctrine with eloquent speech and false logic; 6. they seek a following and they care most about what they are getting from you; not about preaching to save your soul; and 7. they exploit their followers.
Challies provides a scriptural reference with each brief explanation.
In the following 6 minute video, false teacher Brian McLaren discusses his new book (2006), The Secret Message of Jesus.
McLaren opens with a reference to the Davinci Code, suggesting that it moved people to seek knowledge about Jesus that the church does not discuss [because it is not in the Bible].
He speculated that in each of Jesus’ parables, He provided a tiny glimpse of the ‘kingdom of God.’ McLaren seemed to think that the Bible is not clear about what that kingdom is, that Jesus kept such knowledge secret.
That concept, that there is secret knowledge to be discovered and that more a spiritually enlightened person can lead people to it, is the same thing that several apostles confronted when they preached against the heretical leaders that called themselves Gnostics: see 1 John and a commentary or study Bible to educate yourself on that matter.
Furthermore, although McLaren does not mention how he came to this Gnostic higher knowledge, I can state with certainty that he, as a member of the ‘Emergent Church,’ a church that has yoked itself to eastern religion, came to this higher knowledge via eastern meditation: Hindu meditation, TM…. (See link at the end of this post for my post on Yoga, Christian Yoga, Eastern Meditation – that post explains how practitioners connect with their personal higher power which is the source of such direct knowledge; it also explains the unbiblical nature of such knowledge.)
McLaren suggested that Jesus was calling His followers to a “new way of life” unlike the old way of greed, lust, hatred, war, revenge…that way of life is gone.
He talked about a transformation that would change how one relates to God, humans and the world. And he seemed to be indicating that the secret way that he could lead his readers into held those possibilities for them.
I kept wondering if he knew what the New Testament said. As Jesus and the apostles spoke of such things. I think he was implying that these things can be in a world that has no war, terrorism…and that we humans could create such a world if we were spiritually transformed; that must be the great message of his ‘secret’ way.
However, that is not what Jesus and His apostles said.
I will post various scriptures below his video that state that Jesus and the apostles taught such things, but that these things would be apparent in the converted while they lived in this fallen world, not in the absence of the evil of this age.
Matt 5:3 [ESV2011] “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [This verse indicates that knowing the kingdom of heaven has something to do with understanding that one is personally spiritually bankrupt]
Matt 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Converts were herein called to love God and neighbors in the midst of persecution that they would experience as they followed Jesus in a fallen world; His Spirit’s love and other fruit within them would enable such godly living]
John 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Matt 10: 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
[It is clear that McLaren is relying on his own wisdom in the above video. Another argument by McLaren not in the above video is where he calls the cross cosmic child abuse, denouncing God’s way; and advocating the way of the social gospel. The following verses address both of his errors.]
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
1 Cor. 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
**McLaren’s ‘new’ way is not in the Bible; he did describe characteristics that are fruit of the Spirit, but the Bible states that fruit is borne by those who walk in a godly manner amid this sin-filled world, demonstrating godliness – testifying to the reality of God [it is worked into them by the Holy Spirit, not developed by themselves].
Furthermore, this world will not be changed by men but by God when Christ returns; that such will happen because of the cross.
The video above had the sound of wisdom, but it was the wisdom of men, based on reason and the concealing of unbiblical doctrine.
The following link is to a post in this blog on Yoga and eastern meditation:
https://sheeplywolves.com/eastern-meditation/
For other similar posts, see Categories: Mysticism; Prosperity Preachers; Beth Moore; Brian McLaren; Discernment and so on.