Mat 7:15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. Mat 7:16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.
Sheeplywolves is dedicated to identifying and explaining unbiblical teachings and trends in the church; and to fostering Biblical literacy. It seems that the more a Christian understands the truth of scripture, the less likely he is to believe the lies of the false prophets; and vice versa. False prophets and teachings have been a problem since the days of the apostles (actually, since Eden, Satan being the first false prophet) but, according to scripture, these are increasing as we move towards judgment day.
God gave us the Bible that we might know who He is, how He is to be worshiped, and how we are to live. These things are foundational to the Bible. And EACH Christian may read and discover what God would have him know. The only reason postmodern Christians are worshiping God via ways they have devised is that they are biblically illiterate. Not knowing scripture, they believe the Bible to be passe, difficult to understand…and seek to worship in more relevant ways that they believe they are free to devise–a fatal error! God will hold them accountable for the sin of ignoring His prescription for worship and using their own. Consider just a few verses from the Bible indicating 1) Jesus’ view of scripture; 2), that worship is prescribed in scripture, and 3), that we are not to change God’s prescription: [emboldening is mine]
- Jesus’ view of scripture as foundational spiritual knowledge:
Mat 4:4 But Jesus told Him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.‘”
Mat 9:13 Then He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Mat 12:7 But you would not have condemned My innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’
Mat 22:29 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.
Mar 2:25 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
Mar 12:10 Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
Luk 10:26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
The aforementioned verses indicate that Jesus considered the scriptures to be the foundation of truth and authority; and chided those seeking to live godly lives for not knowing the contents of scripture. Since Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, He would say the same to postmodern Christians.
2. Worship is prescribed in scripture:
Deu 4:2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you.
Deu 12:32 “So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.
Rev 22:18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.
Rev 22:19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
Pro 30:5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.
Pro 30:6 Do not add to His words, or He may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
Ecc 3:14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear Him.
Since what God has made is perfect, it is the height of arrogance and unbelief to add to or subtract from God’s Word; those mystical Christians e.g., who seek “fresh” revelation, are actually adding to God’s word that was closed with the book of Revelation. Born-again Christians, those who are receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit, i.e., who receive from the Holy Spirit illumination of His word, have experienced the power of the word and do not think they need to experience “fresh” revelation from God; they would undoubtedly have more illumination…but the Spirit gives that when He chooses (see John 3:3-8), not when one seeks it via eastern meditation…as pagans have always sought it from their gods (see last video in Meditation post for an explanation of the regulative principle).
3. One is not to change God’s prescription for worshiping Him:
Lev 10:1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before Him the wrong kind of fire, different than He had commanded. Lev 10:2 So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. [These were Moses’ nephews.]
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas….
Mat 15:6 In this way…and so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, Mat 15:8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Mat 15:9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. [Jesus’ words about the religious teachers of His day; not much has changed, has it?]
Anyone who studies the whole of scripture knows that God has prescribed how He is to be worshipped. Those Bible characters who mixed other religious practices with the true religion, were condemned. Read the prophets for clarity on this topic, each of them addresses it as do Jesus and His apostles. If you read scripture, you will find that mankind is making the same mistakes in his relationships to God and men as he was making in the books of the Bible. God’s truth describes the fallen state of man perfectly and is applicable to it from the fall of Adam to date.
Regarding false teachers of today, consider the following excerpt from one of pastor Paul Washer’s sermons posted on YouTube, he provided a shocking and Biblical explanation of the role of false prophets in God’s economy. So, if your preacher is teaching things that are not in line with the Bible, pastor Washer’s comments apply to you. Christ said that we are to know whether our teachers are from God by examining their fruits; however, if you do not know the truths of the Bible, then you have no standard by which you can evaluate your teachers / preachers; relying on your own opinion is a fatal error! Please click on the link to watch this 10 minute excerpt:
In the above video, pastor Washer noted that a true disciple is poor in spirit, mourns his sin…these descriptive elements are found in the beatitudes, Matthew 5:3ff. Christ’s words declaring blessing on His kingdom citizens in His most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.
Washer also noted that these cannot be faked, to see why this is so, see my post on mercy, The Beatitude Life 5; also see post 1d which explains self-examination–therein, the elements of self-observation are discussed, and one is taught the relationships among thoughts, feelings and behaviors. If you understand the contents of that pdf download, then you will know that trying to fake the beatitude life causes noticeable inconsistencies in a person, revealing emotional phoniness; also, that genuine beatitude attitudes grow out of the twin root of beatitude humility and mourning of sin.
Please see my post on the prosperity preachers to get a greater understanding of Washers very important points. While you’re considering the differences between true and false preachers of the gospel message, ask yourself if the pastor and elders of the church you attend reprove, rebuke and exhort as Washer indicated was characteristic of Biblical preachers.
For more information about the Christian walk and for how you can examine your own walk to see if it is genuine, visit the Beatitude Life series under that category in this blog.