Protect Yourself

I know this isn’t going to seem like a “loving” statement, but I need to get this out of the way. All churches are not created equal, and I’m not referring to denominational differences here. It’s deeper than that.

I’m talking about the person or people who stand up in the pulpit every week and speak to the masses. I’m beginning to doubt whether many of these big-time teachers have ever actually read their Bible. Judging by what I see in the Scriptures and comparing it to their “teaching,” I’m going out on a limb and saying an emphatic “no.”

The Master’s University blog has a good definition of a false teacher: “They are not committed to Scripture. They may speak of Jesus and the Father, but the heart of their ministry will not be the Word of God. They will add to it, take away from it, interpret it in a heretical fashion, or deny it altogether.”

 So that’s the first question. Does your teacher preach the Gospel? Got Questions says it succinctly: “The Gospel is defined as the Good News concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God.”

Here’s how much God jealously guards the Truth of His Word. Galatians 1:9 says, “If anybody is preaching to you a Gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned.” There’s not much wiggle room here, is there?

What does a false teacher look like? That’s the next logical question, and unfortunately, we’ve got a lot of examples.

A megachurch pastor in Atlanta seems to have gone off the rails.

The Old Testament Still Has Lessons to Teach Us

First of all, he’s decided that Christianity should “unhitch” from the Old Testament. I’m not 100 percent sure why. Did you read that in the New Testament? I didn’t. He’s decided the OT shouldn’t be seen as a “go-to source” regarding any behavior in the church.

Does he get to make that decision? Does any man or woman get to decide that? The answer is no.

Deuteronomy 2:4 – “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Let’s transition a little west to one of the largest churches in the United States.

This large church in the South is known for preaching a prosperity gospel, which says it is God’s will that we will be blessed with material things. It’s true that God wants His children to be prosperous, but in what ways? And what does the Bible say about a lot of material wealth?

First Timothy 6:9 says it this way. “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

If you doubt that, just look at the headlines. How many politicians, professional sports figures and celebrities have landed everything they ever wanted, including money and power, and fallen flat on their faces?

What did Jesus say about rich people? Luke 18:24 quotes Jesus Himself saying,” How difficult it is for the rich to inherit the Kingdom of God.”

One thing false teachers seem to have in common is how they deal with sin. Basically, they don’t deal with it.

That Southern pastor openly admits that he doesn’t talk about sin and needing the forgiveness of the Lord.

God is not a genie who grants wishes

He doubled down, saying that “most people are beaten down enough by life. They already feel guilty enough, and we can all find reasons why. I want them to be lifted up and to say, “You know what? I may not be perfect, but I’m moving forward. I’m doing better.”

We all need encouragement, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But that encouragement won’t get you into Heaven. Can you come to Jesus without recognizing that you’re a sinner and in need of rescuing by His death and resurrection? I bet you know the answer, but let’s turn again to what the Word says.

Remember Luke 18:10-14? Jesus is speaking and says, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, saying, ‘God, I think you that I’m not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all I possess.’

“And the tax collector, standing far off, would not so much as raise his eyes to Heaven but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’

So what did the Lord say about those two? “The tax collector went down to his house justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts Himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

It’s hard to humble yourself if you don’t recognize that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

Here’s the number one thing you can do to protect yourself from a false teacher: Read your Bible.

Go back through this article and read the verses I cited. They show you how to spot false teachers. These verses barely scratch the surface of the Godly wisdom available in His Word. Get into it. As the world gets darker and darker every day, you need to have the Light of the world (Jesus) in your life! It’s much easier to see in the dark with the one true Light!

Jesus is the Light we need in the darkness