04/18/2008
1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation,[pronounced] long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
12But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—speak blasphemies about things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed,
Jose de Jesus lives in Houston, Texas and claims to be the “second coming of Jesus Christ.” De Jesus calls himself the “anti-christ” as he claims to be a new form of the Christ, not a evil mastermind. He has followers in 30 countries and many of his followers are tattooing “666” on their bodies to show their devotion.
When we think of heretical teachers, people like Jose de Jesus, Jim Jones and David Koresh come to mind. We can look and see the blatant arrogance (and fallacy) of these individuals—and those of us who know the truth, can keep clear of them. I have spoken often about false teachers, but I believe this point cannot be overstated. There are even pastors among us, who are insignificant on the world-stage. They operate among us as non-descript clergy; they live moral lives and in all appearances seem to be “godly.” Yet they are strangers to the truth. Their teaching starts with the Bible, but then meanders to form a subtle variation which will diminish the role of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father. A church in my very neighborhood refuses to mention the name of Jesus in any of their literature; rather, they celebrate earth and religious holidays under the banner of “Christian.” Even when I very directly asked them about their opinion of Jesus, they refused to take a position.
These teachers and pastors may not have an overt agenda to mislead, however, if they do not know Jesus as their personal Savior (and are devoted to Him), how can they possibly teach others? I picked up a book several years ago in my research of New Age religions. The author claimed that a person could be a teacher of God, even before they were a follower of God. Think about this a minute. How could I possibly teach you about ancient Mesopotamian economics if I don’t even know the first thing about it? Further, don’t you think that God would first wait till a person becomes a willing vessel before He entrusts them in such a crucial task? And how can a non-believer (who is a stranger to God’s grace) be an example of God’s grace?
My point is this, as non-clergy Christians we need to understand the Word of God well enough to know when a clergy is mistaken, or misleading. This is accomplished in two ways. First of all, we need to spend time in God’s Word; that way we know what it says. Secondly, we need to spend time with God in prayer. As we grow in these activities, we become more attuned to the Holy Spirit of whom it says “will guide us to the truth.”
False teachers will come, and yet are already here among us. Are you equipped to identify the truth from a lie?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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