Tag: lead astray

Easy, Easy, Easy

“It is an easy thing to be godly from the teeth outward.”

Preceeding quote is from Matthew Henry’s (1710 AD) comments describing false teachers in Romans 16:18. 

One godly characteristic the false teachers exhibited was “Christian” speech. From the teeth outward they appeared godly. In other words, they used Christian lingo and profess to be Christian but inwardly, in their heart, they are ravenous wolves sent by satan to mislead the true born again Christians. They use their oratory skills and cunning to lead Christians astray. The scripture says

“… and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Romans 16:18)

The Lord Jesus warned about these people:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits. …. (Matthew 7: 15-20)

Don’t be “unsuspecting” but be a fruit inspector. The Lord Jesus is telling you and me that by examining the fruit of their lives you can recognize the ravenous wolves despite their Christian words, mannerisms, associations, and their smooth and flattering speech.

In another blog we will discuss some of the fruit you should look for.

THEREFORE, “Gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit” (I Peter 1:13) and “be on alert, your adversary, the devil, prowls about…seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Carl

“See To It That No One Misleads You”

“…and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

“And Jesus answered and said to them , “See to it that no one misleads you,

For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many.”

Matthew 24: 3-5

After Jesus and the disciples left the temple in Jerusalem and came to rest on the Mount of Olives,  His disciples asked Him privately what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.   The first recorded words out of the Lord’s mouth is a warning about deception, “See to it that no one misleads you.” (NASB) or, as the Expanded Translation states, “Be constantly seeing to it that no one leads you astray.” (Wuest)

The means by which the “being lead astray” is accomplished is, “For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many.”  

There have been many down through the centuries who have claimed to be gods.  Many of the Roman Emperors claimed to be god and there were and still are many pagan gods in different cultures.  Early church history tell us that even Simon, The Magician, found in Acts ——–  who faked his conversion to get the power of the Holy Spirit, would later proclaim himself to be a god.

But here the Lord speaks specifically about deceivers coming  in His name, false “Christ”, false “Jesus”.

We normally think of a deceiver as a human being.

But as we see the deception being fostered on Christians today, we realize that many are being deceived by evil spirits declaring they are “Jesus” or the “Christ”.  This has always been the case with occultists, but now many Christians are falling prey to this deception.

A perfect example of this is Jesus Calling by  Sarah Young, which is an account of what “Jesus” has told her arranged in a daily devotional format. The problem is that it is a false ‘Jesus’.  I strongly recommend you read 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book by Warren B. Smith to see how a false “Jesus” and a false “Christ” can deceive a person. Mr. Smith, a former member of the New Age movement, writes:

In 2004, in one of her rare, carefully staged interviews, Sarah Young was asked by the Christian Broadcasting Network “How did you learn to ‘dialogue’ with God?” She answered that it was from reading the book, God Calling:
My journey began with a devotional book (God Calling) written in the 1930s by two women who practiced waiting in God’s Presence, writing the messages they received as they “listened.”4 (parenthesis hers)
Also, in the original introduction to Jesus Calling that stood from 2004-2013, Young specifically praised, God Calling, as “a treasure to me.” 5 However, The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs published by Christian publisher Harvest House, describes, God Calling, as a channeled New Age book that was spiritually dictated by a deceptive spirit pretending to be the real Jesus Christ. 6 In their lengthy Encyclopedia chapter on channeling and spiritual dictation, Christian authors/apologists John Weldon and John Ankerberg explain that channeling is a form of New Age “mediumship” which the Bible clearly defines as a “forbidden” practice (Deuteronomy 18:9-12).7 Under a subheading titled “Impersonations of Christianity,” the authors describe, God Calling, as a New Age book “replete with denials of biblical teaching” 8 that “subtly encourages psychic development and spiritistic inspiration under the guise of Christ’s personal guidance . . . and often misinterprets Scripture.”9

Click here to finish Mr. Smith’s 10 Reasons.

Don’t open your mind up to a false ‘Jesus’ or a false ‘Christ’ through contemplative prayer, yoga, or eastern forms of meditation. And do not follow Christian people or lost people who have.

God’s blessings and protection on your life and your family.

Carl

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