CONCLUDING REMARKS
We have seen how subtle and devious is the deception employed by the devil to cause various persons to preach another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel. This can cause much damage to the churches, as the members may not be so conscious that there have been spiritual attacks affecting them. Also, many are not willing to speak up when they see that something is amiss as they are afraid to be branded as being critical or judgmental.
Many are also easily taken in by signs and wonders, not knowing that the enemy can also quote the Bible and perform ‘miracles’ of his own. What is not so obvious is the subtle distortion of the truth. Remember that if truth were not so precious and important to God, He would not allow it to be purchased and preserved with the blood of His people and more importantly, with the blood of His only begotten Son. Truth, in one sense, is the substance and representation of God’s thoughts and revelation. If we reject truth, we are in effect rejecting God. We know that the truth God desires to transmit to man is found essentially in the Bible. As children of God, we cannot afford not to be students of the Bible. We must rightly handle the Word of God. To distinguish the counterfeit from the true item, we must know the true item very well. We cannot plead ignorance when it comes to God’s truth for our lives and for His Church.
We have noted also that the preaching of another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel results in serious eternal consequences. It might mean eternal condemnation, rejection from the faith and rejection by Christ Himself. We need to examine ourselves and test ourselves and ensure that we do not fail God’s test for our lives.
We have noted that it is not easy to detect deception; it is also not easy to recognize a false prophet or a false teacher. However, there may be some principles, given by the Lord Jesus, which may be helpful for us to consider and these may assist us to be on our guard.
The first of these is to look at the person’s attitude toward the people of God and the Church. Inwardly, the false teacher is a ‘ferocious wolf’ although he may appear as an innocent ‘shepherd’. He does not lay down his life for the sheep, unlike the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus (John 10:15). Instead, he uses and manipulates the sheep for his own purpose and agenda. Instead of guarding and protecting the sheep and ensuring peace and unity among God’s people, he actually destroys it to bolster his own reputation, status and ‘ministry’. As stated before, the true servant of God does not ‘lord it over’ God’s people. He humbly serves them and sets a good example and model for them (1 Peter 5:3).
The false worker is also recognized by the ‘fruit’ of his teaching (Matthew 7:18). This is seen in his own character and in the character of those he influences. The vital question is: are they Christ-like; do they increasingly manifest Christ-like qualities in their lives? A good tree, the Lord Jesus reminded us, always produces good fruit. We need to realize that it may take some time for us to notice the fruit that is produced and we therefore need to ask God for wisdom and discernment.
One negative aspect in false workers’ lives and teaching is encouraging exclusiveness instead of the open-heartedness of Christ and His people. They are probably unable to benefit from the teaching and ministry of others and claim that theirs is the only true and superior teaching. At the same time, they become increasingly judgmental and critical of others who have been faithful to the Lord. We see this in the criticism of Apostle Paul by the so-called super- apostles who were actually promoting themselves and exhibiting their ‘gifts’ in a proud manner. Their teaching had led to a partisan spirit, division, self-promotion and disunity within the Corinthian church. This resulted in the Corinthians even ‘rebelling’ against the Apostle Paul who truly loved them and was the first to bring the true gospel to them.
The false worker is also detected by the wrong priorities in his life. He is more interested in his own position and status than in serving God’s people. In this respect, ‘gifts’ take precedence over ‘grace’. We have noted that in Matthew 7:22-23 that even though false servants can perform ‘miracles’ and other ‘impressive things’ in public, the Lord Jesus still rejected them because there is no true relationship with them. In fact, they were branded as evildoers and their relationship was with their father, the evil one.
God is more interested in changing our character than in changing the course of nature like in miracles. He is more concerned about holiness than in granting us temporary superficial ‘happiness’.
Jesus Christ is principally our savior. Although He did perform miracles whilst He was on earth, it was more to fulfill Scripture and to affirm His Messiahship. He delivers us from sin and transforms us to be like Him and this is the fruit of the true servant of God. The authentic servant of God is more interested in ‘grace’ than in ‘gifts’.
The Holy Spirit, working in the servant’s life, seeks always to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to focus the spotlight on Christ rather than on Himself or the Christian worker. When the spotlight is focused on the so-called servant of God and his gifts rather than on Jesus and His glory, something is terribly wrong.
The false worker is usually more interested in success and results rather than obedience to God. When obedience to God means anonymity and no visible success and achievement, he is likely to lose his interest and apparent zeal. His focus is on mesmerizing people with his unusual power and signs rather than helping them to become more like the Lord Jesus and doing the will of God the Father.
The Lord Jesus told the familiar parable about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. What distinguishes the two men is that the wise man hears the Word of God and does it. He puts into practice the teaching of the Word of God. The foolish man may hear but he does not put it into practice. The wise man is a doer of the Word of God, not just a hearer. He hears and he obeys. Jesus also taught that the one who obeys the commands of God is the one who loves him. Our obedience to God and Jesus is a measure of our love for Him
The great deception has taken place and is taking place, with the expert manipulation of the evil one and the sending out of his minions into the world and even into the churches. Here is a call for vigilance and a call for Christians to awake to the dangers penetrating and infiltrating the churches! It is a battle between truth and deception. It is a spiritual battle between God and the devil. There is no doubt that God has won the war at the cross but the battles are still going on as the devil knows that his time is limited and he intends to inflict as much damage as possible. Believers must realize that they are not immune to these attacks and there can be casualties. We cannot afford to be presumptuous. We must keep close to the Lord God and His Word. We must know what God expects of us in these last days.