Traits Of False Teachers

Let’s begin with the scripture 2 Peter 2:1, “ there were also bullshitters among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.”

There are no ifs or butts and Peter’s words. There were false prophets among the people of Israel and the Old Testament. That’s a matter of history. Faults profits were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and those who falsely claim to be prophet of God were to be stoned. The people rarely had the Will to deal with them, so they multiplied, causing disaster to the spiritual life of God’s people.

In the same way Peter says. “There will be false teachers among you.” Notice the words “among you.9 Peter is writing to the church and says, “There will be faults prophets among you, so he is not talking about the new age people on television he is talking about people in the local church members and the local congregation.

Know that there is no such thing as a pure church this side of heaven. You will never find it. The wheat and the tares grow together.

“ satan is a counterfeiter he has a false gospel (2 Corinthians 11:12-13). producing false Christians (2 Corinthians 11:6). Satan planted counterfeits wherever God plants true believers (Matthew 13:38).

Authentic Or Counterfeit?

How would you recognize counterfeit Christianity?

In Peter 1 we read about genuine believers. And in 2 Peter 2 we read about counterfeit believers. If you put these chapters side-by-side you will see the difference between authentic and counterfeit believers.

Where does the message come from? What does the Bible say? Peter says, we do not follow cleverly invented story when we were told about the power and the coming of the Lord” (Peter 1:16). Always question what others say, use a different source, (The Bible). And then Peter says the false teachers will exploit you “with stories they have made up (2:3). So the true teacher source that he says from the Bible, The false teachers relies on his own creativity. He makes up his own message.

What is the substance of the message?

For the true teacher, Jesus is central in everything. We have everything we need for life and godliness in him. For the false teacher, Jesus is at the margins: they were secretly introduced destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who brought them Peter 2:1).

Notice the word secretly. It’s rare for someone in church to openly deny Jesus. The movement away from the centrality of Christ is subtle. The false teacher will speak about how other people can help change your life, but if you listen carefully to what they are saying, you will see that Jesus is not essential to their message.

In what position will the message leave you?

The true Christian escapes the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (1 Peter 1;4), listen to how Peter describes the counterfeit Christian: “They promised freedom, while they themselves are slaves in depravity, for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (Peter 2:19). The true believer escapes corruption, while the counterfeit believer is mastered by it.

What kind of people does this message produce?

True believer pursues goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love Peter:1:5). They are experts in greed and her eyes are full of adultery (Peter 2: 10; 14). They also despise authority. This is the general characteristic of a counterfeit believer.

Why should you listen to the message?

A true teacher appeals to scripture. We have the word of the profits made more certain and we will do well to pay attention to it. (God says test the Spirit). God has spoken, and the true teacher appeal to his Word. The fog feature makes a rather different appeal: by appealing to the left Fork desired I’m simple human nature, they entice people who are escaping from those who live in the error (2:18). So it’s true kick your asked, “what has God said in his Word?” The false teacher asks “ what do people want to hear? What will appeal to their fleshly desires?

What results is the message have in peoples lives?

Does it bear fruit? The true believer is effective and productive in his or her knowledge of Christ (Peter 1:8). The counterfeit is “like a spring without water.” This is an extra ordinary picture. They promised much but produce a little.

Where does the message ultimately lead you?

Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The true believer will receive “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord“ (1:11). A false believer will experience “Swift destruction.” “ their condemnation has been hanging over them and their destruction has not been sleeping” (Peter 2:3).

Jesus tells us that there will be many who have been involved in ministry in his name, to whom he will say, “ depart from me; I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21). Who are these people? Surely Peter is describing them in this passage.

Don’t be naïve

We must not be ignorant: there will be false teachers among us. So how do we apply these warning?

First, Peter plan statement reminds us that the church needs to be protected. Among the many wonderful people who come through the doors of the church each year, some would be more harm than good.

They may seem the nicest of people, but they do not believe in the authority of the Bible or the exclusivity of salvation in Christ. We welcome such people, because they need Christ just as much as we do, but we must not allow them to have influence over us.

Second, skeptics well also be able to porn to hypocrisy and inconsistency in the church. They’ve already done it, and they always will. One of the strangest reasons for not following God goes like this: i’ve seen people in church who are hypocrites. So you will not follow Christ because some people who claim to do so are hypocrites.

That existence of a counterfeit is never a good reason for rejecting the genuine. Peter essentially tells us, “Of course there are counterfeit Christians. Of course there are teachers who do the church more harm than good. What else would you expect in this fallen world? Grow up! Don’t be naïve. Don’t miss what’s really simple because you have seen the counterfeit.”

Point to Peter to 2 :1 the next time you meet someone hiding behind this excuse.

What Is Discernment In The Bible?

Discernment in the Bible is the spiritual characteristic of sound judgment or perceiving the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, truth an error, and identifying God’s will and direction for His people. discernment is necessary to understand spiritual truth, live holy as God intends, avoiding life pitfalls and dangers, and properly govern society.

Websters dictionary defines discernment as “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.”According to this definition in theological terms, discernment in the Bible is a process of “assessing and evaluating particularly in relation to try to determine God’s will in a particular situation or for one’s life direction.”

Discernment And Wisdom

Wisdom and discernment or closely related in the Bible. Wisdom actually has its source and discernment. When we study the Bible, we gain knowledge but that knowledge only leads to wisdom when discernment is present.

A person can spend your whole life studying the scriptures but never gain wisdom because they lack discernment. Discernment allows one knowledge to penetrate the cloudiness and cut through the layers of confusion and ambiguity to perceive distinctions accurately. Wisdom is the product an insight and understanding gain through the ability to discern.

Here are a few Bible verses of wisdom and discernment:

Daniel 2:21, “God changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and disposes of them. Gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”

1 Corinthians 2:12-15, “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given to us. This is what we speak, not words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God that considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit make judgments about all things.”

The Word Of God

Lack of discernment always accompanied a deficiency in biblical knowledge. When believers are familiar with the truth heart and God’s word, they can more easily detect what is right and wrong, or true or false. The word of God itself can discern.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than a two edge sword, piercing pagoda division of the soul and of the spirit, do you want I love Morrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.“

Psalm 119:130, “The teaching of the word gives light, so even the simple and understand.“

Failure to discern what is truth from error, good from bad, or what is biblical from heretical stems from not saturating our minds with the Word of God.

Hebrews 5:11-14, “There is so much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers for so long now that you are to beteaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and can not eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant who doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

Romans 2:18, you know what He wants; you what is right because you have been taught His law.”

Ask For Discernment

Rip your teachers asked to seek wisdom and discernment:

Psalm 119:125, “I am your servant; Give me discernment then I may understand your statutes.”

James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you.“

Sound Judgement

Gaining discernment or sound judgment involves trusting the Lord not depending on your own understanding and seeking God‘s will. King Solomon advised his son to hang on to discernment so that he would stay safe and secure on life’s course.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 3:21-23, “My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang onto them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like Jews on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.“

The apostle Paul prayed for all believers in Philippi to have discernment so they could judge the right way to go in life.

He prayer in Philippians 1:9-10, and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Judgement day).

Distinguishing Between Spirit

Discerning believers have insight into spiritual realities so that they can distinguish between different spirits:

1 Corinthians 12:10. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message from the Sprit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.”

1 John 4:1-3, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the anti-Christ, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

Discerning Through A Renewed Mind

Discerning believers follow Christ in discipleship distinguishing themselves from the world and letting their lives be transformed through the renewing of their minds:

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.“

1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

5 Reasons Why Your Soul Really Matters

Your soul is a great value. And Mark 8:35-36, Jesus says our soul is a great value do you know why this is? Here are five reasons why you’re so mad or more than anything else you have.

1. You are so is breathed into you by God.

God formed you of death from the ground and breathed into our nostrils the breath of life, so that you could become a living creature.

Grasping is a huge importance in knowing who you are, and why your life is of such great value. Adam was created in two stages. There is a two-step process by life which God gave to him life.

The first was that God, “formed the man of dust from the ground.“ now in this way, the man and the woman are similar to the animals: “ now out of the ground God has formed every beast of the field and every bird in the heavens” (Genesis 2:19).

But there is a second stage in creation of Adam which shows why we are different from animals:

God formed a man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature (Genesis 2:7).

God breathed life into this corpse, and this next atom different from the animals. He is more than a body he is a living soul. The soul is capable of knowing God and enjoying God, and is capable of sending against God, something that animals cannot do.

This is at the heart of what God is saying when he says, “ you are made in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27). God has breathed Life into you and that life will never end.

1. Your soul is a source of all your achievement.

The body apart from the spirit is dead (James 2:26).

Think about everything that is important in your life and you will say, “Yes, that came from my soul.” Think about this in relation to the world.

Think about music: any kind of music – Where did this come from? They came from the soul of the composer who wrote it.

Think about art: ability to depict beauty came to the hands of the artist, but where did it come from? It came from the soul of the artist.

Think about sports: You may say, “surely sports depends on the body.” But James 2:26 says, “The body without the spirit. Every great sports achievement has come to relentless commitment, discipline desire, and the determination of the athlete, which is a course in the soul.

When I meet someone who is super fit, I want to say. “ this is what comes from your soul. All the work you have put in to sculpting your body came from a desire that is in your soul. Without that desire that was in your soul you would be a couch potato!”

All that we achieve in life, everything that is achieved in the world, will arise from the life of your soul.

3. Your soul is the cause of all your sin.

Each person is tempted when they are lured and enticed by their own desire (James 1:14).

Where does sin come from? James 1:14 is a very important verse in the Bible because it tells us how temptation works.

Temptation comes to us through the world, the flesh, and Satan. The problem is that wherever it comes from, it attaches itself to the soul. Our souls are sticky towards sin. Sin attaches itself to our souls.

If this was not the case, then temptation would not be a problem for any of us. If it was pure, then when you sell a house that you couldn’t afford, your soul would say, “ I can’t afford that, and I don’t need it.” And you would move on. Because our our sinful desires. When temptation comes, the soul receives it, welcomes it, and embraces and hold onto it.

The problem is that our souls are not pure. So what happens is that you see something, whatever it is, that someone else has, and you say, “that’s what I want,” and it sticks.

4. Your soul will last forever.

Matthew 10:28 says “ do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

One day your body will die and will be laid in the ground (or cremated). But your soul will last forever. So, “Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Your soul has an endless life. That’s why it’s so important. It’s immoral. It has a beginning, but it has no end.

Some people are trying to decide if they are going to follow Christ, knowing that it could cost you. But you need to know what’s at stake.

Matthew 16:25 says “For whoever to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it. Jesus says “If you lose your life for me, you will save it.

5. Your soul will experience everlasting joy or misery.

Luke 16:22-23 says, “ The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

God tells the story of two men who died. One of them was carried to Abraham’s side. Certainly not the poor man’s body. That would have remained on the earth. So what was carried into it. What then was in Hades? Not the rich man’s body. It was in the tomb. It was the rich man’s soul.

The point is very simple: Death takes life from the body, but not from the soul. When you die, your soul goes on to one of two places: One is a place of great joy. The other according to Jesus, is a place of great torment. And there is a great gulf fixed between them (Luke 16:26). You can’t get from one to the other in either direction.

There is a heaven to pursue and a hell to avoid. You have a soul: your soul can be saved and it can be lost. To lose your soul is the ultimate disaster, because it is the only lose from which you can never recover from.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough hell on earth as I can take.

How To Inspire Yourself

Here are for words to never say: “I am feeling uninspired.” These words may sound innocuous. Something you could use sigh and move on from, but these are toxic words. Why? The words “I’m feeling uninspired” are noxious dead end words because they steal your own power from you, they allow you to lie to yourself. Superficial inspiration comes from the outside, but long-term, life-changing inspiration comes from you. Inspiration is not aDang inspired is in fact the greatest work of your passive activity. Dang inspired is, in fact the greatest work of your life.

You Are In Control Of Your Inspiration

You are in control of your level of inspiration. It’s up to you to identify what inspired you, and to fan the flames of that inspiration. It is your responsibility to go beyond boredom,monotony , and routines. Nobody can do that for you. There are people in the world who have everything, all the external stimulation available. They have money, fast cars, fancy clothes, mansions, and high-profile careers… and they’re are so empty inside that they feel compelled to do drugs, some even commit suicide. How could that be? External stimulation has its limits. Without generating inspiration within yourself, you can feel a buzz or a high but you never feel for filled and purposeful.

Reconnect To Your Purpose

When you feel uninspired, it is time to work. The work consist of taking part in and serving the cause greater than yourself. In a material world, there is always more to want. But in the spiritual world, there is always more to give. Point blank: feeling uninspired means that you have disconnected from the purpose in your life. The only way to recognize the sparks of external inspiration is to force yourself to look at them. How open are your eyes and other senses to the magic and potential of the world around you?

Try inspiring yourself by looking at something new, even a single sentence. Look at people places and events of your day through the lens of what you learned.

Like A Thief In The Night

One night a thief broke into a house he thought was abandoned. As he walked then the darkened house with a flashlight he heard a voice from the kitchen that said, “Jesus is watching you.’ He stopped and said, “who’s there?” There was no answer so he thought he must have imagined it. But after he took a few more steps, the voice said again, “Jesus is watching you.” He decided to walk toward the voice, just before he entered the kitchen, he heard it again, “Jesus is watching you.” He swung the flashlight up and saw a parrot talking in a cage. The parrot said, Jesus is watching you.” The their turned flipped on the kitchen light and said, “Why you’re just a dumb bird.” The he looked in the corner of the room and seen a huge Rottweiler couching. And the parrot said “Get him Jesus.”

You might think it’s strange that Jesus would compare Himself to a thief. Of course, Jesus isn’t identifying with the sin of stealing. But just a good thief (that’s a oxymoron).that tries to sneak in quickly and quietly and escape with His people. That’s an accurate description of how Jesus will rapture His church.

We should all be living as if Jesus was crucified yesterday; raised from the dead this morning, and is coming back this afternoon.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1-4 tells us, “But concerning the times and the seasons, you have no need that anything be written to you. For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come to then, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.

We should know these 4 things

1. Jesus will return, But we don’t know the exact day.

Can you imagine a thief sending you a text or email saying, “Just wanted to know that I’m coming to rob your house tonight.” Of course not. Thief’s don’t announce when they’re coming. They sneak in and out.

When I was growing up my Dad used to do military funerals when a soldier or veteran would pass away. My father would keep all the guns in his closet. One night when no one was home the house was broken into and all the M16 rifles were stolen. He was very upset because they trusted him with these rifles. For a long time there would be someone home, or a neighbor would be watching the house.

Jesus told us to keep watch, because you don’t know on what day the Lord will come. We need to understand, if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let the house be broken into. So we must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him (Matthew 24:42-44),

There have been times throughout history when many people expected Jesus to return. We use the Gregorian calendar now, but when the Julian calendar turned from year 999 to the year 1000, people expected Jesus to come for a new millennium, the same was true in the year 2000. People were on their best behavior, In the year 1000 history says that worldly goods were sold and money was given to the poor. Prisoners were set free, and many traveled to Israel to wait for Jesus’s return,

In the second and third chapter of Revelation, Jesus gives messages to the 7 churches, which represent all churches of all time. When He wrote to the church at Philadelphia, He says, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Revelation3:10).

In Luke 17 Jesus compares His return to a couple of Old Testament events. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the dat Noah entered the ark. Then the flood cane and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and suffer rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son Of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30).

Are You Ready?

God’s Pruning Process

How Is God Pruning You?

The prospect of pruning can be pretty upsetting if are attached to the things that we know God is telling us to separate from. But the active pruning is done out of love, in order to stimulate growth. Understanding the purpose of pruning is key if we are appreciate it as a positive extra life when we are called to do it in our lives.

I know when God prunes me it is horrible, I usually feel like I have a rock in the pit of my stomach, and something is just off.

The dictionary define pruning as “to trim by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, esp to encourage growth,”and this definition works pretty well when you think about pruning in a biblical sense.

For us to grow spiritually, become purposeful and remain in a healthy relationship with Jesus we have to cut the bad influences and distractions out of our lives. We can’t continue to pursue worldly values which don’t correspond with godly values if we choose to prioritize God and put Him at the center of our lives.

The world and its desire to pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:17).

What Jesus says in John 15: 1-4 is a great reminder of the positivity and purpose of pruning:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch and knee that bears no fruit, wild every branch that does bear fruit, he proved it so that I will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Remaining me, as I also remain in you. Essentially, the things which don’t lead you to Jesus cannot remain in your life if you choose to remain in Jesus.

John 15: 1-4

The process of pruning is really easy but reminding ourselves of the point of it, The fact that it frees us up to fulfill God’s purpose for us, can help us adjust to the changes we are called to make.

Things To Thank God For Daily

It’s easy to be thankful on Thanksgiving. It’s an entire holiday about gratitude. Across America, families will watch parades, eat big meals, and celebrate God’s provision over the past year.

God wants us to be thankful, but His vision for thankfulness is so much bigger than a once-a-year celebration.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks all the time and for everything. We are called to be thankful daily, not just once a year. This verse actually states “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.”

Be thankful For

1. A Savior

Jesus died for us (John 3:16). He paid the price for our sub so that we didn’t have ti. Jesus’s sacrifice is a beautiful example of how much God loves each of us.

2. A Fresh Start

Every day is n new beginning (Lamentations 3:22-23). We have a God of grace whose mercies begin new every morning. Our past does not define our future.

3, A Purpose

God is not done with you (Ephesians 2:10). He created us purpose, wirh purpose, and for a purpose. We ate God’s handiwork, uniquely designed to carry out His plans.

4, A Beautiful World

God’s creativity is on display 24-hours 7 days a week (Nehemiah 9:6). How many times do we drive from point A to point B and never seem to stop and look at the beauty of God’s creation?

5. The Ability To Worship

We have the freedom to worship Jesus everyday of the week (Psalm 100:4). We sing lullabies to our children and can belt out our favorite music in the car, who would we not sing to our loving Savior?

6. Peace In Any Circumstance

God does not promise that life will be easy, but He did promise us peace (John 14:27). When we take our eyes off our circumstances and focus on Him, He gives us peace,

7. A Full Life

Jesus does not want us to just endure life; He wants us to enjoy life. John 10:10) says Jesus came so that we could not only have life but to have it abundantly.

8. The Bible

The Bible does not just speak of things in the past; it speaks us today (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16). Through the Bible, God instructs us, encourages us and guides us.

9. The Church

We do not have ti walk through life alone (Hebrews 10:24-25). The church is a community of people doing the best they can to follow Jesus’s example. In the church, we find the encouragement to grow in love and good deeds.

10, A Reason To Hope

We serve a God Whois not only a promise maker, but also a promise keeper (Numbers 23:19; Romans 8:28), He promises to work all things together for our good. There is no greater hope than in a promise fulfiller who has conquered death.