Beware of false prophets and teachers.
Last week I had a time with my sermon and I felt that the follow through wasn’t the best. Because I was given another message that I couldn’t exactly reconcile in time. But why was that? If we are to be honest, I was finding it easy to be distracted with other things around me. But as this week progressed, I did a few things that would encourage my delivery. No I am not going into those study habits because it isn’t apart of my message today. The other reason is that I feel that this message is one of significant importance.
If you have your Bibles please turn to Matthew 7 13- 23 13“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’
The message that was placed on my heart was a warning to watch out for false prophets and teachers. This topic is simple enough in theory. But can you identify a false teacher? How do you identify a false teacher? What if what they are saying isn’t false but they follow a false teaching themselves?
How many of us have ever heard of Pastor David Henneke, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Bethel, Hillsong, Prosperity Gospel, Mantle Passing, Kenosis Theory. Not everything or everyone that I mentioned above is negative nor is everything/one positive.
I may hurt some of your feelings this morning and I apologize ahead of time for hurting your feelings only. I will not apologize for saying the truth. I have never been a fan of Joel Olsteen for two reasons. 1) I don’t see his teaching line up with the Gospel. 2) there is something about him that my spirit does not align with. If you search his name on google his website is the first link to come up the title line reads Live inspired. Reach your dreams. Become all God created you to be. Joel Olsteen is a prosperity gospel teacher. His messages go something like If you would do this then God can do that thing that you want Him to do. If you would pray for your neighbor then God will give you that job that you have been looking for. Maybe God hasn’t given you that Job because God doesn’t want you in that position. Maybe God is trying to teach you how to be content with what you have currently. Jesus tells us to be content in what we have not to seek out troubles that we don’t need. That is the prosperity gospel that is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know I asked a little while ago but has anyone ever heard of Mantle passing? For those that don’t know this is also called Mantle Grabbing, Grave soaking or even Grave sucking. This is the act of lying across the physical grave of a deceased preacher or evangelist for the purpose of “pulling out” the power of the Holy Spirit, a power that was purportedly “trapped” within the body upon the person’s death. The aberrant practice of grave sucking was initiated within the Charismatic movement and Word of Faith teachings, which are an amalgamation of orthodox Christianity and mysticism. Videos and images across the internet show grave suckers kneeling at or lying across the grave plots or gravestones of famous figures such as C. S. Lewis, John Calvin, or Charles Finney in hopes of “grabbing” the abandoned spiritual mantle or “soaking up” an anointing like a sponge.
Well James that has no business in Church. You are right. But can you tell me who among those listed above might actually practice this false teaching?
I would like to read a small excerpt from a book called The physics of Heaven in Chapter 4 it says There are anointings, mantles, revelations and mysteries that have lain unclaimed, literally where they were left, because the generation that walked in them never passed them on. I believe it’s possible for us to recover realms of anointing, realms of insight, realms of God that have been untended for decades simply by choosing to reclaim them and perpetuate them for future generations. Proverbs says that a righteous man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. That means righteousness, when it has a true effect on your heart, forces you to see that your decisions today have a domino effect on multiple generations following you. My decision today will affect generations beyond me. How do I want to affect them? Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” This passage is amazing. It says, “the secret things belong to the Lord,” yet in the New Testament Jesus says, “It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the secrets of the Kingdom.” The person that Authored this section is Bill Johnson. Johnson also goes does a sermon where he is talking about Kenosis theory. Now this theory is brought up from Phillipians 2:7 which says “7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, with this teaching, Johnson says that Jesus was God in Heaven but only man on earth therefore we can learn to do the same things that Jesus did if we have a good relationship with God. Now you may be asking who is bill Johnson and why should I care if I am not supporting him? Bill and Beni Johnson are the Senior Leaders of Bethel.
With each new technical advancement we obtain, it is easier for false teachers to spread lies. And to those that don’t know the truth, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that what is being said is truth. In a day and age where we have information at our fingertips in a society that wants to follow my truth, it is easy to go through the wide gate. So how do we identify the things that are false? We have to discern the truth. Well how do we do that? You have to get to know the truth and then you can discern the truth. Short answer read and meditate or your bible. If the spirit that is in Johnson was of the Lord the whole Kenosis theory would have gone out the window. We see in Philipians 2 5-8 says 5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. The long of the short of this is that Jesus was God But wanted to show His Love in a humble was not in a way that was overbearing or flashy.
I will be honest. As a young person it would bother me when a preacher would give a short excerpt from the scriptures. Jesus wept. Why what caused Him to weep? What were the events that led up to this? What happened after this? This is why it is important to read the bible. As a young Christian, I didn’t know that that Jesus was weeping for the loss that Mary had felt. I didn’t know that he did this because He felt Angry in His Spirit and deeply moved. Or that his weeping led the Jews to know His love. With out reading it for my self when someone Quoted John 11:35 Jesus wept. I knew that was right but what about what they spoke of after that? Could I confirm what they were saying was correct?
Earlier I stated that it is easy to spread false teaching with the current technology the we possess. And if you think about it you can give me examples of where you have even seen this. Why is a mostly true statement bad? Why cant we be happy and spread the mostly good news that others say? Because it pulls us out of the will of God. Even Satan was quoting scripture to Jesus when he was being tempted. Was the scripture wrong? No it isn’t wrong but because it was out of Context it is wrong.
Romans 10: 9-11: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame.
Would you say that another way to say this scripture might be 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and have faith that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Would anybody have an issue with me saying this verse like this? Why/ why not?
So if I began teaching this as the cornerstone of my ministry would it be right? All you have to do to be saved is have faith that Jesus died for our sins and rose again defeating Death. Am I wrong in what I am saying? After all the Bible says in John 3:16 16“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. All you have to do is just believe. Am I wrong in teaching the Gospel this way? Yes I would be wrong if that is what I was teaching because even though there is an element of truth the message is incomplete. Read the bible. James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. What is the saying? Even the Devil Believes in God. Ever Satan has read the scripture and attempts to pull people out of God’s will by giving partial truths or even downright lies.
It is my prayer that none of us are deceived. That none of us deceive others intentionally or unintentionally. Read the bible. Start with 1 John 4: 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. Be wise in the spirit. Read, study, pray.
