POINTS OF TRUTH CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
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The ultimate wolf to come in sheep’s clothing is yet to come! The Bible calls him the "beast". This great leader will soon, come quickly on the world scene as the ruler of the European Commonwealth; along with his sidekick, the great "false prophet" that will call fire down from heaven, and cause the entire world to worship the beast.
This political leader will claim to be God! The false prophet will also declare him to be God in the flesh, and will perform miracles in order to confirm their word, and to deceive the people of the earth. All that do not have a deep love for the TRUTH of God will succumb to deception at this time.(Read 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 13, Daniel 7,11,12)
Tares among the wheat
What about wolves among the flock that are not in leadership positions? Notice Jesus’ parable of the Tares among the Wheat. Matthew 13:24-30 -"He presented another parable to them, saying, -The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain then the tares became evident also.
And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‛Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And He said to them, ‛An enemy has done this!’ And the slaves said to him, ‛Do you want us, then, to gather them up?’ But he said, ‛No lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow them both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’"
Now notice Jesus’ explanation of this parable, -Verses 37-40 -"The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom;(church) and the tares are the sons of the evil one;(wolves) and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
Tares resemble wheat
The "tare", also known as a "darnel", is a weed that so closely resembles wheat, that it is virtually impossible to distinguish until the ear is developed. The difference? Like true christians, the wheat bears fruit, and the like false brethren, the tare does not.
Notice also, that Jesus said these tares were sown in the Lord’s field while the servants slept. This is why it is so important to "be on guard" as Paul warned the Ephesians. Wolves work best under the cover of darkness. Like their father, the Devil, they are masters of stealth and deception.
They come in sheep’s clothing
As wolves come in sheep’s clothing, the tares come in the appearance of the wheat. It is not until the wheat develops grain, can one readily recognize the difference. As it is when a wolf enters the flock, so it is with tares among the wheat. Much of what goes on is beneath the ground, hidden under the cover of darkness, covered by deceit. By the time they sprout from the earth, the roots of the tares have become entangled with the roots of the wheat. If you were to rip up the tares, it would uproot the wheat also.
Tares entangle the young and weak
Likewise, false brethren acting as wolves in the flock, often seek to entangle the young and weak in the faith. They may get involved in their life and act as some spiritual guide. After all, they have "been in the church many years." But usually these wolves cannot even tend to their own affairs. Their own houses are almost always in disarray. Once entangled into the fabric of another, they will slowly, but surely, water down their faith, conforming them into the likeness of their own unrighteous lives, rather than the holy likeness of their heavenly Father.
They will try to get their focus off the True Shepherd and on them, or some other hireling they may follow. Even if this is a godly man, as we learned from the principle of -"I am of Paul", "I am of Peter", (1 Corinthians 1-3) it still replaces the one who gave His life for them. It separates one from Christ. That is why Paul asked, -"Is Christ divided?" Paul reminded them that it was Christ that was crucified for them. God does not want the believer’s devotion divided between Him and another. Our God is a "jealous God" when it comes to His chosen ones. Mixture is never acceptable to God.
Wolves don’t always know they’re wolves!
Wolves are sometimes very hard to detect. No one introduces himself as the local church "wolf". And indeed, most do not even know who they are, as they are deceived themselves. Once a wolf such as this is discovered, he cannot always simply be put out of the assembly, because his "root system" may be so entangled with others young or weak in the faith. To rip him up suddenly, would uproot others that may think of him as their spiritual guide. A situation such as this must be handled with much care, fasting and prayer.
God does provide true spiritual guides
This is not to say that God does not provide teachers for His church, certainly He does. But they are to have the same humble attitude of Paul and Peter. True under-shepherds of Christ, are to gently guide the spiritual growth of the flock, watch out for the dangerous wolves, and be helpers of the brethren’s joy. And perhaps above all, point them to their true Lord and Master, Jesus Christ and God the Father.
Notice 1 Peter 5:1-4 -"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as LORDING IT OVER those allotted to your charge, but proving to be EXAMPLES TO THE FLOCK. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."
Wolves among the flock want to stop the christian in his tracks. Since he is driven by the spirit of the Devil, he will use the same tactics. He will seek to engender doubt, and attempt to spread the feeling of hopelessness while the believer is enduring a trial.
He will often act as an accuser of the brethren. While with you he will poison you with accusations of another brother or sister, while with someone else, he will use your own words against you. He seeks to cause division and strife in the assembly of the Lord. Notice Proverbs 16:27-28 -"A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are as a scorching fire. A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends." He may comfort you in a wrong way, causing you to believe you are justified in your sin, hampering you from coming to real repentance.
Christ is replaced!
Remember, wolves come in sheep’s clothing. He will seek to befriend you, especially if you are a new convert, spiritually weak or going through a severe trial. Soon, like tares, they will begin to entangle you with their roots. You will begin to feel you need, or must have them in your life to survive. Sadly, after a period of time, you will replace the living Christ as your pattern for living your life, and pattern your life after theirs.
This is a common occurrence in many religious organizations. How often have you heard someone say that have joined the "Baptist" church, or the "Lutheran" church, etc? They then do or don’t do what everyone else does or doesn’t do in that church. Few rarely ever look seriously into the Word of God to see if their way of life matches that of Christ. After all, their root system has become entangled with something other than the True Vine, which is Christ.
Notice John 15:5-6 -"I am the VINE, you are the BRANCHES; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for APART FROM ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
The LIFE is in the VINE. If a branch is not connected to the Vine it will dry up. The Bible tells the Christian that he will have to endure FIERY trials in his life. They come upon him in order to test him. A branch that is green and alive, is full of "living water" from the Vine that it is connected to. It can withstand much heat and flames. Everyone knows, freshly-cut green wood is too moist inside to burn well.
Likewise, the christian that is abiding in the True Vine, can withstand the fiery trials that God allows the Devil to throw at him. But if he is separated from the Vine, which is his source of life, he will dry up, and will burn easily and quickly in the fiery trial.
Some Scribes and Pharisees were wolves
These wolves are like the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus pronounced the seven woes to in Matthew 23. They are "white-washed tombs"! They look good on the outside, but inside there is no life, just dead men’s bones. They are "dirty cups". They spend all their time cleaning the outside, but inside are full of unrighteous deeds and motives. Their lives are a lie, only delusion.
They may have said "No" to God!
Wolves are sometimes true christians that have said "No" to God. God has tried to take them through bitter places and they have refused to go. Rather than overcome a bitter trial, they allow themselves to be overcome with bitterness. They have lost their joy. They can no longer rejoice in their trials, as Jesus said. They can’t rejoice, because they are no longer living for tomorrow, but for today. By becoming a friend of the world, they have become enemies of Christ.(James 4:4) Have you ever tried to worship God, while being critical, or a fault-finder of others?
They have refused to repent
There may have been sin in their life that was difficult to repent of. Satan may have continually accused them because of it, causing doubt and discouragement, and eventually hopelessness to the point of tempting them to give up. They have said "No" to the dealing of their sin when God asked for everything. Remember, one of Satan’s tactics is applying constant pressure. He attempts to wear down the patience of the saints.(Daniel 7:25)
After giving up on God, and giving in to the Devil, they will focus on the sins of others, whether real or imagined. To cover their own guilt, they will blame others for whatever problems they have. They may put on a front of joy and happiness, especially in the assembly, but it is only an illusion. It is not there the rest of the week. By quenching the spirit of God, they are becoming a hollow shell.
Without true repentance, in time they will become a wolf, if they stay in the assembly. They will have lost their true salvation, so they have to recreate the terms of salvation. Not based upon the holy Word of God, but by the dictates of their own deceived heart. Notice 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 -"And with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, BECAUSE they DID NOT RECEIVE the LOVE of the TRUTH, so as to be SAVED. And FOR THIS REASON God will send upon them a DELUDING INFLUENCE, so that they might BELIEVE what is FALSE. If one rejects the truth long enough, refusing to allow it to convict him, -bringing him to repentance, God will actually cause him to believe a lie!
They recreate terms of salvation
By creating their own terms of salvation, they destroy the standard of God. All that is left is a spirit of delusion. They become bent on leading others into their permissive behavior. They become haters of truth and light, and lovers of deceit and darkness.
They may appear righteous on the outside as the Scribes and Pharisees who Jesus called hypocrites, but there is no longer any light in them. By rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, these men sealed their fate as wolves among the flock. They not only denied Christ, but in the name of God, actively caused others to deny Him as their Savior.
Notice Matthew 23:13 -"But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you SHUT OFF THE KINGDOM (and its King- Jesus) of heaven FROM MEN; for you do not enter in yourselves, NOR DO YOU ALLOW those who are entering to go in." They love darkness because their deeds and motives are evil. They will seek to extinguish the light in any way they can.
Somewhere in their life they have said to God, -"This is as far as I’m willing to go!" They have failed to count the cost of being a christian, or have determined the cost is too high. They are not willing to pay the price of salvation, which is continuance repentance from sin. But like the church at Ephesus, they usually do not suddenly stop professing Christ. But by this point, they have already began denying His Way of life, the only Way that leads to salvation.
GOSSIP! An effective tool of the wolf.
One of the most effective tools of the wolf is gossip. With gossip he will poison the minds of the unsuspecting. He may come to you with the words, -"Just between me and you". Then proceed to poison your mind toward another brother or sister that is not there to defend themself.
The wolf will say he is telling you because "you need to know" and because he is "deeply concerned". What he tells you may be 100% true or some truth mixed with lies. But his real purpose is to get your mind off holiness. By enticing you into critical evaluations and conversations of other brethren, he will succeed in hampering your prayers, thus achieving the first step in separating you from your Savior, and true Shepherd. Again, the wolf probably is not aware of his own motives, he has been given a spirit of delusion.
Biblical principle is clear
The Bible is clear in its instruction toward helping a brother or sister if you see him practicing sin. You are to go to him directly in a spirit of love and humility, motivated to restore your brother. To reconnect him to the Vine.
The wolf will not follow this Biblical procedure, because he is not really motivated by the spirit of restoration of the brother or sister. He may offer various excuses, such as, -"I would talk to him, but I’m sure he won’t listen to me", or "That person thinks he knows it all". And like the Pharisees who would not accept Jesus, and would not allow others to either, the wolf will not want you to go try to help the person he is accusing, even though he says he is concerned for them. He may say, "I’m going to tell you this, but please don’t tell anyone I said it." You may give your word to keep it confidential, then receive into your being poison that would eventually destroy your soul. You won’t really know if it is true, and now you won’t have a means of finding out. You may never look at that brother or sister in the same way again. You will have received "seeds" of division.
Notice Paul’s instruction toward them in Romans 16:17-18 -"Now I URGE YOU, brethren, keep your eye on those who CAUSE DISSENSIONS and HINDRANCES contrary to the teaching which you learned, and TURN AWAY FROM THEM. For such are SLAVES not of our Lord Christ but of THEIR OWN APPETITES; and by their smooth and flattering speech they DECEIVE the hearts of the unsuspecting."
God gives the christian a spirit of unity not division. They are to be separate from the world, but united in Christ and their love for one another. Notice 1 John 4:20-21 -"If someone says, `I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also."
Not corporate unity
This is not unity through corporate organization, or religious affiliation. The church of God is the living Body of Christ. Each member must be united together through Him, and His spirit. As each branch is connected to the Vine, the true christian will be connected to Jesus Christ. As the life is in the Vine, it is in Jesus for the christian, and in no other. It is not wrong to be a part of a religious organization, but one must always remember that his salvation, and his relationship with the Father comes only through the Son. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the LIFE.
This love John speaks of, will motivate the true christian to go to his brother if he sees him begin to fall away from the faith, or becoming bitter. Notice James 5:19-20 -"My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will SAVE HIS SOUL FROM DEATH, and will cover a multitude of sins." Christ does not want His followers to quietly stand by and watch another whom He died for, fall away. He would be acting as a hireling in the flock that has no real concern for the sheep.
National wolves, enemies of Israel
In 586 B.C. the Jewish nation was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Most all the educated were taken as slaves to work in Babylon. Years later the Medo-Persian empire attacked and conquered Babylon. Under Cyrus the Great, the Persian King, the Jews were allowed to rebuild their holy city, Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah were entrusted with this task, but it would not be easy.
As we read in Nehemiah 4, there were enemies of these people of God. And they did not want Jerusalem rebuilt. In a national sense, we can liken them to wolves. They were happy the city of God and His holy Temple was in ruins. But the Jews had a mind to work, to restore what was lost. They wanted the glory of the Lord to fill His Temple again. They wanted to resume the daily sacrifices and offerings to God.
But the enemies were equally determined to prevent this from happening. Like wolves, they schemed to come in stealth to kill and destroy the work of God. Notice Nehemiah 4:11 -"And our enemies said, ‛They will NOT KNOW or SEE until we come among them, KILL THEM, and put a STOP TO THE WORK." But notice also what the Lord inspired His people to do, Verse 9 -"But we PRAYED to our God, and because of them (wolves) we SET UP A GUARD AGAINST THEM day and night."
The christian is the temple of God
The Apostle Paul says the christian is the holy Temple of God today, the dwelling place of the holy spirit of God.(1 Corinthians 3) The christian is the work of God. Living stones built upon the chief corner Stone.(1 Peter 2) The christian is the work that wolves in the church want to stop. True christians BUILD UP the Body, wolves try to tear down the Body.
True christians encourage one another to GOOD WORKS, while wolves lead the unsuspecting into unholy conversation, compromise and ungodly living. Like the Jews of Nehemiah’s day, christians must SET A GUARD AGAINST WOLVES that seek to rob the Lord’s "little ones" of their eternal inheritance.
WOLF CHASERS!
Here are some "WOLF CHASERS". To the suspected wolf in a leadership position in the Body, one must ask, -"Prove to me by the Word of God that what you are teaching me is true." "If the Bereans were considered noble-minded because they searched the scriptures to SEE IF PAUL’S TEACHING WAS TRUE, then you must allow me to judge what you say by God’s Word." (Acts 17) "Paul said that he and all other teachers in the church, must be proved trustworthy, therefore allow me to put you to the test of the Bible." (1 Corinthians 4)
Here are some "WOLF CHASERS" for the suspected wolf among the brethren, or the possible tare that may be attempting to entangle themselves into your "root system". "Why are you telling me this about brother so and so?" How do you know what you are telling me is true?" Why haven’t you gone to him privately as the Scripture says?" "If you are really concerned, do something about it other than telling others about it." "Can I quote what you are telling me?" "Let’s you and I go to that person and help restore him." "Even if what you say is true, isn’t it still gossip?" "Didn’t Jesus say we will answer for every careless word we speak?"
Notice Matthew 12:36-37 -"And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For BY YOUR WORDS you shall be JUSTIFIED, and BY YOUR WORDS you shall BE CONDEMNED."
Satan and his wolves know this Scripture well. He knows that if he can get you involved in unholy, critical and accusative conversation, you will bring condemnation upon yourself. Then he will have succeeded in "killing" and "destroying" your hope of glory, and will have "robbed" another from the Lord’s flock.
God allows this to happen. He put man on this planet, knowing it was inhabited by the Devil and his Demons. He wants you to CHOOSE to do what is right. He wants you to resist the Devil. To say "no" to Satan and "yes" to Him. He has set before us LIFE and DEATH, and says "Choose LIFE". Those who do, will receive glory, honor and eternal life in the wonderful Kingdom of God.
