| | | | False Teachers part 2; Being a Berean - Romans 16:18 False Teachers Part 2, Be a Berean - Romans 16:18
(I apologize that yesterday devo didn't go out, a busted car radiator invaded my day!)
For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. Romans 16:18
In my previous post (read it here) we discussed the first identifier of a false teacher; They teach an altered gospel. In verse eighteen Paul gives us two more identifiers; They are persuasive, and the serve themselves.
Persuasive Words
At a pastors conference a few years ago, Pastor Greg Laurie challenged the pastors, "There's no excuse for bad teaching… pastors, put in the work to become a good teacher!" I agree! But the heart of a pastor should be to teach his congregation the truth from Gods word, not preach what people want to hear. Paul warned about this in his letter to Timothy:
For the time will come when they (Christians) will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers… 2 Timothy 4:4
A pastor after God's heart will work to be a good communicator, but the motive will be to strengthen God's people with God's truth. A false teacher will use their gift of speech to sway people into their camp for the purpose of serving themselves, which brings us to the next identifier:
Self Serving
Occasionally we'll hear about a charitable organization that instead of helping people, the leaders are diverting the money to themselves. Unfortunately, the same thing can happen in the church. Unscrupulous people will use a "different" message, and persuasive words to serve their own interests.
So, how do well-meaning Christians protect themselves from this type of person? Simple: KNOW YOUR BIBLE!
When the Apostle Paul preached to the people in Berea, he commended them for checking what Paul taught them against the scriptures to see if what he was teaching was true:
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:11
Christians, we don't need to isolate ourselves or avoid books to be protected against false teachers; We simply need to know our bibles. If you know the truth, you cannot be deceived.
Pastor Clay | | | | | | | |
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