The truth about wolves and Proverbs 18

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Matthew 7

You know...this is a well-quoted verse in Scripture, but misused by many people...Christians and non-Christians alike.

For so many, they believe that this verse is pointing at people who are in their limited estimation "bad" pastors or tele-evangelists or someone like that, but that's a very limited scope of what this verse is about...it speaks to just about anyone who would choose to speak in God's name.

In the Old Testament, it was easy to find the true prophet...if a prophet ran his mouth saying "thus sayeth the Lord" (because we know they didn't speak Hebrew, they spoke King James English - :)  ) and his prophecy didn't come true, the people just stoned him to death  and no more prophet.  Pretty simple.

Well, today, most people don't agree on prophecy as something that just tells the future, but prophecy is one who takes the Word of the Lord and expounds it with application and expediency to the people in a specific situation.  Basically, you take something from the Bible and speak "for" God into someone else's life and tell them what that means for them.  The problem is that without a fortune telling element, how do you know who to stone and are you really even supposed to do that?

That's why God put this together in Matthew 7...he said "by their fruit, you will recognize them."  In other words, they'll be true to the entirety of the character of God as expressed in the whole of Scripture.  Their message won't hold water or they will be exposed when they deliver it by their life not matching with what Scripture says.  For example, when someone brings the "truth", but spouts in in an unloving way or in violation of Scriptures such as Matthew 18...they are a false prophet at that moment.  Don't listen to them.

Or if, for example, out of fear and cowardice they hide in the bushes or scream their message from afar in a cowardly manner, you'll know they are false because Joshua 1:8 tells us that when God speaks through us it isn't through a spirit of fear, but of power and of love.

Or if, they do it in an ugly and disrespectful manner, obviously not trying to bring someone in sin to resolution with God, then they are violating Galatians 6, in which is clearly defines the proper way to approach someone who is caught in a sin...the proper way to view that person, not as an enemy, but a fellow co-laborer in Christ who needs help.  Maybe they violated Ephesians 4 by not being humble or gentle or patient or valuing unity with their fellow believers, feeling that somehow their message has given them leave to violate the rest of the Scripture...Then, well, you see by the fruit that you don't listen to them.

There are loads of examples here, but the truth is when someone delivers a message in an unChristlike manner, then you just heard all you needed to know about that person and what they had to say, because they just denounced their "prophetic message" with the way they lived out the "Gospel" in front of you. 

"But Jim, what if they quote Scripture (or part of one) or say a couple of things that sound good...shouldn't we listen to them then...what if only PART of what they say is wrong?"  That's cool, but there's more to it.

Here's why you don't want to listen to them...

Proverbs 18 puts it a little more bluntly about those who aren't following God in their speaking "for" God.  In the Bible, fools are characterized as those who don't follow Christ, because as Psalms 111:10 (or Proverbs 9:10) says "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom"...but Proverbs 18:2 lays it pretty clear here..."Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions."  One, the person not following Christ isn't interested in the truth, it's just their opinion...their fruit tells you so. 

Proverbs 18:7 takes it further and tells you more..."The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives."  First, their own words and message will cannibalize itself eventually.  Even further, their mouths and lips will be their OWN undoing and it will be a snare to their lives and if you participate in that, you'll be snared by the same things that ensnare them...because as you allow them access and influence over you, their snares, just like their words, will become yours as well.

Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing...they look like they know what they are doing, but pay close attention to them...."so we can STONE THEM, right, Jim?" 

No, we don't stone them.  We see them as people who are caught in sin just like anyone else.  It's not our job to take vengeance on anyone doing wrong (Romans 12:19), we leave that to God.  He's a much more strict, harsh and effective disciplinarian than we could ever be any way.  We are to be God's agents of mercy, grace and love (even love that says the hard truth, but never done without love or we violate Scripture again).  Doesn't mean we sacrifice the "truth" to love people, any more than we commit the sin of sacrificing "love" as our motivation of truth....and people know. 

Sometimes, it's hard to see them as what they are, because usually, to reference Proverbs 18, "fools" who just love to air their own opinions just annoy the daylights out of you...usually it's their self-aggrandizing arrogance that is really hard to love and that's only natural.  While that's natural, it's not God-controlled and we must always attempt to follow Christ, even more closely in the moments where we are in the presence of someone who is sin-controlled.  Not for our sakes, but for theirs and my interaction with them is about helping them, not pumping up myself (Phil 2:3).  It's not to down them or judge them or in some false humility moment insinuate how much better we are than them...not at all, because that's not remotely what Christ wants us to be...if we succumb to that, we become them, not help them.  No, we must pray for them, care for them and use the strength that Christ gives us to endure what they have to say, however misguided, in hopes that some day, we can "restore them gently" to full fellowship with Christ. 

So love the wolves, pray for the wolves, but just don't listen to them or get caught up in their mess.

Thought about brides

Just a thought...  If you say you are all in with me as a person, but you keep ragging on my wife, keep acting like you are too cool for someone like her (not that you ever would) and aren't sold on her having a pretty immovable place in our circle...we're gonna have issues, because she's my #1...they'll be some weirdness.

I was just thinking...Jesus called the church "His bride"...how you think that flies with Him if a) you keep ragging on her, b) think you are "above" hanging out with her and c) aren't really sold on her having a pretty immovable place in your circle....well?  You think that's gonna fly any better with Him?

Just sayin'...you might find out that you and Jesus have some weirdness there.  Might be a good idea to clear that up.

Unity is pursued...not fallen into

In this series "ONE", we are talking about some basic foundational concepts and as we talked about on October 2, UNITY was something that Jesus prayed specifically for YOU, as a Christ follower to have.

That means two things...one, it is important enough to pray for you to God about and two, it's something that needs God's help to achieve.

It's important because at the foundational identity of a Christian is a love that unifies the body of Christ...we won't be who we are or accomplish what we should accomplish OR be identified with Jesus without unity among the body of Christ.

Two, we need God's help to achieve it because it's not achieved by accident.  You have to be purposeful in achieving it.  When it is threatened, you have to put on your "big boy pants" and protect it...even if it puts you at risk of being made fun of or insulted or being hurt again or whatever, because Jesus never prayed that you'd never be made fun of or that you'd never be insulted or that life would never be hard...in fact, He told you all those things would happen and those things won't damage the church, but broken relationships and disunity will.  The reason we hang ourselves out on a limb to protect it is because it's THAT important to maintain.

If you, yes you, don't pursue it, it's not going to happen.  Matthew 18 gives us steps to deal with conflict that threatens the unity of the body and in the KJV, it says if your brother has wronged you...take care of it, in private.  I believe it says that so no one else will be tainted or tempted to take sides or be effected by the disunity...it's that important.

In Matthew 5, it says that if you bring your tithe to the altar and remember that your brother has a problem with you...as in there's problems between you two, and it's your fault...then go immediately and take care of it.  It even says just leave your tithe and take care of that broken relationship immediately...why?  Because it's THAT important.

What these two verses show you is that it doesn't matter who's at fault...all that matters is whoever knows it exists, hurt-ER or hurt-EE...they should be leading the charge to eat their pride and get it taken care of.  We should be falling all over ourselves to make it right...

Church in the Park was cancelled today due to weather, so we all worshipped at Melbourne Campus today and a quote from the sermon stuck out...

"Every broken relationship is a crack in the foundation of the body of Christ."

Think about that... Do you KNOW about a broken relationship between you and someone in the body of Christ that you aren't actively pursuing resolution to?  Then you are watching a crack in the foundation of the church grow wider each minute and Jesus says, "drop what you are doing and take care of it....NOW."  Why?  Because you HAVE to be willing to chase it and sacrifice for it and grasp it...and that doesn't mean that, even if someone has wronged YOU, it means "wait until they wise up and figure it out"...no.  It says it's important enough to drop all that you are doing, even if it's the worship of God and go chase unity down until you catch it...swallow your worthless pride and humble yourself to do it...it's that important...pursue it.