Removing The Veil From False Teachers

Flee also youthful lusts: but

follow righteousness, faith,

charity, peace, with them

that call on the Lord out 

of a pure heart. But foolish

and unlearned questions avoid,

knowing that they do gender

strifes. And the servant of the

Lord must not strive; but be gentle 

unto all men, and to teach, 

patient, in meekness instructing

those that oppose themselves;

if God peradventure will give

them repentance to the

acknowledging of the truth;

and that they may recover

themselves out of the snare 

of the devil, who are taken

captive by him at his will.

2Timothy 2:22-26

     It is not just questions that we are to avoid, no we are to question everything (1Thessalonians 5:21). But, we are to be wise to know when a question is just a ploy to cause an argument that has no real foundation only an attempt to cause confusion, or to just simply make a person seem right. It isn't the devil himself that causes us to fall away from our faith, no, he uses snares and those snares are often within a Church or with a Church leader, one who is teaching what seems Scriptural but upon examination it is found to be another gospel and not the Gospel. The devil is a single being, but he has a horde of fallen angels that is used to mislead people, and then by those people more people are mislead. In this sense, the devil made me do it.  Remember this: the best way to put forth a lie is to encase it in truth and this is what is being done by many people claiming to teach the "truth." 

     John recorded these words of Jesus: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Jesus did not say that the person who believeth shall realize the blessing of the fullness of God, but He did say that the one believing in Him shall have the living water flowing out of the one believing, that which he has received flows out from him. The purpose of God is not the development of a man as taught by such men as Joel Osteen, or Joyce Meyer as will be shown. The purpose of God is to make a man exactly like Himself and to have the characteristics of the Son of God, this is self expenditure. If we believe in Jesus it is not what we gain, but what Jesus pours through us that counts. Spiritually we cannot measure our life by our success, but only by what God pours through us, and that we cannot measure. It is time that we break the life seeking fame, fortune, success, craving for worldly pleasures to find satisfaction. It is time to take in the truth of God's word, and then allow Him to pour out through us living waters, that is the Gospel. The question is: will be do it for Him?

     One such person teaching what seems to be Scriptural is Joel Osteen who teaches a prosperity gospel, even though when cornered he will say that he does not. But does he? Let us examine this.  Joel Osteen on the surface seems to have some really great things to say. He is encouraging and the man is certainly happy. This should not be held against him. Joel Osteen has had to backtrack often so if we take him at his word, we can only conclude that he is either incapable or unwilling to explain the Gospel and how the Gospel actually intersects with life. Faith is required for the Prosperity Gospel for this doctrine uses faith as a tool, a tool that teaches that by doing good things a person can leverage God to get material blessings. Now, we must not take one things said about this but we can look at what was written by this man to get proof that he does teach this: "God has already done everything He's going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you're going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family" From Your Best Life Now, p.132. "If you are believing for your child to find God, go help somebody else's child to develop a relationship with God. If you're struggling financially, go out and help somebody who has less than you have ... f you want to reap financial blessings, you must sow financial seeds in the lives of others ... If you want to see healing and restoration come to your life, go out and help somebody else get well" From Your Best Life Now, pp. 224, 250-51. This is teaching that by doing you can leverage God to gain. This is false, a false gospel, one that teaches that if we open ourselves to God we can get more from God. Furthermore, he teaches that if we use our words to speak into existence a better reality. This is what the Faith Movement teaches but is not what the Bible teaches. Sounds good, it tickles our ears, is this not what we all want? Yes! But is this what God wants from His children? No, and I wrote on this in the opening of this blog. This is a name it and claim it theology and is not what Scripture teaches. 

     I, having allowed myself to be led into a cult early in my life and still had questions I began to look into the Bible and found that what I was being taught was untrue. It took time to process this new understanding and by reading the Bible, other books by many different authors who presented different ideas I knew that I needed more and that more was a better understanding of the original languages. I try to apply understanding of Greek words so that a person can find out by their study the truth or a better understanding of what was written so that their, (mine) faith will not be misled. Discernment is a missing element in many peoples life but discernment is necessary to be applied when hearing or reading what a person is teaching or saying. If not then you will be vulnerable to false doctrine. 

     Tomorrow I will address another famous teacher and see if this person is teaching truth or another gospel. This is so that we become a true servant of God and allow Him to flow living waters through us. What a blessing to be used by God. It will require much time and study, prayer, meditation, and then action but it is what God requires and God is who we follow, not a man.

Nevertheless the LORD 

     raised up judges, 

which delivered them

    out of the hand of

those that spoiled them.

                 Judges 2:16

Make yourself available to God

Richard L. Crumb

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