Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 7:15-20 NIV

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

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"By their fruit you will recognize them." Jesus warns His disciples to watch out for false teachers. What exactly is a false teacher? In the New Testament there are several instances of speaking against false teachers. The most prevalent is against the so called, "circumcision group." This group taught Gentile men that they must be circumcised and follow the laws of the Jews given through Moses if they were to be members of the church of Jesus Christ. Other passages depict false teachers as greedy for personal gain, not caring for the souls of those among whom they serve. So it would seem that a false teacher not only teaches perverse doctrine contrary to what Jesus and His chosen apostles have passed down, but that they also carry impure motives pointed toward selfish ends. You can spot a false teacher by the results of their ministry.

I personally have not encountered false teachers per say. I have encountered good intentioned souls who made mistakes and whose beliefs ran contrary to my own. I wouldn't say they were in professional ministry for personal glory. We just didn't read the bible the same way, nor did we experience God the same way. That could have put us at odds, but I respected them for their many good qualities and good fruit in their ministry. They also respected me, though we disagreed. So I have to look beyond my personal experience and point to news makers to see an example of false teachers.

We surely remember cult leaders like Jim Jones of the People's Temple. The charismatic leader led 918 people to their deaths by telling them to drink poisoned Kool-aid. His activities were under government surveillance. According to some reports he was having sex with both men and women in his congregation. He'd moved some of his followers to a secluded compound in Guyana, South America to get away from US intervention. The results of his ministry was abominable. Bad fruit from a bad tree. I'm sure that Jim Jones did many good things, but deep down he was egomaniacal and deluded. Power given him by his followers led him to believe he was Christ incarnate. When everything began to unravel, and people started to try and escape his failed utopia, he ended it all in mass suicide, promising heaven's glory on the other side of the poisoned drink.

How many might have been saved if they were able to recognize a false teacher with false motives? Little children died that day as their parents encouraged them to drink the Kool-aid. So horribly sad!

I think of the Westborough Baptist Church and their message of judgment upon America for embracing homosexuality. They picket funerals and public gatherings with signs filled with hateful messages. What is the fruit? Good or bad? The congregation is basically a family unit mostly related by blood or marriage to the spiritual leader/grandfather. Their controversial ministry has given them worldwide recognition and there's only about 100 of them! I wonder if anyone has been led to a life-saving relationship with Christ because of their tactics. I wonder if anyone has changed their mind about sin because of their teaching.
I do know their protest activities are an embarrassment to most Christians I know. Misguided and cruel are their actions, in my opinion. They appear like modern day Pharisees with dispassionate legalism.

So it's good to be reminded that such men and women are in the church, grinding out personal and political agendas, having little to do with Christ and His kingdom. Jesus' teaching reminds me to be watchful and also pertinent as I wait for the fruit to show itself. Jesus' teaching also gets me to look at my own fruit, the results of my efforts in ministry, and I wonder how much of it is good or bad. Is what I do in ministry bringing people closer to Christ? Have my actions driven people away from God or put them on a misguided path? At what level am I in ministry for personal gain? These are good questions, filtering reflections to consider from time to time.

None of us are perfect. We worship and serve The Perfect One. Humility before Him and each other nurtures the body and leads to health and fruitful ministry. May God bless your ministry with good fruit and grant you wisdom to see false teachers wherever they might appear.