Beware of false teachers

by Ken Pullen

Monday, February 15th, 2021

ACP — A Crooked Path

It might sound as if everyone ought to easily identify an unsound teaching or a false teacher, but by their escalating rise and those following them such is not reality.

There are people in the recent past and present who claim they are apostles. That God talks to them as He did the prophets and apostles in the Bible. And we have people who believe this, believe them, and follow them.

There are distinct Biblical criteria for being an apostle. And there have only been thirteen in all of world history (don’t forget Paul along with the twelve) and there only will be thirteen in all of world history.

If doubting this, if wanting to know what the criteria are for being an apostle all a person needs to do is have a Holy Bible. And then turn to The Acts of the Apostles. And in order to understand the context begin reading in chapter 1 at verse 12. Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. And read the end of the chapter to verse 26.

There were two criteria for being an apostle in Christianity.

We find both of these in verses 20 and 21;

“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

1.) It must be a man who had been present from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth starting with His baptism by John the Baptist.

2.) And that man remained continually following Jesus from that day He was baptized until he was also a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.

Throughout the Gospels, we are told there were many people who followed along with Jesus and the 12 disciples for the years of Jesus’ ministry.

Saul of Tarsus, who we know became the apostle Paul is the only exception. Chosen by God. Witness to the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

This is the work of a Sovereign God.

Do not imagine because someone today makes the claim they are an apostle and say they are Christian it is true. It cannot be. There are no more people alive who followed Jesus from His baptism in the Jordan River to His resurrection, nor who along the road to Damascus, after persecuting the early church have been visited by the Lord Jesus Christ whose glory was so great it blinded Saul for many days and when his sight was returned he was totally regenerated and has been known as Paul since.

That hasn’t happened. Isn’t happening to anyone now. No matter what they may claim.

The criteria does not mean the man had to be in Jesus’ presence continually. Let’s be sensible and intelligent about this. There were ofttimes when Jesus would go off alone to pray, and this also doesn’t mean the man was disqualified because all Jesus’ followers disserted Him when He was arrested and put before the illegal trial He was subjected to.

Peter denied Jesus three times let us not forget. All the disciples dispersed and hid out for a while.

Lots were cast for two men who qualified under the criteria. And Matthias was chosen because it was God’s will.

There have only been, there throughout eternity will only be thirteen apostles. And those are the men chosen by Jesus to be His disciples, and through the sin of Judas and what is easily learned about him in the Bible, another had to be chosen. And it was Matthias. And that’s it. No more. No one else could ever meet the criteria.

So if you hear or read of anyone professing to be a Christian? And also an apostle? Run dear one, run away as fast as you can and no longer allow the subtle words of the deceiver, the false teacher enter into your heart and mind.

Know a great way to discern on your own if anyone is a false teacher or not? Espousing unsound doctrine?

Get a Bible. Pray to the Holy Spirit to provide you with spiritual wisdom and discernment beyond your limited means, which is everyone’s finite limited means. And pray the Holy Spirit pours out, measures out spiritual discernment and understanding beyond the human finite mind. Just measures out what is necessary to see. To come to know. To understand.

And SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. Take the time to search the Scriptures. Like a Berean. The apostle Paul preached by the power of the Holy Spirit working in him. And yet the Bereans searched the Scriptures in order to make sure Paul preached sound Biblical teachings. That reference to the Bereans isn’t in the Bible as filler. As an aside. That’s a direct instruction from God as to how each of us is to be when we hear someone preach when we read something a Christian writer writes. Search the Scriptures no matter who.

Do not blindly follow any man. Or woman.

I am not going to get into listing false teachers here.

False teachers abound and they are increasing by the day as Satan and his legions of ministers are always active and pressing forward with the work of the devil. Which is to destroy the faith. To destroy the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. To infiltrate the church, build an enemy within to corrupt, confuse and pervert the word to such a degree as to make it no longer anything to do with the word of God, yet the majority professing faith in Jesus will be in truth following the teachings of the Evil One.

It’s already happening. It has for a long, long time. Going back to right after Jesus died, was resurrected and ascended into heaven. Unsound teachings, antichrists were already present. To misled those seeking Christ. Those in the church.

And these antichrists have only increased exponentially in the last 100 years to the point now they rise up like choking weeds in the hot summer sun.

Do not be deceived.

I am not going to name names. That is not for me to do.

It is for each of us to gird our loins. And if you don’t understand that, it seems a strange thing then do some homework on what it means. What did the apostle Peter mean when he instructed Christians to gird their loins? Learn what that action is and why if you do not now know.

Put on the full armour of God. And NEVER REMOVE IT! Never remove it. And not only do not ever remove it understand what that means. And keep that full armour from head to foot not only on but clean and well maintained.

Because we’re all in a war.

Frequent readers and subscribers are probably tired of reading my writing that but it cannot be mentioned enough. Because we tend to forget in the course of our daily lives.

We’re all in the most important, greatest, highest causality, the direst and most wonderful war in all of human history that began in the Garden of Eden and has not had an armistice, a treaty, a time of peace ever since right up to the second you’re reading this.

And this war takes place WITHIN and AROUND EVERY PERSON every moment of every day and night. It never stops. Never sleeps.

And if we on the side of God as His children? If we as true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ think we can sit it out? Leave the fighting up to others? We can kick back and relax. Sleep through it. Wait it out?

Know that there is not one soldier on the other side ever sitting it out. Slowing down. Taking it easy.

Their screams, shouts, wails, and deeds are heard and seen above almost all other things in these days.

And know the days are only going to become more troublesome. More false teachers will rise up. There will be signs and wonders and things happening to test the faith of every saint.

Stand firm and true within the whole word of God.

Turn to God. Turn to Jesus. Turn to the Holy Spirit. Learn how to pray more and not amiss. It is better to pray for increased faith, spiritual discernment, and God’s will be done on earth as in heaven than to pray for something material, an ache or a pain, or this or that of this fleeting material world. There are more than enough of those prayers going up to heaven to God. Let us pray something different. Things of greater spiritual impact.

Now is the time to prepare. To remain prepared. A watchman, a watchwoman on the wall!

In full armour. Engaged in this most important war.

Testing and judging all things if they are of God and can be searched and understood by going to God’s word.

Do not be lulled, lured, seduced, and beguiled by what sounds good, makes one feel good, that is agreeable.

For know, the wrath of God is real as hell is real and will fall upon those who do not obey the Lord and heed His words and live accordingly.

Beware of the false teachers. Which increase by the day like choking weeds casting dark shadows attempting to block out the life-giving Light, Truth, and the Way of the Lord Jesus Christ.