Sunday August 15th 2021
Blogger removed the date for some reason and it bothered me so I'm doing it myself.
Hello, happy Sunday, soon to be Monday. Are you ready for this post?
Re-watching On My Block because I genuinely think it's my favourite show now.
This was from the Underrated Bible Scriptures - Part 4 page. I didn't realise this until very late though, and I'm not copying and pasting everything here to there.
I posted this on Monday but I started writing this officially on Sunday. Unfortunately, there will only be one post today as it's pretty late here and I am kind of tired. I will try and update again sometime this week but I don't want to promise when exactly.
Unforeseen circumstances may happen.
It's been a while, yeah I know sigh. An entire week to be more specific.
I even missed church today/yesterday because of work, but it's fine because I can catch up. My next Sunday off from work isn't until September 12th really.
So just under a month away.
I'm so sorry for this. I actually wanted to post on Wednesday, as that would have been my last day off before work the following day. But you know, things happened.
My next days off are from Monday to Thursday. I promised myself that I would post today regardless of how tired I am from work.
I wish my posts are as frequent as they were in July but the main reason why I can't be consistent is because of my work hours, which is not within my control.
Last week, I talked about avoiding false prophets. Today, I'm going to talk about signs of them as last time I believed I talked about why you should do that.
And I'm also going to be doing another topic when I come here again as well. It's going to be called This Is Your Life - and how everybody in life has a purpose. Don't wish for someone else's.
After that, then it's back to the Psalms 119 commentary again.
For now, here is why you should avoid false prophets as much as you can. I will be adding some Biblical references as well so it doesn't seem like I made any of this up.
This was from miscellaneous websites, which I will still mention even though I rephrased them.
From Signs of The False Teacher
I tried not crediting the websites as I didn't copy them word for word but I felt guilty so here they are.
There is nothing wrong with speaking well or coming up with sermons, and one of our highest callings as believers is to seek unity among the brethren (Ps. 133:1).
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in peace! Psalms 133:1
As well as Amos 3:3 - how can two people walk unless they are in agreement?
But when people set others up for destruction deliberately using smooth talk, or they seek unity that does not have truth as its foundation, they are to be avoided, even cast out of the church (Rom. 16:17-18; 1 John 2:19). For the good of the body, false teaching cannot be tolerated.
God is strictly against false teaching, I think I said this before by why falsely prophesy when you can prophesy for real?
continued from same website, but I did add some things. I made this in bold.
Paul's warning about false teachers shows us how to identify them through signs other than the falsehood of the teaching itself.
The first sign the Apostle gives is that false teachers serve "their own appetites."
Literally, Paul says the teachers serve their bellies.
He refers here, via a metaphor, to a lifestyle that reflects indulgence and egocentrism.
Christian teachers are not prohibited from enjoying nice things, but they are prohibited from living pretentiously—from making their pay check a higher priority than God, for instance.
You cannot love both God and money at the same time. 1 Timothy 6:10
You have to choose one, and you have to make it God.
As Paul teaches elsewhere, men fit to be elders in the office will not be lovers of money (1 Tim. 3:1-7).
The second sign of false teachers is "smooth talk and flattery."
This doesn't mean that pastors and teachers aren't allowed to have gentle speech that people find pleasing, for Scripture says that "a gentle tongue is a tree of life" (Prov. 15:4).
What the Apostle condemns is dishonest speech that is hidden by flattering comments and words that praise people for the sake of their approval and not because there is genuine sentiment behind it.
False teachers use words to attract and gain the attention of others not for the sake of Christ but for their own sake.
You know how people say actions speak louder than words? Most false prophets are all talk but they are hardly any action. They say things to attract you, even if it may not be true.
And lastly from 7 Characteristics of False Prophets
The numbered reasons are from there. Everything else I wrote myself. Unless stated otherwise.
1. False teachers are men pleasers.
You can find this in Galatians 1:10 and 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4.
They would rather twist the gospel around to remain popular or to keep their popularity within the congregation than to tell people the truth.
For example, in light of Galatians 1:10, which says:
Am I now trying to get people to think well of me? Or do I want God to think well of me? Am I trying to please people? If I were, I would not be serving Christ.
I already knew what it says but not everybody reading this might.
This verse is essentially saying that we shouldn't strive to please people, but more so please God instead.
This can link to loving the world at the same time - don't do things that the world likes. Do things that God likes, even if it is against the world.
The harsh reality is, you didn't take anything to this world when you first came to it and you won't be taking anything with you when you leave the world either; you can find this in 1 Timothy 6:7. Sadly, we all have an appointed time to die, but it will not be anytime soon in Jesus name.
In Luke 12:13-21, there was a man who just wanted more. He was a rich man whose land had produced a very large crop, wanting to make more space for his crops because he didn't know where to put them.
Unluckily for him, he didn't know he was going to die that same day. So all of his hard work would have been for nothing. Everything he had made wouldn't matter.
Whilst hard work is good, don't depend too much on material things because only Jesus can make you satisfied.
Yes. That's some legit logic right there. Because it's true.
So false prophets like to men please and love the things of this world. So watch out for them.
The website I used for this had also mentioned Isaiah 30:10, so I will do the same thing.
They say to the seers,
‘Don’t see any more visions!’
They say to the prophets,
‘Don’t give us any more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things.
Prophesy things we want to hear even if they aren’t true. Isaiah 30:10
False prophets do the last thing.
I probably won't do all 7 reasons by the way. I will leave 3 of them for the Underrated Bible Scriptures page, as that is where this post is really supposed to be - had I noticed this on time.
2. False Teachers Throw Dirt At Christ's People
The website I used to get these reasons from says
False teachers are known for casting dirt, scorn, and reproach (rebuke/chastisement) upon the persons, names, and credits of Christ's most faithful ambassadors.
Paul, that great apostle of the Gentiles, had his ministry undermined and his reputation blasted by false teachers: 'For his letters'' say they, 'are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and contemptible (detestable)' (2 Cor. 10:10).
Or in simpler English:
Some say, “His letters sound important. They are powerful. But in person he doesn’t seem like much. And what he says doesn’t amount to anything.”
They rather condemn him than admire him; they look upon him as a nuisance rather than a doctor.
And the same thing affected our Lord Jesus from the Scribes and Pharisees, who tried to gain happiness or credit over Jesus' expense.
Matthew 27:63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember something that liar said while he was still alive. He claimed, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
Jesus was called a liar by some jealous people in that verse. Did you know that some people in the Bible had actually tried very hard to get some dirt on Jesus?
I know right, it's crazy. But some people actually do that.
Not just with Jesus. In general.
It's actually a lot easier for someone to bring someone else down instead of lift themselves up - which is what most people tend to do when they are jealous of someone. They try to bring them down instead of learning from them as things are apparently "easier" that way.
A lot of people knew that Jesus was flawless, so therefore they had inevitably tried to find some fault with him. Though little did they know that Jesus knew what they were doing each time.
I have some Biblical references of people trying to find fault with Jesus, which I will not mention now as it was very late when I posted this. But I will most definitely do so the next time I come here.
3. False Teachers are Driven by Their Own Heads and Hearts
That's probably what most of them do come to think of it.
They check that they look good before they preach, perhaps even all of the time.
I'm not saying it's wrong to check your appearance. But if you're worried more about that than the gospel you need to preach to someone then there is most definitely a problem somewhere.
The website says... which I rephrased as it didn't really make sense when I posted it.
False teachers are driven by the devices and visions of their own heads and hearts.
Then it mentioned 2 verses in Jeremiah, which I will talk about right now.
Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas. Jeremiah 14:14
The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Judah,
“Do not listen to what the prophets are saying to you.
They fill you with false hopes.
They talk about visions that come from their own minds.
What they say does not come from my mouth. Jeremiah 23:16
I'm sure there are some prophets out there in this world whose visions are just golden delusions, lies and hypocrisies, and dead fantasies. Things that will never come true.
These people are used by Satan the most, so you really have to watch out.
I'm not sure if false prophets can be saved or if there is still hope for them. If there is, then they need to do some serious repenting.
There could actually be a preacher out there who you think is good... had they not been a false prophet.
You should still pray for them (Matthew 5:44b says pray for those who hurt you) so that they can become better prophets.
And last but not least for today, number 4.
4. False Teachers Pass Over the Law and the Gospel for Other Things
The website said these verses, and now I quote them...
Suppose someone teaches something different than I have taught. Suppose that person doesn’t agree with the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. Suppose they don’t agree with godly teaching.
4 Then that person is proud and doesn’t understand anything. They like to argue more than they should. They can’t agree about what words mean. All of this results in wanting what others have. It causes fighting, harmful talk, and evil distrust.
5 It stirs up trouble all the time among people whose minds are twisted by sin. The truth they once had has been taken away from them. They think they can get rich by being godly.
1 Timothy 6:3-5
You say that people should not commit adultery. But you commit adultery! You hate statues of gods. But you rob temples!
Romans 2:22.
This verse is essentially talking about how false prophets are mainly hypocrites, and it couldn't be more correct.
Not all false prophets are hypocrites, mind you. But they'd probably twist the truth around. i.e. they would tell you that it is okay for you to love both God and the world at the same time.
The earth groans to bear them, and hell is fitted for them. Romans 8:22
We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now. Romans 8:22
And I'd just like to quickly bring up Jeremiah 45:5 even if the website I used didn't mention this.
"So should you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. I will bring trouble on everyone,” announces the Lord. “But no matter where you go, I will let you escape with your life. ”
False prophets like to seek great things for themselves.
Not just them. Mots people in general. Don't be like them, please.
God doesn't take back his gifts or change his mind about those he has chosen (Romans 11:29), no. In fact a song I was listening to when I wrote this sentence said I don't wanna love nobody but you (you being God) and it's true.
Praise God because he gave you your gifts, so never take them for granted as they can be taken away from you at any time, though essentially God wouldn't let that happen.
That's it for today, it's approaching 2am!
I came home from work at about 830Pm ish, had to do some things and got to writing. As I missed church due to work, I guess I started writing on a Sunday to make up for it.
But I will still catch up.
Have a lovely rest of the week - we are also officially halfway through August! Praise God for that. So many people started this year with us but they didn't finish it.
I'll see you when I see you!
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