OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO DO AND TO TEACH Part 21

The Lord Jesus continued His teaching regarding the kingdom of God and in this passage in Mathew chapter 7 verses 15 - 20, He revealed a hazard that exists for those operating in the eco-system of the kingdom of God;

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

The phenomenon of false prophets is a dangerous reality that requires us to shed naivete and be on constant watch for attempts to infiltrate the associations of believers.

Sent by the kingdom of darkness as agents of personal and corporate destruction, these false prophets dress up in attire, language and culture that mimics the servants of God and they bring with them false and toxic doctrines and foster strife and disunity.

Out of their ministrations come sinful conduct, discouragement, introduction of idols, ruined relationships, loss of direction, loss of connection to God, divided and scattered flocks and a myriad of other pathologies that weaken the assemblies of believers.

The Lord cautions us to be alert for such actors trying to inveigle their way into positions of influence among the believers who are ensconced  in the kingdom of God.

Their deceptions and disguises are often sophisticated and we can easily mistake a wolf dressed in a sheep's garment for an actual sheep but the Lord tells His followers that even if the agents of darkness manage to get past the first screen, it will soon become evident whose kingdom they serve because they will involuntarily yield bad fruit that is impossible to disguise and when identified, the infrastructure supporting the ministry of the agents of darkness can be spiritually cut down and consigned to the fire.

Amen.

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