Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,049
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20 ESV)
Many people think of prophets and prophesying only in terms of future telling. But the word “prophecy” means to “speak forth in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling (prediction).” Since it means to speak forth the words of God, or his messages, to make them clear, it is often associated and paralleled with the word “preach.” So that has to do with communicating revealed truth, the truth of God’s will and of his gospel.
Now prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit, and it is one that Paul desired that all should have and put into practice. Only he was not referring to future telling, it appears, for the way he described the gift had to do mainly with speaking to people for their exhortation. For he said the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. And it is for the purpose of instruction and for the spiritual growth of Christians.
So, if someone is a false prophet, he can be someone who is teaching a false gospel message which is intended to tickle itching ears. For it is an altered gospel intended to appeal to and to appease human flesh. It is that wide gate and that broad way and that easy way talked about in Matthew 7:13-14. And it is easy because it makes no requirements of its adherents to die with Christ to sin and to walk (in conduct) in obedience to his commands.
And these false prophets are thus some preachers, pastors, evangelists, book authors, writers of devotions, bloggers, and/or anyone who is proclaiming the message of the gospel of our salvation, who is deliberately and habitually altering and falsifying the gospel message in order to lead people to a false salvation and a false hope of eternal life with God. For these are people who willfully deceive others with lies they make up.
And in order to deceive the masses with their lies, they disguise themselves as the Lord’s true sheep, and as his messengers. And these people can be political figures, too, who profess faith in Jesus in order to lead the sheep astray. And this is why we have to test everyone and everything, for lies and liars abound these days who are pretending one thing while they are living another and who want to gain our confidence in order to deceive us.
And when this says that we will know them by their fruits, this is not about what they tell us they are going to do, and it is not about their promises that they give to us. And it is not about other people’s impressions of them, either positive or negative. But it has to do with their overall character, and the kinds of things they do and say when they are not trying to impress us. So we cannot look only on the surface, but we need to pay close attention.
And I am thinking here of some public figures, some of whom are political figures, some are actors, and some are CEOs of corporations, etc., who are now all of a sudden coming forth and professing faith in Jesus Christ. We need to listen closely to what they are saying and how they are describing that faith and how they speak of other faiths, too. For they may by lying to us and/or they may have a false faith in Jesus blended in with the world.
So, just because someone claims to believe in Christ, and to be a Christian, it does not mean that their belief is biblical faith proven genuine by dying with Christ to sin and now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and by making Jesus Christ truly Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives. And I hear some professing Christians supporting other faiths, as well, and other gods that are not God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
So we need to be discerning people who are not influenced by the media in what to believe or not believe, and in who to support or not support. We need to be people of God who are spiritually discerning who test whatever we hear or read or see against the truth of the Scriptures, taught in context. And we need to do this prayerfully, honestly, with full integrity, truly seeking truth and being willing to have the Lord show us what we have wrong.
For if we do not make this our practice, but we are people who are easily influenced by the media, and by famous people, and by what sounds good and tickles itching ears, then we are ripe for being deceived. So we need to be serious students of the Scriptures who study them in context, and who surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus to do his will. And we need to pray for discernment to know truth from lies and fakes from what/who is real.
[Matthew 7:13-23; Matthew 24:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:1-15,27-30; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 16:17-19; 1 Corinthians 14:1-33; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-32; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:4-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]
My Sheep
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
Many people think of prophets and prophesying only in terms of future telling. But the word “prophecy” means to “speak forth in divinely-empowered forthtelling or foretelling (prediction).” Since it means to speak forth the words of God, or his messages, to make them clear, it is often associated and paralleled with the word “preach.” So that has to do with communicating revealed truth, the truth of God’s will and of his gospel.
Now prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit, and it is one that Paul desired that all should have and put into practice. Only he was not referring to future telling, it appears, for the way he described the gift had to do mainly with speaking to people for their exhortation. For he said the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. And it is for the purpose of instruction and for the spiritual growth of Christians.
So, if someone is a false prophet, he can be someone who is teaching a false gospel message which is intended to tickle itching ears. For it is an altered gospel intended to appeal to and to appease human flesh. It is that wide gate and that broad way and that easy way talked about in Matthew 7:13-14. And it is easy because it makes no requirements of its adherents to die with Christ to sin and to walk (in conduct) in obedience to his commands.
And these false prophets are thus some preachers, pastors, evangelists, book authors, writers of devotions, bloggers, and/or anyone who is proclaiming the message of the gospel of our salvation, who is deliberately and habitually altering and falsifying the gospel message in order to lead people to a false salvation and a false hope of eternal life with God. For these are people who willfully deceive others with lies they make up.
And in order to deceive the masses with their lies, they disguise themselves as the Lord’s true sheep, and as his messengers. And these people can be political figures, too, who profess faith in Jesus in order to lead the sheep astray. And this is why we have to test everyone and everything, for lies and liars abound these days who are pretending one thing while they are living another and who want to gain our confidence in order to deceive us.
And when this says that we will know them by their fruits, this is not about what they tell us they are going to do, and it is not about their promises that they give to us. And it is not about other people’s impressions of them, either positive or negative. But it has to do with their overall character, and the kinds of things they do and say when they are not trying to impress us. So we cannot look only on the surface, but we need to pay close attention.
And I am thinking here of some public figures, some of whom are political figures, some are actors, and some are CEOs of corporations, etc., who are now all of a sudden coming forth and professing faith in Jesus Christ. We need to listen closely to what they are saying and how they are describing that faith and how they speak of other faiths, too. For they may by lying to us and/or they may have a false faith in Jesus blended in with the world.
So, just because someone claims to believe in Christ, and to be a Christian, it does not mean that their belief is biblical faith proven genuine by dying with Christ to sin and now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and by making Jesus Christ truly Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives. And I hear some professing Christians supporting other faiths, as well, and other gods that are not God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
So we need to be discerning people who are not influenced by the media in what to believe or not believe, and in who to support or not support. We need to be people of God who are spiritually discerning who test whatever we hear or read or see against the truth of the Scriptures, taught in context. And we need to do this prayerfully, honestly, with full integrity, truly seeking truth and being willing to have the Lord show us what we have wrong.
For if we do not make this our practice, but we are people who are easily influenced by the media, and by famous people, and by what sounds good and tickles itching ears, then we are ripe for being deceived. So we need to be serious students of the Scriptures who study them in context, and who surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus to do his will. And we need to pray for discernment to know truth from lies and fakes from what/who is real.
[Matthew 7:13-23; Matthew 24:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:1-15,27-30; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 16:17-19; 1 Corinthians 14:1-33; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-32; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:4-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]
My Sheep
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
