falsehood

Today the Lord led me to read Luke 17:11-19. This is the account of 10 lepers whom Jesus cleanses with His words “Go show yourselves to the priests.” One, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks. The Lord did not get thanked by the other nine. This seems to be a common thread in His ministry. Though many followed Him for His works of power, few thanked Him. When he dined with the religious leaders of His time at Simon’s house, only a woman of ill-repute showed Him gratitude (Lk 7:36-50). If we lived in Jesus’ time, perhaps we wouldn’t see Him as a successful man, for He lacked the approval of the leaders of His day. Yet Jesus had the stamp of approval from God Himself (Mt 3:17).

How do we know who is approved in God’s eyes? Jesus left us with advice in the scriptures about what the Father does not approve of by confronting the rulers who taught and practiced wrongly. One thing Jesus confronted the religious rulers about was seeking the praises and approval of men (Jn 12:43). He knew that not all men would approve of Him, nor His followers, and so Jesus said “Woe to you when men speak well of you,” (Lk 6:26). He compared the approval of Man to what was given to false prophets. Men had spoken well of false prophets because their words were pleasing. Jesus also said that false prophets would come dressed in sheep’s clothing, like a Christian (Mt 7:15-20). Though these men may look like they are serving the Lord, they do not.

In Malachi 3:17 it is written that the Lord will give discernment to men who fear the Lord and honor His name. Though some men are famous and have a great following after them, yet those with discernment will be able to distinguish if they are serving God, or not. The people who fear and honor God will “see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” But how do these men and women know what to look for? They will look at the fruit, and see if it is good, or bad fruit.

The example Jesus uses for bad fruit is thistles, and thorn bushes. These are weeds, planted by the enemy. If a man or woman teaches false teachings, yet comes as a Christian, they are false representatives of God. They bear bad fruit. Since the seed in the fruit causes it to multiply, these false teachers and false prophets spread falsehood. Yet, they may be popular in the eyes of Man. If a man’s teachings contradict the good seed, the word of God, he is spreading falsehood.
Paul writes of false brethren in Galatians, which I covered in a previous lesson. However, there is an attribute of these false brethren that is present in our current churches as well; drawing men after themselves. “They want to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.” (Gal 4:17b). This is not the same as drawing men to the Holy Spirit. To gather a following after ourselves by teachings that cause men to be dependent on us only engenders separation and disunity in the body of Christ. It works against all that the 5-fold ministry should accomplish, for it hinders “each part” of the body doing his or her work (Eph 4:16). Should we run after what men say, or should we follow after the Holy Spirit in the good men who speak His words?

One good rule I hold to whenever I join myself to a ministry is, “am I growing in my ability to contribute?” Each member of the body should be contributing to the others so that the whole body grows up into the Head, Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the good fruit we bear, and the Father looks for our fruit at every season of harvest (Mk 12:2). If we want to be seen as those who serve God, we will minister to our brethren without seeking approval. Approval from God will be our reward. But perhaps you have noticed this; if we seek approval from men we minister less and less, for no one can please all men. I would like to encourage you to serve God today, knowing that His approval may not be reflected in your popularity. But it is certainly worth living for. Amen.