God’s New Breed Of Super-Sheep
By Fred Handschumacher
Dispelling Common Misconceptions About
Shepherds, Sheep and Wolves
Important Note: This article is an attempt to correct some common misconceptions in the church today in the area of shepherding and discipleship. This is an emotional and controversial topic. For the casual reader, our commentary may appear to stereotype all churches and their leadership in a negative light. This is not our goal or intention. To keep the size of this teaching from spiraling out of control, we tend to focus on the issues and warnings given by both Christ and the apostles in the New Testament. We do not oppose Godly leaders, church groups, congregations and movements that follow the principles of Christ’s New Covenant in the Bible. We do not want to paint every situation with a wide negative brush. However, Jesus warned, as we get closer to the end of the age, there would be MANY false and misleading expressions of Christianity along with deceptive leaders that rule over them. That means the subject of this teaching does not involve some kind of a “fringe” insignificant threat -- it is a MAINSTREAM problem that ensnares literally millions of unsuspecting believers.
In this commentary, we also speak about some of the rather vicious and violent differences that exist between the religion of Judaism and Christ's New Covenant Church. These differences are taken directly from the Scriptures to illustrate some of the emotional difficulties facing the churches established by the apostle Paul and the organized opposition against the Gospel of Christ. In these discussions, it may appear to the casual reader that we are "anti-semitic" and oppose the Jewish people. If this is the reader's perception, it is a false one. We do not oppose, but support the Jewish people. We see the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 as a fulfillment of Bible prophecy for the end times and completely agree with its right to live in the land that God promised to give them. This does not necessarily mean that we agree with all decisions or actions of their government.
The topic of shepherds and sheep, along with the disturbing subject of wolves within the Christian Church, can be very complex and confusing. By its very nature, it produces irreconcilable differences and vicious disagreements, like the ones that both our Lord Jesus and the apostle Paul faced in the first century. The subject is commonly “repackaged” in order to defend cherished, yet flawed denominational teachings that are hundreds of years old. The relationship between “shepherds and sheep” is also commonly distorted in order to defend spiritual leaders who attempt to use their authority in a way that Jesus said was wrong. Abusive churches and even religious cults commonly operate in this “grey area” of Christian Orthodoxy. We are now in the last days before Christ’s return. The proliferation of “Christian wolfism” and the various distorted teachings associated with the subject of shepherds and sheep are now occurring at a frightening pace. If you don’t properly understand Christ’s warning about the danger of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and how crucially important it is today – it’s almost guaranteed that you will be a victim.
The Overcoming Church Of Jesus Christ
The Church that Jesus Christ is currently building is the most amazing spiritual institution in human history. Jesus said:
"….I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
Jesus is making a bold and an incredible statement in this verse. Hell itself will not succeed in any kind of frontal assault against the Church, which is built by Christ. In the following article, we will discover the extraordinary reasons our Lord made this statement. In most Christian churches this information is suppressed and explained away in an attempt to hide the truth from their congregations.
Jesus’ statement that Hell’s power will not prevail against His Church doesn’t mean our enemy won’t try. It would be foolish to sit back and say, “Well, spiritual warfare is not a concern because Jesus said our enemy can’t succeed.” Many Christians take that position because training ourselves to be discerning is a messy, painful and emotionally stressful business. We might anger our friends, lose cherished relationships -- and even possibly have to leave a church fellowship as a result. Most church members consider this cost unacceptable and unnecessary. We love to go to church services, participate in corporate worship, hear an inspiring and informative message, enjoy our social luncheons and dinners, attend our yearly conferences and camp meetings -- and go home thinking we’ve satisfied all of God’s requirements. Yet, while we spend our time on these activities, our enemy is planning his next attack. He loves to see us “at ease” and uninterested in what he’s doing behind the scenes. He knows that he can’t win the war. But, he can destroy many, many lives and, at the same time, hinder, discredit or even temporarily stop the authentic New Covenant Gospel from going forth.
Satan’s Most Effective Weapon Of Deception
Satan rarely performs a head-on frontal attack against Christ’s Church. He already knows it’s a losing operation before it begins. When he does attack “head-on”, it’s only a diversion tactic, while his real focus is in another, more vulnerable and unprotected area. I’ve mentioned this problem on numerous occasions. I continue to be amazed at the most common response from professing Christians, which borderlines on outright denial. I am “amazed” because we’re just repeating in this teaching one of the strongest and most serious warnings that both our Lord Jesus Christ and the early apostles give to the Christian believer. The chief strategy of our enemy is not to attack using obviously evil teachings and ideologies. He rarely uses our preconceived notions of evil (as opposites to good) that can be easily recognized. Instead, Satan commonly disguises the evil in churches, teachings, personal ministries, movements, projects and many other things that appear to be moral, good, loving and righteous -- all performed “in the name of Christ and His Kingdom”. In other words, he uses something called “spiritual counterfeits”, or look-alikes -- and it's a devastating and effective strategy. Similar to well designed counterfeit money, Satan’s spiritual counterfeits are almost impossible to identify by inexperienced Christians and church members who only think of evil as being “an opposite to good”. Counterfeit money is a good example because an enemy uses it as an effective weapon in time of war to destroy an opposing country’s economy. Yet, almost nobody can spot a well-made counterfeit 20-dollar bill.
This is why both Jesus and the apostle Paul warned us about our enemy’s most diabolical tactic by using the phrase “wolves in sheep clothing”. Why? The wolf can get maximum access to his most favorite source of food -- sheep -- by dressing himself up like a sheep. When a wolf shows up looking like God’s sheep they can wonder around the herd unhindered, undetected and most importantly, TRUSTED. Below, we provide a few Scriptures that illustrate this danger.
Jesus said: "Beware of false prophets, WHICH COME TO YOU IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
Paul also warned us about the same dangers: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his (Satan’s) ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness . . ." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears." (Acts 20:29-31)
Paul was so concerned about this danger that he warned the church weeping “night and day” over a three-year period. It wasn’t some small, insignificant problem to him. Yet, many of us shrug this whole issue off as some “inconvenience” we don’t want to bother with -- or because it might expose serious flaws in our deepest and most cherished beliefs.
Shepherds, Wolves and Sheep In The Church
There are some excellent commentaries written about shepherds, sheep and wolves in relation to the Christian Church. For sake of time, I won’t cite the names of various articles and their authors. I also choose to take this route to avoid giving certain people, who seem to thrive off of being “contrary and argumentive”, any more ammunition than they already have. Our goal is to make an observation and shed some light on an area that is hurting and even shipwrecking the faith of many believers all over the world. This perspective, however, is subtly avoided in most of the research I’ve read. As many already know, both Jesus our Lord and the apostle Paul warned about this dangerous and commonly ignored problem -- and these third party commentaries about “wolves in sheep clothing” are informative and helpful in a general way. Like the apostle Paul, I also consider the subject so serious and important that I repeatedly address it in my writings to the point of being redundant. I have some experience in a church movement, years ago, which operated in abusive authority and “cult-like” activity. Obviously, my wife and I didn’t view it as “abusive” at the time or we wouldn’t have been involved in the first place. But, hindsight is 20-20 and we were young believers at the time. We just thought we were on the “cutting edge” of God’s purposes, which is what the leadership constantly told everyone. Most of the problems surfaced when we tried to leave. My involvement in this popular Christian movement plunged me (almost against my will) into the area of Christian “counter-cult” studies – a fascinating and frightening area that very few Christians will ever touch. I still carry emotional scars from this unfortunate, yet educational ordeal today.
I commend the authors who attempt to expose the threat of “wolves in the church”. I believe many have good intentions and serve as authentic “watchmen” over the flock of God. My comments in this article should not necessarily be viewed as an attack on their efforts. Yet, there is a subtle problem with most of these “sheep and wolf” articles. I believe that many of them dodge the real core issues because they don’t want to rock the boat for various reasons. I don’t take this approach in this article. I also recognize that other authors are attempting to defend (and promote) their particular brand of theology by wrongly defining God’s shepherds (and the sheep they oversee) according to an Old Testament model that radically changed following Christ’s crucifixion. Unfortunately, this is commonly done to defend an unbiblical authority structure within their church or denomination. Also, casual readers may not be aware that a few of these commentaries originate from the leaders of the abusive movement (and similar churches that share its ideology) I was involved in years ago. These things prompted me to write this article.
Pre-Pentecost and Post Pentecost Shepherds
And Sheep
One preacher writes:
“Sheep must have a shepherd because, by nature, sheep are helpless creatures. They depend on shepherds to lead them to water and pasture, to fight off wild beasts, and to anoint their faces with oil when a snake nips them from the grass. Sheep are social animals that gather in flocks, but they tend to wander off and fall into a crevice or get caught in a thorn bush.”
In Old Testament times, a shepherd that ruled over a religious congregation exercised great authority and control over the lives of their people. To disobey or resist the authority (and teachings) of a shepherd was a most serious offense and could result in what some would call “excommunication” from the “sheep fold”. In the Bible this was usually a Jewish congregation or synagogue. A good example can be found in John chapter 9 (read the whole chapter). It's the story about Jesus healing a young blind man. The religious leaders (the “shepherds” of that time) didn’t like the fact that he gave Jesus the glory and credit for this miracle. When they were unsuccessful in persuading him to reject Christ’s involvement in the healing -- they “cast him out” (disfellowshipped) him. This was a serious disciplinary action, which caused the young man to be treated as “unclean” and an outcast in the society of those days. In this case, these misguided shepherds committed a serious offense against the very God they claimed to serve. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is still going on today in some fundamentalist Christian churches that oppose divine healing and in many “discipleship and shepherding” ministries.
Jesus Births A New Breed Of
Hell-Resistant “Super-Sheep”
The things Jesus taught in the Gospels about shepherds and sheep was mostly from a “Pre-Pentecost” perspective because our Lord was speaking under a spiritual authority structure that existed before His crucifixion. In other words, Christ’s New Covenant hadn’t started yet. Jesus warned His disciples that He couldn’t tell them about many of the things that would begin to operate following His sacrificial death. Why? They wouldn’t be able to understand it without the indwelling Holy Spirit’s help – and the Holy Spirit hadn’t arrived yet.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-15)
On the day of Pentecost following the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ, something revolutionary occurred. Our Heavenly Father sent the Holy Spirit, also called “the Spirit of Christ”, to indwell Christian believers. Nothing like this had ever occurred before. The apostle Paul called these powerful indwelled people, “New Creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). All of a sudden, the “Chief Shepherd” Himself dwells on the inside of each and every true believer. This is not “symbolic” as some churches wrongly teach. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the description of the pastor where, “Sheep must have a shepherd because, by nature, sheep are helpless creatures” was certainly true. Why? In “Pre-Pentecost” times, people were truly helpless (and spiritually ignorant) without a knowledgeable shepherd to instruct, guide and protect them. Yet, the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell believers radically changed this condition. With the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, God’s sheep are no longer lost, powerless and helpless. With the “Chief Shepherd” dwelling inside them, they are now EMPOWERED by the same Holy Spirit that created the universe and everything in it. In other words, unlike their helpless condition that existed under the previous Old Covenant religious system, God’s New Covenant sheep are POWERFUL AND DIVINELY GUIDED FROM WITHIN. I know of one concerned pastor, who wrote a tract entitled, “God’s Sheep Aren’t Dumb” in order to dispel common misconceptions and abuses about modern-day “shepherding and discipleship” held by a majority of leaders in the Church. Speaking about the future arrival of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you AND WILL BE IN YOU." (John 14:16-17)
"Howbeit WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, IS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: FOR HE SHALL RECEIVE OF MINE, AND SHALL SHOW IT UNTO YOU. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you." (John 16:13-15)
"BUT YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Does this mean that shepherds are no longer necessary? Absolutely not. Shepherds are still needed today to care for and instruct new inexperienced believers in how to allow God to rule their lives under the New Covenant. However, their roles are now different for the following reasons. The “New Covenant of Christ” is a radical departure from the previous “Old Covenant” and requires a special kind of shepherd who is properly instructed in the “new and living way” that Jesus initiated through His own blood. An alarming number of shepherds today are improperly equipped to administer the New Covenant, while, at the same time, being highly educated in seminary. Many hurtful problems surface because some shepherds (and the seminaries that trained them) refuse to acknowledge the change that our Heavenly Father made at Pentecost because it negatively impacts their authority and religious traditions. This is one reason they go to extraordinary lengths to restrict God’s flock to the powerless condition that existed under the previous religious system of the Old Testament. If God’s sheep are fooled into believing they are still helpless and powerless, they can be more easily intimidated and controlled. The suppression of this truth by modern-day shepherds is one of the main reasons the Church is losing its power and influence in the world today.
Many modern-day “shepherds” improperly draw their motivation from the idea that God’s sheep are still helpless, powerless, ignorant and lost without their superior knowledge and help. Most of them base their entire ministry and calling on this idea. Yet, the near dictatorial powers they exercised over the lives of God’s people under the previous Old Covenant religious system is greatly limited by God (but not totally removed) following the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Their previous dominant authority, which existed during the time before Christ’s crucifixion and the day of Pentecost, is now superseded by Christ’s superior and direct internal Lordship rule. When we confess “Jesus Christ is my Lord” -- this is what we are saying. A third party “mediator” between God and man (the sheep) is no longer required. Why? He rules directly from His position on the inside of us. Never allow anyone to tell you that this is either not true or that it's just "symbolic". This truth lies at the very heart of Christ's New Covenant. He spilled His blood to make this very thing possible. If you properly understand these Divine changes and its impact on old, deeply entrenched religious authority structures and traditions, you can also understand why there is a huge tidal wave of wrong and twisted Bible teaching washing over the Christian Church attempting to undermine and supress this remarkable truth. Once again, the opposition to the revelation of the indwelling Holy Spirit is NOT an insignificant “fringe” effort or movement. It is a MAINSTREAM influence within Christian Orthodoxy. When we consider the fierce opposition Jesus faced when He challenged the spiritual authority of the Scribes and Pharisees -- why does it surprise us when we see this same vicious battle continuing unabated today? The reason: Most Christians live in denial of the things Jesus warned us about because it disturbs our comfort zone and interferes with our desire to use the Church as a type of “social club”. This is one of the hidden areas where “wolves in sheep’s clothing” operate almost without opposition -- and few Christians take the time to educate themselves because they fail to discern (actually they don’t want to know) that anything is wrong. Jesus, Paul, Peter and John tell us in the New Testament about these radical and commonly rejected changes.
"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus..." (1 Timothy 2:5)
"And He (Jesus) said to them, 'This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many'." (Mark 14:24 -- Important: Also read Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 8:13)
"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as HE (JESUS CHRIST) IS ALSO MEDIATOR OF A BETTER COVENANT, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED ON BETTER PROMISES. For if that first covenant (The Old Covenant) had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:6)
"And for this reason HE (JESUS CHRIST) IS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, THAT THOSE WHO ARE CALLED MAY RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE ETERNAL INHERITANCE." (Hebrews 9:15)
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, TO JESUS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven...." (Hebrews 12:22-25)
"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, THAT GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. BUT GOD HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO US BY HIS SPIRIT: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? EVEN SO THE THINGS OF GOD KNOWETH NO MAN, BUT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED, NOT THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, BUT THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE FREELY GIVEN TO US OF GOD. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthian 2:9-14)
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: BECAUSE GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLETH IN YOU? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
(Peter instructs New Covenant shepherds) "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; NEITHER AS BEING LORDS OVER GOD'S HERITAGE, BUT BEING ENSAMPLES (EXAMPLES) TO THE FLOCK. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." (1 Peter 5:2-3)
"BUT THE ANOINTING WHICH YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM HIM (THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST) ABIDES IN YOU, AND YOU DO NOT NEED THAT ANYONE TEACH YOU; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." (1 John 2:27)
Jesus gave similar instructions to His disciples when referring to the changes that were coming concerning the use of His authority:
". . . Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. YET IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. AND WHOEVER OF YOU DESIRES TO BE FIRST SHALL BE SLAVE OF ALL. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10: 42-45)
Maintaining A Delicate And Healthy Balance
Because of the frailty and weakness of human nature, shepherds are still needed today to help feed the flock of God, instruct Christian believers in the New Covenant and to deal with overt sin in a congregation should it occur. But, under Christ’s New Covenant, God restricts most of this authority to “being an example to the flock” rather than exercising a dominating lordship-type of spiritual authority. Jesus prohibits His under-shepherds from using a dominant authority because it usurps His direct Lordship over the Christian believer, which He wants to keep totally unobstructed. USURPING THE LORDSHIP AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST IN A CHRISTIAN BELIEVER’S LIFE IS A MOST SERIOUS AND GRIEVOUS SIN. Any spiritual leader who attempts to redefine this role in order to shift the control of your life back over to them is not giving you the truth. Many modern-day spiritual leaders are guilty of this practice. Jesus will not “delegate” His Lordship authority to an “under-shepherd” except in rare and extraordinary situations. Why? When the Spirit of Christ lives inside you, He already has direct rule. Just think about it. It would be absurd to delegate authority to a lesser and imperfect outside authority under these conditions. An authentic New Covenant shepherd will always respect and yield to Christ’s direct rule over a Christian believer’s life.
However, there is another important side to all of this. The New Testament also teaches that it is proper for us to “willingly” submit ourselves to authentic spiritual authority in the Church when we discern that it’s the type Jesus allows them to practice. Yet, much of what’s called “spiritual, or ecclesiastical authority” in the Church today is actually the kind that Jesus condemns. Isn’t that strange? None of us are perfect. All of us are at different levels of spiritual maturity. We can fail to hear or even choose to ignore the instructions and guidance of the Spirit of Christ that lives in us. We can still make serious and hurtful errors in judgment. We can get blindsided by the deceitfulness of sin. For those reasons we still need helpful, loving and wise shepherds WHO ALIGN THEIR MINISTRY WITH CHRIST’S NEW COVENANT, keep watch over the Church, help equip believers for “the work of ministry” and maintain proper order in the public assembly. Obviously, there is a very delicate balance that must be maintained in our response to this authority. Our submission is “voluntary” and should never be coerced through manipulative fear tactics and intimidation, which are warning signs that the wrong kind of authority is in operation. Our submission to any shepherd must remain voluntary because, following Pentecost; the indwelling “Spirit of Christ” ALWAYS HAS “THE FINAL WORD” CONCERNING WHAT WE BELIEVE AND HOW WE SHOULD CONDUCT OUR LIVES. Why? Jesus Christ is now our only Lord, leaving no room for any other “lord”. Yet, we should be humble and teachable enough to yield to the insight of someone with greater wisdom and experience when we make mistakes or lack insight about a particular situation or decision.
A Common Misconception About Wolves
Both Jesus and the apostle Paul were addressing “wolves in sheep clothing” mainly (but not exclusively) from a “clergy-leadership” perspective. In other words, if you read their sayings carefully, Jesus and Paul were warning God’s flock about wolves that operate from some position or office of “spiritual authority” or from intimidating educational credentials. The Scribes and Pharisees refused to submit to Christ’s authority as the “Messiah of Israel”. They possessed the highest educational credentials and held the top levels of spiritual authority in Israel at that time. Generally, it was these religious men that both Jesus and John the Baptist referred to as “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. These highly educated religious leaders ultimately coerced the Roman ruler, Pontius Pilate, into crucifying Christ as a criminal because He challenged and threatened their ecclesiastical authority. Paul warned about certain “ministers of righteousness” that are actually stealth “undercover agents” sent by our enemy -- yet masquerade as “apostles of Christ” and evangelists preaching the gospel (Read Galatians 1:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 11:12-15). All of these represent high-level leadership “spiritual authority” positions in the Church. Well-meaning pastors and leaders write most “sheep and wolf” commentaries about individual church members who are lower-level “wolves in disguise”. We could call them “laity wolves”. One in particular mentioned the need to “manage” the wolves he found in his congregation, which is a correct response for any New Testament pastor dealing with those who are “real wolves”. He went on to say that all wolves have the same driving force behind them: They all want to be leaders and will seek to “take down” an existing pastor, minister or other church authority figure. He said that all wolves ultimately refuse to submit to leadership’s authority, which is valid -- ONLY IF THE AUTHORITY BEING RESISTED IS THE KIND THAT JESUS CHRIST ALLOWS YOU TO EXERCISE -- AND ALL YOUR OTHER FACTS ARE BIBLICALLY CORRECT.
An extensive amount of information is cited by most of these commentaries that clearly show the similarity between real wolves in the animal kingdom and “church wolves” in the spiritual world. Much of this information is insightful and very informative. Yet, almost none focus on the most dangerous and powerful kind of wolf that exists in the Christian Church -- the one that stands behind the pulpit and warns their flock about the other “wolves in church congregations”. These strategic “high level wolves” are not few in number -- and they are nearly impossible to deal with alone. Some have a popular following in the congregation that number in the hundreds, or even thousands of church members. When you tangle with one of these entrenched wolves, you also find yourself in a vicious fight with the “pack”, which is protecting its leader. When you discover this hidden and dangerous area of “Christian wolfism” that appears to look like a solid Christian Bible-believing ministry, you can begin to understand why both Jesus and Paul labeled it as evil. During one of His confrontations, Jesus told them to their face, that they were of their father, “the devil”. It was these “high level wolves” that drove the apostle Paul into such frustration that he actually pronounced a curse on them (Galatians 1:8-9). They were the same wolves that motivated both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, on several occasions, to give them a more descriptive name, such as “snakes and vipers” (Matt. 3:7, Matt. 12:34, Matt. 23:33). John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul were not necessarily warning about your average church member or “laity wolf”, which are the ones most commentaries focus on. Also, remember an often-ignored truth….all wolves use the Holy Scriptures as their authority -- just like authentic ministers of the Gospel. This greatly confuses an already confusing and dangerous situation.
Most of these commentaries have a frightening common element. The author generally assumes that the “spiritual authority” that the “wolves” refuse to submit to (It could be their own authority that’s being discussed) -- is the same kind of authority that Christ’s New Covenant allows them to possess and practice. These assumptions are not necessarily based on Biblical fact. In many cases, a lot of Scripture is cited to support the spiritual authority of a leader, which he or she insists comes from God Himself. Yet, upon a closer examination of their defense, we find they’re using Scripture that has been removed from its original Divine context. It’s important to know that Scripture has two components: The actual verse and the context that defines it. Paul referred to this characteristic when he instructed his disciple Timothy to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). When we remove a Scripture from its context and reinsert it into a religious context of our own design, what was once God’s Word unknowingly becomes a false religious doctrine of man that can lead many well-meaning people astray in their faith (Matt. 15:3-9). Both Jesus and Paul warned about this dangerous practice in the New Testament. In these tragic situations, the average church member has no idea of what’s going on and are fooled into defending the error of the pastor or minister from a perceived attack against his or her “godly authority” and “Biblical” message. The hidden piece of the puzzle is that their “Biblical message” could be unknowingly based on out-of-context Scripture -- and this often ignored fact changes the entire argument.
Wolves On Steroids
It was this very mechanism that set the stage for what history now records as “the Jonestown massacre”. It occurred when Reverend James Warren Jones, an American “Christian” pastor and preacher, got so off into Scriptural error that he (and his leadership team) carried out the murder (both forced and voluntary suicide) of his entire congregation -- over 900 men, women and children -- at a retreat camp in Guyana, South America known as “Jonestown”. It appears that no one within his congregation challenged his distorted Bible teaching before it got out of hand. Concerned about the lives of loved ones involved in the church, California Congressman Leo Ryan was urged to visit Jonestown to evaluate the situation. He was killed, along with several of his party, when he tried to leave early after sensing the danger. The mass suicides took place following Congressman Ryan’s shooting. This was “wolfism” on steroids. It is where the common saying, “don’t drink the kool-aid” came from. It occurred in 1978 and was an embarrassing and disastrous event for the worldwide Christian Church. In some ways, the Church has never recovered its credibility. Yet, here’s the truth about this story: The “Jonestown” church did not represent, in any way, Jesus Christ and His Church. It was a religious counterfeit that deceived over 900 people WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE FOLLOWING GOD. Their willing ignorance and blind faith in a false shepherd (wolf in sheep’s clothing) and his skewed Biblical doctrine cost them their lives and seriously damaged the credibility of the Gospel of Christ.
In this case, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” scored a direct nuclear hit on the Church of Jesus Christ. Why? Our enemy knows the unbelieving world can’t discern the difference. It underscores how dangerous “high level wolves” can be. A simple low-level “laity wolf” in the congregation would find it nearly impossible to pull off something of this magnitude. Obviously, this is a unique and extreme example that many Christians try to forget (or live in denial of). It’s one reason both Jesus and Paul gave such strong warnings that most modern-day Christians continue to ignore. Ministers and other church leaders don’t talk about it much because Reverend Jones was originally “one of them”. I would like to think, because of this horrible event, most wolves will never be allowed to go this far today. Yet, there are some abusive churches, denominations and popular movements that continue to “creep” in that general direction. This is why those of us who are in some form of “counter-cult” watchman ministry are strongly motivated to do what we do. As we get closer to the end of the age, many things performed in the name of Christ and His Kingdom are actually counterfeit and do not come from Jesus Christ or our Heavenly Father.
In a growing number of churches, refusing to submit to a leader’s “spiritual authority” does not necessarily make one a wolf. In this situation it may not be “wolfism” in operation at all -- it could be God’s Holy Spirit, who is trying to correct a disastrous situation where a leader (or an entire church leadership) has gone astray -- and the minister is using the considerable “power of the pulpit” to defend himself and his denomination. Also, contrary to popular teaching and opinion, God will use His people (leaders like to call them “the laity”) to accomplish this task. The believers that challenged the false authority of the apostles in the Church at Ephesus is one example. We should note that Jesus commended the bold actions of these individual believers against an “out of control” apostolic leadership. We also need to remember that “apostolic authority” is one of the highest in the Christian Church, which is why I believe the Lord Jesus used this example. Yet, some denominations make it a sin to challenge an “apostle”, who is commonly treated as the “infallible voice of God to the Church”. Isn’t that strange?
To the church of Ephesus, Jesus said, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. AND YOU HAVE TESTED THOSE WHO SAY THEY ARE APOSTLES AND ARE NOT, AND FOUND THEM TO BE LIARS . . ." (Revelations 2:2)
Sometimes, the authority of a leader is questioned because it is derived from Scripture that has been removed from the context where God placed it and used to further a personal “ministry building” agenda that God did not approve. This common practice usually results in preaching a distorted Biblical message, while the teaching maintains the appearance of being truth from God’s Word. When this is properly discerned, a few outspoken truth-seeking Christians (it’s likely only one or two) from the congregation start sounding the alarm, which should begin as constructive, one-on-one dialogue with the leader. (Note: we’re taking the position that the alarm or objection is valid in this situation) This dialogue or disagreement is usually not viewed as “constructive”, but as a threat -- and things deteriorate in a downward spiral from this point. I’ve seen wrecked lives and whole families blown apart in the aftermath. In these emotional situations, the most common defense used by a spiritual leader is to label the dissenters as “divisive”, “wolves in sheep clothing”, or failing to “walk in love”. Why? The leader is convinced his or her calling, authority and teaching is “Divinely approved” -- and dissenters are obviously challenging God’s authority (meaning theirs). Strange isn’t it? This can be very dangerous and emotionally disturbing territory that rarely ends well. Unfortunately, the response is a classic defensive strategy used by the leaders in abusive Christian movements, churches that preach a false legalistic gospel (Paul called it “a different gospel”), and all religious cults. They use it for two reasons. First, for the casual observer, it seems to be based on Biblical truth (yet it’s actually only “half-truths” because of context abuse) -- Second, IT WORKS AGAINST A MAJORITY OF INEXPERIENCED CHRISTIANS WHO FAIL TO LEARN THE TACTICS OF THEIR ENEMY.
In the military and specifically in times of war, spies are always active on both sides. We call this practice “espionage”, where one side tries to learn secrets from the other that gives them a tactical advantage. In this area of warfare, we quickly get into “spies that spy on other spies”, double agents and other forms of nested “counter-espionage” mechanisms. All of this gets very confusing for the average person. Yet, many times, a “spiritual version” of this practice operates within Christian Orthodoxy. If we ignore this area, we’re making a potentially deadly mistake. When stealth “high-level wolves” start warning us about the other “wolves” in the congregation who are causing disharmony, we need to be very careful and cautious. In situations like this, I would normally be persuaded that the pastor is on the right side of the issue. However, things are not always the way they appear, especially when “the power of the pulpit” is used and a personal ministry is being called into question. You can never assume the person behind the pulpit is always right because they are a good, loving and caring person, who teaches the Bible and would never mislead you. Making this common assumption is comforting to most of us, but can be spiritually deadly. There are hidden political forces and influences, personal ministry ambitions and financial issues at work behind the scenes.
Yes, there are individual “professing Christians” who are real “wolves in sheep clothing” in church congregations that can cause havoc in a fellowship and attempt to undermine a good pastor or minister. This is a common ongoing problem that all church leaders face at some point in their ministry. These people must be strongly dealt with, as one pastor explained. Yet, both Jesus and Paul indicated it was the “high level wolves” cloaked in a leadership position that claims to possess “Divine authority” that are of greatest concern. Why? Their popular and misleading Bible teaching carries all sorts of unintended eternal consequences.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: WHOM RESIST STEDFAST IN THE FAITH, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Two Red Flags
Some readers ask, “Give me something to go on here -- there’s got to be some outward signs that can warn new believers about potential danger.”
Unfortunately, trying to give the reader this kind of information is like trying to tell someone how to identify well made counterfeit money in 500 words or less. In the end, there’s really only one defense. First, you have to pay close attention to the sober warning of the apostle Paul in the New Testament -- that there are two types of “Jesus” found within its pages...the real Jesus and His New Covenant Gospel -- AND a counterfeit Jesus and his “look-alike” gospel message that comes from those who appear to be “ministers of righteousness”. Both are recorded for our instruction in the Bible. If you successfully understand these things, you must get to know the real Jesus so well that you immediately recognize the counterfeit when it shows up, no matter how good and righteous it looks. If it were easy, then Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul and Peter wasted their time and emotional energy being so concerned. Remember that Paul warned the Church, night and day, in tears, over these things. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Paul was just being “too emotional”. This meant he was “crying and weeping real tears” out of concern and anguish for the believer’s spiritual well being because he understood the extreme danger.
It’s the hidden, stealth and counterfeit characteristics of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” -- coupled with the reckless tendency Christians have to “believe the best” and cling to anything that has Scripture connected to it, regardless of context abuse, that make these things so difficult to deal with. I can give two major “red warning flags” to look for. Remember that these are only “warning flags”. They are not to be used irrationally or impulsively against any pastor or church leader that seems to fit the mold. They are only to be used as an indication that a closer evaluation of the ministry in question is required. Attending what you consider to be a “Bible-believing church” with a gentle and loving pastor is not enough to go on in these cases. The flags will manifest in various different ways because high-level wolves are educated and skilled in the art of persuasive speech. They evaluate their audience and always know how to “modify the message” in order to get the right response.
Warning Flag #1: Pay close attention to how spiritual authority is used in the ministry.
High-level wolves and other types of church leadership that use improper spiritual authority attempt to gain a dominant form of influence over your life, resources and finances. You might hear some say that they must have this power in order to bring about your full Christian maturity -- meaning that if you don’t submit to their authority, God’s perfect will can never be realized in your life. In extreme cases, some leaders go as far to suggest that you could lose eternal life if you don’t submit to their instruction. You may hear it said directly (or subtly suggested) that resisting their authority is the same as resisting God’s authority. Instead of viewing themselves in the role as a “living example” and a caretaker/teacher of God’s flock -- with the Spirit of Christ dwelling inside each Christian believer in primary control as Lord -- they see the flock (congregation) as their own personal possession -- with themselves as a type of “chief shepherd” and “lord”. This is generally an Old Testament “shepherding” model that existed before the cross -- and denies the authority of the indwelling Christ that now operates under the New Covenant. In this popular Old Testament model, Jesus is effectively dethroned as Lord and reduced to little more than a figurehead where your obedience to an under-shepherd’s authority becomes “the proof” that Jesus is really Lord of your life.
While looking good and sounding “Scriptural” on the surface, this is a total perversion of the New Covenant authority of Christ and is commonplace in the worldwide Christian Church. You may never hear it stated this bluntly in public, but it will be evident in what the leader does and how they relate to the congregation. This is why Peter specifically used the words, “….neither as being lords over God’s heritage” when he warns shepherds against using this kind of authority (1 Peter 5:2-3). The shepherds that use improper authority believe that allowing the indwelling Spirit of Christ to hold the supreme Lordship position in a Christian believer’s life (and also in the church congregation itself) is far too “subjective”. It gives too much control to the individual believer and interferes with the leader’s personal agenda to mold such a person or group THE WAY THEY WANT. In other words, allowing the Spirit of Christ to have primary control can restrict or even stop their personal “kingdom-building” agenda -- an agenda that may be contrary to what the Lord Jesus Christ wants to do with that particular congregation. We must remember that ultimately Jesus is Lord and Head of His Church -- not a pastor, minister, apostle, priest or pope. These “behind the scenes” motivations and influences for a leader to practice improper authority has the power to transform any loving, well-meaning spiritual leader into a high-level wolf over time. In these types of situations they always end up “usurping” the indwelling Lordship authority of Christ in a believer’s life, diverting this authority to themselves using countless different strategies and mechanisms that are designed to intimidate and create fear. Again, this practice always appears to be based on the “authority of Scripture” and is practiced for the spiritual well being of the sheep. Yet, the Scripture being used is subtly and skillfully removed from its Divine context, which easily goes unnoticed by the average church member.
Scriptures like Hebrews 13:17 will almost always be used to defend improper spiritual authority.
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (KJV)
When we hear this Scripture (and a few others like it) used to promote a leader’s office or position, we must immediately ask the question: Are they using the kind of authority that Jesus approves of? Why is this question important? Christian believers are under no obligation to obey improper spiritual authority that illegally usurps the Lordship of Christ. This Scripture assumes that “those that have the rule over you” are using the right kind of authority. Yet, the majority of ecclesiastical authority in the worldwide Christian Church fails this test. Also, a close examination of the context of this verse reveals that it is aimed at a certain group of people and used for a specific reason. It is not some sort of “universal mandate” that compels the Christian believer to obey just any leader, regardless of their message, doctrine or belief. Personal discernment in the kind of authority and doctrine being used by leadership must always accompany Hebrews 13:17.
We address this issue in a separate article found at:
The Truth About Hebrews 13:17
We also want to include the following articles that expose the problem of abusive authority in two popular "cult-like" movements. Lawrence Pile writes the first article as a professional counselor from Wellspring Retreat And Resource Center. Several years ago, Lawrence wrote this very comprehensive analysis of the abuses of the Discipleship and Shepherding movement. He counsels people who were emotionally harmed by these practices and speaks from experience. Since I have a similar background in the same movement, I can affirm that what he describes is factual and accurate. His commentary provides the reader with more insight into the insidious way this influence operates within some denominations, churches, ministries and movements as a false expression of "God's authority".
The Other Side Of Discipleship
The second article is provided by The Watchman Expositor about the changes taking place in what was originally known as the "Armstrong Church of God". Following the death of its leader, Hebert W. Armstrong, the movement changed its name to "The Worldwide Church of God". Originally, many within Orthodox Christianity labeled the Armstrong Church as a dangerous cult because of its extra-Biblical, Old Testament oriented teachings and extreme authority practices. However, the new leadership decided to change direction and come more in line with the New Testament. Their decision to make a change of this magnitude is certainly admirable. However, despite these efforts, a lot of the old problems and errors still linger in the closet. Some "watchers" estimate that nearly half of the original membership left the church, protesting these changes. They started various new splinter groups that still keep the old Armstrongian doctrines and practices. For this reason, the original error of the movement still exists under many different "Christian-sounding" names. If you encounter another believer with an extreme and dogmatic legalistic view of the Bible (salvation by works), you could, unknowingly, be speaking to a member of one of these Armstrongian splinter groups that appears to be a normal Christian church.
The Worldwide Church Of God: Are We There Yet?
Why do we include this information in our commentary? Nearly all churches and ministries that misuse
spiritual authority or exhibit certain levels of cultic behavior practice similar methods of Bible interpretation, which always involve removing Scriptures and verses from their intended context in order to intimidate (and dominate) church members. I believe these two articles expose common characteristics and should not be viewed as something unique to either one of these popular movements. When you study both the Discipleship/Shepherding and the Armstrong Church of God movements (and many others), you discover the similar way they exercise authority. The misuse of spiritual authority is currently at an epidemic stage within the Church. Many different churches and ministries throughout America and the world that seek to control the lives of their members practice it. Yet, Jesus warned His disciples about the misuse of His authority when He said, "It shall not be so among you." (Mark 10:41-45)
Note: Our inclusion of offsite links and articles should not be understood as complete agreement with all beliefs of the author, who also may not agree with everything we teach.
Warning Flag #2: Is one of the many variations of the “Galatian Error” being taught in your church?
As most readers know, the Bible is divided into two sections called the Old Testament and the New Testament. Many Christians are taught to view and interpret the Bible as “one book” with only “one message”. Yet, the Bible itself says that this mindset is incorrect. The Bible tells us that it is a “divided book”. It is generally divided into two major covenants known as Israel’s “Old Covenant” and “Christ’s New Covenant”. These major covenants are radically different and can never be merged, or mixed together. The apostle Paul warned his disciple Timothy, that if he wanted to properly teach the truth, he had to “rightly (or correctly) divide God’s Word” (2 Timothy 2:15).
The "Galatian error" is a difficult-to-detect false theology that was responsible for deceiving the entire Galatian church of the first century. It upset the apostle Paul so much that he wrote an entire epistle to address the danger. Unfortunately, it continued to spread to all the churches under his care despite his efforts. This false theology is presented as fundamental Bible teaching that fails to respect the context barriers that God placed within His Word. Both Catholic and Protestant denominations teach its principles as foundational doctrine today. Yet, nearly all Christian leaders will deny that their ministry is affected or involved. It is so dangerous that it could be said that, almost no young or inexperienced Christian believer can discern the difference between the Galatian error and authentic New Testament Bible teaching. Since learning about this practice, I continue to be alarmed when I see how much of the modern church is dominated by this doctrine. Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians with the following rebuke, which gives us a glipse into the problem:
"I marvel THAT YOU ARE TURNING AWAY SO SOON FROM HIM WHO CALLED YOU IN THE GRACE OF CHRIST, TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-9)
On down in that same chapter Paul says,
"FOR YOU HAVE HEARD OF MY FORMER CONDUCT IN JUDAISM, HOW I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD BEYOND MEASURE AND TRIED TO DESTROY IT." (Galatians 1:13)
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:1-2)
The Old Covenant contains the rules and principles of Judaism, which is the ancient religion of Israel. That means nearly 75 per cent of our Bible provides detailed instructions for every area of life under Jewish religion. This large body of Scripture runs from the book of Genesis all the way into the New Testament book of Acts. Paul made an important statment that most readers miss -- that while he was serving Judaism, HE PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD BEYOND MEASURE AND TRIED TO DESTROY IT. Did you catch that? Do you wonder why he said this? In Acts chapter 22, Paul gives a brief history of his life. He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the highest ranking and most respected Pharisee within Judaism at that time. He went on to tell us how he was "zealous toward God" and "persecuted this Way (Christ's New Covenant Church) to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women." In other words, Christian believers were put to death at Paul's command. Yet, he wasn't persecuting Christians to satisfy some kind of personal bias or perverted emotional need. His actions did not violate the law at that time. He was a religous zealot who took his faith so serious that he conducted his campaign of terror as a pharisee to satisfy the principles of his religion (Judaism). It was the same religious fervor that motivated the pharisees, years earlier, to have Christ tried and executed as a criminal. Paul was so good at his task that he was given special papers and authorization from the leadership in order to make his actions "legal and official". If the title "Mr. Judaism" could be applied to anyone, it would be Paul.
Now, here's the amazing part. Jesus looked down from heaven and said, "I choose this man to be the chief apostle to ovesee My Church". One day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus revealed Himself to Paul, effectively destroying everything he had placed his faith in. In an instant, Paul's whole life came crashing down in a heap of rubble as this "pharisee of pharisees" confessed Jesus as Lord. Paul reveals that after his conversion believers started to talk and say....
"He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy. And they glorified God in me." (Galatians 1:23-24)
Why are we providing this background on Paul? Because when you understand where he came from and why he did what he did, you will understand why the Galatian error is so dangerous.
Few Christians understand that the religion of Judaism is, by its very nature, contrary and viciously opposed to the principles that Christ's Church is built upon. Why? The Church is established on the unmerited (freely given) favor of God's Grace -- and Judaism is established on achieving God's favor through obedience to its Law and Commandments. These two systems of belief can never be mixed for that reason. JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD ESTABLISHED A NEW COVENANT BASED ON THE GRACE OF GOD AT HIS CRUCIFIXION. That means the Church that Jesus Christ is building is based on the principles of Grace, which will always run contrary to the Law-based religion of Judaism. ALWAYS! This is why Paul's rebuke to the Galatian Church when he said, "I marvel THAT YOU ARE TURNING AWAY SO SOON FROM HIM WHO CALLED YOU IN THE GRACE OF CHRIST, TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL...." is such an important clue to the nature of the false theology that threatens the church today.
We are currently under the governing principles of Christ's New Covenant -- and not the Old Covenant under Judaism. It’s really very easy to understand. When Jesus uses the word “new” to describe His covenant and spiritual government, He really does mean that it’s, well....NEW. The word "NEW" means it replaces something that existed previously. "New" does not mean an "extension of the old" or "the same as the old". "New" means "different from the old". The New Testament book of Hebrews puts it this way:
"Therefore, brethren, HAVING BOLDNESS TO ENTER THE HOLIEST BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS, BY A NEW AND LIVING WAY WHICH HE (JESUS) CONSECRATED FOR US, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:19-23)
When most of us read a newpaper, magazine or any other book, this principle of change would be automatically understood, almost without any special thought or effort. However, when we add false religious tradition and denominational thinking into our study of the Bible, we can easily get off into skewed and twisted interpretations that convince us that we have the truth, when, in reality, our conclusions are wrong. In his epistles to the Church, the apostle Paul begins to warn us about a major problem where a respected group of Jewish evangelists entered a church he established and instructed the new inexperienced believers in “another Jesus and a different gospel”. This "other Jesus and different gospel" was one mixed with the tenants of Judasim, much like it is today. We mentioned this problem earlier and repeat it in other commentaries and articles on our website at great length. Some Bible scholars refer to this “different gospel” as “the Galatian Error” because the Galatian Church was the first congregation to be totally seduced by this counterfeit teaching. Paul spent considerable time addressing this troubling influence that quickly spread like a virus throughout the newly established Christian Church of the first century. It is popular and mainstream today. Simply understood, the Galatian error is mixing the laws and practices of Old Covenant Judaism into the New Covenant of Christ. Some preachers involved in this error today teach that Christ’s New Covenant is just an extension of the Old; a teaching that is false and very misleading. Others call it “preaching the whole Word of God” or “Biblical Christianity”. All of these tactics and misleading labels can take advantage of a congregation’s ignorance of Scriptural context.
Eternal life provided under Christ’s New Covenant has two extremely important characteristics that did not exist under Old Testament Judaism.
CHARACTERISTIC #1: God gives eternal life as an unmerited gift based only upon the confession of a person's faith in Christ. This gift carries a very simple requirement outlined in Romans 10:8-13 and is so easy that anyone, even a young child, can satisfy it. God designed it that way because it's His gift to us.
"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED." (Romans 10:8-13)
CHARACTERISTIC #2: Next, upon believing the Gospel of Christ and receiving the gift of eternal life, God “seals” you with His Holy Spirit until the day of redemption arrives (The Second Coming of Christ). This “sealing” is God’s guarantee to us that His promise of eternal life cannot be lost. Notice that He clearly calls this sealing “a guarantee” and then goes on to tell you what the guarantee actually is. Contrary to some very popular religious teaching, the Scripture says that once God gives us a gift, He doesn’t take it back -- as clearly documented in numerous Scriptures.
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, YOU WERE SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE, WHO IS THE GUARANTEE OF OUR INHERITANCE until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30)
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you AND WILL BE IN YOU." (John 14:16-17)
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 5:5)
"But this Man (Jesus), AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HAS PERFECTED FOREVER THOSE WHO ARE BEING SANCTIFIED." (Hebrews 10:12-14)
NOTE: READ THE FOLLOWING 3 SCRIPTURES CAREFULLY -- EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW THEM.
"For the wages of sin is death, but THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD." (Romans 6:23)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"FOR GOD'S GIFTS AND HIS CALL ARE IRREVOCABLE. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]" (Romans 11:29 Amplified Bible)
"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." (2 Cor. 5:18-21)
These Scriptures show us that the salvation of the Christian believer under Christ’s New Covenant is extremely secure because it carries the personal “guarantee” of God Himself. This kind of Divinely "guaranteed security" did not exist under the Old Covenant system, which is another reason “wolves in sheep clothing” always seek to mix the old system into the new in an attempt to “invalidate” this Divine guarantee. Millions of Christian believers are currently entrapped in the clever deception of the Galatian error through the teaching of false shepherds.
All high-level wolves and religious leaders that practice improper spiritual authority operate in some variation and strategy of the Galatian error, which travels under countless different good sounding names and fundamental denominational doctrines. Similar to Paul's previous authority as a pharisee under Judaism (before he was called by Christ), wolves MUST have the dominant influence and power provided by the laws and principles of Judaism in order to carry out their agenda. They secretly believe that God’s Grace found in the New Covenant gives the Christian too much freedom -- and this Grace MUST be minimized, played down, redefined or even done away with entirely. This is why they MUST illegally mix the laws and principles of Old Testament Judaism into Christ’s New Covenant Gospel. This is why you hear so many of them commonly use demeaning terms like “greasy grace” and “easy believism” as cliché’s and catch phrases in their Bible teaching. The gospel they preach sounds Scripturally solid and correct to the average church member, but is actually a counterfeit message that also produces a dangerous form of “counterfeit faith in Christ”, which carries all sorts of unintended eternal consequences. THIS IS WHY PAUL STERNLY WARNED THE CHURCH TO CONSTANTLY TEST AND EVALUATE THEMSELVES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY WERE WALKING IN THE TRUE FAITH OF CHRIST, OR THE HARD TO RECOGNIZE COUNTERFEIT (2 Corinthians 13:5). Almost no Christian takes this warning serious today.
This very convincing counterfeit element in the worldwide Christian Church seeks to redefine Christ's "forever" sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12-14) so that sin and the fear of losing eternal life continues to hang over our heads -- just as it did under the previous system of Old Testament Judaism. The unfortunate believers in these churches will viciously fight you to remain under this kind of spiritual bondage. Isn’t that strange? Under this "different gospel", the "forever" characteristic of Christ's sacrifice is removed and the entire New Covenant of Christ is redefined. Under this "modified" gospel, if we sin, eternal life can be lost until we sincerely repent -- and this cycle of fear and bondage repeats for the rest of your life. Under this “modified gospel” God’s “guarantee of eternal life” (Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 2 Corinthians 5:5) is subtly removed and rejected because the false religious agenda operating behind the scenes cannot succeed if it remains in force. The preachers of this popular evangelistic message fail to tell us that they have made Jesus Christ, as "The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1;29), nonsensical. Why? Under their "gospel", the sin Jesus was suppose to take away remains to condemn us as long as we live. In other words, the "Jesus" they preach (Paul referred to him as “another Jesus”) failed to complete the work to secure God's plan of redemption. Under this kind of religion, you can never know if you've "repented" enough (or lived holy enough) to keep eternal life and its blessings.
The Galatian Error’s Influence
On End Times Teaching
In churches that teach about “end times” prophecy, the subject of the “rapture” will eventually be taught. However, when the "Galatian error" is involved, the rapture of the Church, which is also called “the blessed hope of the believer” (Titus 2:13), is changed from a blessing into a nightmare. In this unfortunate situation, the rapture is redefined as “a reward for Christian service”. The congregation is told that only those Christians that live up to some unspecified level of “holiness” would experience the “reward” of the rapture. They are warned, “not all Christians leave in the rapture”. Put another way, if you don’t perform enough good works, God will leave you behind to suffer the purifying judgments of the soon to come “Tribulation” period. Some very popular preachers and televangelists openly take this position, wrongly thinking they are simply motivating God's people to live holy lives for Christ. However, what they are really doing is preaching a false gospel and telling lies about Jesus and His redemption. Yet, this is a common teaching in the Church. We can’t begin to imagine the damage this does to the faith of the believer.
Here's a good supplemental commentary by Jack Kelly from the
website "Grace Through Faith" that gives more insight on this
popular false teaching that has upset the faith of many believers.
Note: Our inclusion of these hyper-links should not be understood as complete
agreement with all beliefs of the author, who also may not
agree with everything we teach.
Left Behind For Bad Behavior
Some additional information may also be obtained from these
important articles and commentaries.
The Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
By Thomas Ice
64 Reasons The Rapture Of The Church Is Not
The Second Coming Of Christ
By Tyndale Seminary
Why Do Some Teach that the Church Will
Endure The Tribulation?
By Grant Jeffrey
There are many different teachings that attempt to discredit the New Testament "rapture of the Church". During a Christian conference, I was shocked when one respected Bible teacher shouted to the congregation, "Don't expect the rapture, it's never going to happen!" Some preachers either make fun of it (the Bible calls it "scoffing") or claim that it’s some kind of recent "false doctrine". They will tell you that the word “rapture” isn't in the Bible. But, what they fail to tell you that there is a foundational Greek word in the original manuscripts from which our English Bible was translated that means the same thing. We use the English word “rapture” or a “catching away” to convey the meaning of this root word. Also, they fail to mention that Paul called this event “a mystery” and teaches the subject in his epistles to the Church. We should know all the different clever teaching strategies preachers use against this truth. But, if you hear the rapture described in various ways as a “reward for Christian service” or a “reward for holy living”, it is a major warning sign that should not be ignored or glossed over. This is not just another form of “fear manipulation” or some harmless encouragement to live a good and righteous life. It is a dangerous and popular "cloaked denial" that Jesus provided a complete salvation and permanently took away all the sin of His believing people. In the New Testament, the rapture represents the “completion and fulfillment of our salvation” -- a salvation that Jesus provides ALL true believers in the Church as the unmerited gift of God, which was completely paid for by His redeeming blood. CHRIST'S SALVATION, WHICH INCLUDES THE RAPTURE, NEVER HAS TO BE PAID FOR AGAIN. It can never be a reward for Christian performance, service or holy living -- even though these are good things to aim for in life. When the apostle Paul taught the Corinthian Church about the changes to occur at the rapture, he gave us some important insights. Remember that Paul considered the Corinthian believers as some of the most “carnal” under his care (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). The word carnal means “worldly”, disobedient and deficient in good works. However, he said that ALL of the believers in Christ in the Church -- not just those who lived the most holy lives -- but, ALL would receive the blessing of this “change and catching away”. It’s no accident that Paul made this statement to probably the “least holy” and most problematic of all the churches he cared for.
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, BUT WE SHALL ALL BE CHANGED -- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:50-53)
Beware Of The End Times Theology Of Fear
Recently, a popular televangelist was speaking about the rapture of the Church and telling his congregation of several thousand members, “It’s coming, It’s coming!” He correctly pointed out that the Church is not only corrupted by all sorts of false teaching, but also filled with those who secretly practice sinful lifestyles. I happen to share his concern and burden about this serious problem. However, he then spent the next 10-15 minutes warning that the rapture won’t include “a dirty church” and began emphasizing the need for us to “purge ourselves of sin” if we wanted to be included in the rapture, which is about to happen. Like so many preachers, his desire to persuade Christians to turn away from sin is sincere and noble, but his doctrine is dangerously misleading and can cause believers to go astray from the faith of Christ. Repeatedly, we’ve warned that this kind of theology has its roots in a dangerous variant of the “Galatian error” and the preacher spoken of here is probably unaware of the spiritual consequences he’s setting into motion. Another name for this kind of end time message is “partial rapture” theology where he warns that some authentic Christians will be “left behind” because they failed to be “holy enough” -- or failed to “repent enough” -- or failed to perform enough good works. In other words, Jesus and His blood, acting in the role of “The Lamb of God”, didn’t fully accomplish its task of “taking away the sin of the world” as the New Testament teaches.
His congregation must now ask the all-important question, “How will I know when I’ve “purged myself” of sin enough to qualify? How many hours of praying and weeping in repentance at the alter will it take to achieve enough holiness to be counted worthy to participate in the rapture? How many good works must I do? Most of us fail to realize that one or two “missed or overlooked sins”, regardless of how small or insignificant they seem, are enough to condemn anyone as being too “dirty” for the rapture. Paul warned that the unrighteous couldn’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Those who preach the popular “partial rapture” doctrine never address this question because it would expose the error behind their theology. Instead of answering the question, most of these preachers (and there are many) deliberately leave it unanswered, which keeps their congregation in a confused state of panic and fear BY DESIGN. This is the kind of doctrine the apostle Paul condemned all through his epistles to the Church because of the religious bondage it creates (Galatians 2:4-5). Paul warned the Church to stay away from those that teach such things. Yet, this teaching is popping up everywhere in the worldwide Christian Church.
The correct answer is that God requires ALL SIN to be purged in order to be qualified as “clean enough [worthy enough] for the rapture” – AND YOU CAN NEVER, BY PURGING YOURSELF, ACHIEVE HIS LEVEL OF PERFECTION. Thinking that you can perfectly “purge yourself” of all sin is a dangerous form of religious delusion that many well meaning church-going people unknowingly practice. Yes ….we should make every attempt to turn away from all known sin in our lives -- and some of us are more successful at this task than others. But, it’s humanly impossible to PERFECTLY purge yourself of ALL SIN, which would seem to leave us in a hopeless condition. BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS! Jesus and His blood have already perfectly purged everyone, who has placed their faith in Him, of ALL SIN. For the Christian believer, this blessing is called “justification”. It is a condition where God takes a sinner (someone “dirtied and defiled” by sin) AND FREELY IMPUTES CHRIST’S “SINLESS PERFECTION” UPON THEIR LIFE, even though they do not and cannot, in reality, possess this kind of perfection for themselves. Justification, where God treats you as if you had no sin, is given freely to all believers in Christ regardless of how deficient they are of good works. In the natural, all Christian believers continue to have various different levels of sin that, unfortunately, will continue the rest of their lives. The Bible is correct to point out that, “….all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This natural tendency to sin does not somehow “disappear” when we become a Christian. IN THE NATURAL, SOME SIN WILL ALWAYS REMAIN -- and some may be the “habitual” kind of sin. Yet, Christ’s justification completely overrides (blocks and covers up) this natural human sin condition and superimposes (the Bible uses the word “imputes”) His sinless perfection upon our lives. Our Heavenly Father does all of this according to GRACE, or “unmerited favor”. This means that God gives the believer something that he or she is not worthy of and does not deserve. It means that God will never relate with you according to the level of sin you naturally possess. He will always treat you as “freely justified” -- or if you had never sinned. God applies this treatment to all of your sin – past, present and future. He will always treat you as if you possessed the very "sinlessness of Christ". Few Christians today properly understand the New Covenant meaning of “justification”.
"....for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS, whom God set forth as a propitiation BY HIS BLOOD, THROUGH FAITH, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS." (Romans 3:23-26)
"For He made Him (Jesus) WHO KNEW NO SIN TO BE SIN FOR US, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. BUT YOU WERE WASHED, BUT YOU WERE SANCTIFIED, BUT YOU WERE JUSTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Two Misunderstood Aspects Of Sin
The Legal Aspect:
The most serious mistake the Christian believer makes in their interpretation of the New Testament can be seen in the two different ways God deals with sin under Christ’s New Covenant. As we have said many times, Jesus Christ, acting as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, LEGALLY removes (or takes away) all eternal consequences of EVERY ONE OF OUR SINS (past, present and future) WITHOUT EXCEPTION. If The Lamb of God didn’t completely take away our sins, as Saint John said, then God lied about it. Christ’s sacrifice as “The Lamb of God” is so sufficient and so powerful that God declares us “freely justified”, meaning that He now treats all Christian believers as if they had never sinned (pay special attention to the word “freely” -- Romans 3:24-26). This LEGALLY BINDING act by our Lord Jesus Christ provides all the purification from sin necessary to guarantee our eternal salvation from hell AND our place in the soon-to-occur rapture of the Church. Again, it is important to expose a very popular lie that is taught in many churches today -- that the rapture is reserved only for those who attain to some “high level of Christian performance”. However, the rapture CAN NEVER BE a reward for Christian service or sinless living. The rapture is THE COMPLETION of our blood bought salvation and falls under “eternal life, which is given as the gift of God” under the New Covenant (Romans 6:23 -- also read Mark 14:24, Matthew 26:28, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 8:6 Hebrews 8:13, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 12:22-25, Hebrews 10:19-23). ETERNAL LIFE AND OUR PLACE IN THE RAPTURE THAT IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO IT ARE TWO PARTS OF THE SAME SALVATION PACKAGE THAT JESUS CHRIST PAID FOR WITH HIS OWN BLOOD.
The Personal Aspect:
As many are quick (and correct) to point out, it is improper for any believer to continue living in sin just because Christ has taken it away. Not only is this practice a “bad advertisement” for the Gospel and the Christian Church, but it’s also harmful to the life of the Christian believer and sends the wrong message to a watching unbelieving world. Christ has forever dealt with the eternal consequences of our sin. Yet, it is our responsibility to “purify (or turn away)”ourselves from sin in our personal life. God cannot do this for us. HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER TREATS THESE TWO SPHERES OF SIN DIFFERENTLY. The “legal sphere of sin” that Christ’s sacrifice dealt with continues to remain in force REGARDLESS OF HOW SUCCESSFUL (OR UNSUCCESSFUL) WE ARE AT TURNING AWAY FROM SIN IN OUR PERSONAL LIFE because it is a “pre-paid” blood bought benefit (or gift). However, God does expect us to make the effort of “turning away from sin” and each of us will have a different measure of success. Those that Saint Paul labeled as “Carnal Christians”, unfortunately, have little success. Yet, carnal Christians possess the same “free justification” from sin as the rest of the Church. This is why it is impossible for Christ to have what some call a “dirty or sin-soiled” Church. The New Covenant declares that all of Christ’s Church is “freely justified” by His blood -- including those with questionable behavior. This fact secretly angers many religious people and their leaders who labor tirelessly to redefine the Gospel of Christ.
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. AND EVERYONE WHO HAS THIS HOPE IN HIM PURIFIES HIMSELF, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)
The testimony of our personal life sets us apart as being a “child of God” and directly reflects back on our Lord Jesus Christ. It is inconsistent for any of God’s Children to continue in the sin that Christ died to “take away” (Romans 6:1-4). Also, it is important to recognize that our efforts at “self-purification” from sin in our personal life WILL ALWAYS BE LIMITED AND IMPERFECT AND CAN NEVER ADD OR CONTRIBUTE ANY EXTRA RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE PERFECT AND LEGAL ASPECT OF CHRIST’S SACRIFICE AS “THE LAMB OF GOD” FOR OUR SINS. (Romans 4:5-8, Romans 3:24-26, Titus 3:5-7)
Grievous Error That Denies Christ’s Redemption
Those that attack the New Covenant Grace of Christ and the sufficiency of His blood ILLEGALLY MERGE THE LEGAL AND THE PERSONAL ASPECTS TOGETHER IN THEIR REDEFINED GOSPEL MESSAGE. This common, yet perverted gospel, as Saint Paul calls it ( Read Galatians 1:6-9), subtly makes God’s free gift of eternal life dependent upon our efforts (or our works and religious performance) to purify or clean up our personal life from sin. Under these conditions God’s “free gift” becomes nonsensical. Peter refers to these teachings as “damnable heresies” (Read 2 Peter 2:1-2 ). These popular forms of toxic religious doctrine is why many well-meaning evangelists and preachers wrongly teach that some “authentically saved Christians” will be left behind at the rapture to be purified by the horrible trials of the Tribulation period because they failed to successfully “purify themselves” from sin. This is a demonic doctrine (Scripture calls it a “doctrine of demons”) that most Christians and their leaders fail to properly discern. It has a demonic source (comes from our enemy and not from God) because it’s a cloaked attack designed to neutralize and destroy the “free justification” (Romans 3:24-26) aspect of Christ’s blood, while appearing, on the surface, to be the true words of God. It is having this false appearance of something God is speaking (by using Scripture that is “lifted” from its context) that caused Peter to label these teachings as "damnable heresies that deny the Lord who bought (redeemed) us".
Again, the reader should not view this as some “fringe movement” in the Christian Church. It’s a mainstream effort that uses out-of-context Scripture to defend its beliefs. Many Christians are deceived by this theology, thinking they have the true teachings of Scripture. As we said before, this is the common practice of those who not only teach the popular “Galatian error” form of Christian theology that now permeates the world-wide Christian Church, but also of those who teach various forms of the end times “partial rapture” doctrine. It continues to frighten me as to how many popular denominations and movements embrace these forms of works-based “conditional salvation” doctrines -- and boldly preach them in their services as “The Word of God”. Like so many teachings in the modern Church, both of these aberrant doctrines are interconnected and lead many of God’s people astray in their faith.
Ministry Fear Tactics
To scare a congregation by telling them that God will not rapture a “dirty Church” is playing dangerous games with words, lifting Scripture from its context and handling the Bible in a dishonest way. The free justification of Christ has guaranteed that there will never be a “dirty Church” because it has been forever justified and purged (cleansed) by Christ’s blood. Yes, there are serious problems within our ranks that, unfortunately, allow the unbelieving world to speak evil of Christ and His Church. Yet, contrary to popular teaching, God deals with the Church according to the principles of New Covenant, freely given “justification” -- and not according to the existing problems. Redefining the Gospel as a way to deal with these troubling sin issues is something that God condemns and will eventually judge as evil.
This is why all true Christians (those who have placed their faith in Christ) in the Church are leaving in the rapture -- not just the ones we have judged as being “good”. Again, we must remember that THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH IS NOT A REWARD FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE. IT’S THE COMPLETION OF OUR BLOOD-BOUGHT SALVATION, WHICH GOD GRANTS AS “A FREE GIFT”.
"knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19)
The apostle Paul refers to the distortions of the Galatian error as “spiritual bondage” and urges believers to immediately reject it. A very large, influential and diverse group within the Church continues to teach this theology today. High-level wolves almost exclusively operate in this deceptive area. It diplomatically opposes (through good sounding persuasive arguments) God's message of New Covenant Grace and downplays the eternal sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice outlined in the Scriptures.
"FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUCH DO NOT SERVE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16:18)
It is important to know that this is a "mainstream" influence within the Christian Church. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it is some "fringe" sect or a new movement. This is why Jesus gives all believers today the following admonition:
"Beware of false prophets, WHO COME TO YOU IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS." (Matthew 7:15-16)
God’s New Breed Of Super-Sheep
Is the Wolf’s Worst Nightmare
Shepherds who are wolves in sheep’s clothing must keep God’s flock corralled in an environment that is completely under their control and “in check” through misleading and false teaching that suppresses our knowledge about the liberating power of the blood of Christ, which has FOREVER, removed and destroyed sin’s ability to condemn us. These shepherds go to great lengths to redefine and change the Gospel of Christ in order to keep the sheep in ignorance and under the bondage and tyranny of sin. As long as God’s sheep don’t learn who they truly are -- they remain dumb, powerless and prey for the wolves.
At this point, some readers may be tempted to say that we’re overreacting to this threat and throwing all leaders in a negative light. Here’s a Scripture from the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel that gives us a glimpse into God’s feelings about these things. Although Ezekiel was speaking about the shepherds of Israel before the crucifixion of Christ, he also says many things that speak to us in our time.
"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them." 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: "As I live,” says the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock" -- therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."" (Ezekiel 34:1-10)
A Change Is Now Taking Place
God is beginning to deliver His flock. In a New Testament sense, I believe this change is now coming from the indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer. God Himself is rising up inside His people and blowing the whistle on fraudulent religion in major Christian denominations that’s been “ruling the roost” and deceiving God’s flock for hundreds of years. The sheep are finding out they’ve been lied to by the very ones they trusted the most. Many are righteously angry and upset when their awakening comes. Some of their anger is aimed at themselves for being so gullible and blind. However, they also reserve some of this anger for the wolves. If you happen to be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, you never want to see one of these “Holy Spirit empowered sheep” turn on you. There’s no contest when God’s new breed of sheep finally awakens and takes a stand on the real liberating, sin-destroying power of the blood of Christ and the indwelling “nuclear power” force of God’s “universe-creating” Spirit. The apostle John was right when he said, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!” Jesus responded in righteous anger on several occasions against “shepherd-wolves” that made the mistake of tangling with Him in public. And, if you carefully read the New Testament, Jesus actually took the initiative and went after them, time after time -- exposing their false teachings publicly for all to see. At one point, Jesus took a whip and went through the temple overturning tables and generally wrecking the place. He was angry that the false shepherds had taken His Father’s House and turned it into a “den of thieves” (Read John 2:13-16, Mark 11:15-17). This is the same Christ that lives inside every true believer. It secretly strikes terror in the heart of a shepherd-wolf when the “indwelling Spirit of Christ” begins to arise and turn. Some people get offended and call all of this a “failure to walk in love” because they can’t imagine Jesus ever being that harsh and confrontational. Yet, Jesus had a special dislike (rightous anger) for wolves and false shepherds and was easily provoked because they hurt and mislead His flock. It’s all there in the Bible if you care to read it. Even in the first century, there were some of God's people who were beginning to awaken to their real identity as powerful Holy Spirit indwelled new creatures in Christ. You can almost hear the fear in their enemy's voices as they protested in horror....
“....These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." (Acts 17:6)
Time is about to run out for the wolves. Many false shepherds, who don’t know their true nature and have a mistaken belief they are serving God will learn a very upsetting and ugly truth.
Some spiritual leaders reading this may say that this kind of teaching is dangerous. Yes, it’s very dangerous to shepherds who are “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, but not to the true New Covenant shepherd’s of God. However, there is always a balance -- and from that perspective there is a danger. There’s a time and a place for everything. That’s why it’s never wise for inexperienced Christians to lash out and use these things as weapons against any spiritual leader. Scripture does instruct us to “walk in love” and to be patient, kind and forgiving toward one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, Ephesians 4:30-32). Most of the time, love quietly takes notes, observes and asks questions in an effort to learn the truth. A person motivated by love understands how easy it is to be wrong about a situation when your knowledge is limited. We cannot see into someone else’s heart. But, at other times, love may be vocal and confrontational when truth is being compromised because the Scriptures also command us to “contend for the faith”. The word “contend” means to argue, battle or challenge.
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I FOUND IT NECESSARY TO WRITE TO YOU EXHORTING YOU TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:3-4)
The key is learning to be “led by the Holy Spirit” -- and this kind of discipline usually takes years to master. It’s learning to allow the indwelling “Spirit of Christ” to be in total control of your attitude and response AT ALL TIMES. Jesus was loving and kind, even toward those who hated and opposed Him. However, He could also be offensive and confrontational when the situation demanded it. God’s goal is always recovery, restoration and repentance, not “telling someone off” because it makes us feel better. Whenever a believer acts with an impulsive “know-it-all” attitude, it is rarely being done out of love. Regardless of these dangers, it is far more dangerous to continue suppressing the truth and the blessings of Christ freely given to God’s flock through the eternal sacrifice of Christ.
A few years ago, only a few Christian believers had awakened and they were labeled as “disgruntled and rebellious”. But that number is exploding to the horror of the wolves that are starting to lose their long enjoyed influence, authority and resources. The sheep were abused and fleeced in their churches by the ones who falsely claimed to be the “guardians of God’s truth”. Yet, like the early Christians in the church at Ephesus, many of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are now being exposed as liars (Jesus used the word liar -- I’m just repeating what He said). The herd is beginning to head for the exits, returning to small group meetings and home churches, similar to the ones that existed in the first century. Recently I read a newspaper commentary that lamented the tragic drop in church attendance, which was interpreted to mean that the people were backsliding away from God. Some of this is nothing more than “wolf-propaganda” and the rest is a warning that society is starting to reject the dead counterfeit religion of false shepherds. Another commentator reported how some church buildings are literally falling apart because there is not enough money coming from the members that remain to do the repairs. Others are in foreclosure. Yet, I can’t help but think that these congregations would be thriving if the sheep heard the voice of the good Shepherd within its walls. Jesus said…
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. YET THEY WILL BY NO MEANS FOLLOW A STRANGER, BUT WILL FLEE FROM HIM, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:1-5)
Some of the material in this article is focused on the very negative and emotional problem of spiritual wolves and the dangerous methods they use to suppress and take advantage of God’s flock. The reason both Jesus and Paul gave such stern warnings is that these problems are so destructive to the sheep. The other side of the coin is that there are many good, honest, well-meaning people in the ministry that were just taught wrong in seminary. It’s tragic, yet nothing can generally be done when such a person deeply believes God ordains his or her ministry and message. Teaching wrong things from the pulpit does not automatically make someone a wolf. If it did, we would all be in deep trouble. But, it does set up an environment where a change in that direction can gradually occur over time if the leader isn’t teachable and humble. Some congregations start out with a good pastor only to discover that they slowly changed through the process of “incrementalism” over the years. If you add a leader with a charismatic personality to this mix, who can attract a large following -- you’ve got the potential for something spiritually catastrophic to occur. Power and popularity are incredibly corrupting influences that few can resist. That doesn’t mean something bad will always happen -- just that the explosive potential exists. And, we happen to have an enemy who is more than happy to light a match and ignite the process. Such a person can emotionally move large crowds and change the context of Scripture any way they choose because their “following”, which eventually becomes a church congregation that likes or even idolizes the leader, will follow wherever he or she goes. It happens all the time. Regardless of these things, we continue to appreciate the work and sacrifice of Godly New Covenant shepherds and the congregations they oversee. It is, many times, a thankless and frustrating job. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are today without their labor and love.
For more information on this controversial topic, you can read our article entitled,
The Spiritual Revolution Of Christ
Conclusion
We’ll close with this Scriptural prayer for all our readers:
"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21)
May God continue to give us insight into the wonderful and incredible New Covenant of Jesus Christ.
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