Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

teaches the truth but fails to practice what he preaches is a false prophet…If someone says in the Spirit, “Give me money, or something else,” you must not heed him. Everyone “who comes” to you “in the name of the Lord” must be welcomed. Afterward, when you have tested him, you will find out about him, for you have insight into right and wrong. --Early Christian Fathers, Vol. 1, Richardson, pg. 176-177. False ministries fall into two categories. The first category are false ministries from without or from outside the church (Acts 13:6; 20:29; Gal. 2:4). Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar- Jesus… These ministries include representatives from false religions, fortune tellers, mediums, mystics and other such people (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:11-13). It is important to note that all those who are false prophets even from outside of the church claim to be functioning from the power of God. These ministries are not born again and their source is “the god of this world”— the devil. God warned His people about not participating with these falsities (Deut. 18:9-13). This is what He said as given to us in the Message Bible, When you enter the land that GOD, your God, is giving you, don’t take on the abominable ways o f life of the nations there. Don’t you dare sacrifice your son or daughter in the fire. Don’t practice divination, sorcery, fortunetelling, witchery, casting spells, holding séances, or channeling with the dead. People who do these things are an abomination to GOD. It’s because of just such abominable practices that GOD, Inside and Outside the Church

32