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

their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.’” Ezekiel 34:1-10

False teachers were a big problem in the Early Church. Often these were itinerant preachers who went from place to place trying to peddle their unique take on things. This was common among Greek culture with would-be philosophers. These teachers were not really submitted to a particular local church but made their living by tickling the ears of those hungry for truth (1 Pet. 2:1; 1 Tim. 6:3-5). But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 1 Peter 2:1 False teachers may look and sound very much like true teachers. The primary difference between them is the content of their teaching and the spirit with which they function. This doesn’t mean that everything a false teacher teaches represents error. Quite the contrary, most of what a false teacher teaches is accurate. This is what can make it so difficult to discern. Some false teachers may deny these things, but these are the sound, wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are the foundation for a godly life. Anyone who teaches anything different is both conceited and ignorant. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, fighting, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they don't tell the truth. To them religion is just a way to get rich. 1 Timothy 6:3-5, NLT Finally, Jesus spoke of false christs or “anointed o nes ” (Mt. 24:5, 24; Mark 13:22). You will notice that the word “christs” here is not capitalized. There is only one Christ who

37