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

There are many people who do not want to hear the truth. This is true in the natural world, but it can also be true in the church. Rather than the truth, they want to hear words that will make them feel good about themselves. And there are plenty of so-called ministries that will give them what they want. Jeremiah had a word from the Lord that involved returning to the Lord with repentance. Other prophets were leading people to believe that everything was fine. But the truth is that Jeremiah had the actual word of the Lord while the other prophets were leading the people astray. It is through speaking the truth in love that we grow up to be mature believers (Eph. 4:15). When God speaks of His people, he puts them into the context of sheep needing shepherds. God could have chosen any animal to serve as an illustration of His people but He chose sheep (See: Num. 27:17; 1 Kgs. 22:17; 2 Chr. 18:16; Zech. 10:2; Mt. 9:36; John 10:14, 27). I believe that He created sheep with these qualities specifically to tell us something about ourselves. This is, on the one hand, very unflattering and, one the other hand, quite flattering. This imagery has two aspects to it — one negative and one positive. On the negative side, sheep are very needy. Sheep are especially needy for three reasons. Firstly sheep do not have an ability to find food on their own (Num. 27:16-17). Sheep are not like other foraging animals that will send out scouts and lead the herd to food. It is said that sheep will die in a pasture that has been grazed out with fresh pasture right over the next hill. Sheep must be led to their food. Secondly, sheep do not seem to have an instinct to return home. Their tendency is to go astray (Ezek. 34:6-8). Sheep have never been known to be able to find their way home if they are lost. Dogs and other animals can often do this. However, the nature of sheep is to make all of the wrong choices when it comes to guidance , so t hey will need 49 Sheep are Vulnerable