March 23, 2016
Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Questions for Reflection:
A few years ago, Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville was shut down for a little over an hour. Why? Because three of the Mexican gray wolves had escaped from their enclosure. The zoo was aware enough to notice quickly and put visitors into buildings until the three wolves could be taken back into a secured part of the enclosure. Why were the visitors locked in buildings?
Jesus warns that bad teachers are like wolves. They have the ability to kill or maim your faith. How can you tell a false prophet from one who is accurately teaching God’s Word? (Hint: you cannot tell a false teacher by their appearance, because they often look the part according to Jesus.)
How do you evaluate the fruit of someone’s ministry? Is it based upon the size of the building in which they preach? Is it based upon the number of locations their church has? If those are not the determining factor, how do we evaluate teachers?
We live in an increasingly smaller world. At your finger tips, you have the ability to access teachers from around the world, hundreds of translations of the Bibles and thousands of Bible studies. How can you make sure that what you are learning and who you are learning from is good for your spiritual walk? One key way is to look at who they are when the lights are not on them, when they are not speaking. If you haven’t had a chance to have a personal conversation with them, are there others in your life who do know them? Do they respect them? Do they trust their teaching? When you match what they teach up with Scripture, is there alignment?
Finally, too often we spend time looking to tear people down and not near enough time praying for God to work in their lives. Spend time today praying for your pastors. If you go to One Life, pray for the teaching team and your campus pastors. Pray that God would strengthen them. Pray that He would give them greater love for Him and His Word. Pray that God would bear fruit in their ministry.