Skip to main content

What do so-called “False Teachers” teach, and how can we know it is false?

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:1-5


I feel compelled by a biblical mandate, to say something about a huge burden that I have had for several year now, and that has been growing - to warn people about false teaching!

 Anytime a doctrine or teaching or movement is presented as biblical truth to the church in general, every individual Christian, and leaders in particular, are to rightly judged such teachings - and where they  (teachers and doctrine) may stray from biblical truth there is a need for public exposure and warning.

This past while, I have been researching and learning so much, especially about the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation - a term coined by C. Peter Wagner, btw, with a massive “unofficial”network - see books by Holly Pivec, a researcher) and WOF (Word of Faith) movements...looking into things myself, listening to “their” sermons, reading through “their” websites, and reading “their” books for myself - to understand what they believe and teach. (Also learning lots about the New Age, JW’s, Mormons, and more).

 One thing that is repeated in their writings, is to not read blogs like my mine, not read books or listen to “discernment ministries” who critique them. - that is a dangerous teaching, it is what JW’s and LDS movements teach. When a movement tells you not to listen to criticism of them, and to only read their books, and even have their own Bible translation, we should all be wary. If you call yourself a Christian, then you have a biblical mandate to not take an offence, but to search the scriptures to see if every teaching you hear is true. If you are being told to “not judge”, “not be concerned about Bible study” and to not be stopped by “what is between your ears” (aka your brain and intellect) - those are quotes from NAR books I have read for myself btw), then that should be a red flag for you to do the exact opposite of what those teachers are saying and to check your Bibles and listen to teachings from “all-sides”.

I hope others will do what I did when I heard certain teachers and movements and music groups were false - I didn’t just believe it nor argue against it, I looked into it myself (with an open Bible and notebook), and if you are a PASTOR reading this, part of your job is to protect the flock from wolves! Please, do your homework and protect the sheep under your care!

 My motivation is love. Love for fellow believers, love for the truth, and above all love for God. We are called to love and to unity, and we are also called to contend for our faith, called to judge within the church, called to expose and avoid false teaching and teachers, and called to search the scriptures and to test every spirit. 

(This is NOT about style, denomination, or nit-picking, criticizing and looking for error amongst believers, but is about false teaching and the importance of knowing our Bibles. This is about LOVE, the most loving thing to do is to tell someone the truth!)

There are many false teachers today, as there are in every generation. They twist scripture and quote partial or out-of-context verses to create entire doctrines - doctrines that change who Christ is, how we are to be saved, how we are to live our lives as Christians, and even how this world will end. 

They preach a completely different gospel and different Jesus - here are some examples, if you agree with any of the below, search the scriptures for where it teaches this (in context) - it is NOT there!:
  • A Jesus who was not always fully God
  • That Christians no longer sin
  • Being able to call things into existence as God did with “words of Faith” at creation
  • that man is not inherently sinful, but good
  • That we have to believe that Jesus had to suffer in hell - for our salvation 
  • that the gospel includes prosperity and healing in every instance - abundance
  • That we can have our “best life now” 
  • That the “theology of Jesus” is superior to the God we see in the Old Testament - while the God of the OT sent storms and sickness, etc. Jesus calms storm and heals (always), and those of us who think that the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a physical ailment, WE preach a “different Gospel”, cause Jesus/God’s will is ALWAYS to heal, and He does not ever “send sickness” (this is SO damaging to faith!)
  • gnostic beliefs, like that we existed spiritually with God before we become human
  • that we are “little gods”
  • Mysticism, New Age beliefs and practices 
  • a twisting of what it means to be born again and saying the JESUS was born-again?!
  • even that Jesus is not the “Only way” or there are many “ways to Jesus” - and we can know Him even without realizing it 
  • That the way is WIDE
  • Astral projections and that we can visit heaven (without even dying, but as “tourists”, and come back to describe it (and most often don't even see God there) -these “experiences” are very real and are experienced in the occult too - but it isn’t the heaven of the Bible that is being described
  • And so many other things that contradict the Jesus of the Bible

I had thought the above were a “fringe movement” and could be ignored- they are actually mainstream and growing, and sneaking into the majority of churches around the world - and I had no idea. It burdens me and fills my heart with grief to know that they are leading people astray. Not that everyone in their movement isn’t saved but that is the danger - and from testimonies, many are being “saved out of” these teachings...

 If you read that and it offends you, if you are a Christian IN this movement or following these teachers - this is not my personal teaching, it is in the Bible! We are told to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If this offends you, examine yourself, and search the scriptures for truth! Even if your attitude is to “prove these things” rather than disprove- search and read the verses they quote in context- search multiple translations to compare. 

I do not intend to write a book here. What I hope to do, is to share with others what I have learnt, and provide the links to several resources, so that you can dig deeper if you need to. Do not take me at my word, nor the word of theologians, nor the word of those that are being named as false teachers. In the body of Christ, we do not have “priests”, and no one should be a priest for us - together we are a priesthood, and Christ of course is our Great High Priest. While we do need pastors and teachers, who are trained in studying, in hermeneutics, and in exegesis, and who are gifted teachers and preachers who practice expository bible teaching; we must study God’s Word for ourselves, and do not depend on teachers and writers to tell us what God’s Word means.

____________________________
The Holy Spirit illuminates the scriptures for us, and it’s meaning is generally clear (ie when we are told that God created the heavens and the earth, and there was morning and evening with numerical days, it is clear that He created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th). It is only when we read other things into the Bible or add things to the Bible that it becomes blurry and full of different interpretations (eisegesis or “narcigesis”).

Aside from being clear though, we need to know how to read the Bible as God’s WORD, about Himself. To know for example when we have a historical narrative, like David and Goliath, not to read ourselves into the text and make it about us defeating our giants - that is not what the text says. Historical narrative is descriptive and not prescriptive. And, Jesus after He rose from the dead, was walking to Emmaus - before revealing Himself- showed how the entire scriptures were about Himself. The Old Testament is all about Jesus; full of “types and shadows” to point us to Christ. The New Testament is also all about Jesus, clearly defines who He is, what the Gospel is, and warns us to beware of false gospels and false teachers who rise AMONG us (not to beware of the world, but beware of people and leaders IN the Church who preach a different Jesus/Gospel!!)
___________________________

The apostle Paul commended the Bereans in Acts 17, for not just taking him at his word, but for “Searching the scriptures to see if these things are true”.

Again, God has spoken, we have His written and Authoritative Word. Everything that we hear, read, and sing needs to be compared to the written Word of God.

So, without writing an entire book, I will write a few blog posts, and may post updates as I learn more.

I will be posting a few blog posts to begin with, and will add as I have time (it was easier to hit “share” on a YouTube video and put it on facebook, cause i can multitask while listening, and share without even going onto facebook - it was not time consuming at all - which is important, as I am a homeschool momma and missionary wife, involved in Children’s and Women’s ministry. 

Reader’s Favourites

Intentionality

As I finish up this school year with my littles, (and prepare to continue their lessons throughout the Summer, so that we are ready to begin the school year well), I am reflecting on this past school year, and the many travels and lessons that we have had together.  We began the school year in El Salvador, finished our first term in Canada, completed our second term in Uganda, began our third term in Canada, and are finishing up back in El Salvador. We have learnt and grown in each subject and grade, and as a family, and individually. I especially enjoy the lessons learnt through experience, as we travel, and as we live in different cultures and contexts – but, as much as I love teachable moments, and life lessons, and I love teaching God’s Word and the practical lessons of growing in character, I am otherwise, not a very good teacher, and very easily fall behind –especially in recording our learning (which is required for being Distributed Learner’s through my home province)....
Read more

Do we have something radically different to offer the world this weekend?

“ Are we using our freedom to make this Good News plain? Or are we so separatistic that we have no connection with unbelievers ; or are we so worldly they don't know we have anything radically different to offer?" (Quote from Desiring God/John Piper) (An attempt to look biblically at culture and the Gospel, in relation to Resurrection Sunday) Today (Good Friday), we remember the death of our Lord, Sunday we celebrate His resurrection, and daily we await His return. All of history is pivoted on Christ’s death and resurrection. Beginning in Genesis: Creation, the Fall and the first Messianic prophesy, throughout the old testament and both Israel’s and all of mankind’s history, leading up to what we have recorded in the Gospels. And now, as we await Him returning in Judgement, we proclaim that Gospel to a lost world…and we teach our children how to know, love, and live in relationship with Jesus–Messiah. May God help us as we seek to share the Gospel, and as we tea...
Read more

listening and writing habits

So, I haven’t written a blog post in 4 months (!) and have also taken a 2 week break from other writing/editing/website work…so, I need to practice putting words on paper (or on a screen) before getting back to work… These past several months have been full of growth, challenges, and blessings, and I am SO thankful for God’s mercies which are new every morning, and for His people who encourage me/us. Some lessons seem to be life-long, and God keeps on bringing me back to grow even more in areas of my life that I thought had already been matured. And, as is always the case, He uses the people around me (like my littles!) and His Word to challenge and sanctify! I am so glad that it is GOD who promises to complete the work that HE began in me! Lately, I have been so encouraged by making it a habit to listen to podcasts and imusic audio studies, and to also put on either worship music or preaching (usually with headphones/earbuds in just one ear, so I am still “present”). It i...
Read more

An old lesson from ants - written in 2010

A LESSON FROM ANTS With gazillions of little ants as roommates, I have been learning a lot of lessons. Some are practical lessons, like on Bible Study night I can’t serve coffee cake or banana bread until after the study, because if it is sitting on the table for more than 20 minutes the entire table will be covered with ants! Or making sure that the kitchen is clean before bed, dishes washed and counters wiped with vinegar. Other lessons are lessons on how to keep ants away from certain areas, like: leaving the honey jar in a dish with vinegar water works for keeping them out of the honey, but if the water has no vinegar they will still find a way of reaching the sweet smelling lid, or that chalk drawn around openings in walls or around crib legs deter ants, but on the windowsill a line of chalk is not thick enough and instead pouring baby powder will both deter the ants and make the room smell nice. But the best lessons learned from the ants are see...
Read more

Contending for the Faith, Discerning Doctrines, and a Scriptural Mandate for Judging Rightly

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (from the book of Jude) I fellowship with, minister with, and would never publicly criticize believers of different denominations, worship styles, and cultures, who believe the biblical Gospel and believe in the biblical Christ; even if they differ on non-foundational doctrines - or are different denominations. We are called to love each other and to be unified as Christ’s body. The purpose of any facebook posts and of this blog was and is to encourage believers to test everything against the Word of God, and to beware of false teaching and false teachers - who do not...
Read more

If my Prayers Drew Blood

I have been looking through an old journal (2007) and have felt convicted to live out more of my past persuasion, and to not become complacent nor stagnant. Here is a note that I wrote about [imagination and] prayer, which I need to re-arrange my life to pursue more: "When one has an imagination like mine, it is often best not to to recall certain things, [like news] spoken second-hand. Yet, some thoughts and especially prayers must be suffered through. I wonder what thoughts, what painful knowledge was so burdened on Jesus that while praying, He was caused to bleed. AT TIMES I CHOOSE TO EVEN REFRAIN FROM PRAYING, ONLY TO SAVE MYSELF SOME REALLY INSIGNIFICANT PAIN, AND AT WHAT COST? If my prayers were so fervent that they actually drew blood then perhaps they would be more effective! "
Read more

Passionate for Truth: If you are a born-again Christian, do you use the JW Bible or Book of Mormon? What if I told you that Jesus appeared to me with insight into re-translating the Bible? What If I added words to the Bible and made it available for Christians everywhere?

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:1-2 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6  In the Garden with Eve and in the dessert with Jesus, Satan used the Word of God too... ...
Read more

Let us have grace. Grace for each other’s weaknesses. Grace for suffering and sin and even for the “walking-dead” among us.

I have been thinking about some of these things over the past several months, and now even more with COVID-19... But, the topic came to mind after recently having suffered through 2 early-term (under 6 weeks) miscarriages, both right before hosting missionary teams | my sister’s recent near death and continued struggle to fully recover | and then recently seeing school reports from  my little brother who was diagnosed with a meduloblastoma (brain tumour), after struggling in school and needing to be homeschooled (over 20 years ago!) |  also thinking of past and present struggles in my own life, family (and extended family), and friends (including experience with PTSD and special needs). 1 Corinthians 10:13   English Standard Version (ESV) “ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and  he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may...
Read more

Reflecting on Child Soldiers and IDPs in Soroti, 2004: Journal Entry and Poem

Child  Soldier (Reflecting again on meeting child soldiers in Soroti, Uganda in 2004)  Although I didn't know it at the time, I met my husband - and even interviewed him- in Soroti Town in 2004. That visit will forever be etched on my memory. We have just published the second edition to Samuel's story now. Having freshly re-read and edited every page, I have again re-lived his story as if it is my own (which is probably why I have been feeling so exhausted lately!). Imagining life as an Internally Displaced Person (IDP), living on a battlefield and surviving in the jungles, is one thing; remembering the child soldiers and child wives that we met is another. The picture on the right, and the one below, are of IDPs in Soroti. They have beautiful smiles, and while they were completely displaced and spread out throughout the city, seeking safety from Kony's army that rampaged villages in the district, they were still "innocent". The children that we me...
Read more