One of the things I am accountable to Christ for regarding my responsibility as a shepherd-teacher is warning and equipping God’s people to recognize false teachings and false teachers. Here are a few things I have found helpful in doing just that.

They are pretenders who are predators. You can know them by their produce.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. – Matthew 7:15-16

They disguise, deceive and destroy.

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” – Acts 20:29-30

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” – 2 Cor. 11:13-15

They create quarrels and controversies.

“Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene.” – 2 Tim 2:14-16

They are divisive, depraved and doomed.

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” – Titus 3:10-11

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” – 1 Tim 4:1-2

“They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth–men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.” – 2 Tim. 3:6-9

“Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals–these are the very things that destroy them…These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm–shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted–twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever… These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” – Jude 1:10-13, 16

They are self-deceived.

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” – Matt 7:20-23

The following is an excerpt from a series on friendship by our friends over at the Acts 29 Network:

Godly Friends

Prov. 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Devoted Friends

Prov. 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Prov. 18:24 – “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Sanctifying Friends

Prov. 27:6 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Prov. 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”

Fake Friends

Prov. 19:4 – “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.”

Prov. 19:6 – “Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.”

Sinful Friends

Prov. 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Prov. 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Prov. 22:24–25 – “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”

Painful Friends

Prov. 25:17 – “Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.”

Prov. 25:19 – “Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.”

Prov. 25:20 – “Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.”

Need a comprehensive, biblical teaching on intervention, peacemaking and discipline? The following is from my teaching at CrossWay on August 29, 2010. Hope it helps.

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So how do we deal with the Peacebreakers? By being either a peacefaker or peacemaker.
Peacebreaker – self-explanatory
Peacefaker – one who enables sin to continue by not “rocking the boat.” (often in denial)
Peacemaker – one who intervenes to bring shalom. (Don’t confuse with a pacifist.)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” – Matt 5:9

3-tiered response of the Peacmaker. (Rises in severity)
1. Overlook
2. Intervention
3. Disassociation

What about Judging?

Didn’t Jesus say, “Judge not?” Yes.

Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

but in the same sermon, on the same page, in the same chapter, almost in the same breath, Jesus also said:

Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The word has a range of meanings, just like our word “love.”

“judge” (krino) (3 meanings in the NT)
to decide, discern, determine, conclude, regard
to condemn, pass final verdict
to sue, stand trial, go to law

There is a judging that is punitive, and self-righteousness and condemning without offering the hope of repentance and restoration.

There is a judging that is protective, and discerning and loving that leads to intervention and, if needed, discipline.

For example, “Molesting children is wrong. Child molesters should not be allowed to work around children, but they should be incarcerated.”

That is a discerning, judicial and wise statement.

*One last thing… let’s never forget that the Jesus who showed mercy to humble sinners and ate with tax collectors is the same Jesus who called self-righteous religious hypocrites a bunch of snakes, and drove greedy con-men thieves from the temple with a whip.

Now back to the responses of a peacemaker.

I. Overlook
Some sins (offenses) need instant grace and forgiveness.

Prov 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

These are minor, personal offenses. They are out of character. No big deal. I don’t need to nitpick, just forgive. (BUT, if it bothers you enough to make you want to tell someone else, you must talk to them about it first.)

II. Intervention
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

This is where love takes guts. This is where the peacefakers are found out.

1 Cor 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Eph 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The lease loving thing you can do is prop someone up in there sin, and aid them in there irresponsibility.

For example, Prov 13:24 says that he that refuses to discipline a son hates him, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

[1 Tim 5:19-21 states that elders are to be rebuked publicly.]

III. Disassociation (after intervention)

* this only applies to professing believers

A. False Teachers

2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.
In Rev 2:20-23, Jesus said to the church at Thyatira, “20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”

2 Pet 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign LORD who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

B. Divisive

Stirs controversies, slanders, gossip.

Titus 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

C. Unrepentant blatant sin

Sexual immorality, greedy (covetous), idolater, slanderer (reviler), drunkard, swindler.

1 Cor 5:9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

(Divine double standard.)

D. Idle Men (deadbeats)

2 Thess 3:6 In the name of the LORD Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. …14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

E. Someone sins against another directly, and refuses to repent or reconcile.

Matthew 18.15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

* These all require intervention, but only one requires disassociation: unrepentance.

IV. Restoration

What do we do when someone blows it and repents? Simple. Forgive, restore them to fellowship (but not necessarily leadership), and bear one another’s burdens.

Anne Rice, the famous vampire novelist, recently and publicly renounced her faith in Christianity. Before we reach for the torches and pitchforks, Russell Moore has some words of wisdom for those of us truly understand the glory of the Gospel and the bankruptcy of religion. Read the article here. Please. And Anne, know we are praying for you and love you still.

It has been said that Repentance is the first word of the gospel. It was the message of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the arrival of Jesus (Matt 3:2.) It was the message of Jesus when he began his public ministry (Matt 4:17) and announced the gospel’s arrival in Galilee (Mark 1:14-15.) It permeated not only his preaching (Matt 18:3, Luke 24:46-47,) but also the preaching of those he sent out (Mark 6:12.)

It was the response Peter provoked after preaching the gospel at Pentecost (Acts 2:38,) at the temple (Acts 3:19,) before the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:31,) and to Cornelius’ household (Acts 11:18.)

It was the message of Paul at Mars Hill (Acts 17:30,) and in Ephesus (Acts 20:21,) before Agrippa (Acts 26:20) and in Rome (Acts 28:25-31.)

With so much weight placed on repentance in responding to the gospel by Jesus and his Apostles, it deserves our careful attention and a correct understanding. The gospel is what Jesus did, plus nothing. Repentance is our response — and even that response is a gift of grace initiated and carried out by God working in us (Rom 2:4.)

Repentance in its most basic and straightforward definition is a turning. This is consistent in the Old and New Testaments. It involves a change of mind, change of heart and change of direction or orientation. Those elements are very important to understanding Paul’s contrast between real repentance and godless guilt in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Repentance, especially in the Old Testament, is also associated with grief and regret (also seen clearly in the previous statement of Paul.) When the scriptures declare that God repented (i.e. Gen 6,) it was in this sense of the word. He was grieved over humanity’s wickedness. When used of humans, it describes their grief over their own sin.

Repentance as an initial faith response to the gospel is not itemizing, confessing and conquering all our sins. That would be impossible and result in a self-righteousness through works of the Law, which the New Testament adamantly states can never be. It would also confuse the initial response of faith and repentance that results in justification with the subsequent ongoing work of the Spirit in sanctification. As Martin Luther stated in the first of his 95 theses, the whole of the Christian life is one of repentance.

So as it relates to responding to the gospel* and justification, repentance is turning from the reign of sin and the preeminence of self (self-rule, self-reliance and self-righteousness) to the Lordship of Christ, acknowledging his rightful authority over all things, including our own lives. This repentance always accompanies biblical belief — believing Jesus to be the promised Savior while recognizing our inability to do anything to save ourselves and relying solely and totally on the completed work of Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection to save us. Belief and repentance are two sides to the one coin of faith.

*Repentance occurs in several other contexts and occasions to describe ongoing sanctification in turning from specific sinful attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this definition is to describe the initial turning to Christ as Lord and Savior upon receiving his gospel resulting in justification. Justification means to be legally declared by God to be rightly related to God and acquitted of guilt.