In his book, Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon notes that “many an excellent Sunday morning sermon has been ruined when the pastor ate lunch with church members.” In his wisdom, Spurgeon understood that actions either authenticate words or diminish them.
Jesus went further than Spurgeon and identified some speakers as false prophets. Like Spurgeon, Jesus tells us that their actions will reveal whether they are genuine or not.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16)
It isn’t always easy to discern who is a true or false prophet. Jeremiah is a good example of why we can’t determine a prophet’s value through their popularity. Jeremiah was a true prophet of God, but the general populace wanted him dead.
Apparent success is another poor guide to whether a prophet represents God or not. God had to send ravens to feed Elijah to keep him sustained, while the court prophets fared much better.
Someone recently said this about politicians, but it applies to prophets, too: “I don’t listen to their words. I only watch what they do.”
We all can agree that grapes and figs can only come from vines and trees that produce them. Jesus continues the imagery with His teaching that emphasizes action, not mere words:
“In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:17-20)
Why the Warning
We may wonder why Jesus warned us about false prophets.
You’ve probably heard the expression, “They drank the Kool-Aid.” This expression originated when 918 people died in 1978 at the Jonestown commune in Guyana. At first, their leader, Jim Jones, appeared to be a genuine spiritual leader of churches in Indiana and California. When his words were discovered to be false because of extremely abusive behavior, he ordered the members of his commune to consume poison-laced Kool-Aid.
Most examples of false prophets are far less extreme than the Jonestown massacre. When I lived in New Orleans, I volunteered with the ministry of a very prominent evangelist. He was one of the most effective speakers I have ever heard. The early 1970s were the days of eight-track players. I had a collection of this man’s sermons on eight-track and played them often.
A few years after I left New Orleans, the Houston Chronicle ran an exposé on the dishonest practices of this preacher. Their work was very thorough, and people had no doubt that he was dishonest to a great degree.
False and misleading messages are not reserved for the ministry. Politicians and business leaders are often guilty of words that don’t match their actions. Politicians and businesspeople are part of the world’s system, which is under the domain of the devil. Their behavior is to be expected.
On the other hand, people who represent God and His rule on earth should represent Him and His values.
A Discerning Mind
The first verses of Matthew 7 exhort us not to judge people. God is the only One who has the perfect knowledge and character to judge another person. The fact that this is so doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be discerning.
If the commune in Guyana had been discerning, they would have survived Jim Jones’s evil scheme. The people who followed the New Orleans evangelist I volunteered with in the 1970s would not have padded the pockets of his luxurious lifestyle.
Most of us don’t have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of false prophets. If we are following a minister on YouTube, we don’t know anything more about this person than their words. What sort of research can we do to gain insight into the people we follow?
(1) Check into their finances. Do a Google search and find a picture of their house. While you are at it, ask Google to estimate their annual salary. Ministers don’t have to take vows of poverty, but if they are making millions, do they really need your offering?
(2) Watch how they interact with power. Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah stood outside of government and declared God’s word to the powerful. They did so at the cost of their reputation, freedom, and lives.
Court prophets derived their income from the king and told him what he wanted to hear. They were false because God had not sent them, even though they spoke as if from God.
Pay attention to the way your favorite speaker interacts with government. Are the governmental policies that they endorse consistent with God’s revealed word?
It is easy to justify actions based on selective Bible passages, as the historical institution of slavery reveals. We need to know the whole counsel of God and use it to discern the message of our favorite speakers.
As I reflect on what I have written, I must confess some of my own faults. Like Spurgeon wrote to his students, some people have seen me at my worst and realize that my words don’t always match my actions.
I have a particular way of understanding the Bible that may conflict with those who see it differently. I believe I am right, but I acknowledge someone can have a different opinion. These actions are disappointing and harmful to church members. Thankfully, they don’t fall into the false prophet category.
With my confession out of the way, please join me in prayerfully being discerning with the speakers we allow to influence us.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel. I will be away from my computer for a couple of days, so I am uploading blog articles ahead of the videos. They will appear on regular schedule thanks to Rudy.
Real Voices 