I once had a couple from our church suddenly and without warning, just quit coming to church.  I tried for quite some time (over 6 months) to contact them at various times to find out what happened and could not reach them.  After more than 2 years, I finally saw one of them at a funeral home and they told me: "God has brought us into a new revelation that has changed our lives. We grown past what you've taught and we have grown out of this church."

It seems they had been watching and listening to some "new revelation series" on television. They made the comment that they no longer believe in the same "holiness" or the same "standards" that were being taught and that they  just  decided to "move on".

Today, that couple does not even attend church anywhere. In fact, within the first year after they left, the man had committed adultery, the woman had cut her hair short enough to look like a man and had dyed it red (actually it was maroon with black streaks). Their business was failing, their family was torn apart and they were contemplating divorce.  Their lives were in near shambles.

What happened in this case was nothing new or unique and it is in fact, happening in every church across the nation. It seems that Christians today are not  discerning the difference between what is of God and what is of Satan and I honestly don't believe most are capable of doing so. They cannot tell what is foolishness and what is righteousness. They are losing the foundations of the faith in favor for something "new and exciting". 

New doctrines, new revelations and new gospels are springing up almost daily but don't think this is abnormal! The Word of God tells us it is going to get much worse than we have seen so far. 

The Bible clearly warns that in the last days strange doctrines will come forth - introducing another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel!  

1 Timothy 4:1-3   "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 

The apostle Paul called for the elders of the church at Ephesus to come to him and gave them a stern warning about things to come:

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30).

What comes next is (or rather should be) the fear of any good, loving, caring, and true Pastor.  Paul told them "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."  (Acts 20:31).  It was the fear of false teachers coming in to deceive.

When Paul said to the Corinthians, "I am jealous over you with godly jealousy" (2 Corinthians 11:2), he was not talking about someone stealing his sheep. He wasn't saying, "Hey, these sheep are mine! I'm their teacher - they're under my authority." No, rather, Paul was indignant thinking that some teacher would come between his disciples and their devotion to Jesus: "for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste [pure] virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians verse 2).  

I believe If Paul were alive today and preaching, he would say the same thing to us tearfully every time he spoke: "Beware! False teachers and false doctrines are coming!  I believe his warning to us would be the same as to the Church at Galatia: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

Friend, there IS another gospel, another Jesus and another spirit being preached in the land today, and people are flocking to these by the thousands.  The sad part is that Pastors are standing idly by and allowing it to happen because they don't want to lose sheep, lose financial support, or lose their numbers.

Back in that passage of 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and in verse 3,  Paul stated:  "But I fear, least by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).

 Paul knew that the Corinthians were susceptible to false teachers. He was in effect, warning them  that they were too willing to listen and too anxious to hear a "new thing"! 

Allow me to give you an example of how false teaching "creeps in".  You may be watching a program on television, listening to a teaching tape or reading a book when suddenly even after a few minutes into it, you think, "everything sounds ok, nothing sounds really bad, but something just doesn't seem right".  You'll probably be one of the ones who know something isn't right but you won't be able "to put your finger on it!" (to determine exactly what is wrong).

It is at this point that you need to STOP and immediately consult the Word of God for the answers!  See if what is being said is "line upon line, precept upon precept" according to the written word of God.  Perhaps, if you're new in the Lord, you should consult your Pastor or some other Elder (note:  elder doesn't necessarily mean "older"...an elder could be quite young at 50 but have 30 years of ministry experience!)

Look at how Paul spoke to the church at Galatia:  It happened to them, and friend it can happen to you!

 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-8).

There is no scripture, folks that say you have to be "kind and gentle" when it comes to the issue of a false doctrine, false gospel, etc.  Paul told the Galatians: "If it's not the gospel you heard from me, it's not of God. It's accursed, rotten, deadly." (my paraphrase of course).

Folks, doctrine and the gospel of Jesus Christ is serious business, and a departure from the clear, sound teaching of the Bible will cause you irreversible harm!   "Let the one who preaches it be accursed!"

It doesn't matter even if you see an  angel that appears and tells you the message is of God.

It doesn't matter if you and your friends "discern" that it's all right.

The Bible makes it plain: If it does not line up with Paul's gospel, it is of Satan, and it is accursed!  

How Do We Discern the True Gospel? 

I've seen many of the most demonically influenced false teachers, false prophets, give warnings about false doctrine!  Don't let their words fool you!

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."  (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Just because a teacher appears to be holy and good doesn't make him a minister of the Lord Jesus!  The appearance of any man doesn't mean their doctrine is automatically correct.  If demons can appear as ministers of righteousness, this fact alone should wake the Church up and cause them to EXAMINE, by the Word of God alone,  the doctrine being taught.

God did not intend for you to walk blindly, ignorantly through this world with no guidance.  Many Christians say "Well, I have the Holy Ghost inside me and I know the truth".  If that is your claim today, allow me to challenge you.  Give me one single scripture in the Word of God anywhere that states you can disregard the written Word of God and follow what you "feel" in your spirit.  Feel free to email me with that scripture (use the link at the top of the page).  I seem to recall a statement the prophet Jeremiah made one time:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?)" (Jeremiah 17:9)

Nothing has changed since then! You cannot trust you heart, friend, I cannot trust my heart for it has deceived me many times.  I can, however trust the written Word of God, and you can too!

There are some things you can watch for when it comes to false doctrine and false teaching.  Let's examine some of those things. 

Any Teaching That Undermines the Fear of God is of the Devil!  

This one is prevalent in today's church!  All false teachers have this one message in common: "God loves you and wants you to enjoy your life!  You're a child of God now and there is nothing that you can do to lose out with God." 

"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favour."  (Proverbs 14:9) 

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."  (Philippians 2:12)

The scripture in Philippians does not say "work out your own plan of salvation".  You could never do that.  The plan of salvation was given by Jesus and preached by the Apostles.

It was the fear of God that kept Adam and Eve from disobeying Him. It was not their love for God, nor their daily communion.  It was the scripture that is written: 

"The Lord God commanded the man... ye shall not eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil]: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

Eve had no intention of sinning, but Satan came with a message that was pleasing to her ears: "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4).  Not only was this a total perversion of truth, it was another gospel!

Like many today, though, it was just what Eve wanted to hear, she had "itching ears". I'm sure there was something inside Eve that is inside everyone today.  God's commands seem like they're too restrictive.  It's too hard for to stop committing adultery.  It's too hard for some to quit living in lasciviousness.  It's too hard for some to depart from their old ways, so what happens?  They look for another gospel, something that sounds good, something that will still include God and words that sound godly but that will allow them their "freedom".

Satan knew this was in Eve!  After all, it was in him! The very first thing Satan did was that he began to undermine the fear of God in Eve:   "Did God really say this?"  His attempt was to tell Eve that  God is not like that!  Perhaps he told her "You have the wrong concept of Him. Do you think He will deny you knowledge and wisdom, when He Himself is Knowledge and Wisdom? What kind of a god do you think He is? You surely will not die!"

But, die she did and she passed death to Adam and to every man!

I have heard some state that "strong preaching" is a heavy yoke. You may not like it but it is the very thing that brings you freedom, peace and joy. Now, I understand there are some abusive preachers out there and I am not referring to them when I use the term "strong preaching".

The attitude in much of today's church seems to be "Come sing and shout and speak in tongues--and then go out and live like the devil!" That is NOT freedom my friend, no matter what you believe about it.  It is the same lie that Satan told Eve when he said "You shall not surely die." 

Many people are complaining today that the preaching of holiness, righteousness, and avoidance of many things that can lead to sin and damnation bring a bondage to people.  I actually had a man who was visiting our church one time that came to me afterward and told me: "You need to grow out of your Dark Ages and preach the love of God to these people".  This man was living with a woman, not his wife, and wreaked of liquor and cigarette smoke.  The topic that morning?  Romans 6:15: "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."

I've watched teenagers living in complete rebellion against their parent, against God and agains all authority (yes, even some preacher's kids), all because the parents removed them from a church that taught such BAD things as "obey your parents", "respect authority and government because God established it", "flee youthful lusts", and other such "nonsense".  I know several that are now in their graves because of such lifestyles.

Where messages about holiness and the fear of God are being preached today it is my experience that the young people are being shaken and stirred and the parents can't stand having a preacher tell their "baby" that they need to live righteously.  The end result has been disastrous!

We have raised an entire generation that is totally devoid of the fear of God. They have never known anything at all about judgment or about consequences to their actions.

They've always had everything they've wanted. They want rock-and-roll and the parents say, "don't upset them. Bring rock-and-roll into the church and give it Christian lyrics." I've had parents say things like  "they're going to have sex anyway, so let's give them protection." (yeah, even church parents say and believe this).

These youth have never known God's fear, because pastors and parents have made God out to be the great appeaser in the sky.  God is nothing more to them than the equivalent of Santa Claus!

Only a handful of Christian youth today walk in holiness and I absolutely believe it is because of a dual problem:  Pastors are too weak to preach the gospel in the pulpit  and  parents are living double, hypocritical lives and their kids know it!  

I received an email (actually 2) that stated "I sure hope you don't preach as hard to people in your church as you seem to come across on the internet".

My answer was": God called me to preach the Word with such power and authority that it will produce a constant fear of God in every hearer, prick their hearts, and cause them to come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is even written this way in the Word of God:  Jude 1:22-23 reads "And of some have compassion, making a difference:  And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh"  Whatever it takes to see souls truly saved, I will preach that message as the Lord gives it.  If I didn't preach in the church as I do on the internet, I'd be a hypocrite, and we all know about hypocrites, now don't we?

The fact is that there are those who will never forsake their favorite "pet" sins and will eventually leave the church because they will be "offended". These are usually the same people that will curse you with every vulgarity known to man then claim THEY are the ones offended.

We need a healty fear of the Lord!  "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16:6).

Here is what I believe a true gospel message must produce in us:

1) A hatred for sin that allows no excuses or alibis.
2) A conviction for all spiritual laziness and compromise.
3) An inner knowledge that God does not wink at our sins.
4) A conviction that we will reap what we sow.
5) A righteous, holy fear of God.
6) A confidence that He will deliver us from every sin we hate and resist.

Beware of any message that doesn't teach conviction for sin, that produces a contentment in your spirit concerning your own sin, or that teaches you no matter how you currently live, "All is well."

All such teaching concerning sin is a false gospel!

Any Gospel that focuses your attention on anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ, is of the Devil! 

Satan will come using the name of Jesus, and he will attempt to deceive even the very elect: We read "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:13).

We are in the last days, friends and it is a tragic thing to think that much of the Church could very well come under the power of false apostles, that they could be embracing a doctrine of the devil,  and fall under the control of a false spirit.

Such a thing could never happen, you say? You say that no one could possibly sit under such perverted things and not be aware of it.  Be careful in your thinking.  It can happen and will happen to those who refuse to  forsake their own lust and contine to walk in blatant disobedience. Read Romans 1:18-32 and 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.  The lust of the flesh is the what draws a person to false apostles. If you hang onto your lust, to the fleshly desires of your heart rather than surrendering them all to Jesus, you'll come under false doctrine eventually. The tragedy of that is:  You may never escape from it.

In the 18th century, another gospel was introduced called antinomianism, meaning "anti-law." This gospel is with us today, and it is stronger than ever. It undermines the fear of God by suggesting that once you believe, you can sin and never be damned, because Jesus has covered it all. It is in fact, "another gospel" which was never received by the first Church!

Dr. Tobins Crisp was one of the teachers of this new doctrine, which swept through Germany. Its proponents used Jesus' name as a by-word:

The doctrine of antinomianism is still being preached today, and the charismatic movement is falling for it hook, line and sinker. Look at just one example of this doctrine:

"A believer may be assured of pardon as soon as he commits one sin, even adultery or murder. God does no longer stand displeased though a believer do sin often. There is no sin a believer can commit that can cause him any hurt--therefore there is no reason to fear sin. Sin is dead and has no more terror. If we tell believers they must walk holy and do good works or God will be angry with them, we abuse the Scriptures. We are then lying in God's face. God has done everything in Christ--there is nothing to fear!"

This doctrine is prevalent today and has removed all fear of judgment against unrighteousness.

Any Gospel that teaches you can walk with Jesus without Holiness is of the Devil! 

When you consider doctrine, you must ask the question:  Does this cause me to conform to the likeness of Jesus Christ? You can't call a gospel pure simply because the teacher preaches against sin, or because Christ is referred to often.

The New Age movement speaks much of the Christ Spirit, yet it is NOT a pure, Godly gospel.

I believe preachers must be first partakers of their fruit!  They must preach against their own sin with fear and reverence before the Lord.  They must be broken within themselves!  They must have real conviction!  They must have a desire to bring people into conformity to Christ!

What is true holiness you ask?  I will tell you bluntly, it is not in your hair, your clothing or the absence of particular items from your wardrobe.  Although these things must be addressed, (after all, modesty is required), they do not in themselves constitute holiness. 

A very good definition of holiness is found in 2 Timothy 2:19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

I feel, as Paul must have, a heart wrenching cry to warn God's people of what is coming. There are great theological wars ahead. The whole charismatic movement will be divided into different camps, rallying behind their doctrines, teachers and books, accusing each other of error and false prophecy. And all will believe they are defending the faith!

There is a great time of confusion coming, folks.  Churches have already bought into the "my teacher, preacher, pastor, etc. is better than your pastor" thing.  They are pointing fingers at one another calling each other heretics and false teachers, false prophets, etc.  Most today have departed from Sound Doctrine by the word of God alone and have allowed sin to reign in the lives of not only the church members, but in the ministry. 

It's a shame that churches don't fight the Devil anymore and have begun go fight each other.  There IS a common salvation (Jude referred to it), but outside that, there is much personal interpretation over prophecies and timelines.  These things are NOT salvation issues.  Saints, it is time we wake up and stand with ANY brother or sister who will walk in the fear of God and whose heart and spirit are pure in their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul instructed Timothy to: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

Get your eyes off all preachers and onto Jesus Christ! Get into the Word of God for yourself and see if these things are true!

The True Gospel Is Concerned With Your Heart! 

Let me explain:  In the book of Mark, the Pharisees saw some of the Lord's disciples eating bread with unwashed hands, and "they found fault" (Mark 7:2). "For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders" (Mark 7:3).

The Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples didn't walk according to "holiness." and according to the law of the day.  The Pharisees held to tradition and ceremony and to them their religion was always "outward", concerning themselves only with acts of the flesh.

Jesus answered them, "Well hath (Isaiah) prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Mark 7:6). If the heart was clean, they would have realized that dirty hands don't defile a man! 

This was and still is the problem with all false gospels!  They do not concern themselves with what actually defiles a man, but instead overlook the hidden man of heart!  Read the words of Jesus in Matthew 15:18: 

"But these things which proceed from the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man" (Matthew 15:18). 

The true gospel of Jesus. is a gospel that convicts the heart, deals with the heart and changes the heart! The true gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel that provokes you to call on God out of a pure heart.  The true gospel of Jesus Christ will tell you that you haven't yet arrived but it will point you and push you in that direction! 

Does the gospel message you are hearing convict you of those inner, hidden sins? Evil Thoughts? Adultery? Fornication? Murder? Stealing? Covetousness? Wickedness? Pride? Foolishness?

Does the gospel message you're hearing cause you to allow God to search and try your heart, and to expose your sin and sinful attitudes?

If the gospel you are hearing does not do these things, then you need to get out from where you are and find yourself a church where your heart is exposed, shaken and changed for the glory of Christ!