PUTTING UP READILY WITH A DIFFERENT GOSPEL (PART VII)

“Trepidation & Intimidation: False Teachers’ Instruments of Control”

By Akin Ojumu

As we circle back to this commentary series, here’s a recap of the reasons church folks are so accommodating to purveyors of erroneous doctrines.

So far in this commentary series, we’ve enumerated a number of the reasons why the vast majority of church folks of our day celebrate, and don’t seem to recognize, false teachers who bring destructive heresies.

1) People Don’t Denounce a Teaching that Scratches their Itching Ears

False teachers and their followers feed off of each other. Like the typical obligate mutualism found among animals, false teachers and their followers are entirely dependent on each other. In the false teacher, the followers get a leader, somebody to take them where they want to go, variously described as purpose and destiny. The false teachers teach them what they want to hear, justify their lust and greed, vindicate their selfishness and pride, and legitimize their sin and rebellion.

2) The True Gospel Doesn’t Taste Like Cotton Candy

Authentic Gospel is an unattractive message. God’s truth doesn’t scratch itching ears, rather, it heals deadly infection. Sound doctrine doesn’t taste like cotton candy; it doesn’t give the same sugar-high that cotton candy sermonizing gives their consumers. In a world shaped by an entertainment culture, people love to be entertained. Rivers of dopamine gush out of the brain’s reward system, particularly the nucleus accumbens, of people of this generation. A brain perpetually floating in the stream of dopamine is bound to consistently and addictively crave the appealing and pleasurable message of false teachers, the same way drug addicts crave the next fix.

3) Pharmacodynamics of the Gospel

Sound doctrine is repulsive to church folks because it pierces the human soul, exposing our guilt and wretchedness. When the Word of God is accurately and precisely preached, it cuts through the BS and lays bare our nakedness.

4) Love Bombing and Community Narcissism

Showered with love and bombarded with affection, people are easily drawn into deadly religious cults. Believing that their sect’s numerous charitable endeavors in the community are sincere, they get caught in the tentacles of cult leaders.

What we find is that similar dynamics play out between false teachers and their disciples. Hypnotized by the love bombing, church folks easily succumb to the magnetism of the false teachers. Sucked into the death spiral of communal narcissism, they readily accept the false teachings of charlatans. Sincerely believing that their denomination is preaching the truth, they are unable to see that they are getting their spiritual nourishment from a doctrinal sewage.

In today’s installment of the commentary series, we’ll discuss yet another important reason why church folks seem to cling to false teachers and their aberrant teachings.

5) Fear of the Anointing

Many Christians have been conditioned to be very afraid of saying bad words about a man of God. Having been continuously subjected to a lifetime indoctrination, the vast majority of church folks have come to believe that to question a man of God for any reason whatsoever is tantamount to a rebellion against the Almighty God Himself. Those who do so, they’ve been taught, invite the wrath of God upon themself. 

Unfortunately, this mindset is a thought-stopping device that charlatans use to shield themselves from criticism. By instilling the fear of God’s vengeance in their followers, false teachers lock up their followers inside a cage of dread and trepidation. 

False teachers succeed in imprisoning their followers in the fortress of foreboding because they build a wall of invincibility around themselves using the bricks of distorted Bible passages. To prevent their disciples from questioning their teachings, they often raise Bible texts as a shield.

A go-to Bible verse of false teachers is from the Book of Psalms. They routinely deploy this particular text to make their followers cower in terror. It is a popular Bible passage charlatan use to silence any dissenter.

Psalm 105:15

“Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”

When false teachers quote Psalm 105:15, they do so out of context. In their mouth, this text becomes an armor of censure. Very often, they wield the verse as a mind-blocking weapon to discourage critical evaluations of their erroneous doctrines. 

What their followers fail to realize, though, is that the context of Psalm 105:15 has got nothing to do with protecting false teachers from scrutiny. To touch God’s anointed and to do His prophet harm is to maliciously, unjustifiably, and needlessly take actions that could cause physical harm, reputational damage, or any other wrong to God’s servants and representatives. 

Which brings us to the question. Who is considered God’s anointed and God’s prophet? Are these titles limited to the Pastors and General Overseers? Are these designations applicable only to the modern-day apostles and the self-appointed prophets to the exclusion of everyone else?

The answer is, of course, “Nyet!” as the Russians would say. 

In the context of Psalm 105, the “anointed ones” refer to the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were chosen by God to fulfill His covenant promises. The term “anointed” (Hebrew: “mashiach”) signifies those set apart for God’s purposes. This term “prophet” refers to those who were divinely appointed to speak God’s truth and guide His people. In the Old Testament, prophets were often seen as God’s mouthpieces, delivering His messages to the people.

In their New Testament application, the terms “anointed” and “prophet” refer to all believers. God’s anointed and God’s prophet is anyone whom He has chosen to represent Him on earth. If you are a born-again believer and you’ve been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb, you’ve been chosen by God as His representatives on earth. 

All those who belong to God are considered God’s anointed.

1 John 2:20

“But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.”

Since we’ve all been called to go preach and profess the Gospel to the fallen world, we all are God’s prophets.

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So, what does this all mean? 

Well, for one, you need not be afraid of any preacher of error who waves the Psalm 105:15 card to silence his critics. Next time a purveyor of false doctrines threatens you with this verse, simply because you questioned his unbiblical teaching, remind him that anyone who twist and distort the Word of God is damned.

Galatians 1:8-9

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

Make sure you let false teachers know that no true servant of God intentionally and persistently abuses and misuses the Word of God.

Isaiah 8:20

“To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”

As to the question of whether it’s at all biblical or Christianly to call out the false teaching of false teachers, well, there’s also a Bible verse for that.

God commands all true Believers in Christ to expose false teachers.

Ephesians 5:11

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

False teachers are ravenous wolves. We are all called to warn the Church of the clear and present danger they pose.

Matthew 7:15

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Purveyors of false teachings may claim to speak for God, but they are not of God. These people are nothing but frauds and enemies of God.

Romans 16:17-18

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

Those who preach a Gospel that deviates from the traditional orthodox teachings of the original Twelve Apostles are anathema, i.e., accursed.

Galatians 1:6-9

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

Because of our tendency to want to hear messages that scratch our itching ears, and the propensity of false teachers to exploit this human weakness, it’s important to caution the Church to be careful not to stray into myths.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“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.”

Considering the grave eternal consequences of false teaching and the ruin it brings to the faith of many, it’s your duty and mine to call out false teachers. As for me, that’s exactly what I plan to continue to do.

Stay tuned till next time.