The Dangers from Within

Extract from an article "Warnings to the Church - Acts 20:29-38" by Pastor Scott L. Harris of Grace Bible Church, NY -  www.gracebibleny.org

But the danger to the church is not just from without. The danger is also from within. Verse 30 specifically states, "and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them."

This is the greater danger because these are the ravenous wolves that come dressed in sheep’s clothing that Jesus warned about in Matthew 7:15. Jesus said that we would know them by their fruit, but because they appeared to be one of us we often have a hard time believing the evidence.

Act 20:28 - 31 : Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 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. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

To read the entire article, click HERE or go to
http://www.gracebibleny.org/warnings_to_the_church_acts_20_29_38
Too often I have had people still claim that some individual is a good brother or sister in Christ even after all evidence brings about conclusive proof that the person is false resulting in their being disfellowshiped from the church.

Remember that while the primary reason we practice church discipline is in the effort to bring about correction and restoration (Mt. 18:15,16; Gal. 6:1), there is also the purpose of protecting the church from those who are false (cf. Matt. 18:17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:11; 2 Thess. 3:14). Yet, we have lost many families over the years because they would rather associate with their friends who are false than those who are seeking their spiritual protection. Why does that happen?

God allows false teachers to come to test whether those who claim to love God actually do or not (Deut. 13:3; 1 Cor. 11:19). Many will fail the test because, as 2 Tim. 4:3 states,"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but [wanting] to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." In short, they simply do not want to hear the truth and they will find someone who will cater to their desires and make believe world.

In verse 30 Paul states two of the characteristics of these false leaders and then in verses 33-35 contrasts himself with a third characteristic.

First, they speak perverse things (diastrefw / diastrephô). The idea here is that they distort or twist the word of God into what they want it to say. That is usually done with a combination of 1) leaving out the sections of Scripture they don’t want to talk about 2) emphasizing passages that say what they want, and 3) interpreting passages contrary to their historical and grammatical context.

Preachers who speak perverse things are prevalent on TBN and many so called "Christian" radio stations. Their writings in books and magazines spread their false doctrine even farther. In radion, Harold Camping of Family Radio is a major wolf. I don’t watch TBN, so I don’t know most of those on it. Those that I do know something about on it that fit Paul’s description here include Hugh Ross, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Frederick Price, Robert Schuller and Kenneth Hagin. A lot more of the others probably also fit since Paul & Jan Crouch have never shown much discernment between the true and the false. As a general rule, beware of anyone that names their ministry after themselves. Because these preachers are popular, their perverted teachings spread into other churches. Again, there have been many books and articles written exposing such men. Resources such The Agony of Deceity, Horton and websites: John Ankerberg (ankerberg.com), The Apologetics Index (apologeticsindex.org), The Berean Call (thebereancall.org), Answers In Genesis (answersingenesis.org) and Christian Research Institute (equip.org) are all very helpful.

Second, they seek to build their own following. They are often very personable and seek to quickly build friendships with many people. Many are very good with flattery. Others are very generous in various ways seeking to ingratiate people to themselves. If they are in some lower position of authority in the church they are generally critical of the church leaders and their decisions while promoting how much better they and their ideas are. If they are in a position of church leadership, they are usually marked by an arrogance demanding submission to their Biblical interpretations even on very minor issues and methodology with little grace for those who disagree. They may claim that they are making disciples of Jesus Christ, but when push comes to shove the demand is loyalty to themselves, not Christ or the scriptures.

Paul contrasts himself with a third characteristic of these wolves in verses 33-35, but first he commands them, reminds them and commends them in verses 31 & 32.