 |
Acts 19: 13-15 (NIV)
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of
the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. . . . One day, the evil
spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
|
 |
| The most dangerous counterfeit bills are those that most closely resemble the authentic ones.* |
 |
Who
would ever think that being recognized by an evil spirit is a good thing?
In
Matthew chapter seven, Jesus warns us to watch out for false prophets. There
will be many who claim to prophesy in Jesus’ name, to drive out demons and
perform miracles in his name, but he will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers!”
In
the Stephen King story, Salem’s Lot,
one of the characters is horrified to learn that waving a cross in the face of
a vampire does not protect him. The vampire advises him that the cross has no
power unless you believe in the true power of the cross – “Without faith, the
cross is only wood . . .” It’s sadly ironic that demons (and vampires!) are
better-equipped to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit than we are.
How
can we tell if someone is claiming the name of Jesus falsely? Jesus said, “By
their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7: 20) A tree may appear to be
good and healthy until it bears fruit. In the same way, a false prophet may
seem to be doing good things – preaching, healing, charitable works – but watch
for his fruit. Is he true to the gospel or does he dilute it to make it easier
to swallow? Does he claim Jesus as the only Son of God and the only way to
salvation? Who gets the glory? Does his
personal life reflect a relationship with Jesus? How does he treat other
people? How does he hold up under pressure?
As someone has stated, “The presentation of that which is genuine is the only antidote to the counterfeit.”* Know the truth so you can recognize the fakes.
|
 |
| Zeal and sincerity cannot substitute for truth.* |
No comments:
Post a Comment