Day 57
Matthew 7:15-20 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a 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 is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
We are, first of all, warned of false prophets, those who come in sheep's clothing but are rather ravenous wolves. In addition, we are told how to identify them–by their fruit. How often do we see eloquent speaking, charismatic people who speak one thing and yet do another? I dare say the world is full of them, and unfortunately there is no shortage of those who would do so in the name of God.
Just this morning on national news, there was a story of a Church in the Midwest whose members were intentionally disrupting the funerals of our soldiers, claiming that these men were going to hell; condemning them in the name of God and bringing great pain to the families, as well as shame to our God and His Church. It is no wonder that many people think we Christians are a bunch of whackos, so would I, if I didn't know better. What does that have to do with this Church, you ask? The fruit of this congregation is not the same as the fruit of a Church following the gospel would bear–our fruit is and always should be unconditional love! Beware that you do not confuse the fruit of the power of Jesus’ name with the fruit of the one using His name. We must remember the power over demons and hell is in the name of Jesus, not in those who speak it or use it; these can and, in the case of false prophets, always are in direct conflict. For example, if a prophet comes and is using the name of Jesus (which has power over satan) and calls demons out, and then commands his followers to contradict the word (often in sexual ways), they are a false prophet, and we should never submit to or follow such a person!
Remember, an apple tree bears apples, grapes bear grapes, and pears bear pears, right? And if someone says they are a lemon tree and they have apples hanging on them, no matter what they say, they are an apple! My mother-in-law has an orange tree that has the most beautiful oranges you have ever seen except for one problem, they’re lemons. Yes, they look like oranges, but they are not and nothing you can do will convince you otherwise once you have tasted them. Once you have tasted someone's teaching, deep down you know their roots; you taste their fruit. Keeping in mind that the fruit of our belief is love, no matter how we may feel about a particular false religion, it behooves all mankind to remember many of the people in these cults have no idea that they are following false teachings and, for the most part, that they have been deceived. Christ's love in us and the truth spoken in love is quite often their only hope. Yet, if we desire to fill the houses of false teachers, we need only to wag our fingers, slice with our tongues in judgment, and ride our high horses of righteousness, just as the Pharisees did in days of old.
Having said this all in love, let me end with the following question: “Do the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and yes, even the Catholics, stay true to the entire Word of God? This you must answer on your own. Remember, "A tree shall be known by its fruit."
Daily Prayer: Father, may we truly be known as ones who bear luscious, healthy, and desirable fruit, bringing glory to our Savior Jesus, our Lord, and in His name we pray, Amen.
"Since a tree is known by its fruit, which tree are you"
Pastor Gene Burroughs
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