Fake believers have come to divide the church. They act foolishly, speak lies, and accuse believers unjustly for standing for righteousness.
These same people have done more to divide the church merely by claiming to be one of us while bringing crassness and rudeness to the gathering.
I have seen Christians who were thrown under the bus by other Christians for calling out the false brethren who are deliberately dividing the believers.
False brethren come in causing trouble with false teachings and crass attitudes dividing people one from another. When we see this happen the one to avoid is the false brethren, but in order to know they are false, we must know the scriptures.
Unfortunately, in our day the false brethren will win others to their way by accusing the authentic brothers of being divisive by using the Bible as the measure for truth and conduct.
Sadly most people in the apostate gatherings today are false brethren, they have never been born again but claim to know the Bible they disobey regularly.
Romans 16:17
"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."
2 John 1:9-11
"Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works."
Romans 12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
2 Timothy 3:5
"Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
False brethren divide the church merely by being false brethren.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."
Nearly every politician over the past 50 years of my life has been false brethren, claiming things about themselves that were not true and deceiving many who were superficial in their thinking, many didn't know the Bible they claimed to believe in.
The Bible is not a prop to be used to feel good or elevate self, it is the word of God to instruct and guide the born again believer. We live in a culture that uses this very holy book as a prop to "prop up" their egos and feel safe by the comforting thoughts in times of trouble but they have no desire to actually seek Christ to obey Him.
The reason I know this is because when most "Christians" are confronted with their error that leads to sin they fight back as though we did something evil by exposing wrong thinking.
When I speak to people about divorce and remarriage they go right to defensiveness without taking a breath. They will defend their disobedience against God as if their life depended on it.
Even though what they are doing can easily be exposed as a sin against God they will not only rage against us as well as turning others against us who are defensive of them.
Acts 20:29
"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;"
Modern Christians are defending sin today that everyone who was a Christian 80 years ago would have agreed was sin and even warn and shun the believer who did them. The church believed in disciplining someone to help them return to obedience. They knew this from their knowledge of God's Word and their desire to obey Christ.
What people fail to realize is that the Bible is the Word of God. It is the very heart and essence of Jesus Christ, Who is called the Word. When we minimize, even becoming angry at the mention of HIs Word we are mocking and diminishing Him. This is why God says:
Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
The Word of God and Jesus Christ are offensive to pretenders today, they want to be able to "appear" as a good person who has a Bible but they want nothing of Christ Himself.
I have seen this more times than I can count, Christians following rules, parading up and down as though they are special because they have a Bible and even teach it, but they have none of the fruit of the Spriit nor do they have the greatest of all commandments:
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
These pretenders do not love the Lord let alone the brethren, they love their sin and their pride while lacking the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When we expose their sin they attack rather than pray. They malign our character rather than appreciate the correction. This is how we know the character of a pretender or an authentic believer. The believer can be corrected and will respond with gratefulness and go to prayer, however, the pretender will become angry and attack our character refusing to take a look at their own.
Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…"
My prayer has been that God would cause repentance to role over the apostate church gatherings and many become born again.
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