"Come Out From Among Them and be Separate"

The Approaching Darkness – Pastor Tom Hughes and Pastor Mark Henry

Are We in the Tribulation? | Christ in Prophecy

Knowing Them by their Fruit

God said; "you shall know them by their fruit."

He never said; "you shall know them by what they say."

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."

Matthew 7:17-19 "…17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.…"

Do not be so quick to accept a person as a believer just because they say they are one, or because they attend a church. Remember that decievers are divisive, they ingore the Bible and teach their own doctrines based on the tenor of the prevailing culture. The devil loves to send ungodly people into gatherings to cause strife and division.

This is why we see so much error and angst in the church today, many people who are not born again come in pretending to be saved while fighting against the truths of God's Word. These people are in every gathering. They recoil in contempt when they are corrected with the Word of God. They even malign and gossip about believers who speak the truth.

When you observe a pretender who is sewing discord among the brethren God commands us to avoid them.

Proverbs 16:28

"28 A perverse person spreads strife,

And a slanderer separates close friends."

These people will interpret things about others based on what they wish to believe about them and win over gossip minded people to their side against a brother or sister in Christ.

When we discover a person is one who spreads strife we must avoid them and all those who listen to them. Once someone listens with great interest in the lies of the gossiper, they will not be convinced by our explanations to clear things up. These people, the liar, and those who listen to them enjoy the lies and are not likely to listen to the truth.

A good explanation of the gossiper and the effects of what they do is below.

From an article entitled: "Holy Hatred: One Who Sows Discord Among Brothers"

"Third, gossip is a significant destroyer of harmony. Solomon speaks of a “dishonest man” spreading strife and a “whisperer” separating close friends (16:28). The “whisperer” goes about muttering unhelpful and destructive things to those whom he thinks will hear him. He will not honestly speak what is in his heart before all, but only to those whose ears he thinks he has. He will seek out those whom he thinks are likely to hear him without rebuking him, and will bare his divisive heart to them. And he will likely attract to himself those who are likewise whisperers seeking to separate close friends."

When the gossiper and his friends are removed from you life the peace returns.

What is gossip? Gossip is speaking the affairs of others to one who does not need to know, matters that you never saw yourself and might not be true.

Speaking to a close friend about a concern you have that you have personally encountered with another is not gossip. A gossiper seeks to ruin reputations merely because they are jealous or angry with someone. Most of what they say is speculation without proof and second-hand information they never saw or experienced but heard from others.

Never speak about something that has happened to you personally to one who cannot be trusted. Those who cannot be trusted will use information against you as well as pass it to others with great embellishment. The one who is not trustworthy will develop a following of those who are bent on making you look like the bad one.

There are times when we must warn someone about a pretender who is causing strife. When we do this we must stick to the facts of what we see and what the Holy Spirit tells us. Using the scriptures we are able to discern pretense that is fostered by the devil to cause discord in the body.

Sadly we live in a time when people will not openly and honestly call someone out for the evils they promote. This culture is more likely to silence the one who exposes the problem and allow the pretender to go unchallenged.

Secrecy and lies are the favored tactics of the devil amongst the brethren. Avoid those who keep secrets to protect someone who walks disobediently. Avoid those who walk disobediently, they are not interested in God's word or in loving the brethren. Their goal is to dominate, malign and discourage those who wish to walk with God closely.

Romans 16:17

"17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and [a]hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."

Titus 3:9-11 "9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless. 10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.…"

We live in a world full of those who are being controlled by the devil, those who believe what the devil tells them and cannot wait to pass it to others. The devil likes nothing better than to attempt to ruin someone's witness, either by lying about them or by causing them to believe lies others tell.

May the Lord give us all discernment to be able to avoid those who divide families as well as the body of Christ.