very hot in sunshine?
-A wolf in sheep's clothing!
There are such things false religious leaders, and they can have got all their religious credentials right! On the outside they look like the real thing -that's the whole point; it's on the inside that things are all wrong. Hardly surprising then that from time to time major religious scandals happen!
So you need to listen to John the friend and apostle of Jesus. In his letter he wrote: "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God".
But some people, of course, have simply gone astray for a while. For example, if you look in the New Testament Paul warns against choosing novices as leaders of the church; it may go to their head. We can see parallels to this among successful young Christian musicians. They sometimes get burdened with an authority they do not have, and before long they open their mouths too wide and end up putting their foot in it! Hardly surprising: Since when did writing or singing a good and popular song make anyone a Ph.D? or being a successful T.V. host make anyone an infallible fount of wisdom?
There is an important difference between the wolf and the sheep who has gone astray, however, and it's important to respond to them differently. The wolf is a predator, so watch out! they are there to feed upon the flock; in practice, either by enriching themselves or by bolstering up their ego and self-importance.
The sheep astray may wander into the same pattern of behaviour because as long as the Spirit of God is not fuelling them, they are as weak as any one else. Our response should be to gently point them back to the path they have wandered from - which is not achieved by sweeping the truth under the carpet to save our collective reputation.
-A wolf in sheep's clothing!
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So you need to listen to John the friend and apostle of Jesus. In his letter he wrote: "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God".
But some people, of course, have simply gone astray for a while. For example, if you look in the New Testament Paul warns against choosing novices as leaders of the church; it may go to their head. We can see parallels to this among successful young Christian musicians. They sometimes get burdened with an authority they do not have, and before long they open their mouths too wide and end up putting their foot in it! Hardly surprising: Since when did writing or singing a good and popular song make anyone a Ph.D? or being a successful T.V. host make anyone an infallible fount of wisdom?
There is an important difference between the wolf and the sheep who has gone astray, however, and it's important to respond to them differently. The wolf is a predator, so watch out! they are there to feed upon the flock; in practice, either by enriching themselves or by bolstering up their ego and self-importance.
The sheep astray may wander into the same pattern of behaviour because as long as the Spirit of God is not fuelling them, they are as weak as any one else. Our response should be to gently point them back to the path they have wandered from - which is not achieved by sweeping the truth under the carpet to save our collective reputation.
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