False prophets and fake Christianity

SERMON TOPIC: False prophets and fake Christianity

Speaker: Ken Paynter

Language: ENGLISH

Date: 10 March 2019

Topic Groups: HERESY, FALSE RELIGION, SOUND DOCTRINE

Sermon synopsis: Matthew 24:24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

South Africa has in recent months seen an increase in pastors and prophets who claimed they could heal or instantly create wealth for congregants using illegal means. The rogue churches have been widely criticized for robbing the poor and vulnerable while church leaders lived in luxury. Ashoms, a Nigerian national, said some of his fellow countrymen were guilty of using religion to make money in South Africa. I know some of them do that and I do tell them. We have seen the great commercialization of Christianity, where congregants have pay for a prayer, water, oil. So they merchandise everything in churches, that is business and nothing else.

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False Prophets and fake Christianity.

Matthew 24:24.

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

False prophets.

South Africa has in recent months seen an increase in pastors and prophets who claimed they could heal or instantly create wealth for congregants using illegal means. The rogue churches have been widely criticized for robbing the poor and vulnerable while church leaders lived in luxury.

Ashoms, a Nigerian national, said some of his fellow countrymen were guilty of using religion to make money in South Africa.

I know some of them do that and I do tell them. We have seen the great commercialization of Christianity, where congregants have pay for a prayer, water, oil. So they merchandise everything in churches, that is business and nothing else.

False prophets.

They live a flamboyant life in expensive suits driving flashy cars. We need to question all these things.”

The CRL commission completed an investigation of all religions and their unscrupulous practices. The report was handed to Parliament last year.

The report showed that churches had been turned into money-making schemes by rogue pastors and prophets who lived off vulnerable people seeking help from churches. The probe found that there were in-house services paid for by the vulnerable congregants seeking God’s help.

The commission found that some churches even had ATMs and speed points for congregants to withdraw cash for tithes and the purchasing of ”holy water” and other services.

False prophets.

Many sectors of our nation have justifiably expressed indignation at the shocking allegations leveled against rogue pastors.

These have included rape, assault, and attempted murder. Other pastors have been recorded feeding dog meat, snakes, grass, or spraying insecticide on congregants.

Many are accused of manipulating their flock into giving away large sums of money.

After investigating abuses within some churches, the CRL began calling for what it terms a self-regulatory body, authorized by the State but made up of church leaders. Is this an appropriate response, and how should the church respond? (Joy Magazine)

List of shame: Top ten rogue Pastors in Kenya.

After a series of claims that Kenya’s top PASTORS are fleecing unsuspecting Kenyans with fake miracles, We undertook a thorough investigation to unearth the truth.

The team of investigators set out to unfold the most hidden details of these shepherds who mislead their sheep for their personal gain as prophet Isaiah narrated in the Holy book.

Isaiah 56:10-11

“His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dogs without tongues, unable to make a sound; stretched out dreaming, loving sleep. Yes, the dogs are forever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same.” The Kenyan Daily Express

False prophets.

Pastor James Ng’ang’a:

Pastor James Ng’ang’aof Neno Evangelism Ministry tops the list of Pastors with very questionable characters. Recently he married a school girl to be his third wife. He performs “miracles” at a price with the minimum miracle costing, Sh 3,000. He drives top of range cars courtesy of his church coffers and he is a regular visitor of “the red light” district in Nairobi. (3,000.00 KES = 434.74 ZAR)

2. Pastor Michael Njoroge:

Recently made major headlines for his association with a local prostitute whom he paid to fake a miracle and “sort her out”. He is a regular visitor of strip club located in river road Nairobi. He drives top of the range cars courtesy of his gullible followers.

False prophets.

4. Pastor Muriithi and his wife:

Though details of the pastor remain sketchy, a deacon of the church told the DAILY EXPRESS that the pastors perform miracles at a price and his wife who is also a pastor spends church offerings in high end salons and cosmetics shop in the city. She spends Sh 40,000 a day on salon and cosmetics.

5. Bishop Margaret Wanjiru:

She is the proprietor of Jesus is Alive Ministry. She was recently involved in housing scandal where it was alleged she was allocated dozens of houses illegally. She lives large courtesy of her church coffers. She performs miracles at a price.

False prophets.

PRETORIA - A pastor of the Soshanguve Church, End Times Disciples Ministries, has come under fire for allegedly using the unconventional methods of having congregation members strip and then stepping on them to preach. In the images, members of the church can be seen stripped down to their underwear and the pastor is seen stepping on some.

South Africa's 'Doom Pastor' found guilty of assault. BBC

Lethebo Rabalago - known as the Doom Pastor - was also found guilty of contravening the Agricultural Stock Remedies Act, a court ruling said. Rabalago claims the insect repellent he used in 2016 could heal cancer and HIV.

Pastor claims Rat Poison can heal the sick.

Priest Light Monyeki from Soshanguve, South Africa, took it upon himself to prove his follower’s were superhuman and immortal, with a seriously dangerous stunt. The priest declared to his congregation they should not fear death, as they will not die, before proceeding to pour bottles of water contaminated with rat poison into their mouths…

False prophets.

LIMPOPO PASTOR VOWS TO KEEP USING DETTOL ON CONGREGANTS

Prophet Rufus Phala says he will not stop using the product until God tells him to do so.

False prophets.

PASTOR LUKAU & THE DEAD MAN RISING: TOO MANY QUESTIONS, NOT ENOUGH ANSWERS

ANC wants CRL to probe rogue Pastors.

Andile Ncube has shared his views on the arrest of charismatic pastor Shepherd Bushiri, slamming preachers that use the bible as a weapon rob those that are desperate and vulnerable.

The sports presenter commented on the rise of charismatic pastors after one of his followers shared a video of Bishop Dudu J. Comfort, who told his congregants that they would die "very quickly" if they disobeyed his order to give all their money to God.

Andile shared his disgust at such pastors, whom he labeled as "thugs" pretending to be servants of God.

ANC wants CRL to probe rogue Pastors.

JOHANNESBURG –

The African National Congress (ANC) has said it wants the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) Rights Commission to probe rogue religious leaders. A week ago, a video went viral showing a man being allegedly resurrected from the dead in a coffin after Pastor Alph Lukau prayed for him. During its elections manifesto weekly briefing at Luthuli House on Sunday, the party called for religious practices to be regulated. It wants a full-scale investigation to look at how controversial pastors run their churches. The ANC’s Toko Xasa says the party will meet with the CRL to discuss what steps can be taken to put a stop to unscrupulous religious leaders.

False prophets.

I am angry also when I hear preachers crying with great emotion, "Help me clean up America," when they dare not try to clean up the Church -- riddled as it is with carnality and sensuality. I am angry and grieved when preachers weep over the TV that their income is decreasing, though I've never seen them weep on TV over the millions of lost souls they address every week. The God on TV is an inoffensive, undemanding God, wanting to give but requiring nothing in exchange.

There is no need to take up your cross and follow Him.

Leonard Ravenhill

False prophets.

Jeremiah 8:10-11.

Therefore I will give their wives to others, Their fields to new owners; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain;

From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit. They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace.

False prophets.

Dr. Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church, recently offered this message to her flock: “Too many folks want to box Jesus in,” she wrote, “carve him in stone, create an idol out of him. [But] the wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting one, prince of peace, was as human as you and me.

Like you and me, he didn’t have his life figured out.” Jesus had “bigotries and prejudices,” she added, even sins which He had to learn to overcome.

Matthew 23:15.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

A false gospel.

Old Time Religion = I exist for God. Modern Religion = God exists for me.

A Roman Catholic priest startled us not very long ago by saying that for 25 years he had been sitting in the confessional, listening to the confessions of men and women. He said he heard (of) murders, rapes, adultery, and fornication. He met men and women who have broken every law of God and man with repetition. But never in 25 years had anyone ever confessed to be covetous. Covetousness! We wrap it up and call it ambition. We may call it business or something, but right down in the middle of those things is a rotten word called "covetousness." Paul called it idolatry!

Leonard Ravenhill

A false gospel.

Undoubtedly, some adherents of the carnal prosperity message are motivated by greed. For them, preaching Jesus is a means of financial gain, something Paul rebuked in the strongest possible terms, speaking of men “of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain”. (1 Timothy. 6:5). Yet many sincere believers embrace this message too, and back their case with Scripture.

I am not against you having money. But I am adamantly against money having you. The problem is, there’s more to the story that the carnal prosperity preachers fail to mention:

Jesus warned against storing up treasures on earth. Matt. 6:19-24. and covetousness. Luke 12:15..

Jesus emphasized caring for the poor. Matt. 25:31-46.

Jesus did not die to make us financially wealthy but to save us from our sins. Matt. 1:21.

God chose the poor to be rich in faith and kingdom heirs. Jam 2:5.

A false gospel.

False prophets need gullible followers.

Galatians 3:6-10.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again:

If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Fake Christians.

Hedonism is the problem with the West i.e. The worship of pleasure.

Today’s society is filled with pleasure seekers and comfort seekers but very few God seekers.

2 Timothy 3:3-5.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Fake Christians want a fake Gospel.

2 Timothy 4:1-5.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Fake Christians.

Mark 4:19.

But the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Revelation 3:17.

Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Examine the God/ god you are serving.

Paul was struggling against the spread of a teaching that involved a different gospel, a different spirit and a different Jesus!

Although its doctrines and customs sounded quite similar to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, it was a counterfeit! While deceptively similar, it was not the truth. The Bible describes a struggle to maintain the purity of the Christian faith, just a few years after Christ established His Church.

Jude 3&4.

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Examine the Word of God.

Don’t accept everything that you are taught, you have a responsibility and a charge from Scripture to examine God’s Word to prove what is Truth.

Acts 17:11.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Fake Christianity.

Examine yourself.

2 Corinthians 13:5.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless, of course, you fail the test?

Examine yourself.

Most people go through their lives without a great deal of reflection or examination.

From their political views, to their stands on the issues of the day, most people are generally more interested in arguing, proving that they are right, and the other guy is wrong, than in actually examining their beliefs to see if they square with what is true. That lack of introspection and self-examination extends to our religious ideas, as well.

How many people honestly put their beliefs about God "under the microscope"? How many people truly examine their ideas about the meaning of life, about right, and wrong and about good and evil?

How often do people simply continue in the religious customs and practices they were taught as children, without making sure that the god they are worshiping is the true God?

Fake Christians.

Curse God and die.

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

Fake Christians.

Job 13:15. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”

Job made this noble statement, something very far removed from the faith that many modern day Christians adhere to. The fault does not only lie with the “Good News” preachers, but the followers of today’s popular Gospel.

A vast contrast can be seen between the early church fathers and today’s leaders and between the early church followers and today’s followers.

Fake Christians.

In many countries a much higher price is paid to be a follower of Christ.

That term however, can scarcely be applied to many in western countries who call themselves Christians, yet do not pray except in personal difficulty, or when wanting some new additional blessing, whose church attendance is based on the weather outside or whether someone has not offended them with some triviality, or if they feel like it etc.

They do not tithe and the money they do give is given begrudgingly with the expectation of great reward.

The average modern day Christian says bless me and I will trust You, prosper me and I will trust you, don’t let me get sick, don’t let anything bad happen to me or my children, be the genie in the lamp to do my bidding and I will trust You.

Fake Christians.

Quotes from John Hagee.

Counterfeit Christians want to feel good without being good.

They want change, but they don’t want the conflict.

They want success but without struggle.

They want ritual not righteousness.

They want the crown without the cross.

They want Sunday morning to be a spiritual happy pill that will send them out the door singing about a heaven that they are never going to see.

Some fake Christians are easy to spot.

Symbolism over substance.

Episcopalians in Washington DC headed by James Kelly, say they do not believe in God. James Kelly said “We all love the incense, the stain glass windows, the organ music, the vestments and all its drama, it’s the ritual. I don’t want to give up all of that just because I don’t believe in God.” No wonder that the Episcopal church has elected a practicing homosexual bishop, which is a clear violation of Scripture, yet these are the people that sail under the Christian banner.

Some fake Christians are not easy to spot.

Prophets, miracle workers.

Matthew 7:21.

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

Some fake Christians are not easy to spot.

Matthew 13:24-30.

Another parable He put forth to them, saying:

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?

He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Some fake Christians are not easy to spot.

Jesus spoke of the tares and the wheat, true and counterfeit Christians co-existing.

A counterfeit is so like the real thing that you battle to tell the difference, it sometimes takes an expert, but we try to give assurance to people who don’t even resemble what a Christian should look like.

Are you a true Christian?

2 Corinthians 13:5-6.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.

Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?

And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.

Let us look at a few characteristics of a “True Christian”

1. The world has no appeal for a true Christian.

James 4:4.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Philippians 3:8.

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage (dung), that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

2.The true Christian stands firm and takes action.

Daniel 11:32.

Those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

The people who know God shall stand firm and take action.

Some seemingly well meaning Preachers have embraced a non confrontational gospel that does not confront men with their sin, but Jesus preached a gospel that offended.

Daniel didn’t hide in the basement praying because of the King’s decree.

2.The true Christian stands firm and takes action.

Revelation 12:11.

They overcame him by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death. (Does that describe you or do you think there is a 2nd grade Christianity on offer)

3. The true Christian loves his brother.

* Christians confess Christ.

(You can fake that)

* Christians get baptized.

(You can fake that too)

* 1 John 3:14.

We know that we have passed from life to death because we love the brethren.

(You can’t fake that)

John 13:35

Jesus himself said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.

1 John 4:21.

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

3. The true Christian loves his brother.

Loving our brothers.

1 John4:7-12.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.