Author: Steve Phillips

Jesus the Light   36    In the Dungeon

Blessed is he who does not stumble over Me -Mt.11:6

A man sent from God [Jn.1:6], indeed, none greater that has been born of women [Mt.11:11] and more than a prophet [Mt.11:9]: this was John.  Filled with the Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb [Lk.1:15] and coming in the spirit and power of Elijah [Lk.1:17] as the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord [Mt.11:10]: there have arisen none to equal the Baptist.

Fearlessly, he confronted an entire generation like a thunder clap from heaven against the sins of peasants, priests, and princes alike. None were exempt from his withering denunciations and demands for repentance: none, not even the king.

Lk.3:19,20: “When Herod the tetrarch was reproved because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

And thus he descended into Herod’s dark and dank dungeon. The blaze of heaven’s light bursting from him was then plunged into blackness. Multitudes who once rejoiced in this burning lamp [Jn.5:35] thronged to him no more.  The voice that cried in the wilderness was silenced behind the confines of cold castle stone.

John is alone.  The heralded Messiah of the coming kingdom sends no greeting.  Jesus the Christ makes no visit to his cell.  No word of cheer reaches his ears.

He whom he faithfully testified of and announced remains aloof while the wicked king he faithfully testified against abides as his afflicting captor. Christ, the One that John’s whole life had been prepared for and was devoted to does nothing, says nothing.

Mt.11:3: “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Multiplied anxious thoughts race through fevered imaginations in Herod’s dungeon. We can imagine John’s anxious thoughts: “The kingdom of heaven was at hand, yet Herod’s wicked scepter still holds sway. How is it that the Bridegroom can abandon His friend who rejoiced to hear His voice? [Jn.3:29]. Surely He has come to set the captives free! [Isa.61:1]. Why does He not come?”

Rarely do such tumbling thoughts receive a satisfactory resolution. Suspense is one of the great disturbances to the soul. And so it was that a deputation of disciples came to inquire of Christ on John’s behalf.  And thus did Christ respond.

Lk.7:21-23: “At that very hour He cured many of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

“‘And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’”

Report what you have seen and heard.  They saw that many, but not all, were healed.  They heard those ancient prophesies of the blind, deaf, and lame being saved [Isa.35:3-6] and of the gospel being preached to the poor by the Lord’s Anointed [Isa.61:1-3].

This is what they saw and heard. It was the message that they carried to the downcast in the dungeon.  Jesus Himself did not come. The message of truth did. And John was left there with the Truth until his earthly race had run its course.

“And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” It is a blessed condition to not be offended when the Lord Jesus does not perform according to our expectation. We are blessed when His Word alone is sufficient to sustain us in the midst of distressing and grievous afflictions. Blessed are you when you trust what you know is true in the unrelieved grimness of Herod’s dungeon.

He was left alone to reflect on the fact that many were healed, but not all. It was the same Jesus who healed some and did not relieve others. More significant conflicts are raging in unseen spiritual realms than our immediate rescue from our discomforts. Join with Job and John in meekly submitting to even horrific trials.

John was left with the truth of the Word of God in the midst of sorrow. He pondered those prophesies, both of which promised rescue from present maladies and pointed to a coming day of vengeance.

That of the 35th of Isaiah promised that the weak and fearful-hearted will yet be visited by God and saved. Isa.35:4-6: “Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear. Behold, our God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.”

In the 61st chapter, not only is the gospel preached unto the poor, but the captives are liberated and the prison doors fly open. Isa.61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”

They were cheering words to the downcast.  But when shall they be realized?  When will He come to this, my dungeon? And to this question we may have no answer.

The fact is that it may not be in this life at all that your distress is visited and relieved. Perhaps not until the day of vengeance will all of your woes, grievances, and injustices be rectified.

By faith the servants of the Most High “escaped the edge of the sword” -Heb.11:34.  By faith others, equally His servants, “were put to death with the sword” -Heb.11:37. Same faithful servants, all of who had glowing faith: some perished, some did not.

Elijah was ushered into glory in a fiery chariot sent from heaven [2 Kings 2:11]. His faithful companion, Elisha, who possessed a double portion of his spirit, slowly expired in his sickness [2 Kings 13:14].

By the mercies of God Epaphroditus was healed of his deadly ailment [Phil.2:27].  But Paul’s beloved co-worker was left sick at Miletus [2 Tim.4:20]. Acts 19:11,12: “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them.” But Timothy, his closest and dearest co-worker, had chronic bodily afflictions that were not healed [1 Tim.5:23].

God’s notable prophet, Jeremiah, was delivered and raised from a pit of certain destruction [Jer.38:4-14].  Yet the stalwart and fearless Micaiah was cast into prison and fed sparingly with the bread of affliction [1 Kings 22:27].

In days of famine, one desolate widow was miraculously fed while others foraged about searching for crumbs. Lk.4:25,26: “Elijah was sent to none of them.”

Dear Listener, lonely vigils night and day passed in the Baptist’s miserable cell in Herod’s dungeon before he was released. The prisoner was eventually set free. The prison doors finally burst forth from their squalor into the brightness of eternal day. It was the Lord’s doing.

At the malicious demand of Herod’s wanton consort, “he sent and had John beheaded in prison” -Mt.14:10. And thus the captive was set free by Herod’s murderous sword, yet not even one hair of John’s head perished [Lk.21:18].

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light 35 Suffering 2

 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial among you, Which comes upon you for your testing, As though some strange thing happened to you  1 Pet.4:12

If the Master is maligned as Beelzebub, the members of His house must fare even worse at the hands of men [Mt.10:25]. Jn.15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

There is nothing strange, then, about Peter and John being arrested and flogged [Acts 5:17,18,40] nor that Stephen was stoned to death [Acts 7:58]. It was the same high priest and council that had crucified their Lord that was responsible for their own afflictions.

They, like their Lord, spoke the truth without compromise and testified to the religious world that its deeds were evil. They also set aside as the worthless rubbish it is, the man-made traditions of men. And they were hated because of it.

Conformity to Christ’s character necessarily results in partaking of His sufferings.  The two are inseparable. 2 Tim.3:12: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Fiery trials are therefore not a strange thing, but follow expectedly as a consequence of godliness.

They arise from wicked men but are sent by the hand of God accompanied by the Spirit of glory and of God. 1 Pet.4:14: “If you are insulted for the Name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

We should not be ashamed to be reviled for the name of Christ and suffer for uprightness. 1 Pet.4:16: “If anyone suffers as a Christian, his is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this Name.” Men may malign and mistreat while casting shame and slander upon the righteous; but it is no cause to be ashamed.

Rather, it is cause to glory, to rejoice, and to be exceedingly glad. Mt.5:11,12: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Such response demands the spiritual reality evident in a Paul who witnessed that he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” -2 Cor.6:10.  Will fiery trial turn us from the appointed path?

Job 2:4: “Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.”  So says Satan. What do you say?  What said three young Hebrew men?

Dan.3:17,18: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace…but if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.”

God is able…but if He does not…we will not.  Their devotion did not depend upon deliverance. Rescued or not, to them, God must be honored, truth upheld, and faith rest unwavering. This is the unyielding allegiance of true consecration.

God is to be glorified as God without rival or compromise though Self perish in the process. All of the workings of truth flow to this end. It is why we are tried by fire.

It is why we exult in our tribulations. They produce perseverance and that tested character which issues in hope [Rom.5:3-5]. The godly quality of life resulting from enduring afflictions lends confidence to the soul of its eventual conformity to Christ’s image. That is hope: a hope born in the fire and fanned into a flame of light by the winds of adversity. It is truth and righteousness upheld that are the provocations to heat the furnace seven times hotter and cast the godly therein.

Fiery trials ensue when we are unashamed of Christ and His Words in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation [Mk.8:38].  This, no Nebuchadnezzar can endure.

Cains will arise against the Abels of the land. Pharaohs will increase their afflictions upon the Israel of God who refuse to compromise divine decrees. Testifying the good confession before the Pilates of this world ushers one to Golgotha’s brow. And craftsmen of Diana’s shrines will riot against gospel light.

Suffering for the sake of truth embraced is the portion of the godly in all generations. Heb11:25,26 says Moses chose “to suffer affliction with the people of God. He regarded abuse suffered for Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt.”

Heb.11:35: “Others were tortured, not accepting release, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” Time would fail us to recount the histories of the men whom, valiant for truth, the world was not worthy of [Heb.11:36-38].

Suffice it to say that Paul kept the faith, though at his first trial “no one stood with me, but all deserted me” -2 Tim.4:17. Peter and Apostles, though maliciously imprisoned and beaten said: “We must obey God rather than men” -Acts 5:29. John partook of tribulation on Patmos’ Isle because of “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” -Rev.1:9. And our Lord Jesus Christ “for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, disregarding the shame” -Heb.12:2.

But what shall we do when persecution and suffering meet us? 1 Pet.2:19-23 answers this. “This finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God, someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. If when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Love of truth issues in salvation of those who embrace it [2 Thess.2:10].  At the same time, though, it also issues in persecution from those who do not love it.

Jn.15:19: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.”

Cowardly compromise of the way of righteousness does not gain what we imagine it will. Rather, out of fear to displease any, we offend all. The righteous will pity and pray for us. The unrighteous we are trying to satisfy will only despise us all the more because we were willing to abandon what we claim to believe.

No matter what you do in this life, you will suffer. No person can escape it. Best to suffer for doing what is right than for what is evil. Either way, you will suffer.

But something happens when we stand stalwart and immovable and refuse to bow the knee at Babylonian shrines. The world rises up in haste when it sees One like the Son of God with us in the flames [Dan.3:24,25].

A testimony is established in the furnace. But we must not shrink from the fire if we would have Christ meet us therein. It is there that it becomes evident to all that it is God, and not Self, that we serve.

Brethren, don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing. It is no strange thing. Suffering is our expected portion in this world, but Christ will be with us if we stand erect when Babylon’s notes compel our prostration.

1 Pet.5:10: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light 34 Suffering

 Though He was a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered  Heb.5:8

Suffering is the portion of every true Christian. To live in this world and imagine to escape from suffering is a great deception. It was the portion of Christ Jesus Himself.

Isa.63:9: “In all their affliction He was afflicted.”  Truly Christ Jesus our Lord was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” -Isa.53:3.

From birth there was no room for Him except the welcome afforded by sheep and oxen [Lk.2:7]. Chief priests and scribes may know ancient prophesies about the Christ’s place of birth, but they had no interest in meeting this King themselves [Mt.2:4-6].  Only a bloodthirsty jealous tyrant wished to find Him that he might “worship” Him – with a drawn sword [Mt.2:8-16].

He fled by night as a fugitive to a foreign land [Mt.2:13,14] only to return to a lowly despised region of no reputation [Mt.2:23]. Long years of routine physical labor occupied the majority of His life [Mk.6:3]. He toiled, unrecognized and without acclaim, supporting His younger ones who refused to believe Him to be anything other than just another member of the family [Jn.7:5].

Though hailed by the Highest in heaven [Mt.3:17], His own nation did not receive Him [Jn.1:11]. Isa.53:3: “He was despised, and rejected of men, and we did not esteem Him.”

Assailed by loathsome evil, the devil tempted Him to the uttermost [Mt.4:1-11].  And men, following in the steps of their father, the devil, vilified Him with mocking disdain.

Jn.8:48: “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan?” Jn.7:20: “The multitude answered, ‘You have a demon!’” Spitefully with venomous malice they spat out the accusation in Jn.8:41: “We were not born of fornication!” Jn.7:12: “He deceives the people!” -Jn.7:12. Even His own people were saying in Mk.3:21: “He is out of His mind!”

Dear Listener, what are you passing through that He has not tasted? What assaults your soul that He was not faced with? This is Jesus in Heb.4:15: the “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet was without sin.”

Christ is the One in Heb.2:18 who: “since He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.”

He can come to your aid in the blackness of your despair for He has sweat drops of blood in the agony of Gethsemane [Lk.22:44]. He can comfort the wounds of your heart sent from wicked tongues, for men wagged their heads in mocking derision against Him, the Beloved of the Father [Ps.22:6-8].

Grief sent from stubborn insulting loved ones against you can be borne in the bosom of Him who knew the same [Jn.7:5]. Shattering grief over those dearest to us taken in death’s finality is soothed by Him who wept over Lazarus whom He loved [Jn.11:35].

A ravaged heart torn asunder by willful abandonment of those closest to you receives its balm from the pierced hands of Him who cried in Mt.27:46: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Have weary long years of seemingly pointless daily routine bowed your soul, snuffing out hope’s glow of eventual spiritual usefulness? Come to Nazareth and behold your Lord in silent submission those eighteen years at the carpenter’s bench [Mk.6:3].

You are forgotten and ignored and no sympathy is found to console your anguished soul, except that of Him who looked for the same and found none [Ps.69:20,21].

Poverty grinds away with its relentless scarcity, sapping your soul into anxious pursuits. Come and recline with the Son of Man who had nowhere to lay His head [Lk.9:58]. The grief of the pure in heart that chafe at the unashamed display of godless men surrounding them also deeply assaulted the soul of the Holy One of God [Mt.17:17].

Are you laid aside, bed-ridden, and prostrate in weariness? Come; find rest and strength from Him who was wearied often [Lk.8:23; Jn.4:6].

In all points He was tempted as are we, but without sin. Only He who has overcome can assist those who must also do the same [Rev.3:21]. Yes, there are things to overcome; grievous pains to be borne: bitter to natural sensibilities, shameful to self-esteem.

They come from Christ. He has designed them that thereby we might overcome; that we will learn obedience through suffering, and that we might know fellowship with the Man of Sorrows.

Paul prayed that he might know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death: that he might attain to the resurrection from the dead [Phil.3:10,11]. To him, suffering was fellowship with Christ. Is it the same to you?

Suffering, death, and resurrection: this is the necessary sequence. Christ became obedient unto death, even that of the cruelest and most despised, that of a cross [Phil.2:8]. How did He learn such obedience? He gained it by enrollment in the school of suffering of which He is the Master of all would-be followers.

The lessons must be learned thoroughly and remembered well if the disciple would become like His Master [Lk.6:40]. This His school. Few endure until promoted on high.

Heb.12:3: “Consider well Him who has endured so great a contradiction of sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in your souls.”

1 Pet.2:23: “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Mt.11:28: “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  But the manner in which He chooses to grant you rest, may be quite unlike that of your brother. The Lord Jesus individually tailors each of our situations for our eternal good and His unending glory.

Black despair burst into light’s glowing warmth in Herod’s dismal prison-house of death. Fierce guards and flashing swords were bypassed as if nothing by the liberated captive. Shackles and chains clinked powerless to the ground as Peter was escorted by his heaven-sent deliverer.

Acts 12:11: “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent forth His angel, and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod.” Those were the words of Peter.

This is the testimony of James in Acts 12:1,2: “Then Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword.” They were in the same prison, bound by the same Herod, both apostles, and serving the same Jesus.

Dear Listener, which Jesus do we want: the Jesus of Peter or the Jesus of James? Which Jesus will we love and serve? Which One will we not be offended with?

Will we presume to choose, or even demand, our own means of deliverance? For, truly, both Peter as well as James were set free from Herod’s clutches, were they not?

Peter was liberated by angelic visitation in a miraculous rescue. James was set free by a hateful monster in gruesome form. Who had the better portion?

Peter entered the house of Mary where many were gathered praying, persecuted and fearing. James entered the city of gold where many more were gathered in everlasting jubilation where there is no more crying, pain, sorrow, and sin.

So, which Jesus do you wish to follow, the Jesus of Peter or that of James? Is He not the same Jesus to both and to all who trust in Him? Yes, He is.

And so Jesus says to all: “Blessed is he who does not stumble over Me” –Mt.11:6.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light   33   Church at Home

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love  of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart – 1 Pet.1:22

Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another,

And the Lord gave attention and heard them. And in His presence there was written down in a book, a record of those who fear the Lord and esteem His Name.

They will be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, on the day

I prepare My special treasure – Mal.3:16,17

Christianity is a simple fellowship of love. It exists apart from institutions, programs, and denominations. People who love the Lord Jesus and one another make up the church. Believers themselves are the church, not buildings.

No building has ever been recognized in the Bible as being the church. Acts 7:48,49: “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet; what kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord.”

For the first 250 years of the church’s life, there were no buildings called church that Christians met in. No sanctuaries, cathedrals, or church buildings were built or used for religious gatherings. It was forbidden by Roman law.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ met with severe persecution from its earliest days, first from the Jews and then from the Roman government. No church buildings were constructed because it was illegal, foolish, and unsafe to do so.

Yet Christians, because of their fear of God and love for one another, met together regularly and often. They bore “one anothers burdens and so fulfilled the law of Christ” – Gal.6:3. Heb.10:24,25 says they considered “how to stir each other up to love and good deeds, by not forsaking their own assembling together, but rather encouraging one another.”

From the very beginning of the church in Acts 2:42: “they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.” They loved truth, loved each other, loved Christ, and prayed for many. That’s how the church began, and how the church should continue.

Acts 2:44,45: “Those who had believed were together and were sharing their possessions with all, as anyone might have need.” Love abounded in their sincere affection and care for one another. This is what the Lord Jesus builds in His church: loving fellowship of mutual caring and encouragement.

The Temple of the Jews in Jerusalem was never a “church” building. It was the Jew’s temple and the scene of immediate persecution by the Jews against the Christians. It was not a church. It was a den of thieves from where hatred continued against those who were like the very Christ the Jews so recently crucified.

Very soon, after repeatedly arresting and imprisoning Peter and John, all the believers in Jerusalem were scattered by the persecution connected with the death of Stephen. Acts 8:1-3: “On that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered. And Saul [later named Paul] began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”

Saul did not enter the temple to arrest the believers, he entered the various private homes, for that is where the early church met for the first 250 years of its life. From the very day of the church’s birth, the believers continued day by day “breaking bread from house to house” – Acts 2:46. It was in a house that the Lord Jesus first broke bread with His disciples [Mt.26:18].

A home is where the church met together and prayed for the imprisoned Peter. Acts 12:12 says, when Peter was released by the angel, “He went to the house of Mary, where many were gathered together and were praying.” The church in Philippi began in a home where 3 families met together. When released from prison in Acts 16:40, Paul and Silas “entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them.”

In Troas when the brethren gathered together on the first day of the week to remember the Lord in the communion, they met in a house [Acts 20:7,8]. In Ephesus, for 3 years, Paul taught the church “from house to house” – Acts 20:20.

Paul writes to the Roman brethren to greet Priscilla and Aquila and “the church that is in their house” – Rom.16:5. Everywhere this couple travelled, you could find a church in their home. 1 Cor.16:19: “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you with the church that is in their house.”

The brethren in Colossae are encouraged to greet “Nympha and the church that is in her house” – Col.4:15. Paul sends his regards to Philemon “and to the church in your house” – Phlm.1,2.

The believers in the NT met in homes, not in church buildings. The Lord Jesus knew this and began building His church without all the machinery, expense, and building projects that we think are so necessary. They are not.

We need none of these things to build up and encourage one another. None of those will fill our hearts with the love of God for one another. Even the simplest and poorest brethren among us can be a blessing to each other apart from all those things.

No spiritual graces and blessings are dependent upon buildings, reverends, and denominations. The biblical pattern of believers’ mutual participation by loving concern and admonition are actually discouraged by those things.

We are “members of one another” – Rom.12:5, not members of a building or denomination. Bricks and zinc do not love one another, only believers can do that. We are commanded to love one another, to build up one another, to care for one another, to serve one another: to bear one another’s burdens, to forgive each other, teach one another: to comfort and encourage one another, to pray for one another, and to fellowship with one another.

These are repeated commands for every Christian from the Word of God. Dear Listener, ask yourself seriously this question: Am I actually doing these things in the church meetings I attend in my denomination’s religious building?

Does meeting according to my church’s program actually allow these things to be done? Is there space there for you to obey these “one another” commands?

You do not need a Reverend’s presence or permission to love one another; Christ commands you to do that. You don’t need a church program to govern your caring for others and encouraging their hearts; the Word of God commands you to do that.

The time may come when you can no longer gather together in your church sanctuaries. What will you do then? Will you stop meeting with your brethren?

Let me introduce you to the church in Philippi as recorded in Acts 16. First, meet sister Lydia, a seller of cloth, whose heart the Lord opened. Then, here is our young sister out of whom a spirit of divination was cast. Last, greet our brother jailor, his wife, and children. This is the church in Philippi and they met in Lydia’s house. Go and do likewise.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light 32 Christ’s Leaders

Jesus said, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them call themselves ‘Benefactors.’ But you are not to be like that. Rather, the greatest among you Must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant”  – Lk.22:25,26

Christ’s leaders are not lords. In the church that Jesus is building, there are no great men exercising authority over others. Jesus forbids that this be done. Any who do so, reject Christ and His Word.

Leaders in Christ’s true church are lowly servants, not masters and lords. They are like the youngest, not self-promoted big men. Jesus, though truly the greatest, emptied Himself and came to do the work of a servant. His leaders must do the same.

In the world, all we know about leadership is that great men exercise authority over those under them. The less and the lower obey what they are told by their masters. They do what they are commanded or they are punished.

In the world, there is a defined and definite hierarchy. Rulers dominate the ruled. Those considered inferior are governed by those who consider themselves lords.

But Christ’s leaders serve but do not rule. True leaders perform lowly works of service without recognition or reward. They help but do not dictate. Humility is what prompts them to deny themselves for the good of others. Phil.2:3,4: “With humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

True leadership is by example, not by force. The lowliness of Christ is shown by serving people. Self is sacrificed for the good of others. No kings are in Christ’s church.

Because Jesus said, “you are all brothers” – Mt.23:8, all believers are equal in His church. This is why He forbids men who have exalted themselves to sit on the high table. Mt.23:5,6 says only those “who do all their deeds to be noticed by men” do this. “They love to sit at the head table at banquets and the seats of honor in the synagogues.”

James also rebukes worldly leaders’ proud self-promotion and the preferential treatment of them by church members. In Jesus’ church, there is to be found no place for pride and no honoring of one man above another.  Jas.2:1-9 says:

“My dear brothers and sister, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never think some people are more important than others. Suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and wearing expensive jewelry.

“At the same time, a poor person comes in wearing old, dirty clothes. If you show more respect to the to the rich person and say, ‘Please, sit here in the best seat,’ but say to the poor man, ‘Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,’ then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives. If you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning.”

Yes, leaders who honor themselves by sitting on the high table are sinning. Church members who show such honor to these men are also sinning. Both those who seek honor from men and those who give it to them are sinning.

Leadership in Christ’s church is simply providing an example of godly lowly service combined with the persuasive power of truth. Loving the brethren by serving them and speaking the truth in love are what constitute godly leadership.

Are you a leader? Do you love people to respectfully greet you with a title of honor? Then you are condemned by Christ. You are foolish and proud. Jesus warned you of this:

Mt.6:5 & 23:7: “Don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand up and pray in houses of worship so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have their reward in full. They love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them ‘Teacher.’”

And so the proud, self-appointed rulers of the churches love the recognition of men. They love to be seen by men and to be honored by titles of their own invention: “Reverend, Doctor, Father, Pastor, Bishop, Prophet, Venerable, General Overseer.”

Jesus said in Mt.23:5: “All they do is for show. They make the boxes of Scriptures that they wear bigger, and they make their special prayer clothes very long.” And so man-made rulers in the churches wear special robes, clerical collars, caps, gowns, and march in procession.

But Jesus’ leaders are simple men who love others more than themselves. They sacrifice for the good of those they serve, rather than having those they rule serve them. Paul said in 2 Cor.1:24: “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy.”

In 1 Pet.5:1-3, Peter described himself as “your fellow elder” and said that true leaders “watch over the flock, not lording it over them, but proving to be examples to the flock.” In Rev.1:9, John simply refers to himself as “your brother, and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus.”

Here are 3 Apostles who describe themselves as fellow workers, fellow elders, and fellow brothers: this is godly leadership in Jesus’ church. Such leadership is nicely summarized in Heb.13:7: “Remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you, and considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith.”

True leadership is providing an example of godliness for others to observe and follow while teaching the truth in love: humble service combined with persuasive truth. It is a spiritual type of leadership absolutely unlike that of the world. The world says: Serve me or be punished. Christ’s leader says: Observe me and listen to God’s Word.

A true leader is a humble servant who is an example of godliness. 2 Cor.4:2 also says he is one who “by open proclamation of the truth, commends that truth to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Nothing is by force; it is by persuasion. He also stands before his own family well as an example of life and truth.

1 Toim.3:5: “But if someone does not know how to manage his own household well, how will he care for the church of God?” He provides a consistent godly example, serves his family in self-sacrificial love, and cares for their needs. He teaches them the good and right way and prays that the Lord will open their hearts to love Christ as he does. This is leadership, both in the home and in the church.

Without a doubt, the apostle Paul was a great leader. He served others and suffered along with them in all their afflictions. In Acts 27, he spoke the truth of the Word of God to all onboard the ship that was soon to be dashed upon the rocks. He was among them.

He suffered what they suffered. He spoke boldly to persuade men of obeying the Word of the Lord to escape otherwise certain destruction. But when all came to pass as he had declared, he did not sit apart waiting for fellow sufferers to serve him.

No, because of needs of men, because of the cold and the rain, Acts 28:3 says: “Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire.”

Paul saw the need and arose to do the work of a lowly servant for the good of all. That is leadership. It is like Christ, but unlike what we find in our churches today.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light   31   Christ’s Church 2

The holy temple of Christ’s church is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone as its foundation. It is not made with cement and wood. Devoted believers in the Lord Jesus are what make up God’s dwelling, His house, His building.

This church is further described in the Scriptures as a family, slaves, soldiers, sheep, branches, priests, a body, and a bride. Let us consider what each illustration teaches us.

The church is made up of BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 2 Cor.6:18: “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ says the Lord Almighty.” The life of the Father is the common portion of all His children. He is exalted over all to whom all owe everything within the family. Mt.23:8,9: “You are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

None have any place of superiority over others. Love and consideration characterize them all and obedience to a Father’s will is their crowning glory. Glad fellowship and mutual caring knit their hearts together in love within God’s family.

The church are SLAVES of God. Rom.6:17,18: “Though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Slaves are purchased possessions. They have no rights, and their independent opinions and desires are not the concern of the Master. Their single focus is to know and obey the command of their Master [1 Cor.6:19,20].

No man can serve two masters. There exists no place for men to lord it over fellow slaves in the church of Christ. 1 Cor.7:23: “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”  Jesus alone is Lord in the church He is building.

Jesus’ church contains SOLDIERS. 2 Tim.2:3,4: “Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”

Soldiers do not entangle themselves in the affairs of everyday life. Conflict for the sake of the kingdom is their concern. Commands from their Captain are all that they listen to.

Hardship, self-denial, and discipline are what their lives consist of. Pleasing the Commander and gaining victory over the foe fills their waking moments.

The church fights the good fight of faith, not with carnal weapons and fleshly might, but with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Error, evil, and hate are fought with truth, righteousness, and love. Only then is victory sure.

SHEEP describes the church of Christ. There exists but “one flock with one Shepherd” – Jn.10:16. Men are no substitutes for Christ. His voice alone is heard and followed by His flock. The voices of strangers will not be listened to or followed. Rather, the sheep will flee from any not speaking the Word of the Shepherd.

This identifies what true shepherd care is: speaking with the voice of Christ, leading in His paths of righteousness to feed upon His Word. The Lord says in Jer.3:15:

“I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.” Any who would draw men after themselves, speaking man’s wisdom and tradition, are thieves and robbers [Ezek.34:1-16;  Acts 20:30].

 BRANCHES connected to Christ, the Vine, bear much fruit in His church. Jesus said in Jn.15:5: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” That is, nothing to glorify the Father, nothing to truly benefit man. The life of the True Vine courses through every branch to produce the fruit of that Life; fruit of “goodness, righteousness, and truth” -Eph.5:9.

Fruit cannot be imitated as spiritual gifts and miracles may be. The fruitful fragrance of Christ is what is evidenced in all who are in living union with Him. Life produces fruit that no ceremony, regulations, denomination, or traditions could ever do.

In Jesus’ church, every believer is a PRIEST. A throne of grace is open to all who draw near to God through Jesus, the only High Priest who always lives to intercede for His own [Heb.7:24,25]. Each believer has equal privilege and access to the God of heaven, for all are spiritual priests.

Heb.4:14-16: “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.”

From every believer without distinction, offerings are brought: our bodies are presented as living sacrifices [Rom.12:1,2], praise rises from grateful and fruitful lips [Heb.13:15], and good deeds of sharing abound [Heb.13:16].

No such thing as clergy and laity exist in the NT church patterned after Christ. No separate class of men officiate and rule over the spiritual life and ministry of the believers. All are priests.

In the church Jesus is building, there is only one BODY joined to its one head, Christ. Col.1:18: “He is the head of the body, the church.” One Head governs the one body of Christ.  There are not multiple heads in His church. No one’s body could live and function with two heads. There are not multiple bodies in His church. No one could live and function with more than one body.

The members of the body receive their life, guidance, and spiritual assignments directly from the Head, not from fellow members [Mk.13:34].  The hand does not dictate to the foot. If one suffers, that member sends a message of distress to the Head. The Head then orders the response of the other members to relieve the suffering member.

All is orderly and coordinated because the Head governs all. No imposed structure from without directs the church. Christ is truly the living Head of His church, not merely a figurehead or managing director of a corporation.

The church as a BRIDE makes herself ready for her day of gladness. 2 Cor.11:2: “I promised you to one husband that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” Affectionate devotion and determined purity are what characterize the bride. She has an eye for none other. Her love is reserved for One alone.

She despises that friendship with the world which would defile her into harlotry [Jas.4:4]. She prepares herself for the glorious day in which she shall appear spotless and radiant, with no stain or blemish.

Righteous deeds weave the whitened fabric of her beauteous dress while she gladly submits to His good pleasure. And so it is that the true church of Christ can say, “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is for me” – S. of S. 7:10.

Dear Listener, these are the ways the true church of the Lord Jesus is described in the Word of God. What we discover in the Scriptures about the church that Jesus is building is far different than what we meet on ground.

Carnal denominations have scattered the one body of Christ. Love of money has turned the bride into a prostitute. Proud pastors and overbearing rulers have replaced Christ as the Good Shepherd. Man-made priests have pushed aside Christ and His true priests. Loving fellowship among equal brethren has been cancelled by religious moderators.

Fake miracles and deliverance by wolves in sheep’s clothing have corrupted the fruit of Christ’s branches in the True Vine. Search anywhere in the NT, nothing even close to the noise, acrobatics, and programs of our religious meetings can ever be found. It’s just not there. Jer.5:31: “And My people love it so; but what will you do at the end of it?”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light   30   Christ’s Church

On this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it Mt.16:18

 No blessing comes to any man who has a deficient view of Christ. Imaginary “christs” can do nothing for anyone because they do not exist. Only what is revealed about Christ to the heart of a man by the Father in heaven will result in blessing.

Jesus is the Christ: the Anointed Priest and King. As Priest, there exists no other Mediator between God and man. No other sacrifice will avail to cleanse from sin.  No man can do what He does. He alone is the Priest that can safely represent man before God without rejection.

As King, He rules and governs the heart of His servants according to the law of His kingdom. No other rulers, no codes or traditions can be accepted by His subjects. His Word exclusively must command His people.

The confession of Jesus as the Christ declares what Peter echoed in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” There is no other means of acceptance before God.

No other sacrifice could ever remove sin. No other priest could ever represent us and secure salvation. No other mediators have power to take away sins. No, there is but one anointed Priest: Jesus the Christ.

Neither is there any other ruler over our hearts except Jesus Christ the Lord. No other codes, rules, systems, or traditions will dictate our obedience. Jesus alone is King! We must bow to none other than Him! His Word alone will govern our lives! 1 Cor.7:23: “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”

Christ alone is the Rock upon which His church is built. The confession that there is no other King, no other Priest, is the unshakable Rock that all of hell’s wisdom and might cannot overcome.  Hell cannot undo what has been supernaturally imparted to the heart of a man by the Father in heaven. There is no other means of entrance into this church that Jesus is building.

1 Cor.3:11: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor.10:4: “That Rock was Christ.”

Dear Listener, make no mistake: Peter is not that Rock upon which the church is built. Jesus said Peter is a stone, but he is not the foundational Bedrock upon which the church stands; that is Christ alone. Jn.1:42: “When Jesus beheld him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone.’”  

No, neither Peter nor any other man are qualified to be the foundation upon which the church is built. Christ alone is the Rock that cannot be shaken, that can support His church. Let no one mislead you; Peter could never be that Rock.

In the very next moments recorded in Mt.16:21-23, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked the Lord for His saying that He must be rejected and crucified. But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but man’s.”  No, Peter is no stable base for the church to rest upon.

Peter, thus, is simply a servant in the kingdom, but not the foundation of it. Christ alone can support the church that He is building. It belongs to Him.

He says it is “My church” -Mt.16:18. No man is the founder of a church. Jesus alone is both Founder and Foundation. No man is the general overseer of the church; Christ alone is “the Overseer of our souls” – 1 Pet.2:25. Senior Pastors are a deception for Jesus alone is the “Chief Shepherd” – 1 Pet.5:4.

It is His Church and He alone can safely and properly build it. He is building His one church, not the multiplied denominations scattered throughout Christendom. We dare not shift to another foundation, another priesthood, another Christ, another Gospel, another ruler, or another code of law. There is no church membership that will take you to heaven other than His.

Eph.2:20-22 says this church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

In God’s temple, everything says, “Glory!” The outshining of His character is seen, the excellence of His moral perfections shine forth. Truth is dispensed, sacrifices rise, and the Lord dwells in the midst with holiness overshadowing all.

Christ as the Cornerstone is the reference point for all that is built upon Him. He is the foundation that the apostles and prophets have laid.

Everything rests upon Him and He determines the dimensions and scope of the building. Man’s substitutes and carnal contributions are rejected as worthless and not according to the Pattern of Christ.

This is the church that Jesus builds. It is not built with wood and cement. Living stones grow into a holy temple in the Lord. 1 Pet.2:25: “You are living stones that God is building into His spiritual house, as a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Only people can be holy, but not timbers and stones, bricks and mortar, or places and things.

People are the dwelling place of God, not buildings, cathedrals, or sanctuaries. The flesh yearns for the external, the tangible, and visible. It is why we “go” to “Church.” There, we imagine, we are entering sanctuaries of sacredness: places that will consecrate our failing flesh. This is grand deception.

They are not holy places. The very temple in Jerusalem was a place of merchandise and corrupt religious business [Jn.2:16], a virtual cave for thieving robbers to hoard their illicit gain [Mt.21:13]. There in defiled courts, worthless sacrifices were offered that provoked the hatred of the Most High God [Isa.1:11-14].

The denominational business centers throughout Christendom may account their religious structures to be holy places, the Church, but Christ does not. Buildings are not the Church. The Church is not somewhere to “go” and attend religious ceremonies and activities. Church “sanctuaries” and meeting halls are not holy places.

Acts 7:48,49: “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands; as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord.”

True worship has nothing to do with sacred places, institutions, and religious structures. What is the house of God? The true believers in Christ Jesus are that house, the church, and “God’s building” – 1 Cor.3:9.

1 Cor.3:16: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Yes, Heb.3:6 says Christ is “Son over His house, whose house we are, if indeed we hold fast the confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”

Going to Church is a carnal concept handed down from Babylon. Spiritual individuals comprise the church that Jesus is building; that is His house.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light   29   Judging the Prophets 2

Let him who has My Word, speak My Word in truth – Jer.23:28

False prophets abound with their dreams, visions, and boasted revelations. We are to pay no attention to them. They pretend to be prophets of the Lord, but they speak from the deception of their own hearts, not from the mouth of the Lord. They are fake.

Jer.23:16-36 makes this very clear: “Thus says the Lord Almighty, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord.

“’I did not send these prophets, yet they ran around claiming to speak for Me. I did not speak to them but they prophesied. I have heard these prophets say, “Listen to the dream I had from God last night!” And then they proceed to tell lies in My name.

“’How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets? They are prophets of the deception of their own hearts. By telling these false dreams they are trying to get My people to forget Me. But let him who has My Word, speak My Word in truth!

“‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from Me. I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, “This prophecy is from the Lord!”

“‘I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead My people into sin. I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all.

“‘Stop using this phrase: “Prophecy from the Lord.” For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the Words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’”

Dear Listener, how do you know a false prophet? He tells stories but does not teach the Word of God. He speaks about himself and not about Christ. Smooth words roll from his lips to flatter evil doers. The delusion of dreams and visions fill his messages.

He promises blessings and breakthroughs to self-centered men who live in sin and error. He preaches, “It is well!” “You shall be the head and not the tail!” “Today is the day of your divine destiny!”  “You are blessed!”

False prophets do not rebuke evil. They do not speak the Word of God to the conviction of sinners. They rather speak positive words of deception in order to gain from tithes and offerings. They are lovers of money.

Dreams, visions, and stories are the substance of their messages, but not the truth of the Scriptures. This is how you will know the deceivers.

The true prophet of God speaks the Word of God in truth. He reproves, rebukes, and exhorts in sound doctrine, calling men to repent and serve the Lord in sincerity and truth. He compromises with no sin and does not look at the faces of men. His message is one and the same for all.

Micaiah was such a true prophet. He stood alone against all the wicked nonsense of the deceiving prophets in his day. So bold was his prophecy that the evil king Ahab had him imprisoned.

Ahab hired 400 false prophets to speak smooth words: to tell him only what he wanted to hear. When summoned to come before the king, a servant told Micaiah: in 2 Chron.18:12,13: “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably. But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak!’”

O that we had more Micaiahs today! More valiant men to stand fearlessly and speak the whole Word of God to put an end to this prophetic madness!

But how did it come about that 400 prophets spoke lies? 2 Chron.18:18-22 tells us: “The Lord said, ‘Who will go and deceive Ahab to go into battle so he can be killed?’ A spirit came forward and said, “I will deceive him.” And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’

[And the spirit said], “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ “You will succeed,” said the Lord. “Go ahead and do it.”

“Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”

Ahab knew the truth, but chose 400 deceivers as his advisors. And we are no different. In our hearts we know that these false prophets, GOs, and self-proclaimed men of God are telling us lies, but we love it. We welcome it. We want to be deceived. We are as wicked as they are.

Jer.5:30,31: “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule on their own authority, and My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”

Isa.30:8-11: “Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instruction. They tell the seers, ‘Stop seeing!’ They tell the prophets, ‘Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us smooth things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your Holy One of Israel!’”

But what will guard you from being deceived by these imposters? Blessed be the Lord who has not left us without His Divine protection and assistance.

1 Jn.2:26,27 speak these wonderful words: “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

The Word of God is there to inform you of the truth and the Holy Spirit is your portion who will guide you into that truth. He will not allow you to be deceived if you listen to Him. Abide in Him; abide in the Word.

Dear Listener, you must judge the prophets. The Word of God commands it: 1 Cor.14:29: “Let two or three prophets speak and let the others judge.” Tit.1:10,11: “For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception. They must be silenced because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they should not teach, which they do to get rich by cheating people.”

Now hear this you self-appointed ministers! 2 Cor.2:17: “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit. But as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ, knowing that God is watching us.”

Beware when you mount the pulpit this Sunday! Fear to open your mouth! Tremble before the God of glory who is listening to your every word. Christ is paying close attention. The Holy Spirit is assessing your entire speech.

You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses: Moses is hearing, Isaiah as well, and Paul and Peter. What you are saying must pass all of their approval before you ever dare to say “Thus says the Lord.” May you fear to take the Name of the Lord in vain!

The eyes of the brethren are now open, the Bible is in their hands, and the anointing of the Spirit is upon them. You will deceive them no longer; they will judge you according to the Word of the Lord.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020

Jesus the Light   28   Judging the Prophets

Test the spirits to see if they are from God, For many false prophets have gone out into the world – 1 Jn.4:1

Our Lord Jesus warned us in Mk.4:24: “Take care what you listen to.” In Phil.1:9,10 Paul prayed that the believers might have “knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve the things that are excellent to be blameless until the day of Christ.”

Foolish people believe everything they are told without judging whether it is true of false. Prov.14:15: “The simple believe every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.”

But we have not considered well our steps. Like so many silly children we accept without question all that we are told from the mouth of men.

Not only is this stupidity, it is disobedience to the Word of God. If we do not judge, we are deceiving ourselves, leading others astray, and sinning against the God of heaven.

Christ commanded in Jn.7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” The undiscerning who evaluate by whatever meets their eye assume that any message spoken by a minister is a word from God.

The Lord Jesus condemns such folly. This is not righteous judgment; it is disobedient presumption leading to bondage and ruin.

Paul expected that even the least among the brethren would judge his message. 1 Cor.10:15: “I speak as to wise men, you judge what I say.” Dear Listener, if we will be obedient Christians, we must judge.

The Lord Jesus rebukes any who do not judge: Lk.12:56,57: “Hypocrites! You know how to judge the appearance of the earth and sky, but how is it you do not discern this time? Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?”

How will we answer Christ’s question? What will we say? If we do not judge what is right, then we agree with error and come under the condemnation of Christ.

Loving truth also requires hating falsehood. Ps.119:127,128: “I love Your commandments more than gold, therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way.”

Yes all believers must judge: Acts 17:11: “Now the Bereans received the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true.”

If the Lord speaks well of these believers for judging even Paul’s message, how much more then should we be judging the preachers in our pulpits today!

1 Thess.5:21 puts it this way: “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” If we fail to examine everything carefully then we will be holding onto error and evil as well.

Deceivers do not want you to judge them; they welcome no questioning of their words. Any Christian who dares to ask for a biblical explanation of their messages is angrily and arrogantly rebuked by these supposed men of God.

But if they were truly men of God as was Paul, they would rejoice and encourage the brethren to inquire about the truth of their pronouncements.  But as it is, they are not.

Dear Listener, let no one deceive you. You are commanded by God to judge the prophets.  And the Scriptures do not leave us in the dark as to how we can know the true prophet of God from self-appointed deceivers.

The Word of God gives us two very clear ways to discern who is truly speaking from God and who is not: [1] You will know them by their fruit and [2] by their teaching.

Jesus Himself warns us in Mt.7:15-21: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”

False prophets are deceivers, pretending to be true followers of Christ. Outwardly they appear to be sheep, but inwardly they are actually wolves.  Wolves feed upon sheep; they kill and devour to fill their own bellies.

That is what ravenous means: grasping extortionists. This is how you can know a false prophet; he is not concerned about the sheep but rather in the money that he can gain from them.

The fruit that Jesus is speaking of is summarized by doing the will of the Father in heaven. Obedience leads to fruit. Coveting after money and prosperity is not the fruit of doing the will of God; neither is pride.

No one who is proud receives anything from God. 1 Pet.5:5: “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” A proud man receives no grace from Christ, and apart from grace, no fruit can be produced.

Harshness and anger only show that such men do not possess the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Dear Listener, if you meet a proud minister who loves money, who does not want anyone questioning him, and who speaks with annoyance to others, you have met a false prophet. You will know them by their fruits and you must judge.

You will also know them by their teaching. True prophets of God speak the Word of God to the convicting of sinners and the building up of the brethren as in Isa.8:20: “To the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Neither allow yourself to be deceived by men who claim to perform signs and wonders by the power of God. If their teaching is not according to the Word of the Lord, they are false prophets.

Listen to Deut.13:1-4: “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after others gods and let us serve them,’

“You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Even if his so-called prophecy comes true, and even if a miracle is performed, he is not of God if his teaching is wrong. If he is not leading the believers to understand and obey the commandments of God, he is a deceiving prophet and the Lord is testing us to see if we truly love Him with all our hearts.

O, how we have failed this test time and time again! We have been willingly deceived by false prophets who bring their own doctrines and not the true Word of the Lord!

And we have listened to them, they have led us astray, and we even bring our tithes and offerings to fund their deceptions! Woe unto us!

Jer.23:16-22 exposes these deceivers. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.

“They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You shall have peace’”; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2020