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Five Reasons for False Teaching in the Church Today
When I was in Malawi, Africa, I spent one week teaching at a Bible college and the following week at a pastor's conference. I was exposed to the common false teaching among the students and pastors. We see much of this false teaching in the church today, including in the United States, versus only in Africa.
https://youtu.be/ptozRMIOQRE
Table of contents1. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because the Descriptive Is Confused with the PrescriptiveWhat If People Don't Hear Audibly from God?2. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because of Belief in Modern-Day Apostles and Prophets3. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Wealth Is Considered a Sign of GodlinessThe False Prophet, Bushiri4. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because People Are Elevated Above ScriptureTeaching Under the New Covenant5. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Theatrics Are Elevated Above UnderstandingEzra Wanted the People to UnderstandOur Accountability Is High in the United States
In Malawi, Africa, I kept notes about things I felt burdened to share with the congregation when I returned. Many of my notes were about the false teaching I observed. I attended a Bible college the first week and a pastor’s conference the second week, which gave me insight into church leaders' beliefs. The title is “Five Reaons for False Teaching in the Church Today” rather than “Five Reaons for False Teaching in Malawi,” because much of the false teaching is prevalent in our country, too. So, I’ve chosen reasons that apply anywhere.
1. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because the Descriptive Is Confused with the Prescriptive
Malawi is a very charismatic country. There’s a strong belief in the supernatural, but not in a good way. I don’t mean believing the supernatural events in Scripture. I mean believing the same supernatural events are happening today.
One of the most common mistakes people make when reading Scripture is turning a descriptive passage (or one that merely describes what happened) into a prescriptive passage (or one that prescribes). In Malawi, this is a huge problem! For example:
Acts 5:12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that AS PETER CAME BY AT LEAST HIS SHADOW MIGHT FALL ON SOME OF THEM.
Do you see the problem with making descriptive language prescriptive? You could be led to believe that you can healed by a false teacher’s shadow falling on you.
Acts 8:26 Now AN ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID TO PHILIP, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And THE SPIRIT SAID TO PHILIP, “Go over and join this chariot.”
Should we expect the angel of the Lord or the Holy Spirit to speak audibly to us? No. That wasn’t my point with these verses last week. My point was that we step out in faith – like Philip – and walk in obedience, and God’s plan tends to unfold. Usually, we don’t get to see the second step until we take the first step. That’s part of the application of these verses. But if we looked at this account and thought that the angel of the Lord or the Holy Spirit would speak audibly because He did with Philip, we would be in trouble.
What If People Don't Hear Audibly from God?
When we don’t hear audibly from God, there will be four possible outcomes, and all are bad:
We’ll doubt our salvation because God isn’t speaking to us like He supposedly speaks to others
Or we’ll doubt God loves us because He doesn’t speak to us like He supposedly speaks to others
Or we’ll conclude we’re not spiritual enough
Or we’ll conclude the Bible is untrue
Consider this account:
Acts 19:11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
If you take this account prescriptively rather than descriptively, you will believe false teachers who claim that their handkerchiefs and aprons can heal the sick. I know that’s the case in Malawi because this account was mentioned to me to defend people being healed this way.
One of the other big problems with taking descriptive accounts and making them prescriptive is that you believe the teaching of the people who claim to be able to perform miracles. If you believe their teaching, then you believe them when they tell you to give them money. This is how false teachers get rich in one of the world’s poorest countries.
2. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because of Belief in Modern-Day Apostles and Prophets
One of the main reasons these false teachers are believed is they claim to be apostles and prophets. The first coming of Christ and the subsequent apostolic age were the most unique seasons in human history. We can’t make what happened then normative for the church age.
Luke 9:1 [Jesus] called THE TWELVE together AND GAVE THEM power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2…and to heal.
Who is the “them”? The Twelve Apostles! Jesus didn’t give supernatural power and authority to everyone. He gave it to the apostles, who used it in the Gospels and Acts.
The false teachers in Malawi claim to be apostles, and the truth is that if they are, they should have this supernatural power and authority. So, let’s deal with whether there are modern-day apostles and prophets:
Ephesians 2:19 the household of God [was] 20 built on the FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.
The church is being compared to a building, and the apostles and prophets laid the foundation. This could also be why the apostles’ names are on the foundation of the New Jerusalem. I’m not in construction, but I know two things about foundations: you only lay a foundation once, and the foundation doesn’t go up to the third and fourth floors. The apostles’ ministry came to a close after the foundation was laid.
That’s why the New Testament doesn’t emphasize apostles and prophets. Instead, it emphasizes elders and deacons:
Acts 14:23 When [Paul and Barnabas] HAD APPOINTED ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Paul and Barnabas planted churches and appointed elders, but never apostles or prophets.
Titus 1:5 Paul said, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and APPOINT ELDERS IN EVERY TOWN as I directed you.”
Again, appointing elders, with no mention of appointing apostles or prophets.
1 Timothy 5:17 LET THE ELDERS WHO RULE well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
If apostles and prophets were continuing offices, we could be sure they would be considered worthy of double honor. Instead, it discusses elders.
James 5:17 Is anyone among you sick? LET HIM CALL FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
If there were apostles in the church today with the supernatural power to heal that Jesus gave the Twelve Apostles, who would seek when sick? An apostle! But it doesn’t say to call the apostles because there are no apostles in the church today.
3. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Wealth Is Considered a Sign of Godliness
False teachers love money. The most famous verse in Scripture about loving money, one even the unbelieving world recognizes, is:
1 Timothy 6:10 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
The context of this verse is false teachers; they’re the ones who love money. Some of the most popular false teachers in the United States are Benny Himm, Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, and Kenneth Copeland. Something we immediately notice about them is how wealthy they are, and this is how Jesus told us to identify false teachers and false prophets:
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits.
These verses are not worded the way I would expect. I would expect Jesus to say to recognize false prophets by their false teaching. Instead, He says to recognize them by their fruits or what’s produced from their lives. Look at how they live, and often they live very extravagantly.
Now, we can understand why this would be a big problem in the United States, where there’s a lot of wealth, but we probably wouldn’t expect this to be the case in Malawi because of its poverty. But that’s why I titled this sermon “False Teaching in the Church Today,” because it is the same whether you are in the United States or Malawi.
The False Prophet, Bushiri
Bushiri is one of Malawi’s most popular false prophets. When we were preparing for the trip to Malawi, Andy Langdon, who led the trip, told us about the problems with false teaching, and this is the man he mentioned. Here's the false prophet Bushiri’s famous video of supposedly walking on air:
https://youtu.be/PLD_e4OGHUA
I told the Bible college students that this miracle was false.
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When I was in Malawi, Africa, I spent one week teaching at a Bible college and the following week at a pastor's conference. I was exposed to the common false teaching among the students and pastors. We see much of this false teaching in the church today, including in the United States, versus only in Africa.
https://youtu.be/ptozRMIOQRE
Table of contents1. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because the Descriptive Is Confused with the PrescriptiveWhat If People Don't Hear Audibly from God?2. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because of Belief in Modern-Day Apostles and Prophets3. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Wealth Is Considered a Sign of GodlinessThe False Prophet, Bushiri4. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because People Are Elevated Above ScriptureTeaching Under the New Covenant5. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Theatrics Are Elevated Above UnderstandingEzra Wanted the People to UnderstandOur Accountability Is High in the United States
In Malawi, Africa, I kept notes about things I felt burdened to share with the congregation when I returned. Many of my notes were about the false teaching I observed. I attended a Bible college the first week and a pastor’s conference the second week, which gave me insight into church leaders' beliefs. The title is “Five Reaons for False Teaching in the Church Today” rather than “Five Reaons for False Teaching in Malawi,” because much of the false teaching is prevalent in our country, too. So, I’ve chosen reasons that apply anywhere.
1. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because the Descriptive Is Confused with the Prescriptive
Malawi is a very charismatic country. There’s a strong belief in the supernatural, but not in a good way. I don’t mean believing the supernatural events in Scripture. I mean believing the same supernatural events are happening today.
One of the most common mistakes people make when reading Scripture is turning a descriptive passage (or one that merely describes what happened) into a prescriptive passage (or one that prescribes). In Malawi, this is a huge problem! For example:
Acts 5:12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that AS PETER CAME BY AT LEAST HIS SHADOW MIGHT FALL ON SOME OF THEM.
Do you see the problem with making descriptive language prescriptive? You could be led to believe that you can healed by a false teacher’s shadow falling on you.
Acts 8:26 Now AN ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID TO PHILIP, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And THE SPIRIT SAID TO PHILIP, “Go over and join this chariot.”
Should we expect the angel of the Lord or the Holy Spirit to speak audibly to us? No. That wasn’t my point with these verses last week. My point was that we step out in faith – like Philip – and walk in obedience, and God’s plan tends to unfold. Usually, we don’t get to see the second step until we take the first step. That’s part of the application of these verses. But if we looked at this account and thought that the angel of the Lord or the Holy Spirit would speak audibly because He did with Philip, we would be in trouble.
What If People Don't Hear Audibly from God?
When we don’t hear audibly from God, there will be four possible outcomes, and all are bad:
We’ll doubt our salvation because God isn’t speaking to us like He supposedly speaks to others
Or we’ll doubt God loves us because He doesn’t speak to us like He supposedly speaks to others
Or we’ll conclude we’re not spiritual enough
Or we’ll conclude the Bible is untrue
Consider this account:
Acts 19:11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
If you take this account prescriptively rather than descriptively, you will believe false teachers who claim that their handkerchiefs and aprons can heal the sick. I know that’s the case in Malawi because this account was mentioned to me to defend people being healed this way.
One of the other big problems with taking descriptive accounts and making them prescriptive is that you believe the teaching of the people who claim to be able to perform miracles. If you believe their teaching, then you believe them when they tell you to give them money. This is how false teachers get rich in one of the world’s poorest countries.
2. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because of Belief in Modern-Day Apostles and Prophets
One of the main reasons these false teachers are believed is they claim to be apostles and prophets. The first coming of Christ and the subsequent apostolic age were the most unique seasons in human history. We can’t make what happened then normative for the church age.
Luke 9:1 [Jesus] called THE TWELVE together AND GAVE THEM power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2…and to heal.
Who is the “them”? The Twelve Apostles! Jesus didn’t give supernatural power and authority to everyone. He gave it to the apostles, who used it in the Gospels and Acts.
The false teachers in Malawi claim to be apostles, and the truth is that if they are, they should have this supernatural power and authority. So, let’s deal with whether there are modern-day apostles and prophets:
Ephesians 2:19 the household of God [was] 20 built on the FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.
The church is being compared to a building, and the apostles and prophets laid the foundation. This could also be why the apostles’ names are on the foundation of the New Jerusalem. I’m not in construction, but I know two things about foundations: you only lay a foundation once, and the foundation doesn’t go up to the third and fourth floors. The apostles’ ministry came to a close after the foundation was laid.
That’s why the New Testament doesn’t emphasize apostles and prophets. Instead, it emphasizes elders and deacons:
Acts 14:23 When [Paul and Barnabas] HAD APPOINTED ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Paul and Barnabas planted churches and appointed elders, but never apostles or prophets.
Titus 1:5 Paul said, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and APPOINT ELDERS IN EVERY TOWN as I directed you.”
Again, appointing elders, with no mention of appointing apostles or prophets.
1 Timothy 5:17 LET THE ELDERS WHO RULE well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
If apostles and prophets were continuing offices, we could be sure they would be considered worthy of double honor. Instead, it discusses elders.
James 5:17 Is anyone among you sick? LET HIM CALL FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
If there were apostles in the church today with the supernatural power to heal that Jesus gave the Twelve Apostles, who would seek when sick? An apostle! But it doesn’t say to call the apostles because there are no apostles in the church today.
3. There Is False Teaching in the Church Today Because Wealth Is Considered a Sign of Godliness
False teachers love money. The most famous verse in Scripture about loving money, one even the unbelieving world recognizes, is:
1 Timothy 6:10 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
The context of this verse is false teachers; they’re the ones who love money. Some of the most popular false teachers in the United States are Benny Himm, Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, and Kenneth Copeland. Something we immediately notice about them is how wealthy they are, and this is how Jesus told us to identify false teachers and false prophets:
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits.
These verses are not worded the way I would expect. I would expect Jesus to say to recognize false prophets by their false teaching. Instead, He says to recognize them by their fruits or what’s produced from their lives. Look at how they live, and often they live very extravagantly.
Now, we can understand why this would be a big problem in the United States, where there’s a lot of wealth, but we probably wouldn’t expect this to be the case in Malawi because of its poverty. But that’s why I titled this sermon “False Teaching in the Church Today,” because it is the same whether you are in the United States or Malawi.
The False Prophet, Bushiri
Bushiri is one of Malawi’s most popular false prophets. When we were preparing for the trip to Malawi, Andy Langdon, who led the trip, told us about the problems with false teaching, and this is the man he mentioned. Here's the false prophet Bushiri’s famous video of supposedly walking on air:
https://youtu.be/PLD_e4OGHUA
I told the Bible college students that this miracle was false.