The wolf in sheep's clothing is not
always outright evil. Satan is extremely crafty and devious. He is
using well-meaning people who are not actively following Christ and
don't have a relationship with him, to present ideas and beliefs that seem "good" in order to lead others astray.
Even some ministers get caught up in power and recognition. It clouds
their spirit, and distorts their vision.
In this earthly life the truth can get can get twisted, blurred, or manipulated. Things once seen as black and
white may start to appear more gray. It may seem harder to recognize
what’s true or what’s false. We have to look closely, beyond what
is on the surface.
God knows how difficult it is to fight
this spiritual battle. Wolves live for the love of power rather than
the power of love. They often refuse accountability and resist
submission to authority. Wolves are also experts at deceit. They pretend to be good and care about the sheep. They look and talk like
sheep especially when the sheep are
disagreeing or dissenting. (but they have those teeth...) Winning and being right are their highest
values and they do whatever they need to in order to stay on top.
When operating in church settings their methods are often underhanded
and cunning in order to appear less aggressive.
Could certain portions of our society
be unwittingly sheltering a wolf in sheep's clothing? In our attempt
to be kind and gracious to everyone are we forgetting the fact that
some groups who act as a religion are not? Do they follow what we
know is in the Bible?
When we discern that someone is not
expressing the true meaning of God's Holy Word: that's not the end of
the battle. Many people object to any attempt to identify wolves
among us because it sounds uncharitable and judgmental. They say we
must not judge. Yet, Jesus himself warns us that there are those who
claim to be believers.They may even be leaders in the church, but
they are vicious or ravenous wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing
(Matthew 7:15). The apostle Paul warned Timothy that there would be
people who act religious, but are puffed up with pride, who are
unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, and cruel (2 Timothy 3:2-9).
How can we see through their deception?
Know the truth of the one voice who matters most. Know God's word and you will know when
it is being twisted and manipulated. Satan and his forces have quoted
God’s words since the beginning of time, twisting it, trying their
best to manipulate the truth, their main goal only to deceive and
lead astray. Bring everything back to the Bible. What does the Bible
say? The Bible is the inspired word of God. We must not let people tell
us any differently. One of our own United Methodist ministers, Adam
Hamilton proposes that there are three "buckets" into which
scriptures fall:
1. Scriptures that express God’s
heart, character and timeless will for human beings.
2. Scriptures that expressed God’s
will in a particular time, but are no longer binding.
3. Scriptures that never fully
expressed the heart, character or will of God.
Has Hamilton fallen victim to the power
and recognition that he has achieved? We cannot know what is in his
heart, but we do know what he says. You can read more about this in the United Methodist publication, Good News.
2 Timothy 4:3-5
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.
The United Methodist Church is facing
difficult times. We will have a specially called conference in a few
months. Pray every morning for wisdom for the day and to sense God's
presence and to be obedient to him. Pray that our church leaders have
discernment to listen to God's voice and obey his word. Pray that
church leaders tune in to God and tune out the world.
