In His Name Devotionals
RECOGNIZING FALSE SERVANTS
In His Name Devotionals
RECOGNIZING FALSE SERVANTS
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light…his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 11:14 NIV)
In Paul’s day, according to 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, Satan and his servants masqueraded as angels of light, servants of righteousness, workmen, apostles of Christ, Hebrews, Israelities, Abraham’s descendants, and servants of Christ. In other words, if we had lived in Bible times and could have seen Satan and his servants as Paul saw them, we would have seen what appeared to be hard working servants of Christ, serving prison time and undergoing floggings. Do you think thousands of years have slowed Satan and his servants down? Perhaps changed them? Or do you think that with the passing of time they have become better and better and better at deceiving us? Is it possible today for a preacher or elder to be a servant of Satan, while appearing to be a servant of Christ? Or is that something that happened only in Paul’s day? Do looks, words, educations, mannerisms and/or works ever deceive? How can we recognize a false servant?
In 2 Corinthians, chapter 11 (NIV), Paul clearly points out that a false servant:
Preaches a different Jesus than Paul preached!
Presents a different spirit than Paul presented!
Preaches a different gospel than Paul preached!
So, it is obvious that we can know more about a false servant by simply knowing more about the Apostle Paul’s 1st love, spirit, and message.
In 2 Corinthians 11:20 (NIV), Paul clearly describes and points out that a false servant’s spiritual characteristics are:
He Enslaves you—“brings you into bondage” (NKJV). A false servant robs you of your freedom in Christ (cf. Gal. 5:1).
He Exploits you—“devours you” (NKJV) or “prays upon you.” The same verb appears in Luke 20:47 where Jesus denounces the Pharisees for devouring widows’ houses. A false servant seeks to use you and take from you for personal gain.
He Takes advantage of you—“Takes from you” (NKJV). Translated “caught you by cunning” in 2 Corinthians 2:16. A false servant catches you like fish in a net (cf. Lk. 5:5, 6).
He Pushes himself forward—“exalts himself” (NKJV). The false servant is one who is presumptuous, puts on airs; is arrogant—lording it over people (cf. 1 Pet. 5:3).
He Slaps you in the face—“strikes you on the face” (NKJV). A false servant spiritually slaps you in the face in various ways, all demonstrating his disrespect and contempt for you (cf. 1 Kin. 22:24; Lk. 22:64; Acts 23:2), and as a way of humiliating you (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27).
He is boastful—in v. 21 (NIV), Paul alludes to the boasting of a false servant, seeking to build up himself before others, so he will be thought of as wonderful and great, when all the time he is a fake.
Did Paul view his disagreement with false servants as a mere academic debate? Or were the souls of the Corinthians and the purity of the gospel at stake? Should our view of a false servant be less than Paul’s? What if a preacher or elder is involved?
“Are they servants of Christ?” (2 Cor. 11:23 NIV). Paul had already emphatically denied they were (v. 13). However, some of the Corinthians still believed they were! Sound familiar? Do any of us still believe in and support false servants of Christ?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Are words such as these ever presented to stop or at least hinder someone from publicly confronting a false servant, thus causing problems and trouble for the status quo? Does this mean that because of leaders lusting for great numbers, notoriety, and big budgets, the rank and file member is to be silent and happy with attending worship services and partaking of the Lord’s Supper? While clearly observing the blind leading the blind?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Do these statements imply that we should bury our minds and talents in the sand and let the Lord’s flock continue to follow Satan into the ditch of spiritual neglect, waste, and failure?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Is remaining silent in the face of a false servant, i.e., false preaching and/or self-serving leadership, a mark of spiritual strength or weakness? Is it a mark of spiritual honor and bravery or cowardness and shamefulness?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Does being a peacemaker mean that for the sake of holding on to attendance numbers and keeping up a budget, one should publicly ignore a false servant? That we should always publicly back down in the face of—in the presence of—a false servant? Especially if the false servant is a preacher or elder? How does Matthew 18 fit into this scenario?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Can a Christian be a peacemaker in God’s sight, while publicly challenging a false servant? If so, how? If not, why?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Was the Apostle Paul a peacemaker? Did he love the body of Christ? Did he back down and remain silent in the face of false servants?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! What gospel did Paul preach? What gospel do you preach?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! Should an elder be disqualified for not openly and publicly withstanding a false servant? For not protecting the flock?
“Keep the peace”! “Be a peacemaker”! When and how is a false servant to be confronted and challenged?
