The Church Belongs to Jesus, Pt.3

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (Matthew 7:15-16 NIV)

It is interesting to note that wolves often appear as sheep. They come in at first just like one of us, just like one of the family. In fact, they may pose as prophets (thinking in their own mind that they are speaking truth and doing God and everybody else a big favor by sharing their superior knowledge with the rest of us). But Jesus warns us against such spiritual vermin. He says to watch out for these viscious “vision vandals”. These guys will creep into the church when no one is looking and seek to bring about division – and they do it in the most deceptive ways. In fact, they will probably drag some sheep off with them – and definitely cause a lot of damage if not dealt with.

I can tell you from experience that it is not fun fighting off wolves. Not because I don’t like defending God’s church and God’s mission but because this battle doesn’t always start out with a clearly defined enemy. In fact, the enemy may be a “friend” or a fellow ministry “leader” in the church. The enemy starts out in sheep’s clothing. It is likely someone that you have shared a lot of Starbucks Coffee with, or had a lot of family meals together with. Possibly, your kids played together, you took vacations together or simply invested a lot of yourself in this person. But do not be deceived Jesus warns – they will devour your vision and subvert your gift of leadership and they will take others down with them. The sheep are to be protected at all costs – and that means putting down some wolves from time to time.