Goats as Sheep!

One’s perceived Holiness or walking in the Holy Spirit of truth, should never depend upon one’s own viewpoint of the scriptures, nor idiosyncratic emotions. False teachers are big on using such manipulations to gain favor with others and then build their own following. I do not believe all people who engage in such teachings is always on a conscious level; rather they have been deceived into believing that they have found the only or “narrow road” to fellowshipping with our Lord.

Matthew 24:24  ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

I know a brother who dogmatically insists that his own spiritual experiences have taught him over the years just who are the “Goats” and who are indeed “Sheep”. He decides who’s allowed in the “Sheep Fold” who is not, and even who is to be rejected among the brethren! He does not enforce these principles by using balanced Biblical doctrines, nor even confer with other elders before deciding to eject the member; he does this as a matter of self-righteous pride, and his distorted sense of self-worth, and perceived authority in Christ! This is very dangerous in deciding who are the weeds, goats, wolves, dogs, and pigs. Only the Lord Jesus Christ himself can know who the Father gives unto him. Fallen humanity uses discernment, when in line with the authority of the scriptures alone.

Below is what a brother recently shared with me, in what he (like myself) has painfully discovered over the years.

“Roland, here is a list of 5 things I learned about “spiritual leaders”. I wrote this in 2014.

1. If you are not with them or believe like them, you are not of God.

2. Your value is based on your performance. How you perform is how you are regarded. (No intrinsic value).

3. You are only truly loved if you are fully submitted to them. If you rebel against their authority or control in anyway, you are being influenced by Satan.

4. Control and manipulation is enforced through fear, condemnation, confusion, and partial truths. Twisting the truth is common.

5. There is a “drawing” to the leader. The leader will come in the form of a friend at first. After your heart is opened and exposed to accept the person or group of people, the manipulation and control begins.”

I post this today, as I am continually troubled by the zeal of deception which is broadcast now weekly. The man and his followers are convinced that they follow “but Christ alone” with no amount of human sin being present in their members. They will condemn anyone or anything who would find disagreement with them, and their favorite targets are not Marxist – Liberation Theology; but rather the Evangelical Bible believing church! They systematically pick apart what “they see” as heresies even found within Christian fundamentals. They say that they are not involved with the world, or the world’s systematic theologies, apologetics, policy, politics and even geography. Yet they continually beat down any semblance of the Christian informed peoples of the past, and any attempt at restoring a level of decency in the postmodern world! These brothers but bury themselves within their own sanctimonious behaviors and beliefs; yet stand in condemnation to anyone who would try and convert others to the principles of sound doctrine in scriptures, Christ, or even Biblical ethics, as being a lover of the world more than Christ!

Like a bunch of committed communists working towards their revolutionary goal in converting the world to their way of thinking; these misplaced beliefs, like a Communist are destructive, but even worse unlike a Communist, they claim to represent Christ, yet with having a distorted viewpoint of the Lord. This poor brother, continually pounds on the Church (false and or real – in my estimation) along with anyone who believes the “State of Israel” is still tied to the coming prophesies of the Bible; and for my favorite twist, they especially hate Evangelicals who support Donald Trump as President!

These people teach avoidance of anyone who would challenge or disagree with their so-called discernment’s as being non-believers, and have deceived themselves (and others) that only they, and people like them, who agree with them that they, are the “chosen remnant”, who in the end will be with the Lord! This is a shameful and gut-wrenching pride which I feel is my duty to point out as a minister of the Gospel, and as someone who has inside knowledge of these types of characters!

In closing I would like to recommend the site: http://www.wickedshepherds.com/

This is the most comprehensive and exhaustive site which I have found on the net for such modern-day Pharisees, (who think that they do no wrong)!