0610 THE PRETENDER

THE PRETENDER

Once upon a time, there was a person who held the office of a man of God. He dedicated himself to the betterment of mankind and the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he was wonderful with people—men, women, children, everyone loved him. And he loved them.

He especially loved some of the women. And you know how the story turned out.

Or maybe he found himself to be so popular, his messages so well received, that over time he just sort of strayed away from Jesus as the only way to salvation. The messenger found common ground with the common man, and he didn’t want to offend. So he placed truth on the bottom shelf to make it easy to reach. The only problem was that Jesus was on the second shelf. And he led thousands of people astray, and most of them didn’t even know it.

Or maybe it was his lifestyle. At first, he was living with a small rent and his small family. But he found a formula for success, and with it came money. Lots of money. All he had to do now was to just hint at how God wanted to bless people, and all they need to do is to first be generous with the Lord. And his variation on a get-rich-quick scheme paid off. He drove a nicer car. Bought a second house. Started investing. And kept offering miracles for a dollar. He was last seen riding in the back of a limo into the fenced-off palace he now called home. 

Actually, it could have been the miracles that God did through him. Healings. Tongues. Signs and wonders. And all seemed to prove that God was in the house and Jesus still did miracles. The testimonies confirmed that the healings were true—until a reporter did some digging and found out that virtually none of the miracles had actually happened. One guy in a wheelchair had been healed in each of the last six cities in which a revival had taken place, and it turns out that he had never needed a wheelchair in the first place. The man’s credibility, and the reputation of Jesus, were damaged for a generation in that part of the world.

You know the stories, because they seem to make headlines every few weeks. And maybe you wonder, “How can this happen over and over again like that? And how can we know for certain whether someone can be trusted?” Perhaps you have even been so betrayed by one of the imposters that you have given up on faith or in organized religion altogether. 

If so, that’s exactly what Satan has been working toward. The enemy doesn’t have to do a direct attack on your faith. There’s too much evidence, too many witnesses, too much truth, for him to destroy the message of Jesus head on. All he needs to do is to distract a few of the Lord’s followers in order to undermine their ministry. And just as Jesus said, it will be worse for those false messengers for having caused the faith of one of these little children to crumble. 

This strategy of the adversary is not new, either, is it? Back at the beginning, in the garden, he had masqueraded as a tame snake and brought doubt onto the word of God, saying, “You will not die . . .  God knows . . . When you eat of it, you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

That’s it. That’s the strategy of the enemy of our souls. He seeks to kill and destroy you and me, but he won’t be easy to find as long as he poses inside the pulpit itself. 

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

Their end. It will be what they deserved. As Jesus said, if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away, let’s just say it will be very bad for him.

No wonder Paul says so strongly to be on guard and watchful. For, as he said, we are not unaware of his schemes.