Read 2 Peter 2:1-22
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them" (2 Peter 2:1,19).
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US?
Wow! The Apostle Peter really went on a tear against false teachers, didn't he? As you read through this entire second chapter of 2 Peter, you clearly get the idea that false teachers, deceptive Christian leaders, etc., were worse than murderers! God's punishment for false teachers, according to verse 17, is reservation in the "deepest darkness."
And, indeed, we all sort of understand this, don't we? When someone swindles or scams people out of
their money or possessions, etc., we consider such a person to be a scoundrel. But if that scoundrel
does his dirty deeds in the name of the Lord, as a supposed teacher of truth and one who calls people to faith in God -- we absolutely can understand how much more terrible he is than a simple, garden variety scoundrel or swindler, can't we?
Because cheating or misleading people for your personal profit in the name of God goes beyond betraying the victim's trust in you -- that involves turning their precious faith in God into an avenue of mockery and financial profit.
It troubles me to see churches grow into "mega churches" numbering in the thousands, even tens of thousands. I see too much "performance" or "entertainment" worship in so many such churches, instead of the community of faith that God intends every church to be. As a result, there is tremendous risk that false prophets will gain footholds in such operations, eager to take advantage of people's financial generosity and turn the church into personal profit machines.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that every large church is a scam or is being used by the leadership for personal gain. But I am saying that as churches grow into huge groups, the potential for abuse grows.
What about those of us not in positions of leadership within a church? What about those of us who are simply seeking to be faithful to God and open to any ministry he sends our way? We, too, must watch ourselves carefully. We must seek to work for God and reflect the love of Christ to everyone we meet, both inside and outside the family of God found in our local church(es). We must be careful that we never take advantage of others' faith. Don't mislead others, under the guise of faith. If we do, we face some pretty awful consequences, don't you think?
