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In Christianity and the Christian Church, there are many beliefs, practices, and of course ministers who serve in them all. They all claim that they are true ministers of God and that their ministry and message can be trusted. Yet, daily we see Christian ministers who deviate from traditional Christian thought and practice all in the name of God. The result is many people have been hurt, abused, and damaged. So, it then becomes necessary to be able to distinguish between true and false Christian ministers for personal and spiritual protection.
Recognizing a false prophet or minister can be daunting at times. However, there are some clear warning signs that one can look for when deciding if someone is false or true in ministry. Though we could list many, we have narrowed it down to the following seven. Ministers who are false will clearly demonstrate some, if not all, of the following characteristics as they preach or serve in ministry.
1. They preach that you can measure your standing with God by how much you have. A relationship with God to false ministers means prosperity. They seldom teach that anything is wrong. They promote serving God for what you can get. They only teach that you belong to God and should have the best. They promote the concept that God only wants you blessed, without declaring that God also wants character, integrity, and morality in His people. Their doctrine focuses on the miraculous work of God and His blessings, exclusively.
2. They preach for money. False ministers will always include money in their ministry. No matter the topic or subject, it will end up on money. They will twist scriptures to manipulate the people into giving to them. Remember: NO APOSTLE OR PROPHET OR MINISTER OF SCRIPTURE EVER ASKED FOR MONEY OR REWARD TO GIVE A PROPHETIC WORD. We should give to ministers and the Church out of our own free will, never by compulsion and manipulation.
3. They use witchcraft. The prophets and ministers of the Bible never used rituals and spells to relay God’s message. Prophets sometimes “acted” or demonstrated the prophetic word as the Lord directed. Beware of ministers that warn you about objects and things without any spiritual basis or insight. When they begin to tell you to use certain oils, water, or cloths to receive a blessing, it is a sign of falsehood in ministry.
4. They operate in false authority. False ministers do not operate in proper authority. They establish their own authority in the Body of Christ. They disguise their falsehood by first appearing as true servants of God. However, once they have gained some respect, they will attack other leaders. The false apostles and leaders of the Bible would defame true leaders in order to establish their own authority in the churches. False ministers use this tactic today. Through the defamation of others, they exalt their personal ministries.
5. They misinterpret the scriptures for personal benefit. Another sign of a false minister is misinterpretation of scripture to establish authority. They find scriptures that refer to ministerial authority and claim it for themselves. They scare Christians into thinking that because they are ministers, they are superior to others. True ministers will be humble men and women. The authority that they operate in is recognized in the Church.
6. They have a controlling and manipulative attitude. False ministers will use manipulation to gain followers. Once people begin to follow them, they scare the individuals into staying with them. They tell individuals that if they leave them, God will not be pleased and the like. In addition, false ministers will try to control the people’s personal lives. By using false authority, they will tell people whom they can marry and where to work. False ministers operate in a similar fashion to cult leaders.
7. They are separatists. False ministers will separate themselves from other Christians. However, Christians are encouraged to stand in unity and gather together. They will say that God called them out of the Church. They sometimes will say that no one in the Church understands them or their ministry and message. False ministers will say they have a revelation of God that no one else has.
Though there may be others ways to identify false ministers, these seven will aid as we strive to identify true ministers of God. Also, these will help us not to be deceived or taken in by them.
Well, there you have it! Until next time, stand in the faith. Please leave comments.
I have addressed this topic in detail in my publication “Angels of Deception: Recognizing False Ministers” which can found at Amazon.
God Bless you for your ministry…Stay Strong and Keep on Serving…
xIfqNd Very true! Makes a chgane to see someone spell it out like that.
AWESOME ARTICLE, Prophet Evans!
My myspace site…just stopping by to say “KEEP THE FAITH MY BROTHER”!
and usually involving some sexual events with the Sisters…
It grieves me to see the church made merchandise of. I can’t judge every minister that wants to be paid for his work, and to provide for his own family, but it grieves me to see ministers pick the pockets of a crowd like the harvest is in their wallets. It grieves me to see big ‘Christian’ stores full of merchandise — some of it may be helpful, but I can’t help but think a lot of it is nothing more than the result of an enterprise that is targeting the market. I get sales fliers and catalogs in the mail again and again for books and dvd’s, and cd’s and countless trinkets, and I think to myself, “What is important to them? Does this promote the furtherance of the gospel, or does it just promote what they have for sale?”
I think the meaning of 2 Peter 2:3 is not just that the church will be sold merchandise, but that they will be made merchandise of themselves, traded among reapers that exact their labors.
Our answer therefore is that we ought to give generously, especially into the store house of our local church, the tithe and the offering to the place where the Lord makes his name abide, and to never bow our knee to mammon. We ought to send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, and give double honor to those who labor among us in word and in doctrine.
Our alms ought to be in secret, but the kingdom of God is to be preached to all creatures. Jesus said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
The tithe and the rest of our grubby money is the least (Matt. 23:23), and what then is more than the word of God which he has magnified above all his name? Ps. 138:2 How pitiful is it then that the latter should be made to serve the former? How shameful?
We ought therefore to be generous with his word. We ought to preach free of charge, and freely to those for whom nothing is prepared. I am advocating public ministry: street preaching, preaching on the campus, preaching at the courthouse, the prison, the homeless shelter, outside the bar, preaching in the park, at the carnival, at the parade, preaching at the bus stop, preaching even to the wind (Eze. 37:9)
Read Ezekiel 37 and tell me, if we preach to the church as though it were the dry bones (I know we look it sometimes), how much more those who are utterly without? If we preach only to the church, are we like that prophet who prophesied when he saw no living soul before him whom he had any reason to believe could hear him?
If a man preaches in the church, but he will not lift up his voice outside its walls, he is a professional. He preaches for money. He preaches to get paid or he preaches to promote the church’s enterprise, the 501(c)3 corporation. Whether there is an offering, a collection, a salary… it matters not (those things are acceptable). The problem is what he doesn’t do.
If we are to be not like him, we ought to give: the tithe, the offering, and the true riches from the abundance of his provision for us from his riches in glory in Christ Jesus who is the word of God.
Amen. Your sentiments are right. I guess in the end, the only thing one can do (especially) if he is in ministry, is to endeavor not to fall into this potential pitfall and help others who may become overly frustrated when they see it. Help us Lord!
I loved this posting! This is exactly why so many people are decieved and not delivered in churches. I am a part of COGIC, and i see this often-i love the Lord, and i love to give-but i have been at services where they are always taking up money for something-i have also seen certain ministers who will not speak unless you pay them a certain amount-i have spoken at a couple of churches, and one church took up an offering for me, i gave it to someone that day in church who was in need-something has been bothering me-i spoke at my church, and one scripture i used no man can work when it is dark(this scripture to me means that when the Lord returns, it shall be dark, complete your work, while it is day, before He returns)2 weeks after i spoke my pastor said we can work while it is dark, we can put lights out!!! I felt this was said toward me -i always see things like this showing his authority i would like your input
How refreshing to read such a straightforward and clear analysis!
I enjoyed this article. So many people in and outside of the church thinks that the Pastor is only preaching for the money in their pockets. I must warn you, this type of thinking is a two edged sword. God’s order is that the minister that serves in the house of God is to be supported by the people of God. Many Pastors have used this, not because they are insincere or even false. They trully believe that it is their right to align the pockets with the funds of the people. I serve people monthly food at my church at no cost to the recipients, it is a ministry to me. The problem is that in our present culture in vas comprasion to the cultures displayed in the Bible the Temple sat on the temple mount and did not cost anything to run as far as electric bills heating bills or even a mortgage is concern. It still needed to be maintained. God ordained the tribe of Levi to minister and maintain the house of God. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead, the order had changed to included any one you is willing and is called of God to serve in the house of God.
Now today most churches have to deal with electric bills, mortgages, etc. My point is that people use that same opinion to not give in support of the church because the man of God is looked at as a representative of the church and the Pastor is receiving most of that money to buy himself a car, a plane, etc. One Sunday in my church my Pastor Came to church with one of his suits he liked to wear. We knew he liked wear it because all his buttons was gone, the elastic in the waist of his pants were shot only assisted by the suspenders but they noticeably sagged. He came in another Sunday with another suit in a similar condition. The church got together and bought him new suits. He did not ask, manipulate, made people feel guilty to give. In fact he did not know it until one of the elders of the church told him about it and took him to get tailored mad suits.
That is how people should give in support of the man of God, the Pastor of a church. He needed not to say anything, the congregation saw he had a need and supplied the need with their funds. God’s order: the Pastor that serves the in house of God is to be supported by the people of God. It is said that Jesus never took an offering during his ministry on the earth, I beg to differ on two points one he accepted money because he had an appointed treasurer which took the money they received of the people of God that they did not need and gave it away to the poor. The other is that Jesus was a priest, the man of God, after the order of Melchizedek and he served God according to that order. This qualified him to receive money during his ministry. Melchizedek was the first to receive the tithe of the believer Abraham. So also Jesus being of that same priesthood also accepted support during his ministry on the earth.
The writer of Hebrews says Jesus still stands today receiving tithes as our high priest after the order Melchizedek. So because of that opinion can be used to not offer tithes or any other offering in support of the ministry in the local communities when not balanced with the truth of God’s order. The Pastor that serves in the house of God is supported by the people of God.
Why this issue is so bad because all you said was true am writing from Kogi State Nigeria. this must stop and how to stop this i don’t now, pls send a reply to my box becase am printing this for some pastors and all man of God around me.
You can send to me some details about Christ and i will be printing it all the time for all pastors around me
thanks and God bless you all
I thank God for this enlightenment through you…
I think another indication of a false minister is that he or she NEVER talks about sin! If you never hear a sermon that makes you feel conviction, and instead only hear feel good messages, you need to find somewhere else to go. People can’t be delivered or redeemed without dealing with the fact that we are sinful. Christians can’t grow and mature without addressing sin. Christians can’t know God’s love and forgiveness and favor without addressing sin. If sin is a dirty word for a pastor then he’s not a man of God.
These false ministers also find a way ostracize you if you challenge their ungodly ways. I know this from experience. Thank you for not being afraid to speak against these agents of Satan.