Jesus said,
Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing
but inwardly are ravenous wolves
Matthew 7:15
The first thing I ever truly remember reading on the internet made my wife gasp!
A friend's heart was breaking. Her pastor had fallen under the influence of a controversial pastor. And Mary Louise used this brand new thing called “Google” to search for what this (in)famous pastor was teaching.
"This is horrible," shouted my bride. "Read this."
It was horrible. But that’s not what I said. "Ah!" I responded, "This is brilliant! Yes, it’s utterly blasphemous, but it’s also utterly brilliant."
What this pastor did was tell two truths ... and then a lie. Then he told two more truths ... and then another lie. He didn't slap you in the face with untruth; rather, in a gentle, reasonable fashion, he led you step-by-step -- subtly and then willingly -- away from the Gospel and straight down the path to hell.
And I could see plainly how innocent sheep would follow this gentle man who sounded like a wise and kindly sheep (or shepherd) himself. Unfortunately, those gullible lambs were being led to a slaughter. And somewhere, there was a true wolf laughing.
When the Apostle Paul talks about the dangerous lies and liars of this world, he tells us to gird ourselves up with the belt of truth. Mary Louise understood truth and was appalled at this wolf's teaching. I understood truth too, but marveled -- and more so, grieved -- at its deceitful brilliance. I grieved indeed for those who settle for just little bits of truth … for those who prefer to have their ears tickled … for those who allow themselves to be led astray by those in sheepish costumes.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who wonders …
“what the first thing is that
you remember googling?”
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