“And said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?’” – Acts 13:10
Paul’s words to the false prophet who kept interrupting and distracting his Gospel presentation sounds pretty harsh to our modern ears. However, it’s literally true about any false teacher who keeps people from hearing the truth about Jesus Christ. Interrupting, opposing, distorting, and distracting the truth about God’s Son is the work of the devil. It’s deception and unrighteousness intended to deny people access to eternal life in Lord Jesus. It is the message of Hell delivered by the minion of Hell.
We can too easily overlook the spiritual implications of the false prophets and teachers flooding the internet and social media. They are quite literally trying to guide people into Hell and block their reconciliation with the Lord. This isn’t a trivial matter of ignorance or error which should be quickly forgiven. To intentionally twist the message of the Gospel, turning it into a pathway to earthly treasure or a glorification of saving oneself by good works is the message of Satan.
If you are a Christian, you must be discerning about who and what you read, watch, and listen to. Compare what they say to what the Bible says. Compare what they say to what the best Christian minds have concluded across the centuries. Everyone makes mistakes and there should be grace for that. But those who adamantly and consistently teach a message different from and contrary to God’s Word and Gospel of Grace must be rejected utterly. Don’t continue watching or listening because you like parts of what they say or how they say it. The devil thrives in half-truths! Stick to the Bible and those who teach faithfully and directly from the Bible in proper context and rightly interpreted. They may not be as slick, as entertaining, or as popular but that’s who you need to like and follow online as you #FollowJesus