“And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” – Acts 20:30
Life in church was never expected to be simple, neat, or easy! As Paul gives final instructions to the Ephesian elders/pastors/overseers (same group of people, Acts 20 uses all three words to describe them), he warns that the greatest challenges and hazards in the church often come from within. As Christians, we must each become competent to read and understand Scripture.
Why? To resist those who would lead us astray! Within any church (and today any public platform – teaching, publishing, media, online, etc.) there may well arise people from within the church who twist God’s Word and lead many followers of Christ astray. It was true then and it’s visibly true now.
Christian leaders should prepare followers of Jesus to know the truth and to distinguish between God’s Word and evil distortions of it. Such preparation includes encouraging members to read the Bible for themselves, modeling responsible use of the Bible, and explicitly teaching how to read, study, and interpret the Bible.
Twisted distortions of Scripture may come through taking individual verses out of context (common with cults), through discouraging members from studying the Bible for themselves, or through the use of complex words and concepts combined with elaborate contortions of Scripture to explain how the meaning is somehow completely different from the plain reading. Paul knew it would happen and it continues to happen. Church leaders and members alike must be prepared and on guard at all times, especially in these times in which false teaching easily finds a loud megaphone in our culture and our churches!