Matthew 7:15-23
How can we tell the difference between a true disciple of Jesus and a
fraud? Know them by their fruits. The fraud is in it for himself,
which is to say, in it for the money. A fraud may have all the outer
trappings of a born-again believer, but if you watch him closely you
will see what he is up to. Is he constantly exhorting hearers to
give money "for the work of God"? Does he show up with overly
attentive subalterns as he is squired around in a luxury vehicle? Is
he a multi-millionaire (because "God has been good")? If his heart is
on money, how can it be on Jesus?
15 Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath they are ferocious wolves.
16 You can tell who's who by their fruits. Does anyone gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistle plants?
17 A good tree yields good fruit, but a rotten tree yields bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot yield bad fruit nor a rotten tree good fruit.
19 Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.
20 So, again, you can tell who's who by their fruits.
21 Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" to me will enter heaven's kingdom. A requirement is to do what my heavenly Father wants.
22 Many will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name have we not done many works of wonder?"
23 And then I will tell them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who do works of iniquity."
Does he stroke the flesh, so to speak, of hearers with a so-called abundance gospel? He says you can be affluent, having overflowing material goods, if you will only have faith. Whatever happened to storing up riches in heaven and letting go of what moth and rust destroy? The purpose of his "abundance" line is to attract large audiences who then can be urged to donate handsomely to the charlatan's ministry. If you will only show a wee bit of faith and send some cash -- why clearly -- you will get a big material reward, pressed down and spilling over! The Bible says so!
The money grubbers say "Lord, Lord" with their lips, in front of people. But that doesn't mean they say "Lord, Lord" in their hearts, with a respectful and loving attitude. Primarily, these folks are out for the money. The potential for big money is these days a big temptation for evangelists who can reach massive broadcast and internet audiences.
Certainly, you are right to have faith that God will provide, as you go about doing his will. A real Christian will have abundance, whether she has money in her pocket or not. Why? Because she is happy in Jesus. And to be happy in Jesus, there is no other way, but to trust and obey. Awareness of the love of Jesus and of God's kingdom all around IS life more abundantly! Doing God's will on behalf of the perishing, with plenty of God's Spirit – that's life more abundantly! That's the big difference between worldly material abundance and true abundance, filled up and spilling over.
What of those preachers and others who seem to, and perhaps do, bring about remarkable cures? Is faith healing sometimes real, sometimes false? Undoubtedly some faith healers engage in chicanery. But quite possibly a healing comes about when the healer convinces an ailing person to BELIEVE in recovery. The patient's belief is what can very often effect an amazing cure – possibly even ejecting a demon that has gripped and crippled the sufferer. So a bad apple may, by invoking the name and power of Jesus, effect some surprising results – because Jesus' name has power. Yet, that healer is only in it for the money, and despite her words, doesn't believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and laughs at people's credibility.
If such a person is from time to time effecting such miracles in Jesus' name, how can you tell she is a phony? Believe me, her greed will become apparent rather quickly. Why does she need so much for "the ministry" that she never ceases to dun audiences for money, money, money? Why does she live in such palatial style when she is supposed to be dispensing the free gift of the grace of God? Notice that she acts nothing like Paul, who picked up odd jobs making tents when he needed some cash. No doubt you will notice other actions that don't seem to match a Christian walk.
Don't get me wrong. Everyone makes mistakes in life. But a true Christian repents, and does what he can to clear the damage. Not so the gospel phonies. They never quit going for the gold – the wrong gold, the fool's gold.
Recall that when people from his old neighborhood saw Jesus, their familiarity bred contempt. They disbelieved in him and his power and as a result they received very little in the way of miraculous blessings (this is why hell is such a terrible fate: there is no Savior on hand in whom to believe). Jesus taught over and over again that belief is the key. Put your faith/trust in him or in God in the name of Jesus and you can expect enormous results. So in some cases, people are cured because the phony money grubber preacher convinced them to believe that Jesus would effect a cure. What counts is their belief!
Mark 6:5
We can look back to the period when Franz Mesmer healed many people by
causing them to believe in his peculiar idea of "animal magnetism,"
now known as hypnotism. [WoI.1] Those cures convinced medical scientists that
these people had been suffering from forms of hysteria which cause
bodily disorders that are non-organic in origin. Yet we should
recognize that all disabilities and diseases have strong
"psychosomatic" components. Thus, we should not dismiss Mesmer's cures
as all of the lightweight variety. While I am not recommending
hypnosis as a means of therapy, I am suggesting
that the belief of these poor people that they could be cured
contributed strongly to their recoveries. [WoI.2,WoI.3] And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
The Sons of Sceva
Acts 19:13-16
These fellows were just doing their customary
trade, assuming, after what they had seen Paul do, that the invocation of the name Jesus ought to assure them a
profit. We learn from the previous passage of Acts:13 Then a group of traveling Jewish exorcists [who made their living as healers] decided to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when they were performing an exorcism: "We adjure you by Jesus, the one preached by Paul..."
14 (These were the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest and leader.)
15 The demon answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" The demon-possessed man then leaped up and attacked the whole group, overcoming them so that they fled from the house naked and wounded.
Acts 19:11-12
But the aforementioned gentlemen did not realize that their own spirits were unclean.
The invoking of Jesus' name in this case not only did not work, it actually backfired. Yet,
we always have the possibility of a charlatan doing "lying wonders." Recall
Pharaoh's magicians versus Moses. These wonders need not be the simple
sleight of hand, misdirection and clever chicanery of the professional
magician entertainer. The power could come from a demon or demons.
(But, as Jesus said, a house divided won't stand.)
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.
12 Sick people would recover – their diseases and demons leaving them – after handkerchiefs and aprons he had worn [used in his tent-making work] were brought to them.
Many "miracle workers" will be able to plead that they have served God with their many cures and exorcisms. But Jesus cuts to the quick: "Those weren't works of wonder. They were works of the devil." Or, "You don't work wonders. You work mischief."
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Mt. 7:24-29. A firm foundation
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