“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home [church], and don’t say, ‘Rejoice,’ to him; for the one who says, ‘Rejoice,’ to him shares in his evil works.” vs10-11

If we participate with false prophets and welcome them, then we partake in their evil. If we do not rebuke them and warn people, then we share in their destruction. This isn’t a matter of being nice; it is sincere love to sinners and to Christ. We are UNFAITHFUL and dangerous, if we give false prophets a pass.

First, false prophets deny Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. John says, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh [vs7].” They make up another christ after their own image, but they deny the truth and love of the True Savior. John continues, “Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it, does not have God [vs9].”

There are deceivers all around us. In Nigeria, I’m surrounded by them, and rarely will you meet someone who knows the truth. The simple question, “How are you made righteous with God”, is most confusing and perplexing. The nature of the kingdom here is carnal, and the “prophet” or “Papa” is given all the credence, while the word of God is unstudied and unknown.

It is not because the people are irreligious, but they are falsely taught and do not take the time to read and discern for themselves. In the West, it is the same, but we have more history in the truth and more established places, though we’ve moved beyond our Christian roots to a false gospel of, “Believe whatever you want”, so that man is at the center, and Christ is changed into a subservient god of our success and comfort, while His teachings and worthiness are ignored [1 Tim 6:5].

Do not fall for this sham gospel. We must believe the truth and walk in it. We must love. These things are non-optional, and we do not get to make our own way. Christ must be worshiped for who He is, or we worship a false christ to our destruction.

Secondly, the false christ and those who preach him must be rebuked. He says, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don’t say, ‘Rejoice,’ to him [vs10].” Do away with this “positive” Christianity that doesn’t fight for the true gospel!

Moses told the Levites to kill their brothers, and they were rewarded with the priesthood [Ex 32]. Phineas was zealous for God’s glory, slew the Israelite and the pagan woman with one blow, and God praised him and stopped the plague [Numb 25]! We must do everything we can to fight the lies, not because we are contentious but CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH is our duty [Jude 1:3].

We must love sinners, the Church, and Jesus Christ more than our own lives! We cannot serve for popularity - because we want to be liked and applauded… we want to be well fed. We must love and speak the truth. We don’t have to be harsh, (and you can use extra honey,) but we must be faithful. We don’t have to become bitter “heresy hunters”, but we must deal faithfully with all that opposes truth and love, all that might be called damnable. If you are unwilling to do this, then get out of ministry, and do something else. Also, do not criticize those who obey.

Thirdly, don’t receive false prophets into your house, which is the church of the living God.

I was put out of a church this past weekend, after speaking faithfully on Friday night. I saw the man who came up after me was a glory seeking false prophet, so I refused to stand for his shenanigans, and he took notice. But, how could I “amen” him sprinkling grape juice on people, calling it the blood of Christ, and promising healing and money? How could I participate in phony tongues, self-aggrandizement, and all manner of demonic heresy in condemning witches, casting out spirits, and calling death and fire on enemies? I would not, so I sat on stage while the house when crazy and soaked in the lies, as if the power was real. The whole scene was nothing more than satanic delusion! I would not participate.

We talked the next day about all of the issues, including his false gospel of works, and he told me that I would not be allowed to speak in the scheduled meetings.

If he would put me out for telling the truth, because it threatened “what he had built”, then how much more should we ban false prophets from our pulpits!?

Never allow a man to preach, if you don’t know what he believes, and never allow a deceiver into your pulpit willingly. We are not being nice to people who are nice to us. False prophets can be the nicest people in town, but they are forbidden from our encouragement. We do not help them or support them.

Some are so bold as to sit in these houses of Satan and give their money to promote their lies, while believing God’s grace. Get out. Don’t give them another dollar. Don’t go along with their deception. Form faithful places, even houses, and meet to God’s glory! John isn’t writing to a big church, but to a house church, as many were in the New Testament [Rom 16:5]. It’s better to meet with two or three and believe the truth, reaching out Christ to others, than to support and wish peace on heretics.

Speak the truth, but do not “amen” lies, if you think you can help a false assembly. I have no problem going into false churches, but I must stand out with clear and unmistakable preaching.