Spot The Counterfeit

Romans 16:17  And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.

The weeping and wailing went on and on. Parents gave their children a cup of the poisoned liquid, then drank it themselves. The whole family walked away to find a place to die. In the haunting audio tapes that were later recovered, Jim Jones could be heard saying, "Die with a degree of dignity. Lay down your life with dignity; don't lay down with tears and agony."

In all, 900 people died either by suicide or murder, 200 of them were children. The Jonestown Massacre is an ugly stain on history. How did it happen? How could people be so blind to follow an obvious lunatic, and the take their own lives at his request?

That is the power of false teachers. Jim Jones didn’t start out a lunatic, he slowly became one. What started as good doctrine morphed into opinions, then heresy, then death.

As he closed the letter to the Roman church, Paul warned the believers there to watch out for people who teach things contrary to the Word of God. It can be seen today in churches and pastors who embrace the world’s philosophies and either ignore or twist the Scriptures to fit their social agenda.

As Christians we must guard ourselves against counterfeit faith. When Secret Service agents are trained to spot counterfeit bills they look only at real bills. Once you’ve seen the real, the fakes jump out at you.

Today’s Readings: Proverbs 28-29; Psalm 60; Romans 16

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