Are You Being Deceived?

Recently, I had this nice young couple come to my door to share about their new church.
“Can we share with you about our new, local church called Church of _________.”
Y: “Sure.”
“We worship God, the Mother.”
Y: “You lost me.”
“Can I show you scripture that shows God, the Mother?”
Y: “You can try.”
“Genesis 1:26-27 Here the creation of man and woman in ‘our’ image.”
Y: “That’s the Trinity: ‘Our’ means Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
“No. If God made woman in ‘our’ image that means there has to be a Mother God.”
Y: “No. That means that God made us in His image and we have His characteristics.”
“Well, let me show you a scripture in Revelation”
Y: “Oh good. I just finished studying Revelation.”
“This scripture referencing The Bride (Revelation 19:7). God, the Mother, is the Bride.”
Y: “No. The church is the Bride of Christ. I’m part of the Bride of Christ.”
“Well, on earth who gives life?”
Y: “God.”
“No. Who gives birth? Mothers. So, therefore, God is a Mother.”
Y: “NO! Mothers cannot create a baby alone. There must be male sperm. A mother holds the baby in her womb. Mothers don’t give life. They give birth.”

Now, I’m getting in my preaching mode…
Y: “Friends, you’ve been DECEIVED! You are in a cult! You are in danger of worshiping a female deity and idol. I worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel. God calls Himself our Father.”

The poor young couple is trying to back away from me.
Y: “Can I pray for you because you’ve been deceived?”
“No thank you!”
Now, I’m holding onto their arms.
Y: “PLEASE, let me pray for you!”
Now, they are running down my driveway towards the sidewalk.
I’m running after them, shouting:
“YOU SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID TO LET SOMEONE PRAY FOR YOU!!! THE FACT THAT YOU ARE IS AN INDICATION THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED AND ARE IN A CULT! COME BACK! COME BACK! LET ME PRAY FOR YOU…”

As they are running away, I’m shouting, “I’M PRAYING FOR YOU ANYWAYS!” Then, I proceeded to pray out loud, “LORD, please open their eyes to the truth. In Jesus Name!!!”

As, I’m walking back to my house, I’m thinking, “Well, I probably won’t see them again.” But I’m kind of shaky and in shock at my behavior. I’ve never felt compelled to run after someone like that. But I felt sorry for them and the scripture that kept running through my mind was:

1 Timothy 4:1(NLT)
Warnings against False Teachers
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times [The Last Days] some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.  

And just to confirm the feeling that we are indeed in The Last Days, that same evening I read an article from a “supposed” Christian who is advising other Christians to embrace a false teacher in the name of tolerance and peace. And he’s using scripture to do it!
In his article, he quoted John 16:12-15

John 16:12-15 (ESV)
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

He stated in his article that Jesus was saying that the "Spirit of truth" is a prophet from another religion. He says Christians should embrace this prophet because Jesus told us too. That, my fellow Believers, is false doctrine!

But, if we don’t read the Bible and study it for ourselves, if we don't attend churches that explain and help us grasp the true meaning of the scriptures, if we aren’t filled and renewed daily with the Holy Spirit who gives us discernment and wisdom, than we may fall victim to false teachers who are rising up in these Last Days.

Here is what this scripture means:

John 16:12-15 (AMP)
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear [to hear] them now.  But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].  He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [THE SPIRIT] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.

So, who is the “Spirit of Truth” that Jesus was talking about in John 16:12-15? THE HOLY SPIRIT! Not a false teacher who is coming or who has come!

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through ME.” (John 14:6) There is no other religious figure, who because of His unfailing love for us, died as a sacrifice for our sins. No other religious figure who was raised from the dead, conquering death, and who appeared to over 500 witnesses in His resurrected body. No other religious figure who is now sitting at the right hand of the Father praying for us.

Jesus warned us in the Last Days many false prophets would come in his name with the sole purpose of leading people. and sadly even His own followers, astray.

Here is Jesus' warning:

Matthew 24:3-31 (ESV)
Signs of the End of the Age
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come…
Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus warned us to be on the alert for false teachers who would come in His name, preaching false doctrines, who would distort and pervert the Word of God. So, the next time a false teacher comes knocking at your door, be prepared with the Truth of God’s Word to defend your faith. We MUST know the WORD of God. We must read it, study it, and we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and walking in His Power. We must be ready at all times to give an answer for what we believe. And we must share the truth in love, chasing after the lost…even if they run away.

Love,
Yolanda

Luke 21:27-28
[JESUS SAID] “Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!”