Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
2 John 1:9-11
Enough said about false preachers and fake prophets. Or their deceptive and subtle ways that promotes waywardness and ignorance of righteousness. What about the lives of those who chose to avoid these counterfeit preachers and false churches? We are well overdue for a different topic of discussion.
It Begins With Knowledge & Wisdom
The simple, but yet definitive decision of a believer in choosing to do what is right, begins with first and foremost, understanding what is knowledge and wisdom, and subsequently practicing or making them part of daily living. The book in the Bible that offers a very thorough and exhaustive study of wisdom, is none other than the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.
The Book of Proverbs is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Christian Old Testament.
Proverbs teach us to recognize wisdom, to distinguish between the wise and the fools, and how the basis of truth in wisdom itself, form the pillars of justice and righteousness. And it is these pillars that produce the list of dos and ‘don’ts’ for us, showing us how to love God and our neighbors. In my opinion, the book of Proverbs is a book of secrets to obeying God’s Commandments.
Whereas, a modern dictionary defines ‘proverb’ as a short, pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a basic truth or practical precept. A short pithy sentence, often repeated colloquially, expressing a well-known truth or a common fact ascertained by experience or observation; a popular saying which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical precept; an adage; a wise saw: often set forth in the guise of metaphor and in the form of rime, and sometimes alliterative.
Proverbs is not merely an anthology but a “collection of collections” relating to a pattern of life which lasted for more than a millennium. It is an example of the biblical wisdom literature, and raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct. Its theological foundation is that “the fear of God (meaning submission to the will of God) is the beginning of wisdom”.
Wisdom is praised for her role in creation; God acquired her before all else, and through her, He gave order to chaos; and since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is therefore the very essence and goal of life.
Divided into sections, the book of Proverbs is about the initial invitation to wisdom, contrasting the wise and the fool, and moral discourses on various topics. Certain chapters discuss justice, the wicked, and the rich and poor, while Chapter 30 introduces the “sayings of Agur” on creation and divine power.
Staying Away From Fools
The Book of Proverbs begin with; to know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Further, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles. And Proverbs 1:7 states it clearly that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
In short, Scripture is clearly telling us that fearing God is the beginning of our understanding of wisdom. If God says we cannot do one thing, but instead of obeying we turn to our own ways, and do what God has prohibited us from doing, and subsequently we repeatedly salve our own conscience by convincing ourselves that what God had commanded us is not relevant anymore; this will ultimately lead us away from wisdom, and turn us into fools. Plunging into this path is nothing less than defiance against God, the opposite of not fearing God.
Foolishness then begin to thrive when two or more fools gather together, to share their foolish opinions, and forming their own conclusions, that their foolishness is indeed true wisdom. These are congregations of people who know not how to fear God, they live their lives in complete depravity; they lie, they cheat, they steal and they commit adultery, but yet they still believe doing such things is okay.
And they kept themselves in persistent agreement with one another, that what they are doing is right, while God allowed false preachers and fake prophets to proliferate among them, admist their stupidity. Thus, their preachers will speak when God never told them to speak (Jeremiah 23:21), and blind them further.
A person who earnestly seeks wisdom, should be able to recognize these traits. And in these last days, a wise person will stay away from fools and what them fools are doing, before he could even pursue further in the correct direction of wisdom and knowledge. Without wisdom and the absolute departure from foolishness, we will not have access to understanding what is just, and therefore we will not understand God’s judgment.
As good as our God is all the time, everything He does is always good. His deeds are never bad, evil or sinful. Likewise, when God brings judgment to our world, it is also good. Without true wisdom, man can never comprehend why God’s judgment is good. As such, in false churches where fools gather, it is often common sight, to see foolish people repeatedly asking the same questions over and over again, why is God judging them or why are terrible things happening to good people. These fools thought that by being in a church, they qualify to be called good people instantaneously.
Thus, in these last days of great evil, the wise will identify what is the truth and what is false. And thereafter they stay away from all falsehood. And they stay away from false churches.
Promises Of Wisdom
Proverbs 21:21 says, he who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor. The Bible states that we have to follow what is right, in order to find what is righteous. In Proverbs 21:3, to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
In fact, the entire Bible speaks about wisdom and wisdom’s character of righteousness. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry (Psalm 34:15). But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled (1 Peter 3:14). For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off (Psalm 37:28). And I can go on and on.
To be wise, is in essence knowing to do what is right, in the sight of God. Wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without PARTIALITY and without HYPOCRISY (James 3:17). If a person is not impartial, he is not likely to be wise. If a person is a hypocrite, who don’t do what he says, or do what he doesn’t say, he is definitely not wise.
As soon as a person progresses from having knowledge to true wisdom, wisdom will lead him to conduct himself righteously. True wisdom can never lead a person to hypocrisy, partiality or simply plain stupidity in God’s sight. And a person who had made this progress, will steer himself away from the crowd of foolishness, and stay away from them. Because association with fools is not without its consequences; leading one to share in the punishment of the evil deeds of fools, and their unrighteousness.
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1).
Foolish people cannot understand the merits of wisdom. They know not what is meant by committing their ways to God. They do not trust God, despite their claims with their lips, and their spoken words on Sundays that they trust Him. Fools do not understand THAT THE LIGHT THAT GOD BRINGS FORTH IN US, IS THE SAME AS OUR ADHERENCE TO GOD’S JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS (Psalm 37:5-6).
The benefits of staying away from false preachers and false churches is nonetheless, too obvious not to be noticed. Those who left false churches are not seeking their destruction, but they are leaving for greener pastures. Instead, it is the deeds and words from the mouths of fools, that leads them to their own destruction (Proverbs 10:14).
In my ex-church, members of my ex-pastor family, have left him. Even those of his own, are becoming aware of the dangers of following false preachers. His nephews and nieces have left him. And soon, his own sons and daughter too will follow suit. In his home, only serfdom is found. Once the children grow up and taste freedom, they will fly like birds escaping from cages, and not return. No one is likely interested to inherit God’s vengeance or His wrath.
Staying away from things or people who attract God’s wrath, is wisdom and a wise thing to do. Staying away from false churches, leads to life, or at least to the discovery of it.
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