Excerpt

Shepherds, Hirelings and Dictators – How to Recognize the Difference
By Tavares D. Robinson

WHEN WE REMAIN UNDER THE TEACHING OF UNFAITHFUL leaders, we actually reinforce their wayward behavior. They are most likely to take our continuous support as approval and become even bolder, as they move in the flesh rather than in the Spirit of God.
Eventually, these leaders come to a point where they assume they can teach anything, whether it is right or wrong, and the people won’t object. Charles Spurgeon made a powerful prophetic statement over a century ago that speaks to our generation. He said, “Everywhere there is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false, a sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only, the shorter it is the better.” How many attending churches in America today have the same feeling? And when church-goers have this spiritless attitude, dangerous leaders become very comfortable asking their people for unreasonable things God has never required, including huge sums of wealth, real estate or other material goods. They are able to get away with such things because of the apathy of most Christians who not only allow it but have come to expect it.
Why is this erroneous practice so common and so blatant?
Because we have not studied to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15) from falsehoods. We have not confronted such behavior with Scripture and called a spade a spade. Instead of digging into Scripture to know God, we have accepted the words of charlatans, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and we have gone along with behaviors that would have never been allowed if the body of Christ had called them on it (2 Cor. 11:13–20). We do not discern the truth because we do not evaluate teaching in light of Scripture.

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