Recognizing False Teachers

- Amen, amen, amen, amen.

Well, good morning, Springhouse.

Look at the person next to you and say, "I like you."

(audience laughing)

- I like you.

- If you're joining us on live stream,

thank you for joining us today.

Guys, it's a good day to be in the house of the Lord,

is it not?

God is really moving in our midst

and he's always up to something really good.

We're gonna continue our series today, His Church.

And as I explained to you last week,

because I know that several of you,

and I've been very encouraged that several of you

are following along in the Word with us

as we're traveling along in Acts,

but because of some schedule changes that we had to make,

we are jumping today from Acts chapter nine to chapter 13.

Is that correct, Barbie?

I hope so.

I hope she didn't change the plan, you know?

But 13, next week we will go to chapter 12

and then next week 11.

So we're just going backwards, okay?

So we're going to 13, 12, and 11.

And I do encourage you because when you come in prepared,

when you set yourself apart and prepare before you come,

man, the Lord really can move and speak to your heart.

So go ahead and get into the Word, 13, 12, and 11.

Guys, one of the very best decisions

that Pastor Ronnie made for Springhouse Church

was to install Barbie Laughlin as a pastor of this house.

(audience cheering)

I would not want to be doing this role

with anyone else beside my side except for Barbie.

Would you welcome our executive pastor, Pastor Barbie?

(audience cheering)

I really thought he was gonna be out of town, so.

(audience laughing)

So chapter 13, is it?

(audience laughing)

I really like the Psalms.

(audience laughing)

We're gonna dig into chapter 13.

I am really excited about what the Lord is doing

in this house.

Guys, let me tell you, Pastor Bruce stopped in to see me

this week, which was an honor in and of itself,

just to be able to spend some time with him.

And one of the first things he said to me,

because he was with us last Sunday,

and he went, "Barbie, the Holy Ghost is in that place.

"The Holy Ghost is in that place."

I'm like, I know!

It's pretty awesome.

But to be encouraged by someone who plowed this soil

for so long for him to step in and be excited

about what God's doing in this house

was extremely encouraging.

So I guess we will teach out of chapter 13 today.

And if you will stand with us, we are gonna,

do you know why we ask you to stand for this?

We honor the word by giving it our full attention.

We look at the word, we take it to heart, and we honor.

This is scriptural.

When they would read the scrolls in the word,

the people would stand for the reading,

and that's what we do.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,

the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul

"for the work to which I have called them."

So after they had fasted and prayed,

they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Does that not sound like an old Holy Ghost thing?

They fasted, they prayed, and they laid on hands.

I'm digging this a little bit.

Anyway, the two of them, sent on their way

by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia

and sailed from there to Cyprus.

When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word

of God in the Jewish synagogues.

John was with them as their helper.

They traveled through the whole island

until they came to Paphos.

There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet

named Barjesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul,

Sergius Paulus.

The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul

because he wanted to hear the word of God,

but Elimes, the sorcerer, for that is what his name means,

opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Then Saul, who was also called Paul,

filled with the Holy Spirit, say that again,

filled with the Holy Spirit, one more time,

filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elimes

and said, "You are a child of the devil

"and an enemy of everything that is right.

"You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery.

"Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

"Now the hand of the Lord is against you.

"You are going to be blind for a time,

"not even able to see the light of the sun."

Immediately mist and darkness came over him

and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw what had happened,

he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Father God, may we always be amazed

at the teaching of the Lord, not the teaching of a man,

but the teaching of the Lord.

Father God, I'm asking, Lord,

that we would have ears that hear you today,

but Father, even beyond that,

hearts that are changed by your word today,

Father, we're gonna lean in, we're gonna listen to you,

we're gonna invite the Holy Spirit to do what he does

and bring discernment in all things today.

We just wanna sit at your feet and learn from you.

Father, let my stuff fall in your stand.

In Jesus' name, amen, amen.

Because this is the text we're starting with,

that is where I'm going to begin in this teaching.

I have been charged with the opportunity

to share with you regarding false teachers.

And I honestly believe that the best way for me

to share with you about false teachers

is to tell you about right teachers,

teachers who are committed to the Lord.

But we are gonna touch on false teachers for just a moment

because that's where we begin.

And then we're gonna, hopefully,

God is gonna take us through the scriptures

and give us a little bit more insight.

The very first thing I see in this passage of scripture

is that we're talking about them coming across

a false prophet and teacher, sorcerer,

we called him Bar Jesus.

Well, it's actually Bar Yessu.

But in Nashville, it's Bar Jesus.

So Bar Yessu is a prophet and he has drawn close

to leaders and power and authority.

You know what's interesting about this?

His name, Bar Yessu, literally means son of Jesus.

And on the surface, that sounds great, doesn't it?

He's associated with Jesus.

But let me tell you something, nowhere in the word of God

are you called the son of Jesus.

Nowhere in the word are you referred to as the son of Jesus.

You are sons and daughters of a living God.

Just because something has the name Jesus attached to it

doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean it's sound,

doesn't mean it's healthy for you.

So he calls himself Bar Yessu.

And I think it's interesting, later on we find out

that the apostles call him exactly what he is.

But sometimes one of the things you need to watch for

are people who come in the name of Jesus,

but are sharing something that isn't of him.

It says that he was a sorcerer.

It says that he was a sorcerer.

Sorcerers by design, I mean, you're all are gonna think

about Dumbledore, I know.

But we're gonna talk about sorcerers are actually performers.

They're performers and their job is to create an illusion

that causes false things to appear real

or real things to appear false.

And the key word in this is performer.

You don't want a performer unless you're going to a play.

Then it's really good to have a good performer.

But from your pulpit, you don't want a performer.

You want somebody who's delivering a word of truth

that comes from God.

And we have to pay attention to that.

One of the first things I wanna take you to

is Acts chapter eight, we're gonna jump back.

I believe Pastor Kevin taught from chapter eight

a little while ago.

But chapter eight, while we find out,

I love the sound of turning pages.

I really do, you just don't get the same thing

as you scroll.

But that's me personally.

I love two of my favorite sounds in the morning

is the sound of coffee brewing and pages turning.

That's my favorite.

That's my favorite.

But Acts chapter eight, we're gonna jump back

and we're gonna look at another sorcerer,

another prophet, another false teacher.

What we find, if you wanna read it,

you start about in verse nine and go through verse 24.

And I really encourage you to go do that

because it gives us some strong watch words.

But what we find in Simon, the sorcerer,

is that the first thing we learn about him

is that he was great.

He proclaimed his own greatness.

People who believe their own hype are dangerous.

People who are popular to themselves,

you wanna be careful of.

People who, it also says, and the people were drawn to him,

dependent upon the translation that you read,

talks about he could always draw a crowd.

And they would say, "He is the power of God.

"This man has the power of God."

Not everything that looks like power comes from God.

There are false and counterfeit sources.

There are powers.

If we're gonna believe in God,

we must also believe in the demonic forces.

If we're gonna believe that God is powerful,

we must understand that there is a counterfeit

as well to that.

So God wouldn't have us ignorant,

but one of the signs that you look for

when you're trying to determine,

is this just a good show, or is this genuine?

Watch the train of the glory.

Watch the train of worship as it goes.

People who will receive exaltation for themselves

are dangerous.

They're dangerous, and just because there's a little flash

and a little shine doesn't mean it's authentic.

Sometimes you can receive a word from someone

and that word is not sourced

from where it should be sourced from,

and in that case, it's no better than getting a palm reading.

Seriously.

Check the source.

And one of the things that we do in checking the source

is we see where's the worship going.

Am I applauding the prophet,

or am I applauding the God he's serving?

Am I applauding the God that he is serving?

Worship is a big telltale thing.

God doesn't, it's unhealthy to be in a place

where your people are worshiping their pastor,

or your people are following a teacher, following a leader,

instead of the person they are supposed to be following.

Pay attention to who's getting the attention.

Pay attention to where the worship goes.

And in that, I really, something that has been in my spirit

for a while that I just want to encourage you in

is the train of worship.

In the vein of worship, do you understand

that not every false teaching is gonna come from a pulpit?

Do you understand that every false teaching

is not necessarily gonna take place in a place like this?

It's gonna come across TikTok, it's gonna be on Facebook,

it's gonna be on your television screens,

it's gonna be on your computer monitors,

and it's gonna come from bands on a stage.

And not necessarily a secular band.

Listen guys, we know the message of a secular band

is not gonna be Christ-centered.

But sometimes we run across worship,

I use that term lightly, that is not Christ-centered.

Are you paying attention these days

and how many of our songs are about us?

And that's appropriate, there are songs of ascent,

there are psalms of ascent

that are specifically designed to give the testimony

of what God has done in our life.

That is the psalm of ascent and that is absolutely right

and absolutely perfect, but it should never stop there.

It should never stop there.

That worship, there's a completion.

Pastor Jonathan, I have the privilege

of having an office across from his.

And during the week, let me tell you something,

it is a very rare day that I don't hear him

in there worshiping, that I don't hear him in there

with his guitar, that I don't hear him in,

turn it down, man, no I'm kidding.

[audience laughing]

I just wanted to do that publicly so he'd stop,

no I'm kidding.

I listen to him worship, I listen to the way

that he enters in, he prays over this set list.

And I want you to pay attention to what he did today.

If you didn't pay attention to what he did today,

he started with praise.

He knows that the word tells us,

I will enter his gates with thanksgiving.

And that we are to enter his courts with praise.

That's exactly what he did.

And then he moved toward proclamation,

Yahweh, we love you, Yahweh, we love you.

And we were able to sing that,

and we were able to enter into that.

And then we had, the next thing we had a proclamation,

we had Sarah singing, this is how I fight my battles.

This is how I fight my battles.

And then we moved to a place, we had another,

and then we moved to a place of completion

where we moved into adoration.

Adoration, you God are holy forever.

You God are holy forever.

Your name is the highest.

No one like him.

Now here's the danger point guys.

There are places all over, and we do it ourselves too.

We never complete the cycle.

We don't complete that cycle, and so we get stuck.

It's wonderful to be in praise,

and it's wonderful to jump, and it's wonderful to leap,

and it's wonderful, but there's more to the story.

And so often some of the things that we're being taught

are this feel good God that we jump and we shout,

but we never complete that cycle,

and get into the place where we are acknowledging

the absolute holiness of God, the sovereignty of who he is.

Let me tell you why that's dangerous.

Because all too often praise and songs sell,

but worship and adoration invites presence, invites presence,

and the enemy does not care how loud you shout.

What he doesn't want you to do is ever fall on your knees,

get on your face before a sovereign God,

and surrender your life, and that's the danger

that we face sometimes in the distortion of going

this is great, this is great, this is perfect,

but have you stopped in your praise?

Have you accelerated and moved to a place of worship

before him, acknowledging him?

It's not just teachers with books in front of them

that are giving us our doctrine today.

It's people with guitars and microphones that are,

there's a song that says Jesus turned,

God turned his face away.

That's not scripture.

It's a great song, it's a great thing to sing,

but it's not true, and there are distortions

that we're getting that unless you know the truth,

you're never gonna recognize the distortion,

and that's where I'm going with today.

I'm gonna tell you about the truth.

I'm gonna tell you what a pastor, leader, teacher

should actually look like to you,

someone that you want to invest in the words

that they're giving because they're the word of God.

Scripture tells us, well, I'll jump there,

but Acts 13, Paul corrects Bariassu.

He corrects him and he says, you are a son of the devil.

You're not, which was interesting to me

because he called himself the son of Jesus.

And Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,

looks at it and says, you are a son of the devil,

and you are an opponent of everything

that God is trying to do.

Let me tell you something.

The things that we do, they can cause harm

in the kingdom if they're not sound.

They can cause damage in the kingdom.

I'll love later when Peter confronts Simon,

listen to this, tell me if this does not strike you.

Peter goes in and he begins to,

they begin to lay hands on people

and they begin to receive the Holy Ghost,

and here's Simon, the sorcerer,

the performer, the one who thought he was great

and allowed the people to exalt him.

That guy, it says he gets, he becomes a believer

and he is baptized.

And it's after he is a believer

and he's been baptized that he goes, I wanna buy that.

I wanna buy that power that you have.

And Peter turns around and corrects him sternly,

we'll just call it that.

And he says, again, basically, you're a son of the devil.

You are opposing the move of God.

But let me tell you something.

Just because, two things.

You can be a believer, you can be baptized

and still really blow it.

Really, really mess up.

And how sad would it have been for Peter

to just walk away and let him stay in his mess.

But he didn't, he turned around and he corrected him.

And he's like, you can't buy this thing.

But the wonderful thing about it was Simon said,

please pray for me.

Please pray for me that none of those things befall me.

Pray for me when you are captured and when you are snared

and when you mess up and somebody loves you enough

to come and go, what are you thinking?

What have you done?

Your response should not be, well, who are you?

It should be, pray for me.

Pray for me that none of those things would befall me.

Oh, Jesus, help me, Lord.

Okay, so those are some things you don't want.

You do not want somebody who has a whole lot of shine

and is shallow.

You don't want somebody whose personality

overrides his anointing.

You don't want somebody where you walk out of a room

singing their praises instead of God's.

You don't want somebody who has a Sunday relationship

with God that can speak an eloquent word

but has no true authority in the Spirit.

Because a person can, can, can I tell you something else?

Not all false teachers are intentionally corrupt.

A lot of them are just immature in their faith.

We promote young people so fast and we give them a voice

and an authority and they have no roots

and they have no grounding and they have no foundation

and so they're teaching us what they've learned themselves

from others rather than the authority of God.

Not all false teachers, not all people who are missing it

are out to get you, they just don't know.

But let me tell you something,

you're not gonna recognize it if you don't know.

And so allowing the gift of the Holy Spirit

to birth discernment in our life changes everything.

So what's a pastor supposed to look like?

Not sharp, not flashy and glory driven

with a distorted word?

What's it supposed to look like?

Let's look at the word and see what it says.

First let's go to Matthew 7, verse 15.

Matthew 7:15

The word says, I am so in joy in my amplified Bible,

seriously.

Verse 16 it says, by, well 15 says,

beware of false prophets and teachers

who come to you dressed as sheep,

appearing as gentle and innocent,

but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

By their fruit you will recognize them.

That is by their contrived doctrine and self-focus.

By their fruit you will recognize them.

Now this was really big in my spirit.

You do understand that the quality of fruit

is what matters, not the quantity.

You can be a growing, prospering, big church

and not be a healthy church.

You can have a thousand apples,

but if only two of them are good,

you've not got a lot of good fruit.

It's in the quality of what it is.

And I mean, seriously guys, how can it be about numbers?

The word of God tells us that God took armies of thousands

and reduced them to 300 because he didn't want man

to brag about the numbers that he had.

We did that sometimes.

We love the big numbers because it shows the army

we have built.

I don't wanna fight with an army I've built, trust me.

I don't have the skills, I want the 300.

And I believe that if we will trust God for that,

it's not about numbers guys, it's about good fruit.

It's about good fruit.

Taylor Swift had a concert in February.

Two days back to back, over 300,000 people attended that.

What does that prove?

Proves we like a good show.

We like a good show.

When I go into my church, I don't want a good show.

If I want a good show, I'll watch it on TV

or I'll come and watch Springhouse Theater do something.

Which they're pretty awesome,

Sound of Music going on as we speak.

Amazing crowds, great production.

But that's not why I come here on Sunday mornings.

That's not why I do this.

I come because I wanna worship with you.

I wanna worship the Creator with you.

I wanna listen to a sound word from somebody

who's actually studied the scriptures for themselves.

For themselves.

That's what, and you know what fruit,

it says you'll know them by your fruit.

If fruit isn't numbers, what is it?

Fruit is a church where lives are being changed.

Fruit is a church where marriages are being restored.

Fruit is a place where salvations are happening.

And the Holy Spirit is delivering people

from bondages that they've been in.

Fruit is sound and it's good.

Just like when he says taste and see that the Lord is good.

He is good.

Now, let's get one more passage of scripture in here

that I think is so important.

In your pastors and leaders, 2 Corinthians 11.

[paper rustling]

This is the kind of pastor, teacher, leader,

worship leader that you want.

It says, Paul says, I, in verse two,

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy

because I have promised you to one husband

to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

You want leaders who will lead you

in an upward call toward Christ.

You want leaders who are presenting to you

that you don't have to stay in your sin.

You want leaders who are telling you

that you can live a godly life before him.

You want teachers that will do exactly what Kevin

just now did, teaching my message.

But to go, there's an upward call.

There's an upward call.

There's a reference in here, Paul calls this God,

this fashionable God of darkness.

A fashionable God of darkness.

There is a very popular God that many people serve today

who will allow you to stay bound all of your life,

living on grace and mercy, which we all do,

but never telling you you can be free.

You want a message that's coming straight

from the throne room?

Is that it was for freedom that Christ has set you free.

Do not be yoked again with slavery.

That's the message God has for you.

And if his messengers are not telling you that, run.

Run.

We can put on a good show and we can garner a crowd,

but it will not build his church.

And we are about building his church.

This is what scripture says.

This is the kind of pastor, leader, teacher you want.

I'm jealous for you with a godly jealousy

because I have promised you if your pastors

and your leaders do not feel a sense of responsibility

for you before the Lord, there's a problem.

There's a problem.

If they're asking you to serve them

rather than them serving you, there's a problem

because Christ came to serve.

And your leaders should be servant-hearted.

And finally, 2 Corinthians chapter four.

Listen.

(audience laughing)

You're gonna fall in love with that sound.

You're gonna buy a real Bible.

Can you do this with your phone?

Ah, Jesus.

You do that and something from TikTok's

gonna spring up under there.

(audience laughing)

You're gonna post something you don't mean to post.

Get yourself one of these.

And the beauty of it is it's large print.

Woo, yes!

(audience cheering)

Oh, okay.

(audience laughing)

God is so good.

Okay, can anybody find 2 Corinthians?

Verse chapter four, verse one and two.

Listen to this.

This is what Paul says.

Therefore, since we have this ministry,

just as we have received mercy from God,

we do not get discouraged or lose our motivation.

You want a pastor who doesn't stay discouraged,

who doesn't run when things get tough,

who digs his feet in and gets right in the mud with you.

That's the kind of pastor you want.

You want one that says,

it says we renounce the disgraceful things

hidden because of shame.

We don't walk in trickery.

We don't adulterate the word.

We state it openly and leave it open to be judged.

You want a pastor who's transparent.

You want a leader who will let you in their life

and tell you that they got a speeding ticket

going through the school zone.

(audience laughing)

Now listen, I would not have told you that

if he hadn't told you that first.

But I am gonna tell you this, no I'm kidding.

You want a pastor who loves the Lord.

You want a pastor who's gonna open up his life

and his heart, who's gonna dig in the word

and who's gonna share with you.

Let me tell you what else you want.

You want a pastor who loves you,

who loves your family, who cares for you.

God gave me the most perfect example.

You wanna see what a man of God looks like.

You wanna see what a pastor that loves the Lord,

digs in the truth and serves well.

I've got one for you right here.

(audience cheering)

You know what he's doing?

Nobody would work the nursery that day.

And pastor will, I'll work it.

Do you know how many times he's done that?

Do you know how many times he's loved on my grandson?

Isn't he cute?

My grandson's cute too.

(audience laughing)

Let me tell you something about Will Sevier.

He is one of the most humble men that I know.

He is one of the most kind-hearted, servant-hearted

people that I know and he is sound.

Sound all the way through.

That's the kind of pastor you want.

That's the kind of person that you want.

And guys, let me tell you something.

You don't need to focus.

Come on out worship band.

I mean true worship band, come on out.

(audience laughing)

I'm getting so much trouble.

(audience laughing)

Let me tell you something guys.

We don't need to walk around focusing on Satan

and what he's doing.

If you will focus on the true,

if you will focus on the ministers who are pouring out truth,

opening their lives and serving you,

you're not gonna have to worry about the other.

If you will ask the Holy Spirit of God

to give you a gift of discernment.

If you will press into the gift of the Holy Spirit

and allow him to give you the gift of discernment,

you will walk through life going, that's not him.

That's not God.

Oh no, that's not God.

And you will leave those places where you and your family

and your spirit and your life are in danger

for believing the false.

God is good.

God is faithful.

And if we will press into him, we will press into him,

God will release truth.

He will reveal to you the true and the false

and your life and the lives of your family

and the lives of the generations to come

that are following you will be transformed

because God will draw a bloodline in your life

that changes everything from here to there, everything.

So what we're getting ready to do

is we're getting ready to complete the circle again.

I'm gonna ask some of the worship warriors,

some of the, is anybody else who's in the praise team here?

I need you if you are.

If you play an instrument,

if you stand on this front line,

you guys are gonna be our prayer warriors today.

And if you need prayer today for anything,

see these guys don't stand up here because they're gifted.

They stand up here because they're anointed

and they have set their lives apart

to follow the purposes of God.

And this is part of that.

It's not about a microphone.

It's about a life that is dedicated to him.

So what we're gonna do is we're gonna complete the circle.

We are gonna enter into holy forever one more time

and we are going to worship him

and we are gonna finish this gathering with adoration

and we are gonna invite the presence of the Holy Spirit

to just come in and do what he does best,

wreck our lives and change everything.

So if you would stand with me,

we're gonna enter into worship.

Let's go ahead, guys.

Father, we're asking you.

We're inviting the Holy Spirit, though you are here,

we're asking for the fullness.

In the name of Jesus, do what you do.

We're gonna worship.

Jesus.

you