How to Spot a Religious Phony

Paul in his farewell letter to the Ephesian elders warns them of false spiritual leaders that will be amongst their own ranks (Acts 29:29-30). One of the most subtle, but diabolical attack of Satan is disguise his ministers as ministers of righteousness (1 Cor. 11:13-17). Apostate leaders are seeds by which Satan have sowed within the Church so as to cause dissension and disruption in teaching doctrines that are contrary of scripture, and the doctrine according to godliness: that of myths and endless genealogies (1 Tim. 1:3-11). 

There are false spiritual leaders in the church today who will boast about their own credentials, comparing themselves among themselves as to their supposedly elevated knowledge of the scripture. In so many words they claim to have a corner on the truth as if they are the only depository of divine truth (2 Pet. 1:19-21).  The "revelations" of spiritual mystics in the professing church today is what is, "intuitive and esoteric." Such "revelations" of theological mysticism is essentially what is spiritually awe or felt; not what is theologically coherent as to the content of the Bible (Jud. 8).

Religious phonies claim to be in the best interest of the church, but seek to destroy the ethical/moral teachings of the Christian church, thus also seek to destroy of the moral lives of believers (2 Tim. 1:16-17). It is not a matter of outright denial of the truth faith, but subtle in its attempt to do damage from within the corridors of biblical Christianity.

Once again when dealing with the doctrinal consensus of religious phonies in the professing church today is that of its clear denial of the authority and inspiration of the Bible, that of the true faith once delivered unto the saints, and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ through His redemptive blood.

When addressing the doctrinal aberrations of false spiritual leaders in the church today is their so-called revelatory knowledge of the scripture, that of its confusing soteriology, compromising of biblical truth and Christian doctrine, and flagrant assault upon the atoning work of Jesus Christ through His blood sacrifice (2 Pet. 2:1).

Along with such clear denial of the true faith is the religious phony corrupt moral lifestyle (2 Pet. 1:1-21).  It have been once said, "Tell me what a man believe, and I will tell you what he will do." Doctrine and lifestyle go hand in hand with each other (Matt. 7:15-20).  There is the misunderstanding that godly men of God who fall into sin categorize them as being  "hypocrites and false teachers."  The difference between a true biblical shepherd and false spiritual leadership is the latter one of conviction, but the other unrestrained moral tendencies in sinning (Jud. 19).

Religious phonies in the professing church today receive light, but reject divine life in Christ (Heb. 6:4-6). Such religious phonies in the church have not known the Lord in the first place as to them placing personal faith in Christ concerning their eternal salvation (John. 3:36). The character of religious phonies is clearly portrayed according to Matthew 23. They are twice dead, plucked up by the roots, waging waves of the sea foaming out their moral filth of debris, wandering stars, and darkness (Jud. 12-13). 

In conclusion that religious phonies are known for what they teach, how they live, and how Satan have sown such individuals to cause dissension and disrupt the Church.  The Church today must be proactive and counterproductive as the the intrusion of religious phonies within the church and to deal with them accordingly.  It is impossible to turns wolves into sheep because of the destructive nature of false spiritual leaders. They seek to do their damage from within and outside the corridors of biblical Christianity and the historic Christian church (Acts 29:29-30; 1 John. 2:18). 

Rev. Darryl L. Miller is founder and president of Georgia based Darryl Miller International Ministries of Atlanta, Georgia and travels extensively throughout the United States and continents. As a apologist, pastor, evangelist, senior researcher/editor, and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world. Darryl lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Truth about Postmodernism

Postmodernism is suspicious of authority, certainty, and absolute truth. The ethos of postmodernism is, "Truth is relative, therefore each individuals have their own preference or experiential truth." Postmodernism strongly rejects anyone or outside religious authority who claim the certainty of biblical truth and moral absolutes.

The spread of postmodernism have not only affect the culture that we live in, but in fact affected the evangelical community.  Many of evangelical leaders who once held a high view of scripture as to its authority and inspiration have now succumb to such extra-biblical revelation of the Bible (1 Pet. 1:19-21).  Postmodernist especially within the African American church community in the pulpit today claim that there is any certainty of biblical truth and authority.  Therefore the African American church for decades have in fact deny the authority and inspiration of the Bible as it relates to the faith and practice of the Church today. 

The whole idea of doctrine have been ridicule over against the preeminence of one's own personal experience as their source of authority.  Despite any attempt to convince postmodernist the certainty of biblical truth and authority is futile in the minds of spiritualist in the professing Church today (Jud. 8-10).  The truth of the matter that the increment of postmodernism mindset have such a deadly double duo: that of its own experiential truth along with such steep deception (1 Tim. 4:1). 

Postmodernist within the evangelical community, especially within the context of the African American church across the United States and many foreign countries vaguely believe that God speaks "directly" to them in an audible voice in the most intimate, personal way in denying the all-sufficiency of scripture (2 Tim. 3:15, 16; Heb. 1:1-2a). 

The experience of postmodernist experiential truth based upon its own personal "revelations" of the Bible is part of their own belief system and cultural conformity (Rom. 12:2). 

The steep deception of postmodernism own personal experience is devoid of biblical truth and practical reality; therefore the rationality of mystics is illogical to such epidemic proportions.  In so many words postmodernist think in terms of what is black and white without evaluating and the assessment of its own personal experience and "revelations" based upon the finality of God's Word (Acts 17:11 with 1 John 4:1).

Also the defense of postmodernism source of authority is its own personal experience or "revelations" as oppose the objective truth of God's Word.  Scripture itself teaches according to 1 Peter 1:20 that there is any "private" interpretation as to the prophet's own vision, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved ("carried along") by the Holy Spirit.  What the prophets of the Old Testament wrote and the apostles of the New Testament wrote what God intended them to write, but did not take away their own style and vocabulary.  The 44+ human authors came from different social, educational, and economical backgrounds, even though they express their own feelings about certain matters (e.g. Romans 10:1) they were under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

God is the Source of divine Truth, therefore the Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself, nor that which the Spirit receive from God the Father (John 14:26). 

Whenever their is a clear denial of the authority (rule of faith and practice) and inspiration  (full verbal, plenary) of the Bible perpetuated by postmodernist in the evangelical church world, especially within the context of the African American church community is the epitaph of spiritual apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1). 

We live in a time where false spiritual leaders and apostate churches will in fact abandon the true faith so as to pay attention to deceiving spirits taught by demons (1 Tim. 4:1).

It is very important that the Church today be both proactive and counterproductive to the insurgence of postmodernism that have in fact robbed believers of their true relationship with God through the Person of Jesus Christ, thus destroyed the faith of the evangelical community (Gal. 1:8-9; 3:1; 2 Tim. 2:17-18).

Rev. Darryl L. Miller is founder and president of Darryl Miller International Ministries of Atlanta, Georgia and travels extensively throughout the United States and continents.  As an apologist, senior researcher/editor, pastor, evangelist, and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world.  Darryl lives in Atlanta, Georgia.