The Marks of a Pseudo Disciple
In a meeting for college students, a preacher narrated the following interesting incident that took place in a private college. An eminent and learned Zoology professor worked in the college. The students loved him very much and looked forward to attending his classes. The professor was also an expert in identifying the animal species. He had the knowledge and intelligence to identify any species without referring to the books.
One day after the classes were over a student said that he was interested in testing the ability of the Zoology professor by making a new species. He told them that he will take two species of similar kind and join them in such a way that it will look like a new species. The next day, the student made a new species by joining two species and took the species to the professor. He gave it to the professor and requested him to identify the new species. The professor looked at it for some time and found it to be a peculiar one. Then he took the species near the window and looked at it very closely. He then came near the student, lifted up the species and said, “This is bogus”. The professor was able to identify that it was not a new species but was one that was made by the student. Now in the Christian world, there are many bogus Christians. Many believers find it very difficult to identify them because they are like genuine believers involved in the ministry with gifts and wonders. But our Lord Jesus Christ can identify them very easily as bogus Christians like this professor. While talking about the false prophets in Matt. 7:15-23 Jesus Christ taught clearly that there are three ways by which we can identify bogus Christians.
By Their Fruits: “You will know them (false prophets) by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… By their fruits you will know them.” Matt. 7: 16-20. Here fruits mean the outcome of their ministry and their life. In their ministry, there may be so called changes and conversions. But if the changes are temporary and the spiritual life of the followers is very shallow then the fruits will show that they are pseudo-disciples.
By their Ministry: The next mark of the pseudo-disciple is the type of his ministry. “Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons In Your name and done many wonders in Your name?” Matt.7:22. Jesus Christ here says that the pseudo-disciples will be involved in three types of ministries. Their ministry will consist of prophecy in Christ’s name, casting out of demons and doing many wonders. But at the same time they will not do the will of the Father in heaven. “Not everyone who says to Me. ‘Lord. Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father in heaven.” Matt.7:21. What is the will of the Father? The will of the Father according to 1 Tim. 2:4 is that all persons should be saved. But thesepreachers never take steps to fulfill His will. They preach and practice the prosperity gospel. They fail to fulfill God’s will by not preaching the gospel of salvation available in Christ Jesus through faith by His grace. They may have the manifestation of gifts like prophecy, casting out demons and doing many wonders in the name of Jesus Christ astonishing the people. But Jesus Christ said that suchpeople will not enter into the Kingdom of God even though they do all these things in the name of the Lord. “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me. you who practice lawlessness!'” Matt. 7:23. Thus we can identify the pseudo-disciples by their teachings and ministry.
By their lawless Life: They can also be identified by their lawlessness. For Jesus Christ said them, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Matt. 7:23. Here Jesus Christ said that He did not know them. It means that they know about the Lord Jesus Christ and involve in the ministry. But Jesus Christ does not know them, which means that they are not truly saved. Jesus Christ also said that they practice lawlessness. What is lawlessness? Lawlessness is living contrary to the Word of God. It is living in wickedness, (Acts. 2:23, iniquity, (Matt. 13:41) and unrighteousness (2 Cor.6:14). Today we have many believers who do not obey the laws of the land and do not keep up a witnessing life. From their lawlessness, we can identify them. May the Lord help us to identify such pseudo-disciples and keep away from them. For Jesus Christ said. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Matt.7: 15).
(Dr. C Barnabas, Translated from True Discipleship January 1997By Their Law