Part II

 “..for they loved human praise more than praise from God.”  John 12:43 NIV

In every age of the Church, there is a temptation to judge the Word of God by the preacher/teacher.

We like eloquence, wisdom and popularity and when we find a preacher like that, we tend to think this Word he/she is preaching is the right one, whether it is or not.

We judge the Word by the preacher rather than the preacher by the Word.

As people of God, we should be looking for a demonstration of God’s power in changed lives!

Today in the Church, if we dare to preach the truth, we are often times viewed as offensive, especially if we talk of sin in the church, show Christians or compromise; much worse is to preach on deception.

Most people do not see it as offering hope to the lost and deliverance from sin, or as experiencing the mercy and grace of God.  They only want to hear the ‘cotton candy’ ----watered down ‘gospel,’ the type that leaves them feeling warm and fuzzy all over.  They prefer to have their ears tickled and choose man-pleasers over God-pleasers. 

This is how false teachers/preachers get promoted.  They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, aka man-pleasers.

False preachers-----man-pleasers compel their followers with emotional, psychological and spiritual pressure.  They use persuasive speech and emotional music to gain power over their congregation.

 "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.

 "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints.

And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You're cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count.

 "Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.”   Matt. 23:27-34   Message Bible