Last night I was reading in Act 20. In this passage, Paul has called the elders of the Ephesian church to meet with him before he departs. He knows this will be the last time he will ever see them again on this earth. In this their last meeting, he warns them that “fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (v. 29). This sounds scary enough, that there will be forces from the outside that will come in and tear the flock apart. But for me, verse 30 is even scarier: “and even among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” Not only from without, but from within, there will be those who will teach false doctrine that will draw believers away.
Paul never shied away from calling out false teachers. He did not worry about tone, or political correctness – his concern was preaching the Gospel and protecting the flock from false teachers. Why have we become so relunctant to do likewise? Does not the Word clearly warn us that false prophets and teachers will rise up? And that, if it were possible, even the elect will be led away by them?
More on this tomorrow, but this is really bothering me. That we seem to care so little about being faithful to the truth of Scripture in these days…the Word told us it would be this way, but it still makes me sorrowful… .
