If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His Commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. (Deut. 13:1-4)
Though their track record was abysmal in actually obeying the Word of the Lord, God had warned Israel of the danger in following after false prophets who verified their false doctrine with signs and wonders. God sought to prove His people, whether they would obey His Word in the face of temptation to worship idols and disobey the Word of the Lord. The new land they would soon enter was full of idolatrous nations that did not serve God and which had committed atrocities in the name of their god. God had judged them and warned Israel not to go after their ways, even if the prophet who enticed them demonstrated power and skill, because his words were evil.
There are many who mix truth with error, and entice the weak and undiscerning. False prophets will entice, often with powerful signs and some truth, those Christians who are not armed against error with the Truth of God’s Word, to go after other gods and mix the ways of the world with the ways of God. God has called His people to holiness and separation from the world and its ways, that we may be a light in the darkness, shining His Truth against the error spouted by so many, even those who practice signs and wonders, who do not know God or His Word in Spirit and in Truth. For God’s people to reach, teach, and preach, we are to follow God, obey His Word, and be the salt of the earth, God has called us to be. Because of our faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, we are to show and tell of Christ and the repentance the lost need because of their sin, that they might be born again and delivered from the bondage of all their sin.
God has sent those who are His and know Him out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet