Sunday 31 May 2015

K028. Will Jesus tell us to love the false prophets, or hate the false prophets?

I have said in (K025) that Jesus told us to bless, and not to curse and also in (K026) that Jesus wants us to know and expose the false prophets too. But honestly I am still struggling between the need to love them, and the need to expose them. I have actually gone around and talked to different individuals privately and discreetly on this issue. Some said it bluntly, "Why not? The false prophets are the wolves. They must be 'stoned'." But some reasoned with me and said, "The false prophets are people too. They are like the adulterous woman who should not be stoned or judged (Joh 8:11). Didn't you preach the wrong things before? If God has given you grace, don't you need to give them grace too? Why don't you love them and pray for them?"

Ok. I think I don't have to elaborate it because I know that many of us have encountered the similar situation too, and will give many different responses to it. I used to say to others, "It's easier said than done." and then pretended that it was not my problem. However, I think, after much consideration, My answer is now 'Yes' and 'No', if we are asked whether we should love them and pray for them.
1. It could be 'Yes'. We still love and pray for them because the general 'rule' still applies. It is God's commandment to love. I agree that we should love them because God is gracious and He would be gracious to all men too.
2. It could be 'No'. We must oppose them and think of how to deal with them constantly, especially if we are the party most affected by their deception and evil, for example, if our loved ones or church members will be drawn away by them. I would be a hypocrite if I boast that we can love everyone including any rapist who violated or deceived our children. No, we will love one and hate the other. This is a law of Christ too:
Mat 6:24 KJV  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luk 14:26-27 KJV  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  (27)  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Joh 14:15 KJV  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Of course, we don't hate money, hate our parents, or hate the false prophets who oppose God, to the extend of we becoming a hater of everything too. We 'hate' in the sense that we would never join them or do like them. However, if the false prophets or their followers challenge us and ask, "Don't you love us and pray for us?" I will tell them, Yes, we do pray, but we will pray, "Get thee behind, Satan", and tell you to repent and be saved like Peter:
 Mat 16:23-24 KJV  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.  (24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

However, I wonder how many will humbly ask for prayer like Simon when they know that they are false prophets:
Act 8:24 KJV  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

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