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Can the Lord use false teachers to guide His own?

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:06 am
by Gina
(This is an archived correspondence at The Path of Truth. We have sent notification to the correspondent.)

Good Morning,
Hello there. I happened across your website yesterday and I learned a lot. I have a question.

I have been on my walk of faith for some time now and I know that the Lord has helped me progress in my faith even thru Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince and John Hagee. I was hungering and thirsting after righteousness and I truly believe my Savior Jesus Christ, fed me thru some of their messages. I have always wondered about “the asking for money” thing. I have even called myself tithing to the Christians united for Israel and John Hagee and even Joel (the Lord actually led me not to tithe to Joel any longer) I truly believe that The Lord led me to your site and I learned more in one day than I have learned in years.

My question is this: Was everything I learned false, my progress in faith false? Can the Lord feed his sheep even thru television evangelist because we are searching for The Word?

Re: Can the Lord use false teachers to guide His own?

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:14 am
by Victor Hafichuk
Hi Gina,

As brother Paul has suggested, I will attach part of a letter I wrote to another person concerning your question about truth coming forth from false teachers.

My question is this: Was everything I learned false, my progress in faith false? Can the Lord feed his sheep even thru television evangelist because we are searching for The Word?

Just imagine being served up poison at dinner, or in a glass. What is the proportion of delicious, wholesome food or drink to the poison included to kill? Perhaps 100 to 1, or more? But the little quantity of poison is effective, isn't it? The diner drops dead.

That's how deception and corruption work, so don't be surprised if false teachers teach much truth. One must know the source and not just the substance of the prophet or preacher. Osteen, Prince, Hagee and tens of thousands of others are not men taught, anointed, and sent of God.

A cab driver may give you a ride in a real car, and he may head in the desired direction, but where does he take you? How far? And will you be better off with the ride if not reaching your destination? Might you in fact be lost?

So while you've learned truths, you've also mixed bad with good, which bad will come to haunt you unless you repent of it as you learn, believe and receive correction. God will countenance no strange mixtures - think of Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire (Leviticus 10). He won't even countenance “little white lies” accompanied with generosity - think of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5).

It's good to hear ThePathofTruth is ministering to you. Continue, freely receive, learn, believe, and obey the Lord to your salvation:

“And we are His witnesses of these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32 MKJV).

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And here's the portion of a letter that I wrote to another person, which helps answer your question:
Victor Hafichuk wrote:When God brings salvation by the new birth to an individual, I'd say at least 99% of Christendom resents it deeply. Many of these presume to be born again, yet the Lord has revealed to me that they don't know Him and He doesn't know them. They don't have His Spirit, despite claims and appearances.

But don't these many people produce some good things? In my days just before Christ, I was corrected on my search path by a Catholic uncle who calls many men “Father,” and who is now a priest, being called “Father,” contrary to Christ's command.

I was led to repentance toward the Lord by an evangelical who opposed the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This was before I had ever heard of Spirit baptism.

Then I was led to be baptized in the Spirit by a Mennonite, a man who fellowshipped in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, who refused the Lord's call to “come out from among them and be separate.” He handed me a booklet by R. A. Torrey, called The Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

As well, there were Prophetic Words from the Lord for me over the years through many people in those circles. How then should I in good conscience find fault with them? But I do, yet not I, but the Lord, Graeme.

Many have knowledge; many have gone part way; many are great workers; many have laid down their lives, for Christ and the Gospel apparently; many are fine people in society - friendly, kind, helpful, decent living, giving and loving. I can't argue with any of these things. Yet, I do because of what the Lord has shown me.

One of the major prophecies that came over me at a men's prayer breakfast meeting in I975 was by a man in Charismatic circles by whom the Lord said, among many other things, “You will see more than other men,” and “Don't try to understand Me.” Other independent prophets spoke similar things.

After several years, His Word turned out to be true. Now the Lord requires that I speak what I've learned. I see all these churches and Christian leaders playing games, building their own kingdoms, not at all pleasing the Lord, and the Lord is not in their midst. I see it. This goes for C3, one of so many thousands of churches.

Doesn't good come from some of their teachings? Surely. I received good, as related, but here's the trap: Someone once said the greatest obstacle to the next step in faith is the one just taken. When I was converted, George Lynn took me to a Missionary Alliance church. They, and later, Southern Baptists, taught me I was saved and had everything from the Lord and that I only needed to grow in Him. After all, my life had dramatically changed for the better; I came from despising the Lord to loving Him.

The evangelicals, with their pastors and elders, suggested it was Satan persuading me to doubt my salvation and to overthrow my faith. But they were wrong. By a quiet but persistent inner voice, the Lord kept assuring me I needed to go on, that “I wasn't there yet.” Step by step, many people and churches opposed my path but the Lord was Faithful and True.

I see many people trapped in these churches with a false sense of security, deceived into thinking all is fine with the Lord when to me and my wife and friends in Christ, it's clear they're wrong…

I must speak out against these camouflaged death traps; I must speak up against these wolves in sheep's clothing who, with all cunning and knowledge of the Scriptures, misrepresent the Lord and His will for mankind; I must speak up against those who are sufficiently capable to deceive, if it were possible, even the elect of God. How much more might they deceive a young girl, or one like yourself who doesn't know or understand the things I'm talking about?