Shai Linne’s latest album, Lyrical Theology, features the single Fal$e Teacher$. It is a controversial song, but it is truth. Truth the church needs to hear and act upon.

Know them by their fruits

In Matthew 7:15-19, Jesus tells us we will know false teachers by their fruits. These fruits include both what they speak and how they live.

What are these fruits?

Contextually, it seems Jesus is referring to all He has been presenting in the Sermon on the Mount up to that point. Some of His teaching is:

• To recognize you are poor in spirit.
• To deal with anger and lust.
• To love your enemies.
• To give to the needy without trumpeting your acts.
• To absorb a person’s evil acts against you without retaliating.
• To store up treasures in heaven.
• To trust God to provide.
• To not be judgmental
• To be persistent in Prayer.

1 John 4:1-6 and 2 Peter 2 also provide good tests to determine who is and who is not a false teacher. Like Jesus, they too point their readers to a teacher’s fruit – what they teach and how they live.

Conclusion

False teachers may use the Bible in their messages, but their teaching is not biblical. Nor do they bear the fruit Scripture requires. Instead of preaching the true gospel, they hold forth a false gospel. One that deceives many with its promises of prosperity.

Shai Linne’s newest single doesn’t allow these prophets to fly under the radar. He points them out in love to stop them from deceiving more souls.

Give Fal$e Teacher$ a listen and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Question for Reflection

1. Given Jesus’, John’s, and Peter’s teaching, have you, or are you, listening to a false prophet?