...But they're still not going to kiss your pulpit.
Posted on 01/02/2014 10:13:07 AM PST by DouglasKC
The Ravenous Wolves of FreeRepublic
How do we deal with the insults and pain of those whom Christ called "ravenous wolves"?
Many aren't aware of it but the phrase "A wolf in sheep’s clothing" has biblical origins.
Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
The word translated "false prophet" here is not referring to a Godly person who has a prophecy that fails. Instead it's referring to a person who pretends to be a Christian but in reality is not. They are compared to "ravenous wolves" among the flock.
These ravenous wolves exist in life. And they exist here in the religious forum of FreeRepublic. They can be a challenge to our faith and to our Christianity. In this article we're going to examine how to identify these wolves in sheep clothing and how to use our shepard, Jesus Christ, to combat them.
How can we know them? Jesus Christ gave us the answer in the very next verse:
Mat 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
In other words, says Christ, real Christians have a certain, identifiable "fruit". The wolves among the sheep will NOT have these fruits. You can't get grapes from thorns.
Jesus then goes on to make another comparison:
Mat 7:17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
The word translated "bad" means harmful, or evil. Something that is intended to hurt or destroy. So the hallmark of bad fruit is something that is harmful or destructive to people. "Good" on the other hand is something that is beautiful, beneficial, or worthy.
Mat 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
So the mark of a wolf in sheep’s clothing is whether they bear good fruit, or any. In John 15, Christ gives more detail on this fruit.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
This fruit is something that Christians have. If someone doesn't have Christ they then won't have this fruit.
The Fruit of the Spirit
But what is this fruit? How can we know whether the fruit is good or bad unless we know what it looks like? Luckily the apostle Paul gives us a good idea of what this fruit looks like in the book of Galatians.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
This fruit, these characteristics, are the natural result of living and abiding in Christ, in having his spirit.
Paul sums them up beautifully in 1 Corinthians:
1Co 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
1Co 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
1Co 13:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
1Co 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
These characteristics apply across all organizations. Organizations do not have a lock on the spirit of God. If someone exhibits these characteristics on a consistent basis they do have the spirit of God and they are a Christian.
There are many people in various organizations on FreeRepublic that exhibit these traits. Many Catholic, LDS, Protestant and Messianic and other members of FreeRepublic exhibit these traits and thus do have the spirit of God and are Christians.
However there are a very few that rarely if ever exhibit these traits. In fact they exhibit something else....the works of the flesh:
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
These behaviors are not just physical but are also spiritual. They are destructive and harmful to themselves and those they come into contact with.
That should not be surprising because the emanate not jut from the flesh, but are demonic in origin. James highlights these works.
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
Note that good behavior and meekness are hallmarks of of wisdom, having the spirit of the Lord. James contrasts that with other behavior.
James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
James 3:15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
James 3:16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
And back to the righteous:
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
James 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Animal Behavior
So these are the fruits. The ravenous wolves of FreeRepublic generally act like their namesakes....wolf like.
You've seen them. They'll post derogatory things about others and their faith. The purpose isn't to defend their own faith which often is hidden or not evident. . The purpose is to satisfy their hunger for division, acrimony and blood.
Like animals they seem not to know how to behave civility. They can't address others with whom they disagree without snarling, spitting and insulting. They bare their teeth and pretend that their animal nature is noble and Godly.
They justify their animal nature by pretending that they're just like us. They show us their sheepskin but they can't hide their true nature.
Like a wolf pack there is hierarchy and anyone outside of the pack is instantly set upon if one so much as questions the rules of the pack.
Like a wolf pack they howl, or ping others, when they think they've identified a victim. Peter describes their behavior perfectly:
1Pe_5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
That's how the ravenous wolves of FreeRepublic operate. They bait. They hunt down. They attack. They devour and all the while pretend that they're one of us.
Christ is the Shepherd
How do we deal with these wolves? These impostors? These fake Christians? After all they seem to have the advantage of aggressiveness, viciousness and have no qualms about personally attacking others.
The answer is that "we" can't do anything. We're sheep. We're weak. We're helpless. We don't have the teeth or claws they do.
But we have something else. Something they don't have. We have Christ as our shepherd protecting and guiding us. They can't harm us if we depend on Christ and stay in the flock.
Really all the wolves can do is sit just outside the flock, snarling, biting and snapping at us. And maybe that's why they're bitter and angry. They realize that they're not real sheep. They envy that the sheep have real faith in their shepherd. They wonder why Christ doesn't accept their disguise as being the real thing.
Now certainly we're not perfect sheep. I'm not. Sometimes we take their bait. It's not easy to see other sheep begin attacked or to be attacked. Sometimes we want to snarl back with our little sheep teeth. But it rarely works because to do that we have to leave the side of Christ.
The best strategy is to let Christ take care of them. They're not fooling very many and they're certainly not fooling Jesus. They're interested only in satisfying their hunger. They don't want to debate. When they pretend they are they're really only dangling bait to draw others out where they will be vulnerable and away from the shepherd.
About such Christ said:
Mat 7:6 "Don't give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.
These ravenous wolves of FreeRepublic have figured out how to manipulate and find the "loopholes" in the forum rules so their rude, crude and unChristian behavior is tolerated. But they're not fooling anyone. A leopard can't hide his spots.
Ultimately they are to be pitied. Clearly they've had experiences in their lives where they've been hurt deeply. They've been betrayed. They've been picked on. They've been abused. So not knowing Christ they do the same to others. They behave like animals as all Christians did before becoming Christians.
But they don't have to. One day God will open up their eyes. He will show them that they are only pretending to be sheep and they will realize their animal nature and be ashamed. And then Christ will show them HOW to become sheep.
Our prayers should be that they will change. That they will bear fruit worthy of repentance. And we should examine ourselves and our attitudes toward them and others. To pray that God gives us the wisdom, kindness and gentleness to deal with those who would use us and spitefully accuse us.
Mat 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'
Mat 5:44 But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
Mat 5:45 In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven.
This should be our goal. To let the light of our Father shine through and to glorify him. A tall order to be sure but the only way to stand up to the wolves.
I am soooo sorry posted on wrong thread....
“What’s not clear? Vulgarities, profanity, personal attacks, this is holding to scripture?”
Mat_23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
That said, please provide these posts with “vulgarities, profanity, personal attacks” that you claim are being made. Read his posts. He’s not talking about forum rule breakers. He’s talking about people who deny that the LDS and UCG are actual Christian churches. Criticism, he says, ought to be leveld between “brothers,” with a “foundation in love.” That presupposes that we stop calling the UCG a religious cult.
If there are any “profanities, vulgarities, personal attacks” etc, you ought to report them to the moderators. They’d probably be interested in it.
I agree with that statement and I wasn't trying to make the argument that not revealing your faith was tantamount to being a wolf. I apologize if I gave that impression.
Having said that, if that’s what you enjoy, knock yourself out. Biblical interpretation is a never ending argument IMHO. Some things we could probably all agree on, while others have myriads of different interpretations.
That's true and will be until Christ returns...
NOW I know that someone who comes along proclaiming yet another line of Spiritual **ah...nonsense** is to be dealt with KINDLY and LOVINGLY; while showing what they preach is HERESY.
***No doubt such people think that Christ was being unChristlike when He condemned false teachers of His day:
Matthew 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
John8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.
Catholics have been putting up with this for ages. Why not join us?
Let’s address the question I asked before you start telling me what I ought to do.
If you want only posts that agree with your view that’s what the caucus is for, otherwise KC can say what he wants and it is that that should be addressed not who says it.
“That said, please provide these posts with “vulgarities, profanity, personal attacks” that you claim are being made”
Evidently you don’t read what is right in front of your eyes as in post# 128. That being the case I’ll provide you with nothing.
And then what happens?? Punchline please...
Oh I'm tempted... :-)
So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.
Hosea 13:7-8
“If you want only posts that agree with your view that’s what the caucus is for, otherwise KC can say what he wants and it is that that should be addressed not who says it.”
You’re trolling me. I never said anything about censoring Douglas or that I don’t want to read other people’s views. In fact, I welcome his posts, as it gives me an opportunity to expose UCG or LDS teachings. I gladly welcome ALL posts by ALL the religious cults who come on FR, as I see them all as opportunities. Not as problems. I do like the sting of warfare, and spiritual warfare is the best sting of all. If you don’t like it, YOU’RE the one who is free to stick to caucus threads.
Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The word translated "false prophet" here is not referring to a Godly person who has a prophecy that fails. Instead it's referring to a person who pretends to be a Christian but in reality is not."
OK, about the only thing on the mark here by Douglas is yes, people can be "pseudo" (Greek for "false") in the image they project or living a pretense that is untrue. And "pseudo" is PART of the word here in Matthew 7:15.
Beyond that...ALL: Please beware of posters like this who try to change the plain meaning of words. If Douglas had wanted to talk more directly about true and false disciples, all he had to do was to slide down to Matthew 7:21-23 which discusses that topic directly. Instead he tries to fit Matt 7:21-23 as directly superimposed upon Matthew 7:15 -- false prophets.
The Greek word here is pseudoprophetes -- so it LITERALLY is "false prophets!" (Even though Douglas claims it somehow doesn't mean "false prophets")...
I mean, "Just, wow! Douglas! That's a NEW one I've yet to hear!"
To be a "pseudoprophet" IS to misrepresent God's Word...which is kind of ironic here when Douglas claims that the Greek word "prophetes" doesn't mean "prophets!"
Douglas: "These ravenous wolves exist in life. And they exist here in the religious forum of FreeRepublic...So the mark of a wolf in sheep’s clothing is whether they bear good fruit, or any."
The NEXT most obvious red flag is that Douglas, in citing Matthew 7:15-20, apparently contends here that somehow the entirety of a person's lifetime/life-"wide" fruit can supposedly be measured by the digital sliver of content they produce on one particular Web site.
(Boy, that's an interesting perspective)
We've seen plenty of FREEPERs attempt to psycho-analyze perfect strangers on this forum; I don't think we've seen people try to judge the ENTIRETY of a person's lifetime "fruit" based upon such a slim sliver of their life.
Let's say we were talking about FR's beloved founder, Jim Robinson. Now FR is a GREAT product of Jim's life, but it would quite faulty of me to even begin to suggest that any mere FREEPER could judge the entirety of Jim's "fruit" over his life -- and ALL of the dimensions of his life -- by FR.
That would be pure reductionism. Jim is more than FR. Jim has a loving family & relatives; he has friends beyond FR; he has military ties & career-based friends & contacts of which we know very little. And I've still said NOTHING about him spiritually, which is something he integrates into his life.
There's nothing wrong with Jesus' underlying teaching here. Ya better believe we've got to be on the lookout for false prophets!!!! Herbert W. Armstrong & Joseph Smith are TWO Great Examples!
Douglas then says: How do we deal with these wolves? These impostors? These fake Christians?
Well, Golly wee ghiz, Douglas...You've been citing Matthew 7:15-20...why depart from it now when you ask this question? V. 19 TELLS you, Douglas, what is supposed to be done with those CLEARLY id'd as "false prophets" ...(doesn't it, Douglas?):
I mean, I'm NOT exactly sure why Douglas cites Matthew 7:15, then 7:16, then 7:17, then 7:18, and then 7:20 -- skipping over v. 19 in the process. If you have concluded, Douglas, that a # of us are "false prophets," Jesus gives you the "remedy" right there in v. 19!
Here's Jesus: "19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
Douglas has assigned "false prophet" status to MANY FREEPERs based upon Jesus' Matthew 7:15-18 words...so why not apply Jesus' said consequence for false prophets, Douglas?
Douglas: Are you actually advocating that FREEPERs be "cut down" and "tossed in the fire?"
So I will be like a lion to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs,
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.
Hosea 13:7-8
Douglas is whining to be tolerated. First they seek to be tolerated. Then, when they achieve sufficient power because they’ve been tolerated for too darn long, they demand that any opposition to their heresies be squelched. Douglas is whining for opposition to his heresies be squelched. Jim appears to have this one well and truly IDed.
bump
That's a great point.
Jim’s droll humor probably whooshed right over Douglas’s head ...
Douglas has been here long enough to “get” it I think. I would hope.
Your tagline reminded me that I need to place my order with Pizza Hut soon, for the feast of Sugar Bowl watching tonight. ... I’m a dyed in the wool Bama fan from way back.
...But they're still not going to kiss your pulpit.
those names are accurate though
even if it is impolite
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