I must confess it has been some time since I went to the barbershop. About four years ago, I began shaving my head completely because my forehead kept growing and my bald spot was about to meet my forehead.

But about 10 years ago when I was still visiting stylists, I sat down in the chair of a barber who was cutting my then-remaining hair for the first time, and the subject of my job as a pastor came up. The man told me he listened to Joel Osteen and wanted to know my thoughts. I thought: oh boy, this is about to get real! I stated rather bluntly, “I don’t think he preaches the Bible.” Now, that response didn’t spring from a heart of anger or jealousy towards him. In all honesty, I hope Osteen will repent and have a more Christ-centered, gospel-focused ministry.  

Still, that was about as stinging an indictment I could make without risking getting an intentionally bad haircut, and I considered it “checkmate.” Yet I was astounded when the barber retorted, “He may not preach the Bible, but he sure does quote the Bible.” Wow! 

Although that conversation occurred more than a decade ago, I have thought about it many times. I could name a litany of people I would deem false teachers: Osteen, TD Jakes, and Joyce Myer to name a few. I have often wondered: why do people would follow such blatantly false teachers? 

While I’m sure there are many reasons, my conversation with the barber helped me focus on two:
 
First, false teachers hide behind the guise of being Biblical. For my barber friend, the validation of Joel Osteen’s ministry was that he “quoted” the Bible in his preaching and writings.

Is that a high enough standard to trust a person’s teaching? Emphatically, “no”! As we peruse the Scriptures, we note that many false teachers and prophets quoted God’s Word, including none other than Satan. Paul spoke about true ministers not handling the Word of God deceitfully, which implied that false ministers were doing just that. 

The test of whether someone is a false teacher is what they have to say about Jesus and the Gospel. 1 John tells us that some did not believe Jesus had come in the flesh. In essence they believed in His deity, but not His humanity. Councils like that of Nicaea and Chalcedon worked hard to explain the nature of Christ’s person and Divinity. These individuals who emphasized the deity of Jesus and neglected the humanity would have said, “Certainly we believe the Bible.” They would have even “preached” sections of the Bible. This in and of itself is not enough. 

Paul told the Galatian congregations that if anyone preached another gospel than that which he preached that they were “anathema,” meaning, to be judged. Do not listen to them. What was His gospel? Christ alone saves us from our sins without works. 

The second reason false teachers make such an inroad with people: the hearer likes what they have to say. Jeremiah preached against the prophets of his day who cried, “peace, peace,” when there was no peace. 

Paul stated in 2 Timothy 4 that in the latter days, churches would seek after teachers who will spread false doctrine to allow them to seek after their own passions. This is why Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland are so popular: they promise wealth and prosperity if you just believe. Is that not what people want? 

What about progressive churches that will not stand against any sinful expression under the sun? The unpardonable sin in the progressive church of our day is simply believing the Bible and standing for Biblical truth. 

Dear friend, do not listen to preachers who cry “peace, peace” when there is no peace, other than peace with God through Jesus Christ. Do not allow yourself to be deceived in listening to a gospel that affirms you in your sin and costs you nothing. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Get to a local church that will preach the Bible sequentially, verse by verse, expounding the Scriptures, applying the gospel, despite how it makes people feel. This is the need of our hour. If your pastor preaches the Bible, thank him. If your pastor stands for the truth, thank him. Encourage him and pray for him regularly. 

Soli Deo Gloria