by Tom Hill
Why do people fail? Unfortunate circumstances? Sometimes. Poor training and lack of experience? Sometimes. Lack of sufficient finances? Often.
The famous self-help book Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, lists 30 reasons why people fail. His list includes these four reasons. However, he did not identify one prominent reason for failure, following faulty leaders. Following faulty leaders? Yes, many times, and more than we want to admit.
Unqualified leaders have no trouble attracting followers. I know, I fell for them often in my youth, especially professing Christian leaders. So much so that I created a policy to protect me from following the wrong people. I decided to raise a “red flag” whenever I observed a Biblically faulty trait in a leader, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
Sometimes it was a non-essential factor which would not exclude that person. But sometimes the red flags revealed a serious Biblical fault and/or they accumulated which resulted in my rejecting that leader. I continue this practice to this day. It has spared me from those who would lead me astray into sin and heresy.
Without a doubt, following faulty “Christian” leaders results in more failures than we want to admit. After all, we fall in love with those whom we follow. Since they give us what we want, we have great difficulty dismissing them. We rationalize their behavior even in extreme circumstances, turning errors into benefits.
How do you decide which Christian leaders you will follow? How many false prophets in the Church of Jesus Christ can you identify? None? One? Several? In fact, with few exceptions, false prophets inhabit every Christian congregation. They fool the unwary and gain leadership positions even as pastors in assemblies of believers by deceit, prestige, and promises.
The Bible describes many faulty leaders and the false prophets that accompany and support them. They directed their followers into disaster every time. Examples abound in every Biblical era. For instance, the times of the Kings provide clear illustrations.
After the death of King David, the Old Testament records disaster after disaster because of faulty, unGodly leaders. King Solomon started well but soon fell into debauchery and idolatry.
After his death, the Kingdom split into two separate kingdoms, the northern Kingdom and the southern Kingdom, because of the influence of false prophets. The northern Kingdom never had a Godly king and followed false prophets. This sinful pattern soon resulted in their captivity to their enemies.
The southern Kingdom had mixed leadership, but Godless kings together with sinful prophets overruled the Godly ones. They, too, ended in captivity to their adversaries.
Starting with the warnings from Christ, the New Testament alerts Christians to the presence and danger of false prophets. In that day as well as in our day, false prophets and leaders confuse people and lead their followers into sin.
The Body of Jesus Christ faces a crisis in leadership today. Many evidences confirm that false prophets exist today. For example,
Even a casual observer sees spiritual decline in the Church and in the lives of believers.
Believers evade walking in holiness and conform themselves to the world.
Preachers concentrate upon psychology and the emotional ills of mankind which turns the Bible into a psychology textbook.
Preachers disregard theology and doctrine. The importance of Biblical doctrine has fallen into disrepute.
Omitting the challenges and corrections of sound doctrine, pastors instead emphasize a feel-good religion centered upon humanity and emotional feelings rather than about God and His righteous demands upon us as His creation.
Those who attempt to bring correction to the leadership of the Church today suffer condemnation as out of step, rocking the boat, creating dissension, and causing confusion in the Church.
False Prophets are UnGodly Leaders
False prophets and their failures play a significant role in the spiritual decline of the congregation of the
righteous. These errors grieve the Spirit of God and quench His work among Christ followers. We lack God's glorious presence, and the supernatural authority and ability that only His Spirit can bring to His people.