For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NIV)

These are perilous times for the church of Jesus Christ, then again there have always been perilous times since the church was founded.

Throughout church history various false creeds, cultists, and legalists have crept in, seeking to overthrow the faith of those who are weak, ignorant, or otherwise vulnerable. In various places in the New Testament followers of Jesus Christ are warned about false workers, people who can lead the unwary astray.

People who know me very well are familiar with my spiritual journey, with some learning that I was in a Bible cult many years ago. I say “Bible cult” because though many of the tenets of the Christian faith were espoused and we used the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the condemnation and hostility shown to people outside of our group as well as to errant followers contradicted scripture.

Thankfully, my stay in this group was short-lived — just eight months — but the damage was already done. When I left, I left the Lord as well and lived a rebellious life for the next 7 1/2 years. When I returned, I eventually got sucked into a legalistic fellowship where I remained for just over five years. After church hopping for two or three years, I finally found a fellowship that taught the word and encouraged people to read the word on their own.

In retrospect, I realize that God protected me even during the most difficult times of long ago. Through personal Bible reading I saw that I was choosing the wrong path and prayerfully asked God to redirect my ways. Many years later I am able to look at God’s intervention with thankfulness and am now better equipped to clearly separate truth from error almost immediately.

False teachers are many and I see them on the scene today. Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin are some of the “easier” to see leaders who are leading people astray today, but there are other visible (mostly televangelist) preachers who I avoid as well.

Beyond naming names there are two hallmarks of a false teacher which can be identified by those seeking the truth.

1. Listen to what they say and what they teach.
2. Watch what they eat. They eat sheep!

False teachers aren’t content with spreading their lies, they want to consume you in the process.

I have great sympathy for people ensnared by those who would lead them astray, able to understand why some people remain — misplaced devotion. Cultists, legalists, and other disciples are usually the most devoted to their beliefs, but devotion is no substitute for the truth: lots of people around the world are devoted to their religion or god, but our devotion should only be to Jesus Christ, not to a religion, church, or personality.

If you know of someone who is ensnared, your words may not do much good. However, your intercessory prayers can help move mountains and I cannot think of any bigger mountain than one put up by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

God is in the habit of calling people out, and those that are His will be able to separate His voice from the false teacher. For the rest of us, remaining diligent is important as the next wave of false workers is certain to appear as sure as the tide rolls in.

I have lived through just one natural disaster in my lifetime — Hurricane Hugo which struck Charleston, SC in September 1989. At that time I was living in a brick ranch home with a family from my church. Although the storm went directly over our area, we sustained very little damage. But, other homes in our neighborhood were not spared.

A natural disaster can be difficult to grasp, especially if you have never been through one. Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, lava flows, fires, and even famines are some of the disasters we see played out on the news, but unless we personally go through a difficult time associated with devastation, we cannot imagine what people are experiencing.

Oftentimes what we see played on the tube seems so very surreal.

Admittedly, Hurricane Hugo was mostly a major inconvenience personally, having to do without electricity for four days. Some neighbors lost their homes, but none lost their lives. Most of the injuries sustained came through the clean up effort, but no one I knew was seriously hurt.

The country of Myanmar (Burma) recently suffered a devastating hit from a cyclone (hurricane) which, as of this writing, has likely killed more than 80,000 people. The world hasn’t seen such a disaster since the Christmas 2005 Tsunami killed at least 250,000 people in the Pacific Rim.

Quickly, relief organizations are marshaling their forces to respond, attempting to get the Myanmar regime to let their people in. After several critical delays, it appears that some progress has been made. However, government reluctance to immediately accept aid has likely contributed to the death of thousands.

As Christians how should we respond to a catastrophic disaster? Please allow me to offer some suggestions:

Pray — That’s right, before you do anything pray. Ask God to guide you in what steps you should take, but also ask that He would change the hearts of Myanmar’s leaders to allow relief to come in. I’ve prayed that the waters would recede, that no more rain would come for now, and that people would be rescued. Pray that the gospel message would be shared as well.

Respond — I’ve been getting several requests to help out financially, but I will not be sending money or other support without God’s direction. Thankfully, many will be contributing their funds, their supplies, even their time to help out. I will do what God wants me to do — nothing more, nothing less.

Consider — The pressure to respond can be a strong one, but consideration for what you should do is important. We must remember that our God is in control and it is His work that will get done in Myanmar. One person may be told to go to offer on-site assistance, while others will learn that staying behind and praying is what they should do. Push out the other voices and find out what God wants you to do.

Remember – What we see unfolding before us is merely the birth pangs leading to the Lord’s return:

“For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Mark 13:8 (NASB)

The world sees natural disasters differently from the Christian, often turning to despair over these types of events. Some will question why God allows such suffering to take place, even denouncing Him in the process.

As believers, we are to continually look at every world event through the lense of the Lord and respond as He leads. Even in the midst of calamity, people need to know that God wants to save them from their sins.

I cannot always fully comprehend events that happen outside of my life, but I do know this: destruction and death may come, but a life lost in sin is the worst calamity of all.