Rooted in Truth: Why Discipleship Guards Against Deception

“Many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1b

This is not a new problem. In some of Paul's earliest letters he exposes sin, corruption, and false teaching in the churches. From the very beginning, when church was still a new concept, Satan was already using false prophets to infiltrate these fledging gatherings and undermine what was being taught by the Apostles and the people they were discipling to lead the churches.

False prophets are still very active in the world today. In one of the countries where we will soon launch a discipleship ministry the director told me many believers travel from one big event to another in hopes of getting some of the wealth the preachers keep talking about. The scene reminds me of sheep without a shepherd. They run from place to place to find food and they always come away hungry. 

In I Peter 3:15 we find this encouragement. 

"...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,..."

There is a huge gap between running from place to place in the hopes of finding a Jesus that will meet all our needs in the way we want him to, and being grounded in our faith so we know for certain what we believe and the reason we are satisfied with the presence of Jesus in our lives. 

To become a fully devoted disciple of Jesus takes time and a lot of work. There is a reason that Jesus said He would be the one to build his church. Over the centuries since He made that statement He has gone about doing so by working through several key elements that take place best in the local church. 

• Preaching 

• God focused worship 

• Prayer 

• Giving 

• Bible study

• Discipleship 

All of these things, when properly engaged, help people to be grounded in their faith and equipped to do the ministry of evangelism and service outside of the church walls.