Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. ( 1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV)

A few days ago I was watching I guess that you can call it a documentary on David Koresh and the events that took place in Waco. That whole thing bothered me. I’m not just referring to the tragic outcome, but what saddens me is the fact of how it could have even gotten that far in the first place. I think about the David Koresh’s and the Jim Jones of the world and how they are able to gather a following which ultimately led them to their demise. The Apostle Paul says to follow him as he follows Christ. In other words he was saying that the moment that he stops following Christ then that’s our cue to stop following him. We live in a day and age where people follow us on almost anything. Twitter, Instagram any other social media site. Its easy to follow or to unfollow, but what Paul was referring to is the moment anyone leads you away from Christ is the moment we need to unfollow.

How David Koresh and Jim Jones were able to garner such a large following is that they started off preaching Christ, but somewhere along the way they slowly turned the focus from Christ to themselves. Watch out for those leaders who slowly is turning the focus on Christ to focus on themselves. Even me, God called me to preach HIS WORD not my own. The moment I start teaching something other than Christ on a blog about Christ please unfollow me. I’m only human I can’t set free, I can’t redeem you, I can’t forgive your sins, my mercy and compassion is limited. What I can do is try to lead you to the one who can and that’s Christ Jesus!

(15) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorn, or figs of thistle. (Matthew 7:15-16)

One of the ways that Jim Jones was able to attract such a loyal devoted following was that it was reported that he became different things to different people. For blacks he was able to identify and relate to their fight over equality. He was able to win them over by caring and fighting for their issues. He presented himself as their champion. For those who were homeless and or escaping abusive situations he provided shelter and a safe haven. For the elderly he offered them  the security of being cared for and being treated with dignity. When Jones started off he started off as a sheep so to say but inside he was a ravening wolf. The thing about a wolf in sheep’s clothing is that they can only masquerade as a sheep for so long before their fruit begins to show. The only problem is that by the time their fruit begun to show it was too late because they were in a place where it was hard to escape. Koresh had his followers  locked away in a compound in Waco,  Jones had his followers in a village that he and his followers had built-in the jungles of Guyana.

You might be thinking, well Aqua how can I ensure that something like this does not happen to me? The answer is simple learn and read the bible for your selves. The bible is full of warnings about false teachers and false prophets. Let me clarify what I mean about a false teacher and a false prophet. I’m not referring to those who may miss the mark every now and then but rather a false teacher/prophet is the one who intentionally leads you away from Christ in order for you to follow them and their teachings that has nothing to do with God. In Acts 17 it says that those in Thessalonica received the word with a ready mind, but they searched the scriptures daily to make sure what they were being taught was the truth. That’s why its important that we search the scriptures for our selves.

(1) Beloved, believe not ever spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (2) Hereby know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. (3) And every spirit  that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

The bible says that we are not to believe every spirit but to test the spirit. We should not believe every prophet, every teacher or preacher. The bible tells us those who to believe we believe the ones who can say that Christ was born in the flesh. Here’s the thing about an antichrist they won’t be able to admit that Christ is the son of God. That’s the biggest indicator they may preach Christ which is how they may garner their followers, but they will never be able to admit that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God!

Our spiritual walk is no joke and those of us who were called to teach God’s word need to constantly evaluate  ourselves. Are we preaching Christ making it known that he’s the son of God. Or are we teaching something other than Christ? For those of you reading this whose calling may not be teaching or preaching I ask that you examine who and what you allow to take in. Test the spirit because your soul depends upon it.

God’s blessings,

Aqua.