How to Spot a False Teacher

This article was deleted by someone on wikiHow, so here it is. It was written by me.  Other wikiHow people added a few things.  There must be something in it that is very true and very good, because people always want to hide the truth and get angry at the truth. :) See if you can figure out what might have set the person off that deleted it. lol :) I think it was the verse on "Many will say to me in that day...."  hm.... God bless!

How to Spot a False Teacher

There are many false Christian teachers out there, wolves in sheep's skin. They are good at appearing as though they are Christian, but they are really not. Benny Hinn is a classic example. He is good at talking the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk. Always ask yourself what their fruit looks like. Here are more tips on how to spot a false Christian teacher.

Steps

1. See whether the teacher loves money:

The Bible says, "The love of money is the root of evil."
Are you asked or told to sow a seed, such as donate a stated amount or donate for your miracle or for a healing? Such requests signal a false teaching.

Jesus Christ said that a person cannot love "both God and money, for you will love one and hate the other." If a teacher mainly wants your money rather than to serve your needs, he does not serve God.

2. See whether the teacher is controlling in any way:

Often, false teachers will pose various threats to anyone who might try to come against them. They might try to control everything and micro manage things.

In churches, they like to have way too much control over the people in the church and everything that they do.

Realize that just because they can cast out demons, speak in tongues, or perform miracles etc. that does not necessarily mean they are really as Christian as they say they are:

In Matthew 7 Jesus said, "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'" This means that these people were NEVER saved. Jesus said that he never knew them. They were amazing at appearing as if they were saved; they could even cast out demons and perform miracles, but that didn't show the condition of their heart.
 
Many times, false teacher will perform supposed healings, that aren't real, to pull people into their following. They put on a magic show simply to attract people. They dazzle people with signs and wonders as a means to fool them into believing whatever false things they want to teach them. That is the truth. Be on your guard about people being overly showy about performing miracles for all to see etc.
 
3. Analyze the person's character traits.

How peaceful is this person's life? Does he or she have joy? Do they show love for others? Do they have self-control?

1 Timothy 3 lays out several guidelines of what a leader in the church should be like. Do they measure up to all these biblical standards?

"Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer (teacher/leader) is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." 1 Timothy 3:1-7

4. See if they take verses out of context a lot:

Often times false teachers will just give one verse but not read the verses around it, so they don't read the context. They bend Scripture to say what they want it to say. They twist Bible verses to meet their agenda in some way.

 5. Take note if a teacher preaches good sermons but their life shows plainly that he/she is a charlatan:
Is he or she not really living what he or she expects of you? Such a preacher is a good actor. If their life doesn't line up with what they preach, this can indicate a false teacher.

7. See is they often spend a lot of money on self-centered things:

Do they seem to not be easily content? Those are all things to look for in a self-seeking character:

 "But, seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Matthew 6:33).

8. See if there are bad qualities in their life:

"You shall know them by their fruit," Jesus said.

What does their fruit look like? We need to be good fruit inspectors as Christians, so that we can tell if someone is legit or not. It doesn't only matter what someone says -- but what do they actually do?

Tips

⦁ Always remember, just because someone says that they are Christian does not mean that they are. Just because someone says that they love Jesus does not mean that they really do. Don't be fooled by false teachers.