Wolves

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me" (John 14:23-24).

What is obeying Jesus? Obedience isn't the first step to love. Love must come first. If you LOVE Jesus, obedience will come naturally out of love. What is the Law and naturally what is obedience to the Law?

In Matthew 7:12, Jesus says "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

The heart of the Law is the Golden Rule. If you treat others how you would like others to treat you you are fulfilling the Law. If you love one another you will not need to worry about obedience; by loving you are obeying.

"I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" (John 5:41-44). People of Jesus' time did not accept Jesus even though his coming was made known through the Scriptures of the Prophets. His validity was testified by GOD! Yet they would more readily accept people who testified themselves in their own name. Today we do this also. There is no MAN between you and Christ and there is nothing between Christ and God. Christ is your only way to the Father. Do not let people say that you must join a certain man made church to be saved. This places someone in between you and Jesus Christ. Many of these churches that claim secret knowledge or call themselves the final prophets will say that Christ is the only way to salvation but if they say that their church is the ONE and ONLY church then they have put themselves in between you and Christ.

As Christians we must be on-guard against these "false prophets." In Matthew 7:15, Jesus says "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." These men who claim to be the only way come to you with the costume (sheep's clothing) of being a Christian but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

There are many of these wolves and false prophets out in the world today. Some are big and some are small but it is important for us to realize that by faith in Christ we are justified as it states in Romans 3:21-26 "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrafice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forebearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." We are not justified by doing a series of rituals or joining a church. By faith we are in the body of Christ and through this we are a member of his Church.

We must be aware of the evils of the world and how crafty evil is so that we do not place anyone or anything in between us and God. Above all we must love God and Christ with all our hearts and we must show our love to the people of this world, including our enemies.