Harold Keller / L’Observateur / October 25, 2000

Not many people can tell the difference between authentic currency and counterfeit bills. I think the same can be said for people who call themselvesChristians. In the banking business, if a teller cannot detect a counterfeit, itwill be costly. The same holds true for Christians.How can you be assured that you are not deceived by either? Having been in the banking business, I was impressed that a few weeks ago, the American Banking Association sponsored a two-week training program to help tellers detect counterfeit bills. The program was really different.In two weeks, none of the participants were shown a counterfeit bill. In fact,they never talked once about the characteristics of phony money. For twoweeks, all they handled was authentic currency – real money. Hour afterhour, day after day, they dealt with the real thing.

The lesson to be learned is that if you are familiar with the authentic, you could never be fooled by the counterfeit.

Last week, at a Bible study group, the subject was abortion. The moderatorsaid that if all the Christians in America stood together, we could stop it. Iimmediately said that if all the Christians got together, we still wouldn’t have a majority. The moderator, and some of the men in the group, looked a littlesurprised at my statement. Of all the phony things in the world, the mostdestructive is the religious swindler who peddles counterfeit truth – something that looks and sounds right, but is actually contrary to the fact – an imitation meant to deceive the innocent.

Every Sunday in America, in some churches, counterfeit truth is peddle to people dressed up in their Sunday best, nodding approval of a false message.

In fact, false religion has become big business. False teachers use ourvocabulary, but do not use our dictionary, according to Warren W. Wiersbe, in”Be Alert.” They talk about the same things we read in the Bible, but themessage is delivered in such a way that it doesn’t mean the same.

How can we discern the man of God from the counterfeit? The same method can be used that the American Banking Association used. Just deal with andlearn all you can about the truth from the Bible. Read it, know it, live it andassociate with authentic Christians. When you do this, it will be easy toidentify the false teachers who deceive their flock.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column every issue as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group.

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