Fighting the Four Evils

There are many professing teachers of the Word of God, who claim to serve God. 1 Peter 2:1-2 warns: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. Indeed, there are many false teachers who claim to be servants of God but are really just servants of the devil. Anyone who has heard the teachings of many different teachers will have encountered a false teacher.   The purpose of a teacher is to edify the body of Christ so that she may come into the knowledge of Christ in the fullness of Christ: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;   For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of ...

The modern definition of a false teacher is one who teaches heresy and other false doctrines. However, that is only one characteristic of a false teacher. A false teacher is one who teaches the Word of God but is not called to be a teacher. To be a teacher of the Word of God, one must be called and sent. Ephesians 4:11 says "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers". Being a teacher of the Word of God is a ministry that one must be called into by God to do, not one believes one is called by God to do so, or that one wants to be called to, but that one must be confirmed by God as called.  The evidence that one is truly called by God as teacher of His Word is by whether its purpose is fulfilled. The purpose of being called by God to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher is to perfect the saints, work of ministry and edify the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). The fruit that will be produced if one i...