The Pill in the Peanut Butter

Have you ever had to give your dog medicine? I’ve heard that a good way to get a dog to swallow a pill is to put the pill inside a glob of peanut butter. The dog will swallow it whole without ever knowing it.The same things happens in the church today. Of course, I don’t mean to compare people to dogs. But the principle holds true. Many Christians are swallowing false teachings because those teachings are given together with true teachings. But, unlike medicine, these false teachings are harmful.We’re all susceptible to this. Here’s an example that relates to the apostolic-prophetic movement. I hear many “apostles” and “prophets” talk about the importance of “standing with Israel” and supporting the Jewish people as God’s chosen people.This, in my view, is a correct and important teaching. The Bible teaches that God chose the nation of Israel and its people so that, through them, He could reveal Himself to the world. The Jewish people held a special place in David’s heart, causing him to say, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). They also held a special place in the apostle Paul’s heart as he reveals in Romans 9:1-5 and Romans 10:1.God told Abraham that those who blessed Abraham’s descendents (the Israelites) would be blessed and those who opposed them would be cursed (Genesis 12:3). We see this happening throughout the Bible when God destroys nations that oppose Israel, like the Assyrians and Babylonians. This also will happen in the end times when Israel’s enemies will come against her at Armageddon (Joel 3:9-16; Zechariah 12:1-9; Revelation 16:13-16). God, Himself, will intervene and rescue Israel at His second coming (Revelation 19:11-21). During the end times, many Israelites, finally, will recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). Jesus then will set up His physical kingdom, centered in the nation of Israel.Unfortunately, a large segment of the evangelical church today either neglects or ignores these teachings about Israel. Because of this, many other Christians are happy when they hear apostolic-prophetic churches talking about Israel. They think that they finally found a group of Christians that supports Israel. But what they often don’t know is that many of these same “apostles” and “prophets” are also teaching things that are unbiblical and harmful — like the teachings that all Christians must submit to modern “apostles” and “prophets” and that “apostles” and “prophets” can give the church new doctrinal revelation not found in the Bible (and other unbiblical teachings I discuss on this blog).This same principle holds true outside the apostolic-prophetic movement with other types of false teaching — even with cults of Christianity. Mormonism, for example, attracts many people because of its emphasis on family. Yet, people who join Mormonism often don’t know about Mormonism’s cultic teachings. They find out these teachings much later — after they’ve already committed themselves to Mormonism.So, beware the pill in the peanut butter.