Scripture

These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguised themselves as apostles of Christ. I am not surprised! Even satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Observation

Paul will respond to false claims about his apostleship by doing what he has always done. Those who want to say they are greater than Paul are false apostles. They disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. Even satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It comes as no surprise that satan’s servants do the same thing.

Paul thinks it is foolish for him to boast, but others do but others do this to deceive the people. The Corinthians think they are wise, but they put up with people who enslave them and take everything they have.

Application

The ministry gifts – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers – are vital to the health of the church. Satan is a master of deception, so he enslaves the church by raising up false apostles, false prophets, and so on.

A false minister in this context is not someone who makes mistakes. A true prophet might sometimes make a false prediction, but this does not make them a false prophet. This applies to all the ministry gifts.

A false apostle is someone who proclaims they are an apostle but with no authority from the Lord. They are out to raise a following for themselves, fame in the church, and monetary wealth.

Just as there are false apostles, there are false pastors. In fact the existence of these godly positions means that false ones are guaranteed to occur.

Christians and congregations need to be discerning in their acceptance of various ministers. We must not welcome everyone who claims to be an apostle or prophet or teacher. We should not be deceived by charismatic personalities or silver tongues. The test of any ministry is this: do they point people to Jesus or to themselves??

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please give me discernment about my own heart. Am I truly living to glorify you? Help me also to discern those who promote themselves as leaders and ministers in the church. Amen.