Worms & Wildebeests: Identifying false teachers

By Elizabeth Prata

Dr. Joel James is a pastor on mission since 1995 in South Africa. He leads Grace Fellowship Pretoria. In his opening paragraphs, I came across his vivid metaphor for how false teachers operate in the church. I am big on discernment, so I continued to read his booklet .pdf on Identifying False Teachers, and found it solid and easy to understand. I am posting the introduction below, and linked to the full booklet at the end.

Jesus warned that the last days, or the end time, would be rife with falsity. False teachers will become so popular and introduce all types of false teaching to the true sheep of God’s flock. It’s important that we stay vigilant and know how to spot these wolves.

God’s word tells us we must practice this. We are not to lay back and wait for our pastor or some Media Personality to point them out. Each and every Christian has a duty to train up in discernment. Hebrews 5:14, But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil. 1 Timothy 4:7 urges us to ‘train ourselves to be godly.’

Here is Dr. James on false teachers:

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One of the most common animals in the game parks of Africa is the wildebeest. A guide once told me this bit of “game-ranger lore” regarding the naming of the wildebeest.

The sinus passages of the wildebeest are the favourite home of a certain parasitic worm. For healthy animals, this uninvited guest is not a problem. They are able to expel the parasite by snorting powerfully. An old, diseased animal, however, can’t do that. Eventually the worm grows, eating its way through the sinus passages into the wildebeest’s brain. In pain and terror, the animal runs heedlessly, falling, stumbling, and wildly crashing into trees. Seeing such behaviour, the early settlers called them “wild beasts.”

What those worms do to a wildebeest is an excellent illustration of what false teachers do to the church of Jesus Christ. False teachers worm their way into the “brain” of the church (i.e., her teaching and doctrine), spreading their lies and errors. As her brain is destroyed, the church runs wild.

In spite of their deceiving tactics—a cloak of sheep’s clothing—Jesus indicated that identifying false teachers would be easier than you might think. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? Matt 7:16.

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Pastor James explained that “This booklet was written to help you know what to look for. As a bird enthusiast uses his bird book to distinguish between an eagle and a vulture, so this booklet will give you a biblical checklist for distinguishing between true and false teachers.” You can find it linked below in a .pdf.

Identifying False Teachers: A Biblical Checklist for Identifying False Teachers in the Church

Source Copyright © Joel James, 2001. Used by permission. Joel James is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary in Los Angeles, California and serves as the Pastor-teacher of Grace Fellowship, Pretoria.