In a comment on a YouTube site, a young Christian, made a statement that shocked me.
She asked, paraphrasing, "Is there anyway to know false teaching so I won't fall for it?"
For being 16 months in the Lord, she asked a very good question.
I didn't see a response from a moderator or the owner of that YouTube channel, but sadly, many people, including some that appear to know the Scriptures, don't have a clue when they're being deceived.
Proverbs 14:15 (NKJV)
"The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps."
You see. The false preachers are always adding to the Scriptures and they're found to be liars.
Proverbs 30:6 (NKJV) "Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."
Why do false teachers lie?
To make disciples after themselves and make money off of the gullible.
Acts 5:35-37 (NKJV) "And he (Gamaliel) said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody.
A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed."
Acts 20:29-30 (NKJV) "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves."
John 8:44 (NKJV) "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."
Revelation 21:8 (NKJV) "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 22:15 (NKJV) "But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."
God is exposing the lies and the liars. Truth spares not the lie and the liar.
We can't expect young believers to know their Bibles like a seasoned saint in the Lord but we pray that she has a pastor and local church where she could get consistent, rightly divided truth of God's Word taught to her so she wouldn't be deceived.
Not only taught, but practiced.
Now Corey Minor and Lamor Whitehead were probably in Christ but went astray into practicing sin may have have found a way to sneak back into the Body of Christ, to deceive the people.
But they may have never truly repented in the first place.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV)
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Their master, god, or idol is money or "mammon or wealth."
Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
There was a man that was a youth pastor that had an investment business on the side.
His name is Corey Minor.
He has a YouTube channel called Smart Christians Channel. Here's the link to Corey Minor's webpage.
It was a classic Ponzi scheme.
The term "Ponzi" came from an actual person.
From Wikipedia........
"Named after Italian businessman Charles Ponzi, this type of scheme misleads investors by either falsely suggesting that profits are derived from legitimate business activities (whereas the business activities are non-existent), or by exaggerating the extent and profitability of the legitimate business activities, leveraging new investments to fabricate or supplement these profits."
Many of us will remember Bernie Madoff who passed away a few years ago after he was found guilty of orchestrating the biggest Ponzi scheme in US history, but there's another person that had out done Bernie Madoff.
The biggest one to date is from Sam Bankman-Fried. "....he was secretly embezzling billions of dollars of his customers' money and blowing it on bad trades, celebrity endorsements, and an island real-estate shopping spree to rival any drug kingpin's."
People are looking to draw interest from the accounts after giving the investor money to accrue interest and then expect to make a profit, and then withdraw the principle with earning interest.
In short, the investment manager tries to open as many accounts as possible, and hopes to accumulate money to payoff the investor demanding the money on the day he could make a withdrawal. This usually fails when no one invests money and when the investor tries to give their money back with interest, the gig is up. There's no money to return to the investors.
There's nothing wrong with looking into legitimate ways to accumulate interest on your deposit, but you have to do your homework and never assume anything. When in doubt, turn about. Too good to be true only applies to fallen man.
Now the reason why I'm explaining this is because there's a person that using the gospel to somehow pay back what he owes.
According to court records, he owes 2.8 million dollars.
Obviously, he was caught by the US Postal Service for mail fraud. Long story short, he pled guilty instead of going through a trial. I don't know if he had thought that by pleading guilty that he would get a lenient sentence from the judge but the sentencing guidelines maximum penalty in federal prison is 240 months or 20 years for mail fraud.
The victim impact statements from the victims that were cheated from their retirement and life savings requested that he serve the maximum penalty.
According to testimony, over 49 victims were defrauded of their money.
While there may have been a confession of remorse from the defendant, the pastor of the defendant wasn't convinced of his remorse and asked the judge to sentence the defendant to the maximum penalty allowed by law.
When the judge handed down the sentence, he would serve 20 years. The maximum.
Probably for good behavior, he served 13 years of the prison sentence.
According to court records of his prison sentence, the judge ordered that the defendant pay back the money with 100% of everything that he earns after his release from prison. Usually the judge would draw the line at 50% so that the defendant could have a source of income to live off of.
But in this case, the lack of remorse and the amount of money that he took from the victims compelled the judge to force the defendant to take everything that he earned to make monetary restitution, with interest.
Because the victims lost their money and are entitled to the interest that they might have received from the "investment company."
You see. A modern day Ponzi scheme is elaborate and is built on trust. You need bank accounts and a business front. You also need a business that people trust as a way to attract investors. It was all a fraud.
According to testimony, he definitely used some of the money personally. For trips, food, entertainment, and expensive items.
The judge asked him before sentencing where was the 2.8 million dollars, and he side stepped the question. His answers weren't truthful under oath.
And now, this person is on YouTube, attracting thousands of people every week to his channel.
He has PayPal and other means for people to send him money but obviously, he'll never see a dime of that money.
After the federal government takes it to pay restitution, he may be left with nothing. But every now and then, he would mention that he had spent time in prison. And that perked my interest to find out what he had done to be placed in prison.
What was it that was so serious that he spent time in prison?
On another, but similar note...........
Some of you will remember Bishop Lamar Whitehead that was robbed in a Brooklyn NY church of 1 million dollars in jewelry. He was found guilty of wire fraud.
From CNN...(I know)...Lamor Whitehead, the 45-year-old pastor who goes by “Bishop,” was charged with wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion and making a material false statement, the US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York announced. He faces up to 65 years in prison for his alleged crimes.
As the pastor of Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry, Whitehead allegedly defrauded one of his parishioners out of about $90,000 from her retirement savings over the course of at least 14 months beginning around April 2020, according to the indictment. The document said Whitehead told the parishioner he would use her money to help her buy a home and invest the rest of the money, but instead used it “to purchase thousands of dollars of luxury goods and clothing” and “for his own purposes.”
It's no longer alleged since Lamor has been found guilty.
This same Lamor Whitehead served prison time before becoming a "Bishop.”
From Wikipedia.......
"Later in 2005, Whitehead was living in Teaneck, New Jersey.[5] Following a criminal complaint, he was arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department's Identity Theft Unit in Upper Manhattan while driving a maroon Range Rover. Following the arrest, police discovered that Whitehead was operating an extensive fraud and identity theft operation to take out more than $2 million in loans and purchase motor vehicles. More than 50 victims were identified from states including Tennessee, Georgia, and New York. Whitehead was charged with multiple counts of identity theft[3] and convicted in 2008.[6] He served five years in Sing Sing Correctional Facility before being released in 2013.[7]"
Hidden in the Body of Christ are individuals like him that were in prison. And some may have been truly saved, by repenting of sin and placing faith on Christ. Others are just the same old sinner like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts chapter 8. No true repentance which means a turning from sin and placing faith on Christ.
They scheme their way in to appear legitimate so they could take advantage of God's people. They schmooze with high profile ministers to gain face time with them to be endorsed by them.
Because presence means endorsement.
The thieves or wolves in sheep's clothing need to have this endorsement in order to carry out the rest of their plan to steal money from people.
What Scriptures come to mind?
Jude 1:4 (NKJV)
"For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV) "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber."
Sadly, Corey Minor and Lamor Whitehead have spoken lies with hypocrisy.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV) "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron..."
True contrition doesn't mean you hide the details but you expose yourself because the legitimacy of ministry in Christ demands a full disclosure of the life so that a true minister could be trusted.
But when you're still a deceiver, you'll never expose yourself because it would be fatal.
But when you hide the details or obscure them, or fight anyone that exposes you, you have no legitimacy and you must be exposed so others will not be taken advantaged of.
Many people that claim to be Christians advocate for not fighting against other Christians or ministers. Exposing fraud and the perpetrators of fraud in the Body isn't "fighting" other Christians. It's exposing the bad trees among the Body of Christ as Scripture commands us to do.
Jude 1:3 (NKJV) "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."
Ephesians 5:11-14 (NKJV) "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
You see. If Corey Minor and Lamor Whitehead were truly saved by repentance from sin and placing faith on Christ alone, they wouldn't have a problem with exposing themselves completely.
Plus, they don't have a genuine of fear of God.
Psalms 36:1-4 (NKJV)
"An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He does not abhor evil."
John 3:18-21 (NKJV) “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
So if you honestly believe that I am or others are attacking them and their character, take a look.
Take a very good look at what they've been saying and compare it with these Scriptures above.
If you continue to lie about or obscure your past and lay blame on others for where you are, take a minute and realize that the lie will never survive the sword of the truth.
With Corey Minor, I just couldn't put my finger on what he was saying about the Scriptures. In some of his videos, you could see that he's on point with some things, but really off with others.
The hottest subject of the hour is false prophets and teachers.
Corey Minor has developed a decent following by exposing the false prophets and teachers of our day. Hitting all the "right notes." Even securing an interview with Justin Peters on the subject of false teachers.
This is an old method of securing legitimacy among the legitimate in hopes that you wouldn't be discovered and exposed.
Then there was the incident with Mark Driscoll, another false teachers and liar.
On Corey Minor's channel, the accusation went out that John Lindell of James River Church forced Mark Driscoll off of the stage as this "Stronger Men's Conference."
Mark Driscoll was preaching and appeared to rebuke the conference because it sponsored men's themed events like, male pole dancing, boxing, weightlifting, and cars and trucks.
John Lindell told Mark Driscoll that he was done and made Mark end his message. "You're done!" said John Lindell to Mark Driscoll.
So the word went out that a preacher was forced off the stage. But it wasn't setting well with me so while I was perplexed, I sat on it.
Then Justin Peters and a couple of other ministers exposed the whole Mark Driscoll event as Mark Driscoll using the event as an opportunist to promote himself which he has a solid track record of doing. The link for this here.
This was the point that I started searching and it didn't take long to find out what Corey Minor was about with his prison time. You can see the actual trial transcript read by a pastor on this link here.
There's 4 parts to this and each segment is a very long.
I've attempted to try to find the actual court case myself but was unsuccessful.
However, while Corey Minor was in prison, he appealed his guilty plea. He tried to show during his guilty plea that he was misrepresented but if you were to read his plea agreement, he indicated that he was satisfied with his defense representation when asked by the judge and Corey's appeal was denied.
So in an attempt to get out of jail, he threw his attorney under the bus and lied about being misrepresented when you told the judge that you were satisfied with your representation.
So the bottom of the matter is that fake, false, fraud, and counterfeit ministers are among us.
Should we extend love and mercy? We must do so as Christ commands however, when we still see lies and no contrition, they must be exposed. Speaking the truth in love and love doesn't rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth (see 2 Corinthians 13:6 and Ephesians 4:15).
They must also put away lying from themselves (see Ephesians 4:25).
Their methods will vary. And this is just another way that many false preachers have entered in with sheep's clothing.
Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
The only way to avoid the penalty of hell and then after the Great White Throne judgment, is to repent and place faith on Christ alone.
After death, there's no mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation, or the cross.
We pray that Corey Minor and Lamor Whitehead repent before it's too late.
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