If you think there aren't any wolves among the sheep, you'd be sorely mistaken and very naïve. There are people who take utter joy in entering a church with the specific intent of sowing discord and to twist the message of the cross. They can appear as mature and knowledgeable people, or appear as innocent new believers who have a lot of questions, but beware, because these wolves are there to to shake the faith of believers and make them question God Himself, which leads to a false gospel.
Many years ago, I had an interaction with someone online. I'll call him the "wolf." He was offering up a type of Christianity, but there was something a little "off" about him. He wasn't quite speaking the truth, and he questioned everything in a way that would seem innocent, but to him, would cause doubt in someone's mind if they didn't have a firm grasp of scripture. He would voice his "confusion" about what some would consider contradictory portions of scripture (but we all know there are no contradictions in the bible).
It reminds me of what Satan did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan, by way of the serpent, spoke with Eve, not in a threatening way, but in a subtle, sly, and intellectual way that made her question what God had actually told Adam ("Did God really say???") Satan caused her to doubt what God had said. In fact, she even added her own spin to what God had told Adam, which made her easier to manipulate because she already had a false understanding of what God had truly said. By the end of this short conversation between the snake and Eve, she was convinced that eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would be beneficial, not harmful. After eating it and not dying, she then offered it to Adam (See? You misunderstood God. Listen to the snake.), and Adam, as we all know, ate of the fruit, and thus, through him, sin entered the world and resulted in the death of their spirit and the beginning of the sin nature in mankind, and so it would be for them and all of their descendants.
Getting back on topic, I called the wolf out on a few things, and even accused him of not being genuine. He laughingly admitted that he wasn't a true Christian, and that I had caught him. He was so brazen that he even admitted that he was a member of a Christian chat room (when chat rooms were popular back in the day...lol) and said that he was portraying himself as a new naïve Christian in order to gain the trust of the Christians in the chat room, so he could ask questions that were specifically designed to cause confusion and division in the chat room, and even cause some weaker Christians to doubt their new faith in Christ. He was masquerading as a young sheep in order to keep everyone's guard down while he sowed discord and doubt among the fold.
Acts 20:29-30 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them."
After his confession, I went looking for the chat room in which he was a member. There were very few Christian chat rooms back in the day, and it didn't take me long to find the one in which he was participating (he used the same profile name that he had used in our conversation). I became a member and entered the chat room. I watched, in real time, as he asked his manipulative questions, and instigated conversations and disagreements among the other members while he sat back and watched the chat room blow up. I watched for a while, but then I started messaging each individual in the group personally, letting them know who this wolf was and what he was doing. Unfortunately, that went against the chat room rules, and I was essentially kicked out of the group. Imagine that, it was ME who was kicked out of the group for exposing a fraud. A short time later, the wolf contacted me and, with disingenuous disappointment, said that I had spoiled the whole thing for him. He confessed that it just meant that he'd have to make the effort to find another Christian group to infiltrate and disrupt.
I walked away from the situation being taught a lesson... that not all unbelievers are loud and in your face, especially online. There are those out there who have learned subtle ways of causing disruption, discourse, and doubt; those who will shroud themselves in sheep's clothing and infiltrate the fold; those who will take their fleshly understanding of the bible and attempt to cause weaker Christians to doubt their own understanding of scripture. Wolves like to start a fire and watch while everything burns down. They take joy in it, they laugh about it, and they take great care to make sure they're not discovered so that they can keep attacking the fold. This wolf created the perfect cover... a young and inexperienced "Christian" who was confused and had a lot of questions. People don't expect you to know too much, so the questions seem natural. All wolves need to do is throw out some controversial subjects among the sheep, sprinkle in what some would consider contradictory scripture or false logic, and then stand back and watch them argue. How simple is that? It's as simple as Satan sowing doubt in Eve's mind. It only took a few words and a simple question. How easy is that? Wolves utilize this method, and that's why they're dangerous to young born again believers.
Matthew 24:24 "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
Matthew 24:24 "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
How can we spot them? Pray for discernment, continually read and study scripture, meditate on the word, and live in the spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit, so when an enemy slithers it's way into the fold, we'll be able to spot them, call them out, and warn the rest of the flock to the danger within.
In this day and age, wolves have even more opportunity to infiltrate the church. They can infiltrate physical churches, online chat rooms, bible studies, Christian events, social media, Christian apps, etc... Infiltration can be physical or digital. Always be on guard and never ignore something that just doesn't seem right. Look for the red flags, even yellow "caution" flags, and don't ignore your instincts. If your spirit or the Holy Spirit is telling you something's just not right, stop, pray that your eyes would be opened, and be vigilant. You may just be the one God will use to save an unsuspecting believer who may be weak and susceptible to the one who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy... the one who roams as a lion, seeking whom he can destroy. Have no fear in calling out one who seems determined to sow discord among the church, but be sure to use wisdom in doing so. Always judge with a righteous judgment, never out of ignorance.
Read all of 2 Peter, Chapter 2.
REPENT, AND BE FORGIVEN!
BELIEVE, AND BE SAVED!
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