Not everyone who carries the Bible and identifies himself as a proclaimer of the gospel is a true minister of God’s Word. Watoto Church Pastor Andrew Kimuli has warned that there are people who claim to follow God but are actually false teachers in disguise.

Pastor Andrew revealed in his Sunday sermon on 9 June that Christians need to be able to recognize false teachers in order to know when they are being led down a path that God did not intend.

His sermon was hinged on the book of Timothy, which he said rings with constant alarm about those who pervert the way of truth.

Pastor Andrew explained that false teachers often devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which he said promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work.

“Thank God He does not relate to us in regard to where we come from,” he said.

Pastor Andrew stated that false teachers often times turn to meaningless talk, debate, and want to be teachers of the law.

“The challenge with these debates, Paul says; they were not building the church,” Pastor Andrew said.

Sound doctrine, according to Pastor Andrew, is important because what any Christian believes affects what he/she does.

“Paul had experienced what the law meant. The bible says he was a pharisee. When it came to the law, he was faultless. In the book of Acts when Stephen was being stoned, Paul was watching as a young man. But he realized that the law has no power to transform his life,” Pastor Andrew said. “The law was to point us to the one who is perfect, Jesus Christ. None of us can keep the law.”

How do I know who is a false teacher? According to Pastor Andrew, such individuals teach a gospel that is centered on themselves.

Another tell-tale sign is their denial that believers are saved through faith, which is the gift of God, not of works.

“False teachers will always teach a gospel that is about them. Listen, the gospel is not about us, it is about Jesus. Anything that you are teaching that is not Jesus is not the gospel. Those are ideologies of men,”

“False teachers always teach about works – the bible says Jesus is sufficient,”

“False teachers teach the whole idea of the Gospel giving you licence to live in sin. That is a lie from the devil. The true Gospel empowers us. I believe God is calling us to watch out to such individuals who teach false doctrine,” Pastor Andrew said.