Paul the Apostle was tough as nails. But there was one thing he feared. It wasn’t the Romans, death, tribulation, or rejection. It was a fake Jesus. He said this:

“However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to the Messiah. For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen.” 1 Cor 11:3–4 

Wait, what? How can someone preach another Jesus? It’s easy. We simply create one.

You have seen this before. In Exodus 32, Moses is on Mount Sinai talking with God. The people ask Aaron to “make them a god who will lead them.” See? Manufacturing fake gods to do what we want them to do is as easy as pie.

America is rife with fake Jesuses.

Why? Because people don’t want to do what the real Jesus says. Many turn to a fake Jesus to deceive themselves into thinking they are not rebellious. They are “spiritual.” They are “at one” with their counterfeit Jesus.

Paul knew this. He knew how easy it was to bamboozle people into following a cheap knockoff of the genuine Messiah. He lived with the people of Corinth for almost two years. But when he came back to visit five years later, they were a mess. Wolves in sheep’s clothing had infiltrated and infected the flock.

Are we any different? Nope! Ask P.T. Barnum.

Learn A Spiritual Lesson From Bank Tellers

Bank tellers hold large bills up to the light to see if they are genuine. We should do the same with a Jesus we might be following.

There is a reason worthless iron pyrite is called fool’s gold. Miners used to find some and assume they were rich, until they arrived at the assayer’s office thoroughly convinced they were millionaires. Imagine their shock to find out they were wrong. I hope they saved the receipt on all the cool new millionaire stuff they bought.

Jesus taught about a time when “Christians” will appear before Him, convinced that the Jesus they were serving was the true Jesus.

“On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” Matt. 7: 22–23

Yikes!

Here are five Jesuses that won’t pass the sniff test:

1. The “All Inclusive” Jesus.

I had a conversation with a person who said that Jesus was a gatherer and not a divider. He accepted everybody, regardless of who they were or what they did. Jesus was a “live and let live” Messiah. Love everybody. Be at peace with everybody. It’s all good in the Israeli hood, man.

I asked him why Jesus (The Prince of Peace) said He didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. And to set a man at variance against even family members. He was sent to the Jews. And specifically instructed His disciples to only go to Jewish communities. Not to the Gentiles.

Crickets.

Yes, He accepted people the way they were, but He didn’t let them stay that way. “Go and sin no more.” He called people to repent, which means change — to stop doing some things and start doing other things.

He railed on the religious machine. He was so inclusive of merchants in the temple that He trashed their businesses, called some people devils, called a Greek woman a dog, called Herod a fox, and many others hypocrites, vipers, blind, and whitewashed tombs. He was looking right at Peter when He said those famous words, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Ouch!

This fake Jesus is dangerous because He lulls many into a false sense that living contrary to scripture is OK. He has endless compassion for those who are working on their sin struggles. But He is holy.

2. The Jesus Who Won’t Reject Anybody.

I’ve had many conversations with people who believe everybody makes it. When Jesus returns, He gathers the nations for a worldwide bro-hug. I’ll be in a love huddle with human traffickers, pedophiles, false preachers, angry atheists, and ISIS members who lopped off Christian heads. Heck, I might have one arm around Pol Pot and the other around Hitler.

Me: You know, Zechariah says two-thirds of the world are wasted and a third get refined.

Them: That’s Old Testament. Nobody believes the Old Testament anymore.

Me: Jesus said, “Depart from me”. And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Who is he talking about?

Crickets.

This fake Jesus is dangerous because there are no high stakes with Him. Life isn’t a matter of eternal life and death. Everybody likes hearing about a near-death experience where they walk towards a dazzling white light to meet Granny, who now looks young. Nobody likes the stories where they were grabbed and taken to an isolated dark place of torment.

3. The “Great I Am” Jesus.

Here’s how one unbelievable conversation went:

Him: Jesus is the Holy Spirit and the Father. They are all the same person.

Me: Jesus said the Father is greater than I.

Him: He also said if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.

Me: There were four times Jesus was on the ground, and a voice came from heaven. Was Jesus a ventriloquist at His baptism? Or on the Mount of Transfiguration? How about there being two thrones in the New Jerusalem? Who did Jesus come to do the will of? Was He praying to Himself in Gethsemane?

Him: Jesus is God. And the Shema says there is only one God.

Me: How can He be the Mediator between God and Man? How can He live to intercede for us? Who is He talking to? Why did He say not to pray to Him but to pray to the Father in His name?

Crickets!

This fake Jesus is dangerous because the Messiah Himself can become an idol. Some churches have become “Jesus only” cults. There is a judgment seat of Christ. But there is also a great white throne judgment.

Yes, He is the “express image” of God. But have you seen my son? He is the express image of me. Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father but by Me”. He’s the way back.

4. The Jesus Who Doubted the Written Word.

These conversations are short. Because people usually quickly bounce to “the Bible was written by men a hundred years after Jesus lived and has been changed so many times, nobody can count. Plus, all those books about reincarnation, gay lifestyle, Kabbalah, and Satan being the good guy were taken out. The First Council of Nicaea, etc.”

Jesus said: “For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished.” Also, “Heaven and earth shall pass away. But my word will not pass away”.

Jesus not only liked the Word. He was the Word.

This fake Jesus is dangerous because if we can’t trust the Word, how can we trust the prophetic things yet to come mentioned in the Word? If the Word is wrong, there is nothing for me to obey. There is no accountability. There is no standard.

Which leads me to the fake Jesus I see most of all:

5. The Jesus Who Didn’t Believe in a Literal Hell. He Was Talking About a Garbage Dump.

OK, so some skeptics and atheists saw that the Greek word for hell is “Gehenna.” It refers to the Valley of Hinnom, which was the garbage dump south of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. It burned with fires, like most garbage dumps did.

The problem is they don’t research how this valley became the garbage dump in Jesus’s day. There was a tophet to the pagan god Molech there. And an innumerable number of babies and children were sacrificed in that valley. Until Josiah gave it an extreme home makeover.

I’ve been there. Now it’s a beautiful park. Jesus isn’t sending anyone to a hell that burns with fire. He is sending us to play in a park.

Him: There is no hell, no fire, no torment; Jesus doesn’t send a single person to hell.

Me: Jesus sends them to a garbage dump?

Him: Yes.

Me: Why does He say to some, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels?” Does Satan go to a garbage dump by Jerusalem with the fallen angels? What about death and hell being thrown into the lake of fire?

Him: Err…umm…look over there. Is that a squirrel?

Me: How about this: “At the end of this age, the Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Him: You suck! Nobody believes the Bible anyway. It’s all allegory. Those people will just cease to exist. Shut up, you Christian jerk! Why are you so filled with hate? (storms off)

Do I really have to mention why this fake Jesus is so dangerous? If I’m wrong, I simply cease to exist. No consequences, no punishment, let’s live La Vida Loca. YOLO dudes.

If you ever go to Bethlehem and feel like having coffee, try this Starbucks. It looks like the real thing. Although it doesn’t smell like the real thing. And like a fake Jesus, what you will be drinking just won’t sit right with you.

I couldn’t find my picture of their fake Best Buy. It’s a hoot.

Bottom Line: Are you worshiping and serving the REAL Jesus? How would you know?

I’m not sure what your prayer life is like. But this is a great day to get by yourself. And pray that the real Jesus would reveal Himself to you. No fakes or phonies. He stands at the door and knocks. As you have been reading this, He has already started knocking on the door of your heart. He wants to come in and spend quality time with you. Teach you, heal you, encourage you, free you from the past, and strengthen you. Because He loves you. And you deserve to be loved by the genuine Shepherd of your soul. Here’s what the REAL JESUS has to say to you:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11: 28–29 MSG

Hey! No time like the present, right? Say a quick prayer. Don’t go somewhere else until you do.