Midweek Message: Beware of fake preaching
Pioneer Sophia Chapel at Three Crowns Park. Photo: Gerald Farinas.
The following is from a homily delivered at Three Crowns Park—a Covenant Living Community in Evanston, Ill. to residents on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. It is based on the lectionary reading from Matthew 7:15-20.
Jesus is warning us here!
Not everyone who talks about God is really speaking for God.
Some people look holy on the outside—but inside, they are only thinking about power, money, or control.
When I first moved to Chicago, there was this preacher who used to stand in front of the old Marshall Field’s on State Street.
Day after day, he shouted at strangers. Told people they were going to hell. Yelled at women in short sleeves. Pointed at gay couples and screamed at them. I remember thinking, Does he even see the people he’s yelling at? Does he love them at all?
It was a knee jerk reaction because his idea of Christianity was different from mine and I didn’t know his story.
And then there are those big TV preachers—living in giant mansions, flying in private jets, collecting millions from donations, all while telling poor folks that if they just “had more faith,” they’d be rich too. That’s not the Gospel. That’s a scam.
And today, too many Evangelical leaders use their pulpits not to preach love, or grace, or mercy—but to stir up hate. Against immigrants. Against certain kinds of people. Against anyone who dares to live or believe differently.
They say they’re speaking for Jesus—but the fruit they’re bearing is rotten.
Because here’s what Jesus said: You will know them by their fruits.
Not by how loud they are.
Not by how big their church is.
Not by how many Bible verses they quote.
But by what their actions produce.
Do their words lead to love, kindness, justice, and healing?
Or do they create fear, cruelty, pride, and division?
And this isn’t just about them. It’s about us, too.
What fruit are we growing in our own lives?
Are we growing love?
Are we becoming more gentle, more generous, more honest?
Or are we becoming bitter, angry, or cold?
Jesus tells us to pay attention to the fruit. That’s how we’ll know what’s real and what’s fake.
That’s how we’ll know who really follows him.
Let our lives grow the fruit of grace. Let our hearts be rooted in love.
