Worm Attack - Martin Wiles

Some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. Jude 1:4 NLT

Though only two inches long, he—and his friends—left destruction in their path.

Spring witnessed the emergence of numerous Canon lilies in our backyard. I had only planted several, but they multiplied with ferocity. My wife and I watched as they sprouted upward to seven feet tall and hailed their bright yellow blooms over and over again.

Then, I noticed it. Damage on a few leaves. Leaves too high for a rabbit or other varmint to reach. Later in the summer, I removed several other lilies from pots and planted them in the ground. Soon their leaves looked the same. As the summer wore on and fall approached, the smaller plants looked as if a hungry rabbit had stripped them.

We had no idea what was attacking our plants until we walked outside late one evening and saw a green caterpillar on our patio. The scientific name isn’t important—nor is the fact that it will eventually turn into a beautiful moth. At the moment, he and a multitude of his friends were destroying our Canon lilies. Although our dog enjoyed playing with him and his family, I wanted them gone before they completely destroyed our garden of lilies. We were under worm attack.

Jude was the brother of Jesus and James and wrote to first-century Jewish Christians experiencing the worms of heresy and false teaching. Some of whom said believers could live any way they wanted since God had forgiven their sins.

Some heresy is so heretical we can’t miss it. Other false teaching is just subtle enough for it to deceive us. Church leaders are responsible to keep false teachers from influencing their flock, but we as individuals are also accountable for protecting ourselves.

Fortunately, I had parents who laid a firm foundation for me early in life, giving me the ability to spot false teachings quickly. Others are not so lucky. Grounding ourselves in God’s Word—and the proper methods to interpret it—is the only sure way to detect false teaching or heresy when it arrives. Because it will come, just as the worm wormed its way into my lily garden. And those who bring it are often enticing and interesting and come with a message that matches their personality.

When you find yourself under worm attack, go to God’s Word to find the truth.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us the weapon to fight off false teaching.

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