Written by Pearl Kupe
Article originally published in the September issue of JOY! Magazine
In the last issue of JOY! Magazine, I shared on the rise of false prophets and what the response of the Church must be. While the Word of God admonishes us to expose charlatans and those with evil antichrist agendas, it also focuses on the restoration of the lost, the misled, and those who walk in error.
Discernment is essential
It is vitally important that the Church and Body of Christ remain balanced. While we see the rise of false prophets, we must also be able to distinguish between those who wilfully and intentionally mislead others and cause them to sin, and those who mistakenly fall into sin or error. We need to be able to discern and distinguish between wolves and charlatans who operate deviously, with a demonic and destructive agenda, and those who fall into sin due to weakness and a temporary lack of self-control.
The purpose of exposure
The reason why the Bible instructs believers to expose charlatans and wolves is so that the sheep can be warned and cautioned to stay away from them and avoid being devoured. There is, however, an obligation for the Church and Body of Christ to gently restore those who have fallen into error.
Key principles of restoration
Believers who have erred must be lovingly restored to the Body of Christ. Galatians 6:1 admonishes spiritually mature believers to restore erring believers and to do so with a “spirit of gentleness”. It then ends with a warning for everyone to watch themselves, ensuring that they, too, are not tempted. This admonishment is also important in helping us guard against feelings of self-righteousness and superiority.
Address error privately
In Matthew 18:15-17, the Word goes further by directing us on how to restore believers who have fallen into error. In this Scripture, Yeshua advises believers to first approach people privately to show them their fault. The Scripture says that if they listen, you will have successfully won your brother or sister back. The challenge we have in this dispensation is dealing with a social media generation that is more focused on sensationalising news to gain likes, become popular, and monetise attention. As believers, our aim must be to lovingly restore those who have missed the mark, rather than monetise their pain or mock and humiliate them.
Pursue restoration
The importance of pursuing a believer’s restoration is set out in James 5:19-20, which tells us that when we turn sinners back from their error, they are saved from death. We are to do so in meekness, remembering
1 Peter 4:8 and Proverbs 10:12, which remind us that love covers a multitude of sins.
Forgive and comfort
The final step in restoring errant believers is to show them forgiveness and comfort. Where errant people have confessed, received correction, and demonstrated repentance, the Church must apply 2 Corinthians 2:7-8, and forgive, comfort, and reaffirm them.
Let the Church not lose its compassion
We live in an increasingly hostile and aggressive world. The Church must remember her assignment to present Jesus to the world. Jesus is the hope of glory, and so we must present Him with compassion and love in an increasingly loveless world. We cannot allow the Church to become a loveless Church that has joined the world in spewing hatred, competition, and bitterness.
Mercy renewed each morning
As we go forward, let us be reminded through these Scriptures that we serve a God who judges, but is also loving, merciful, and compassionate. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Psalm 145:8-9 says, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Recipients of His mercy
As the Church, let us also remain mindful that we ourselves are products of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.”
Truth and compassion
As the Church, let us understand how to balance truth with compassion. Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favour and high esteem in the sight of God and man.”
Reflecting the Father
As the Church, let us also be sure to demonstrate compassion because our Father is compassionate. Luke 6:36 admonishes us to “be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful”. May we be moved with compassion, as Yeshua was in Mark 6:34, which says, “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.
This article appears in the September 2026 issue of JOY! Magazine. Read the digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 02/09/2026
Feature image: Sourced from original article published in the September issue of JOY! Magazine
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