Matthew 24: 3-14
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray." (Matthew 24:4 ESV)
When I travel I try to stay really focused. I like to know my destination, try to plan all major stops, and I attempt to avoid distractions. Unfortunately, that kind of focus is not always easy to maintain.
Jesus and his followers were certainly no strangers to traveling. They walked all over the countryside, and rode in ships fairly often as well. They knew what it meant to venture forth with purpose. And that is what Jesus had in mind when he warned his people not be lead astray.
It was a timely warning for the soon-to-be Church leaders. Soon they would be the ones guiding the movement, and Jesus wanted them to keep their heads. It is a timely warning for us as well.
The apostles and disciples had to worry about a lot of people seeking to exploit the burgeoning Christian movement. Today, we must be wary of those who continually attempt to hijack the world's largest religion. There are a myriad of reasons and devices used to misdirect people in pursuit of Spiritual truth. We need to be extra vigilant in discerning who we follow, and how we lead.
Jesus warned that we should be careful not to be lead astray. We want our generation to be good stewards of the Gospel. We do not want to be lead astray, but neither should we want to lead others astray. Lets keep Jesus at the center and love as our motive.