Connect360: Sick Dogs and Slimy Hogs

• Lesson Ten in the Connect360 unit “Find Us Faithful: Standing Firm in Our Faith” focuses on 2 Peter 2:17-22

Peter’s focus in these verses stays with the fake Christians but is mainly pointing out the fake leaders in the Christian church.

These fake Christian leaders are like springs without water, or wells without water as some translations say.

Back in that time, most people traveled on foot, and in the heat of the day they would look for wells or springs where they could stop and get water.

Dry springs or wells were disheartening. They would lead people in only to show they had no substance to give back.

The promises they gave for healing and refreshment always were broken, for no water was available for the weary traveler.

False leaders are no different than dry wells.

They make empty promises to people. They pull earnest Christians in who believe what they are saying is true.

But when those promises are examined up close, they are as empty as a dry well.

What they are doing will not go unnoticed by God.

He will not let their sin of leading his own astray go without punishment.

The last part of verse 17 speaks to their end: “blackest darkness is reserved for them.”

God has reserved a special place in hell for those who willingly lead his children astray.

God will not spare them for their sin.

The way they lead people astray is not much different today than it was in Peter’s time.

These fake leaders are smooth talkers, and they know exactly what to say to make people want to follow them.

They promise fame, wealth, sex and almost anything they need to promise to get people to follow them.

Once people are brought in, they realize too late they will never get anything they were promised.

Leaders in churches today can learn from wolves.

They need to know when and where they can best serve the church body.

Service is never self-service like a fake leader would do. It is always service to the benefit of the body.

There will be times that a good leader leads the church from the front, giving direction and showing a clear vision.

There will be times the leader leads from the back, looking over the church, identifying those who need help, and those who could be potential leaders.

Then there are those times when the leader will come up and lead from the middle, encouraging the church, and lifting them up when spirits are low.

Good leaders lead from every direction, not for themselves, but for the benefit of the church body.

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