Philippians 3:17-19 NLT
[17] Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. [18] For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.”

In every work of God, there will always be a fly in the ointment, someone or some people whom Satan has placed in the body of Christ to disrupt and confuse.

Jesus spoke of weeds and wheat growing together. These two categories of people are often difficult to differentiate. They look and sound much alike. They are always together, busy with the Lord’s work, seemingly one, but…there are differences which identify their real nature.

Paul’s way to identify them is quite graphic. Watch what they do! “By their fruit you will know them.”

How can we tell the difference?

First, the true believer is one who identifies with and follows what Paul was teaching. This is much more than doing the right thing. This is also about attitude and motive, those inward evidences that reveal the nature of the kingdom in which they live.

They had an example to follow.

Paul was bold in calling people to follow him. We might think he was arrogant but…being an example was part of his calling as an apostle. He was mandated to “show and tell” what the gospel of Jesus was about. It was no use telling people how to live if he didn’t follow his own counsel. So, in all honesty, he could say,

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT
[1] “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

That’s s a bold claim and dangerous if it were not true. Paul often wrote, “I have learned…” implying that he was not perfect but learning and following Jesus as closely as he could.

The atmosphere of the true believer is honesty, humility, and submissiveness. He is not a pushover but a willing participant in the life of God’s family. He chooses to cooperate, to work with and to foster a peaceful environment.

A counterfeit Christian is essentially selfish, talks about himself, promotes himself, and wants his own way at the expense of peace. He likes to be out front, even greedy in a subtle way.

Second, the behaviour of the counterfeit Christian reveals the nature of the kingdom in which he lives. Selfish desires dominate his life. He lives to satisfy himself.

These people have crept into the church but they bring with them a subtly different atmosphere. Watch their behaviour, listen to their talk.

Paul didn’t mince his words. He call a spade a spade. “They are hell-bound haters of the truth of the gospel, enemies of the cross. They are self-made people who worship their “creator”, indulging in all their fleshly appetites at the expense of others.”

Trouble is, the only way such people can be comfortable in the fellowship of the church is if the members of God’s family behave like them. The only way to rid the body of these intruders is to live godly lives and behave like God’s beloved family so that the aliens are shown up and will either believe or leave because it will be too uncomfortable to stay.