Whenever a season nears an end in the sports world expert commentators take a crack at predicting who the pretenders and contenders are for a possible championship. Their predictions mean nothing. The competing teams will eventually settle the matter and hoist their trophies. These coveted trophies, by the way, will one day fall victim to destroying rust or fire. In the end they mean nothing as well.

In the prophet Jeremiah's time knowing who the pretenders and contenders were was a crucial issue. The Lord God said through the prophet: "An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule by their own power: And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?" (5: 30, 31) He adds, "My people do not know the judgment of the Lord. How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?" (7: 7-9)

Much of the New Testament is written in warning of false messiahs, prophets, teachers, and tares amongst the wheat (Mat chp.13) in the Body of Christ. The question of pretenders or contenders was crucial to the Gospel writers as well as Paul, Peter, and John in his epistles.

Paul warns the Ephesians: "Savage wolves will come in among you...also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20: 29, 30)

Peter says there will be false prophets and teachers among the Lord's people "who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them...and many will follow their destructive ways." (II Peter 2: 1-3)

John reveals "many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (II John v. 7)

And finally, the Lord's half-brother, Jude explains that he sat down to write a feel good letter to the Church about their common salvation, but, something else was far more pressing: "...I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." (vs. 3, 4)

Are we like those in Jeremiah's day who love the messages of the pretenders and reject the word of the Lord? Are we like so many in the Church age who "will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears...will heap up for themselves teachers; and will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables?" (II Tim 4: 3, 4)

Or do we "hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me (Paul), in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus?" (II Tim 2:13) Are you and I "diligent to present (ourselves) approved to God, (workers) who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth?" (II Tim 2:15)

Jude tells us how to be a contender: "...Beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ...Beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (vs. 17, 20-21) And when we have done this Jude says we're to try saving the pretenders led astray by their itching ears; and even those pretenders that lead them astray." (vs. 22, 23)

Pretender or contender? I'm determined to be a contender. How about you?