Amos 7:12-15
Ephesians 1:3-14
Psalm 85
Mark 6:7-13

We attended 11.45am mass at Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. Fr Ignatius Chong gave a homily on how to identify false prophets, who will come to mislead the people.

Jesus says that we can tell a person by his fruits. A bad tree can only give bad fruit, and a good tree can not produce bad fruits. Fr Ignatius listed 3 criterias for us to know if the person is a true prophet.
a) Fruits must be life-giving, bring us closer to God
b) Fruits must be long-lasting and sustainable.
c) Fruits must be God-centred, not self serving.

Therefore, he advised us to take our time to watch what fruits the person is giving.

There will be many false prophets who will come and mislead many away from God. Why they do it is beyond me. They may perform miracles and healing, but it will not be long-lasting. They will also be self-serving, and not give glory to God. They do it for their own selfish purpose, not caring that they are misleading the people, so long as they gain from it. We must also be watchful of them.

The message of the true prophet of God is disturbing and unpleasant. It serve to bring us back to God, not away from God. Most people do not want to hear such messages, because it confronts them of the sins in their lives. A true prophet will speak of what others need to hear, not what they wish to hear. Therfore, most prophets are rejected.