And I’m not changing my position on this. I’d die before taking your money. I’m giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing “preachers,” vaunting themselves as something special. They’re a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ’s agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they’re not getting by with anything. They’ll pay for it in the end. The Message

When you lay a trap to catch a rodent, you will probably put something tasty in there alongside the poison: something that will appeal to them like chocolate spread (or peanut butter).

We would not be deceived if there were not something attractive, appealing – in some way or other and for some reason or other – in the deception. We are drawn to what we perceive to be beauty. We like the taste of ‘chocolate spread’. We do need God-given eyes to be able to see through ‘charismatic’, maybe also good-looking preachers, who are exciting in their presentational styles, but who are peddling lies. As David Pawson observed, it is not about the manner of their preaching, but its matter. What are they actually saying? Is it Biblical? Is it true? We cannot over-emphasise the need to test all things by Scripture. Let’s be Bereans!

”Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

Watch out for that chocolate spread.