In Revelation chapter two, Jesus addresses a church, affirming them in what they are doing well, and admonishing them to repent where they have deviated.  For now, I want to look at verses two and three, wherein Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for their deeds, toil and perseverance.  The verses read:  "I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary."  The church at Ephesus had relentlessly held to the Word of God, and had rejected those who would pervert it, and Jesus commended them for it. Jesus' recognition of their "deeds", "toil" and "perseverance" serve to let us know that the fight to keep false teaching out of our churches, homes, hearts and minds is a hard one.  Our enemy, the devil, wants the Word of the Lord to be counterfeited, "interpreted", "reinterpreted", misunderstood, doubted, and debunked (good luck with that one), until the truth is so obscured that it is rendered ineffective.  And, yet...the Word of God still stands, undefeated, undiminished, and powerful to save!  We have been called to the same deeds, toil and perseverance, to fight the same fight.  And, in the 1986 words of Degarmo and Key (look them up), we're "destined to win."  Yes, the world will grow darker and will rage against the Word of the Lord more and more, but His Word will stand because it can do nothing else!

Like the Ephesian church, we must not "endure evil men."  Please notice the context.  This is not a command to harass and look down upon those who have not put their faith in Jesus.  Instead, we are to follow Jesus' example.  He ministered to sinners, and forgave those who acknowledged their sin.  The only people He did not "endure" were the false teachers, like those who were rejected by the Ephesian church.  We have to do the same.  We cannot recognize false teaching without an intimate knowledge of the truth.  Gentlemen, we cannot afford to let someone else fight this fight.  Are you ready to defend your heart, your home, your church and those around you against deception?