One of the common problems facing the Chinese church today is the increase in the number of scam artists who prey upon believers the rampage of scammers. They often pretend to be Christians and blend in the church with other believers.
Some brothers and sisters failed to discern their real nature and paid a heavy price as a result. Therefore, it is essential to equip believers with knowledge of the deceptions that are used by these people. The following paragraphs describe three of the most common scams.
Gaining sympathy: This is the most common scam. The scammers know that Christians are full of compassion and when they pretend to be in great need, they may gain sympathy and material benefits. One time a young man came to a Bible study group. When the meeting was over, he suddenly started to cry, telling people that he had a congenital disability and was driven out of the house by his stepmother. He went on to say that the stepmother worshiped idols and hated Christians very much. Being a devout believer, he was ill-treated by the stepmother.
After hearing his story, brothers and sisters gave him some money out of sympathy. But a middle-aged sister who worked in the neighborhood office noticed that the disability certificate he showed to everyone was forged. She stood up and confronted him. The young man panicked and had to return the money he received and then left immediately.
In recent years, the Internet has had quite a few incidences of fake pastors who claimed they were in poverty. They managed to deceive some believers, who then gave them money. We strongly suggest that brothers and sisters gather adequate information and verify the authenticity of requests before making a charitable donation online to avoid being fooled.
Raising money disguised as fraudulent evangelical missionaries: Evangelisation is the great commission for Christians. Many believers make donations to support missionary work. However, their noble deeds have often been targeted by crooks who make fraudulent claims of doing missionary works in order to collect donations.
A middle-aged man came to a church. He said he had been doing missionary work in Tibet and needed monetary support. He even made up stories of miracles and wonders. Touched by his stories and his passion, some believers gave him a substantial amount of money.
However, a sister was more cautious. She followed missionary news closely but had not come across any reports of a "spiritual revival" in Tibet as what the middle-aged man described. So she set up a meeting with him to further verify the matter. It turned out that he had little knowledge of biblical truths. Knowing that his fraudulent action was exposed, he left the city quietly. Only then did the brothers and sisters who gave him money realize they had been deceived.
Gaining favors for personal agenda: Desiring that everyone repent and return to God is not only God’s will but also what many Christians have sincerely hoped for. Some unbelievers have expressed their willingness to believe in God to gain favor and support from brothers and sisters.
A girl once told me that she was willing to believe in God because she heard God's call to her. Beautiful and talented, she was adored by many brothers in the church. I was also very excited initially. But after a while when I calmed down, it became clear to me that all she did was try to win my favor and support. From the way she spoke to me I did not think she truly wanted to believe in God.
Some people take advantage of the passion of Christians for everyone to believe in God. They deceive them by saying they want to be baptized to gain goodwill, which will help their personal agenda. Believers need to pay special attention to discern their genuine motives.
- Translated by Jacqueline Y
骗子横行是当前教会面临的问题之一，他们往往打着信仰的名义冒充基督徒混迹于教会中。
有些弟兄姐妹出于主里的爱，未能分辨其本性，从而付出了代价。当明白教会骗子的骗人方式时，才能做到有备无患。通常骗子们的套路主要有以下三种。
博取爱心：这是骗子最常用的方式。他们都知道基督徒是充满爱心的，只要在其面前装可怜，就能获得不少利益。有次查经班来了一位陌生的年轻人，当聚会结束后他忽然哭了起来，说自己有先天残疾，被继母赶出了家门。而且还说继母是拜偶像的，非常仇视基督徒，而自己是虔诚的信徒，所以才会遭到这样的对待。
有些弟兄姐妹看到他非常可怜，就拿了一些钱给他。可有位在街道办工作的中年姐妹却看出了问题，原来他携带的残疾证与国家颁发的存在差异，显然是个人伪造的。于是她立刻站出来指出他证件上的问题。蛮对这突如其来的质问，这个年轻人马上慌了，只好把收到的钱还回去后立刻消失在人群中。
这几年网络上经常出现穷传道骗局，就让不少肢体蒙受了损失。基督徒在爱心捐助前，最好能够了解事情的全貌与真相，以免上了骗子的当。
传扬福音：传福音是基督徒的大使命，很多弟兄姐妹都把财物奉献给传福音的人，支持天国的事工。可这种美行却被某些骗子盯上了，他们欺骗信徒自己要传福音，从而骗取了不少奉献。
有些中年人来到某教会，自称在西藏宣教，需要获得大家的支持。他还胡编乱造很多神迹奇事，讲述自己在传福音当中的奇迹与果效。有的肢体听到这些信息，纷纷感慨神的大能以及这位弟兄的热心，将不少钱财给了这位中年人。
不过有位姐妹却对此很警惕，因为她一直在关注福音事业，知道西藏并没有出现过这个人所说的“属灵大复兴”，就找个时间与他论道，结果发现此人对于真理一无所知。而这个中年人也看到事态不妙，偷偷离开这个城市不知所终了。此时奉献过的弟兄姐妹才如梦方醒，知道自己被人骗了。
准备信主：希望人人信主不仅是神的心意，也是很多基督徒希望的事。于是有些人为了达到目的，就跟基督徒说自己要信主了，以获得他们的支持。
有位女孩把当地文化圈搞得天翻地覆，遭到了大家的谴责。可她有次却对笔者说，她要信主，因为听到上帝的呼唤。由于这个女孩天生丽质、颇有才华，得到了不少弟兄的喜欢。我一开始也感到非常兴奋，喜欢的女孩也要信主了。可冷静下来后才发现，她说要信主是因为知道我是基督徒，这么说就能博取我的好感，在不义的事情上支持她。她跟我说话时仿佛带有不可告人的目的，不像是要信主的人。
有些非信徒会利用基督徒希望人人信主的心理，谎称自己要受洗入教，从而博取好感来达到自己的目的。因此弟兄姐妹要注意，不要因为有人说想信主了就兴奋，而要听其言观其行，看看他们是否真的是出于信仰的目的。
警惕！骗子在教会里行骗的这三大套路
One of the common problems facing the Chinese church today is the increase in the number of scam artists who prey upon believers the rampage of scammers. They often pretend to be Christians and blend in the church with other believers.
Some brothers and sisters failed to discern their real nature and paid a heavy price as a result. Therefore, it is essential to equip believers with knowledge of the deceptions that are used by these people. The following paragraphs describe three of the most common scams.
Gaining sympathy: This is the most common scam. The scammers know that Christians are full of compassion and when they pretend to be in great need, they may gain sympathy and material benefits. One time a young man came to a Bible study group. When the meeting was over, he suddenly started to cry, telling people that he had a congenital disability and was driven out of the house by his stepmother. He went on to say that the stepmother worshiped idols and hated Christians very much. Being a devout believer, he was ill-treated by the stepmother.
After hearing his story, brothers and sisters gave him some money out of sympathy. But a middle-aged sister who worked in the neighborhood office noticed that the disability certificate he showed to everyone was forged. She stood up and confronted him. The young man panicked and had to return the money he received and then left immediately.
In recent years, the Internet has had quite a few incidences of fake pastors who claimed they were in poverty. They managed to deceive some believers, who then gave them money. We strongly suggest that brothers and sisters gather adequate information and verify the authenticity of requests before making a charitable donation online to avoid being fooled.
Raising money disguised as fraudulent evangelical missionaries: Evangelisation is the great commission for Christians. Many believers make donations to support missionary work. However, their noble deeds have often been targeted by crooks who make fraudulent claims of doing missionary works in order to collect donations.
A middle-aged man came to a church. He said he had been doing missionary work in Tibet and needed monetary support. He even made up stories of miracles and wonders. Touched by his stories and his passion, some believers gave him a substantial amount of money.
However, a sister was more cautious. She followed missionary news closely but had not come across any reports of a "spiritual revival" in Tibet as what the middle-aged man described. So she set up a meeting with him to further verify the matter. It turned out that he had little knowledge of biblical truths. Knowing that his fraudulent action was exposed, he left the city quietly. Only then did the brothers and sisters who gave him money realize they had been deceived.
Gaining favors for personal agenda: Desiring that everyone repent and return to God is not only God’s will but also what many Christians have sincerely hoped for. Some unbelievers have expressed their willingness to believe in God to gain favor and support from brothers and sisters.
A girl once told me that she was willing to believe in God because she heard God's call to her. Beautiful and talented, she was adored by many brothers in the church. I was also very excited initially. But after a while when I calmed down, it became clear to me that all she did was try to win my favor and support. From the way she spoke to me I did not think she truly wanted to believe in God.
Some people take advantage of the passion of Christians for everyone to believe in God. They deceive them by saying they want to be baptized to gain goodwill, which will help their personal agenda. Believers need to pay special attention to discern their genuine motives.
- Translated by Jacqueline Y
Guard against Three Common Scams in Church
