Although it would be nice to think that everybody has integrity, that is not true.  People who resist the authority of God do not want anybody ruling over them.  Instead, they want to have power and authority over others.  Paul told Timothy to watch out for these people (2 Timothy 3:2-5) and prevent them from spreading their poison in the church.  They may display all kinds of ungodly behaviour and they prey on targets they think are weak, especially people who are emotionally vulnerable and morally compromised.

Learning truth is vital for people to build their lives on a solid foundation.  But there is a difference between learning and putting that knowledge into practice.  Jesus said that failing to act on what we know is foolish (Matthew 7:24-27).  Jesus’ half-brother, James, makes the same point – there is no purpose in looking in a mirror if we do not do anything about what we see (James 1:22-25).  When learning becomes a substitute for acting on what we know, it is merely an intellectual method of avoiding reality.

Jannes and Jambres were known in Jewish tradition as the occultists who resisted Moses in the court of Pharaoh in Egypt (Exodus 7:11; Exodus 9:11).  Eventually, none of the Egyptian tricksters could compete against the power of God through Moses.  In the same way, Paul said, malignant spiritual frauds would eventually be seen in their true light – powerless to bring spiritual life and dangerous because they lead people away from the truth (Acts 20:28-31).  In the meantime, Timothy was to ensure that such characters must not have a platform to teach and infect the church, leading astray those who were less discerning (Ephesians 5:11).
 
Spiritual predators are more common than most believers think.  They may behave obviously wickedly, but more commonly they camouflage their rebellious hearts - like wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).  But they are dangerous; and church leaders must not be naïve.  Wise leadership protects the spiritually vulnerable against those who love to gain power over them.  Truly spiritual leaders gather people to Jesus while the false teachers gather people to themselves.  It is important to be discerning.