Beware of False Prophets.

     Jesus warns us in His sermon on the mount to beware of false Prophets (Matthew 7:15-20). He tells us that they may look like the real thing on the outside, they may look like godly pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. but on the in side they are not so.
     Paul warns us of a day when people will not desire to hear the truth, but will gather teachers to themselves who will tell them ear tickling things (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
     I want to look at the idea of a prophet. What is a prophet according to the word of God? People think of prophecy and prophets as foreseeing the future, the foretelling of future events, such as disasters, famines, or other future events concerning nations or individuals.
     To be sure, biblical prophets have accurately foretold future events, but that is not all that a prophet was called to do.
     Take the old testament prophets for example. Look at men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel for example. These individuals were sent by God to confront His backslidden people with there sin and rebellion. They were sent to call the nation of Israel to repentance, to call them to forsake idolatry, and to return to the living God.
     These men spoke as moved by God. They spoke His words, in His power, in His timing. The message they proclaimed offered hope to those who returned to God, but judgment to those who persisted in sin.
     John the Baptist was a prophet who came preaching a message of repentance. He confronted people with their sin, pointed the people to the Savior, but did not have any soothing words for those who would not give up their sin (Matthew 3:1-10, Mark 1:4-8, Luke 3:1-20, John 1:19-35).
     Look what was happening in the days of Jeremiah. Prophets were telling the people that all was well, no harm would befall them, everything was all right, but these people were living in rebellion to God (Jeremiah 23:16-17). God declared that these shepherds were destroying the sheep (Jeremiah 23:1). In fact His anger would not turn back. In other words there are severe consequences for our sinful actions, no matter what anyone else may think or say (Jeremiah 23:20-22). God did not send these men, and God has not sent those who teach similar things in our churches today!
     We hear the message that it doesn't matter how we live after we become Christians, because God covers us, He does not see our sin etc. I believe in grace, I believe in the cleansing blood of Christ, but I also believe the many warnings in scripture that show us that God will not allow us to persist in sinful lifestyles and call ourselves followers of Christ.
     We must pay careful attention to what we are taught, going to the word of God as the standard by which we judge all things pertaining to life and godliness. Jesus said that we will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16). Does what they teach line up with the WHOLE council of scripture? I don't mean to take a verse here or there and see if it fits. Is it biblical?
      How about their lives? Do they live Godly lives above reproach? This is a scriptural requirement for a minister of the gospel (1 Timothy 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9). This is God's standard for anyone who would represent Him in the ministry. We see so many today whose lives are filled with scandal, yet we are told we must not judge them. God says they are not qualified! You will know them by their fruits! How about the individuals that sit under their ministry? Do their lives show the godly change that takes place in a true believer, or do they remain unchanged, but entertain a false hope? We see too much of this I'm afraid.
     Too much is at stake. We must be in the word and see for ourselves what God says, what He requires. Test all things, because one day we will appear before God, and only the truth will stand.
    
    
    

We Need Discernment.

     Many Christians and non Christians as well have been beguiled into blindly accepting the "Heaven is For Real" book and movie.
     I viewed the movie last night, and all I can say is we need discernment! There was nothing in this boy's experience that can be substantiated by scriptural proof, to put it bluntly! The things he saw are fluffy and unbiblical, such as Jesus' rainbow colored horse.
     The Jesus that he saw, and confirmed by the art of a girl who also claims to have seen visions is not the Jesus described in Revelation 1:14-15. I have problems with people's ideas of "What Jesus looks like" (Exodus 20:4). I believe that we do not really know much about what Jesus looks like other than He took on flesh as a man. We worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:24).
     This movie seems to leave one with the new age/universalist feeling that all beliefs will get you to heaven, if you are a good person, you will get there.
     God forgive me if I am wrong about this, but I fear that this movie further propagates the easy feel good gospel that prevails today. Any of the things this boy saw could just as easily been passed to him by "familiar spirits". Satan passes himself off as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
     I did not see the gospel proclaimed in this movie. What I saw was a false hope that will lead thousands of deceived souls to an eternal separation from God in endless torment.
     WE NEED DISCERNMENT CHURCH!

Growth In the Knowledge of Jesus.

     I was once asked by an individual what I thought about divorce and remarriage. He was confused because the bible said one thing, and the early church fathers were split on their take of the issue. 
     The role of women in ministry can also become a thorny issue to deal with. Was it a cultural issue for a specific time, or is it a command for today as well? There are about as many answers to this as there are commentaries dealing with Paul's instructions concerning women.
     My point is not to argue these issues out in this post. I prefer to let the bible speak clearly, after all it is God's book, inspired by Him, for our benefit. We would do well to clear our minds of all preconceived ideas, and come to the word of God with an open heart and mind. After all it is the will 
of God that we are seeking, right?
     As the early Anabaptist leader Conrad Grebel said "I believe the word of God without a complicated interpretation". The bible can be hard to understand in many instances, but yet God desires us to dig in and seek out the truth. He is not going to hide truth from an individual who desires to apply it to his or her life. We get into trouble when we want to know what the bible says about something, but we are unwilling to put it into practice in our lives. We cloud things up when we depend more on human tradition, and interpretation, then upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
     We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17-18). We need to watch ourselves so that we are not led astray by the errors of unprincipled men.
     Is it ok to use commentaries? Yes, but use discernment! They are written by fallible men, often with a denominational slant. We need to train ourselves to come to the Word with an open mind and heart, realizing that this is the last word on what is true in the eyes of God!