May 26, 2015 REJOICING OVER YOU
Romans 16:17-20: “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent is what is evil, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
You have probably had the occasion to meet those who are divisive, who cause dissensions and who hinder those who desire to follow the teachings of scripture. They would draw our attention away from the gospel and cause us to miss the intended impact of the gospel. The ones who are divisive may not on the surface appear to be enemies of the gospel, but indeed they are just that and they use “smooth and flattering speech” to deceive others. Some of what they say may sound right and logical and may sound appealing. Just as one example, some would say that the church building is the “temple of God”, but the scriptures make it clear that we are the temple of God. This teaching tends to cause one to think that what happens at the “church” is the big deal, but in reality, we are the dwelling place of God 24/7 and what is going on in us is the issue. The corporate meetings of the church are crucial because it is there that we get equipped, encouraged, express our gifting’s, and hear the word of God proclaimed; so not being a part of the local expression of the body (the church) is non-optional according to scripture. Also, there are numbers of self- proclaimed “ministers” or “evangelist” on television that divert the attention of many from the truth. It is not uncommon to hear television “ministers” make the promise that if you send a financial gift, you would receive a “blessing from God”. God does like a cheerful giver and He does bless when we give at His direction. Paul makes it clear that we are to turn away from those who teach what is contrary to the gospel. We live in a day when we desperately need to hear and understand the pure gospel as presented by the writers of the New Testament. Even in Paul’s day, there were those presenting messages that were in contradiction to the gospel. As we read the writings of Paul we see his great passion for the gospel and that it would not be altered or misrepresented in any way. The more we begin to understand the New Covenant, the more aware we are of teachings that are not in keeping with the New Covenant. When we know what is true, it’s easy to recognize what is false or counterfeit. The New Testament was written by men who were inspired by God and when we read and study the New Testament, we are gaining understanding about the kingdom of God and in it we are instructed how to live life on planet earth. The fact that the word of God is inspired by God is the very reason that it is not to be altered or misrepresented in any way. The word of God is THE truth on which everything else is to be built and we are to adjust our lives to the word of God-not adjust the word to fit our preferences. May we be people that search out the scriptures and may the gospel that Jesus ushered in be our sure and steadfast guide and the template with which we judge everything and may we be quick to recognize and reject any teaching that is contrary to scripture. Let our obedience to the teachings of scripture be known by many and may our obedience bring honor to Him.
1 John 4:1: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone into the world.”
2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”
Blessings,
Buddy
PS: We hear others say that “everyone interprets the Bible differently” and that may be true, but not necessarily in keeping with God’s desire. A comment by Peter Parris puts this line of thought in the right perspective when he said: “The Bible contradicts itself-but only in our mind.”
Romans 16:17-20: “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent is what is evil, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
You have probably had the occasion to meet those who are divisive, who cause dissensions and who hinder those who desire to follow the teachings of scripture. They would draw our attention away from the gospel and cause us to miss the intended impact of the gospel. The ones who are divisive may not on the surface appear to be enemies of the gospel, but indeed they are just that and they use “smooth and flattering speech” to deceive others. Some of what they say may sound right and logical and may sound appealing. Just as one example, some would say that the church building is the “temple of God”, but the scriptures make it clear that we are the temple of God. This teaching tends to cause one to think that what happens at the “church” is the big deal, but in reality, we are the dwelling place of God 24/7 and what is going on in us is the issue. The corporate meetings of the church are crucial because it is there that we get equipped, encouraged, express our gifting’s, and hear the word of God proclaimed; so not being a part of the local expression of the body (the church) is non-optional according to scripture. Also, there are numbers of self- proclaimed “ministers” or “evangelist” on television that divert the attention of many from the truth. It is not uncommon to hear television “ministers” make the promise that if you send a financial gift, you would receive a “blessing from God”. God does like a cheerful giver and He does bless when we give at His direction. Paul makes it clear that we are to turn away from those who teach what is contrary to the gospel. We live in a day when we desperately need to hear and understand the pure gospel as presented by the writers of the New Testament. Even in Paul’s day, there were those presenting messages that were in contradiction to the gospel. As we read the writings of Paul we see his great passion for the gospel and that it would not be altered or misrepresented in any way. The more we begin to understand the New Covenant, the more aware we are of teachings that are not in keeping with the New Covenant. When we know what is true, it’s easy to recognize what is false or counterfeit. The New Testament was written by men who were inspired by God and when we read and study the New Testament, we are gaining understanding about the kingdom of God and in it we are instructed how to live life on planet earth. The fact that the word of God is inspired by God is the very reason that it is not to be altered or misrepresented in any way. The word of God is THE truth on which everything else is to be built and we are to adjust our lives to the word of God-not adjust the word to fit our preferences. May we be people that search out the scriptures and may the gospel that Jesus ushered in be our sure and steadfast guide and the template with which we judge everything and may we be quick to recognize and reject any teaching that is contrary to scripture. Let our obedience to the teachings of scripture be known by many and may our obedience bring honor to Him.
1 John 4:1: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone into the world.”
2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”
Blessings,
Buddy
PS: We hear others say that “everyone interprets the Bible differently” and that may be true, but not necessarily in keeping with God’s desire. A comment by Peter Parris puts this line of thought in the right perspective when he said: “The Bible contradicts itself-but only in our mind.”
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