Who do you believe?
- Richard
- Nov, 22, 2014
- Today's Musings
- No Comments
In the world today there are many so called preachers, teachers and theologians who are presenting the Word as they see it. They give their impression of what God has said and back it up with verses or parts of verses out of context. How is the normal ordinary person to know if what they are hearing is “right on” or just plain baloney? Many years ago we, my wife and I, would attend a local bible study given by some close friends. At that time we were pretty young in our Christian walk and thought this was a way to learn more about what God was saying in the Bible. Seems that the order of the day was to read a passage and then go around the room and ask each person what they thought this said. Wow. My wife would just lay back and say…..”it says what it says and means what it means”. Talk about a sudden chill in the room. Anyway, after walking the walk and talking the talk for oh so many years, we finally are at a point where if we want to know what God is saying about ANYTHING we just go to the Word and let God tell us. The premise here is that we have to LISTEN. Jack Hayford puts it very well in his meditation for the day.
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ… Preach the word!
2 Timothy 4:1, 2
Paul underscores the urgency of his message with the phrase “I charge you.” The Greek word for “charge” is used in connection with a solemn and emphatic testimony in a court of law. We must be ready to minister the Word of the Lord boldly and courageously, now! Timothy is charged with defending God’s Word tirelessly, being careful to communicate truth with absolute accuracy, because “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires… they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (vv. 3, 4). There is a “window of opportunity” for the gospel to be heard and responded to by every person. There also is a relentless adversary beguiling, bullying, and bending the truth so that those who are lost will not respond. The time to share is now, while people have ears to hear. The day of His return draws near, hearts will grow harder, and ears will grow dull. Let us minister the Word now, while we can still be heard.
Jack Hayford Ministries
The idea that folks want to hear what THEY want to hear is disturbing. With the enemy handing out all kinds of lies and deceptions, the choices are many. The truth is clouded with the smoke screen of doubt and fear. If these preachers and guys who profess to know all the answers could be mistaken or just plain lying, then who are we to believe. The Word of God. Plain and simple. It is written in a manner that everyone can understand it. If this were not true then only a select few would have access to the truths in the Word and the rest of us would just be out of luck. The message is simple. God sent HIS only son to accomplish a mission only HE could do. And, HE accomplished that mission on the Cross , the empty tomb, and HIS resurrection. No hidden meanings. Just One God, One Son, One Holy Spirit. I direct you to the Word.
Just as the lost don't understand the Gospel, the saved rarely understand grace.
There are few activities more exhausting and less rewarding than Christians attempting to please the people around them by maintaining impossible legalistic demands. What a tragic trap, and thousands are caught in it. When will we ever learn?
Grace has set us free!
That message streamed often through the sermons and personal testimonies of the apostle Paul.
The lost need to hear how they can go from the island of debris, filled with misery and guilt, to the land of peace and forgiveness, flowing with mercy and grace. Those bridges are built when we lovingly and patiently communicate the Gospel. You don't have to have a seminary degree. You don't have to know a lot of the religious vocabulary. In your own authentic, honest, and unguarded manner, share with people what Christ has done for you. Who knows? It may not be long before you will know the joy of leading a lost sinner from the darkness of death's dungeon across the bridge to the liberating hope of new life in Christ. Once they've arrived, release them. Release them into the magnificent freedom that grace provides. Don't smother them with a bunch of rules and regulations that put them on probation and keep them in that holding tank until they "get their lives straightened out."; Making us holy is the Spirit's work. Be faithful to dispense the Gospel to the lost and Grace to the saved. Then leave the results in the Lord's hands.