False Teachers

Why Is There Such a Lack of Discernment?

4 Comments / February 13, 2024

I’ve been having a lot of conversations over the course of this past week about the lack of discernment that is exponentially growing among believers. The lack of interest in sticking to the scriptures is truly astounding, isn’t it?

It would seem that as long as the name of Jesus is used along with a few Bible verses, these TV shows and movies and books and teachers and preachers are given a golden pass to teach and promote whatever they want.

The other week I was in a church service where, as the music started, the congregation began singing the lyrics on the screen in front of them. But something didn’t seem quite right. I realized what it was when the pastor stood up and said “wait a minute”. The organist had accidentally started playing a different hymn and we were singing our lyrics to the wrong tune. We were making it work but it wasn’t right. These things happen (as a pianist, don’t I know it!!) and we all laughed as she began playing the hymn that was on the screen.

I have found myself wondering what would have happened if the pastor wouldn’t have stood up and said “wait, that’s not right.” I think we all would have just kept singing, getting more and more confused along the way.

This is such a great picture of what discernment should look like in a church. Church leaders, pastors, and teachers should be protecting their people from the wolves that are trying to make their way into the flock. They should stand up and say “Wait! That’s not biblical. That’s not the truth.” Instead, what we find in so many churches these days are few that are willing to speak up about false teaching and, in fact, many who are actually embracing these wolves and promoting them. It’s a sad, sad plight that is honestly hard to wrap one’s brain around.

But why this lack? Why are so few leaders willing to speak up? Why do people get so angry at them if they do speak up? What is going on? If we are honest, there are various reasons for this, but there is a big one that I want to mention here specifically.

I was having a conversation about this topic with my son yesterday and he said something like this: People just aren’t interested in God anymore.

I’ve been thinking about this and I think he is exactly right. They only want the nice things they read about a man named Jesus. They don’t have any interest in learning about God’s wrath and justice and His glory. They only want the nice stuff that makes their self-centered lives more pleasant. This is why a “Chosen” or “He Gets Us” Jesus has so much appeal. This is why so many of these false teachers gain such a following. They appeal to our flesh.

And this isn’t new. The Shack, Jesus Calling, and a plethora of other books and movies have laid the groundwork. Completely redefining our beliefs about God and Jesus, these books paved the way for where we find ourselves today. People are not getting their theology and understanding of God from scripture. They are turning to these bestsellers that are so close to the truth and yet so far away. Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He looks so good and yet He is so evil.

False teachers assure us of God’s love, grace, and mercy while never mentioning our need to repent of sin or God’s wrath, judgment, and holiness. They mention only the positives and never the negatives. It’s a one-sided religion that is woefully lacking. And, no matter the different details these false teachers give for their particular brand of religion, a religion that blatantly ignores these things so clearly found in scripture is absolutely FALSE.

But did you know that we were told in scripture that there would come a time that this would happen? Paul writes in 2 Timothy–

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

These people who refuse to discern aren’t victims of false teaching. But, rather, false teaching is God’s judgment on them. This is an important distinction to make. If someone is unwilling to hold to the authority of God’s Word in their life because they just don’t like certain things it says; if they are unwilling to follow Truth because it is unpleasant and would rather believe the LIE that is so much more pleasant…well, then they will find no lack of people and philosophies to woo them away from both the Word and the Truth.

It keeps coming back to the same thing doesn’t it? I am sure you are weary of me saying it but it just cannot be said enough! The Bible is our only anchor in this storm of heresy and apostasy that is swirling about us at an ever-increasing rate. Read it, study it, know it. Studying it with a humble heart willing to submit and obey all it says; this, through God’s precious Holy Spirit, is that which will hold us fast. Oh, how thankful we must be for God’s Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit who teaches us through His Word. God knew a time like this would come and He has provided all we need to stand fast!

NOTE: If you are just now becoming aware of the need to discern in this Christian culture; if you are just becoming aware that Jesus is being misrepresented in the culture at large; if you are wondering about a book study or an author your church is using; then I’d like to tell you about a little book I just published called Learn to Discern. It’s a short, easy read that will get you started in learning to discern, according to scripture. You can find it here.

What Color is the Sky?

3 Comments / February 8, 2024

Back in the 80s, there was an artist who liked to write songs about hot topics of the culture. One of the songs he wrote was about values clarification. You may not know what this is but I guarantee it has affected every one of our lives.

Values clarification is determining what has value based on subjectivity (personal “truth”) rather than objectivity (absolute truth). So his song was about a boat in which there were four people but only three could stay in it if it was to stay afloat. Which person had the “least value” and what criteria should be used to determine this?

This push to teach students values clarification was, in my opinion, very instrumental in moving the entire culture from absolute truth to subjective truth. From “This is true because it is true” to “This is true because this is what I have decided is true”. And from “This is true for all” to “this is my personal truth”.

But truth, by its very nature, must be true or false. There is no “truth” for you and a different “truth” for me. The sky cannot be both blue and purple at the same time. But most people would not argue with someone who says the sky is purple. They are content to let someone believe this, even if they don’t agree with them. And, in fact, they believe that there can be a different answer than four to the equation 2+2. They may believe the answer is four but they do not care and, in fact, willingly accept that someone else’s “truth” may lead them to a different answer.

This attitude about absolute truth is leading many Christians right off the cliff into the morass of relativity when it comes to discernment. Instead of using the Bible to judge what is right and what is wrong (because for a believer, the Bible is our ultimate test for these things), they are using emotion and feeling and pragmatism (does it work) to determine these things. They are determining what is true subjectively rather than objectively.

Let me give you an example…

Last week, I posted something my daughter had written about “The Chosen” TV series (you can find that here). Inevitably the comments come (more for her at this juncture than for me, although I did get a couple). The general spirit of these comments is “God is using this, how can you judge something God is using?” or “This has helped me to read my Bible more, how could you say this is bad?”

These people are determining truth by their own subjective experience, rather than by scripture. They are saying something is good, simply because it helped them or is helping someone else (pragmatism).

I just have to add here that if we think God needs a show from Hollywood that attacks His divinity and adds to His Words to reach people, we have a very, very low view of our all-powerful God. I’d also recommend reading Deuteronomy 13 to be reminded of how God feels about anyone who would lead his people astray. He does not take this lightly (to say the least!!)

Another example are the many popular books that make people “feel good”. They feel loved and comforted and encouraged. A book can’t possibly be wrong if it makes me feel so good, could it?

But should our feelings be our criteria for determining what is right, according to scripture? Is this what gives something “value”?

As genuine believers, we must hold the scripture as our authority and we must use this to determine what is right and good.

I think I am probably “preaching to the choir” here, because at this point if you are still sticking around here reading this blog, you are probably already aware of the danger of this type of thinking. And so let’s spend a moment or two considering how we talk to those who profess to follow Christ and yet just can’t see this danger.

This is a conundrum, isn’t it? It is an attitude that has reached every church and even every Christian family at some level. And it feels impossible to open someone’s eyes to how they are determining truth because they believe in their hearts that they are right. And guess what? It IS impossible for us to open their eyes. But God can!

And that is our HOPE. God–and only God–can open the eyes of someone who is determining truth in the wrong way. And so we must pray diligently.

As we pray, we must do our best to set a good example in our own lives of determining truth by scripture instead of by feelings. And, if we are given opportunities to have conversations about this with other Christians, we just keep pointing people to the Word. This is all we can do.

What we must never do is get into online debates or family arguments about this. Discussions are good but quarrels are not. If the person you are trying to point to the Word to determine truth wants no part of it, it’s best to just stop talking.

This is a very, very difficult time in which to be a Christian. Us older people can remember a time when truth was...truth. But that is simply not the case any more. We see this in a myriad of ways in secular culture but it has also crept into the church under the guise of “love and unity”.

Letting false teaching run amok among believers can never be defined as LOVE. And any unity that is based on “you believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want” is not true UNITY. But, unless someone is getting their definitions for love and for unity from scripture, they will have a very different opinion than you about this. These beautiful words that have so much meaning in scripture have literally been re-defined.

Oh, that we may continue to look to scripture as our anchor and our litmus test. And, as God gives us opportunities, may we encourage other believers to do the same.

If you’d like to read more about how to discern truth from error as a believer, along with some ideas on how to share the truth with others, perhaps my new book Learn to Discern (According to Scripture) would be helpful. It is available at this link. This is just a short book that I hope will help those who desire some help in learning to discern. I hope it will be a blessing to those who read it.

How Our Enemy Works

2 Comments / January 18, 2024

Last night we decided to watch a movie. We settled on a golf story that was rated G. It seemed well produced with a few familiar actors. As it began I noticed a verse from Isaiah flash up on the screen. I was distracted and didn’t take the time to read what that verse was. (I’ll come back to that later.)

As we settled in to watch, we enjoyed the story of a young golfer who had lost his way. Quite unsuspectingly, we ended up at the spiritual crux of the film, which was about 60 minutes in to the 90 minute film.

It started off quite innocently enough. Turning to the young man, his older mentor asked him a very good question:

What do you want people to say about you when you’re gone? What will your epitaph be?

Thought-provoking, isn’t it? After a few moments more of conversation regarding this, the young man thanked his mentor for all his help…which led to the older gentleman going on to encourage the young golfer towards his version of god (no capital because it wasn’t God at all!)–

(queue moving music) And I quote: Don’t thank me. Thank Him (pointing upwards) because God is all around us…inside each of us. If you listen, there’s a still small voice of truth leading us….talking to us…and telling you that you can see God’s face. Feel His presence. Trust His love.

No sin. No wrath. No Savior. Just look within and there you will find God. What blasphemy!

Now, this movie, which gave the impression of being a Christian movie, complete with encouragement to read the Holy Bible and go to church, ended in a very enigmatic way. It pointed you to a website. I decided to go there, and while I found a reference or two to Jesus, I could find NO Gospel. The first thing I did find was a testimony regarding the attacks the “enemy” (Satan) had made on the film during its production.

Oh. My. Goodness. How clever of Satan, right? Attack a film that is ALL HIS to begin with to give the message validity in the eyes of Christians. That is how our enemy works.

That bit of advice that man gave his protege was not biblical. It was satanic. It was pure mysticism and completely against scripture. Jeremiah couldn’t put it any plainer in verse 9 of chapter 17–

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

When I want back to look at just what verse they had used at the beginning of that film, I saw that it was verse completely taken out of context to promote this wicked lie that was nestled into this G-rated film.

See how our enemy works? He produces these innocuous movies, using out of context verses, and gradually changes the belief system of those who don’t know their Bibles and what it really says.

Until most of those who would claim Christianity do believe those words that man said. After all, who doesn’t love a religion that tells you to look to yourself (while claiming it is God) for the answers?

This belief–the belief to FOLLOW OUR HEARTS–is the core of mysticism and occultism. This belief is what will lead the world into the coming one-world religion.

Along with this core belief comes a very innocuous “Jesus”. He is a kind and loving man who doesn’t care if you keep sinning or if you follow after that heart of yours. He just wants to support you in whatever you want to do.

A friend of mine put this so succinctly yesterday in a comment. I asked her if I could share her thoughts with you. (Thank you, Susie!)–

[Modern-Day Christianity] is so one sided where Jesus is loved as the caring, loving, gentle, “give me everything I want when I want it” person, to the neglect of obedient walking, sin confessing, holy living, fear and reverence of God….

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have both of those sides to them. We cannot have one without the other.

To put it bluntly, God gets to call the shots. He is God. We don’t get to reinvent a fluffy nice Jesus who gives all I want without me walking obediently to God’s Word, and avoiding or neglecting parts of scripture where God seems harsh. “Keep yourself in the love of God” means to keep the love of God in view always as you read scripture.

What we have today is a selfish lop-sided religion world-wide.

Amen! But you need to understand that this is not without purpose. To get a bunch of people claiming to be Christians but living for themselves; listening to themselves; obsessed with themselves is a BIG win for Satan. For these people believe they are saved. They use the right terms, they sing songs of praise to Jesus, and they have their devotions. Oh, how burdened I am for these people who are living for their own dreams, their own promotion, their own desires and yet believe they are saved.

Maybe that is you? Oh, if it is, may I call you from a self-centered life to a God-centered life? May I encourage you to read the actual Bible rather than a devotional that just makes you feel good? Learn what biblical Christianity is from the scripture. It is there alone that we learn to know God and begin to understand our sinful nature and just how lost and hopeless we are without Jesus.

In Sunday School this past Sunday our teacher said something very profound:

If [Christianity] doesn’t impact your life, it’s not real.

He was referring specifically to turning from sin and worldliness. If we aren’t actively trying to do this (albeit imperfectly!)…if we aren’t even conscious of the fact that we should be doing these things, we should be concerned. Have we been duped into believing the lies of the enemy?

I keep a pair of crocs by the front door where I leave the dogs out. Sometimes I need to go out to check on something or to encourage them to come inside. Lately, I’ve been finding one croc all over the place. Sometimes it is in the kitchen, other times the sun room. This morning I found one under a blanket in the family room.

Our lab, Dixie, likes to steal shoes. She doesn’t usually harm them but simply grabs one shoe and moves it for some reason. I find shoes at the most unexpected places.

True biblical Christians are like this. We will find them everywhere across this world. Sometimes in unexpected places. I’ve had the great privilege of getting to know some of you through this blog. I’ve heard the testimonies of some from missionaries or through YouTube. And, in other cases, I’ve read their biographies.

While there is a great tsunami of apostasy that has invaded evangelicalism, God still has His faithful remnant spread across the world. I pray that we all study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15) and consistently examine our hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5) to be sure that we are part of that remnant. And that we work diligently to share the TRUE Gospel amidst the flood of false gospels that abound.

(And, one final thing in conclusion– be so careful what you watch. Do not watch even one movie, read one book, or listen to one podcast without intentional discernment. Satan knows full well that some Christians won’t watch, read or even listen to certain things and so he uses things that we assume to be free from worldly influences to share his message. Pay attention to the philosophies that are infused into innocuous packages.)

In the Light of His Word

7 Comments / January 13, 2024

Last week I was reading a story that contained a father figure that used the Bible as a weapon. The husband/father would shout Bible verses as he beat his wife and children. A few days later I watched the movie, Jane Eyre, and her school master was the exact same way. I am also currently reading the biography of a woman who was one of Brigham Young’s wives (Mormon leader). He, too– a wicked, wicked man–used the Bible to his own advantage, leaving a path of destruction and violence behind him.

All of these men used select Bible verses without context to scar people forever. Never mentioned by any of these men was the Gospel or any of the verses that talk about the love and joy found in the scriptures. Many men (and women, too), found in positions of leadership, have used and abused scripture for their own intentions and purposes throughout history. They are still doing this today.

I’ve been reflecting on this for awhile now. No wonder there are so many people unenamored with and disinterested in the whole of scripture. The religion that went by the name of Christianity for so many precious children was a religion of rules and laws devoid of love.

This is probably why so many adults, growing up in this kind of church or home, are prone to follow the false religion that goes by the same name that only focuses on the love of God. It is a swing in the opposite direction to the extreme. Some of them leave Christianity altogether, searching for peace in a different religion or even in denying God’s existence.

All false teaching that claims to be a branch of Christianity (Mormonism, Roman Catholicism, etc.) always stems from this ripping of verses out of context. Legalism (must do certain things in order to be saved) is no different.

Legalism is an EVIL false doctrine and its victims are countless.

But let’s remember this important fact: True salvation and wanting to follow Christ because we love Him leads to a desire to turn from the world and remove sin. It just does. It is part of the wonderful transformation in our lives. This is not legalism. This is being saved and becoming a “new creature”, just as we are promised (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Someone who professes to be a Christian and yet loves their sin and the world will always cry “legalism” if a fellow believer even hints at their desire to live a more pure and holy life. Because of this dynamic, I rather doubt that most Christians even understand what legalism really is.

How important that we realize that true legalism is ugly and God hates it. It puts the burden of being saved and staying saved on us. And what a heavy burden that is! I am so thankful for Ephesians 2:8-9 (some of my favorite verses in the whole Bible)–

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Works will not save us and they will not keep us saved. In fact, there is not even one thing we can do to save ourselves. Thank God we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and kept by Him for all eternity. Oh, how I love these verses I came across as I studied Revelation 1 a few weeks ago. Just read these incredible verses–

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

He loves us and He freed us from our sins by His blood. He has no intention of ever letting us go! (John 10:28-29)

I was talking with someone the other day about how the culture is so obsessed with the “new”. They always want something better and bigger and different. But the message of the Bible is timeless and never changes: We are dead in our sins BUT GOD (Ephesians 2:1-7), who sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. Satan has been trying to distort and twist this message forever, leading people into false religions, including the false religion of legalism. He will continue to do this as long as he is given free reign by God to do so.

Many of you have been reading this blog for a long time now. You have heard me just keep going back to the same truths of scripture over and over and over again. I am never going to give you some new doctrine or some new idea that propels me into greatness in the eyes of the world. I simply want to be faithful to the scriptures. It seems mundane and many readers grow bored with this. I get it. There is nothing exciting or innovative here.

But I hope what you will find here is a continual pointing to Jesus Christ and His Word. I hope you are encouraged to consider the whole Bible rather than just favorite parts. I hope that you are encouraged to find that balance that we find in scripture between the wrath of God and the love of God. Extremes are spiritually deadly because they are false religions.

I have not met many of you but my love for you compels me to keep writing and to keep encouraging you in the faith. I don’t do this because I am some echelon of spirituality. Quite the contrary. Often when I write I am struggling with some sin or worldly desire. I may be in my own depth of despair or be in the midst of an especially tough battle with my selfish, self-centered heart. Like you (if you are a redeemed child of God), the more I grow in Christ, the more I realize how far I have to go.

And so we continue on this path together, appreciating the heights of joy and happiness when they are given, but recognizing that most of life is made of ordinary days, some easy and some hard, where we are given the opportunity to simply trust and obey the Lord who saved us. Walking in the light of His Word, we trust and we obey. It’s not exciting or different or new. But it is what we are called to do.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Diagnosing and Curing Itchy Ear

4 Comments / November 1, 2023

2 Timothy is the final book that Paul wrote before being executed under the evil rule of Nero. It is full of practical wisdom and much exhortation for Timothy and for any believer who would read it throughout the ages. In chapter three Paul describes what the last days would look like. This description was not about what we would see in the world but about what would take place within the professing church.

As he moves to chapter four, he continues to let us know what would be the natural response of those he is describing in chapter three:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3)

When true believers come to this passage we often shake our heads in agreement and feel deep sadness at all of “those” people who are doing this very thing. We see them everywhere.

But today I’d like to take a bit of a different turn and think through this verse with a different lens.

Have you ever talked with someone about something and came away thinking, “they are so blind!” This might be a godly person who really wants to live for the Lord. But, for some reason, they can’t see their own sinfulness in a certain area or the truth about a false teacher or some other truth that is clear. Could this be because they have a slight case of itchy ear?

According to 2 Timothy 4, verse 3, there are a few ways we can diagnose itchy ear. Let’s look at them now–

1. We won’t endure sound doctrine. If we aren’t willing to endure sound doctrine in any particular area, then we probably have at least a slight case of itchy ear. What exactly is sound doctrine? In this context, it is the pure teaching of the Word. If we aren’t willing to submit and obey the Word in all areas, it will lead to a definite case of itchy ear.

But this is not always as cut and dried as we’d like to believe. Many of us will gladly obey most of the Bible. But when we get to a part that convicts us of entertainment, the lifestyle of anxiety or worry that has become our normal, or of giving up that long-held grudge and forgiving someone who deeply hurt us…well, that’s just too much to ask. And so we won’t endure that particular “sound doctrine”. This is a sure sign of itchy ear.

2. We only want to hear things that match our own desires. And so if someone brings something to our attention that we don’t care for–perhaps about a false teacher we love or a sin that is firmly entrenched in our lives– we will respond in one of two ways. We will get very defensive and maybe even a bit angry. Or we will just ignore it and go on with life. However we respond, we certainly won’t honestly examine our lives in regard to what is being said. Because we will choose not to hear what goes against our desires.

3. We will only like positive, uplifting teachers. If someone dares to call out sin, worldliness, or a false teacher (by name) we get all up in arms, declaring them to be negative, judgmental, and all sorts of other awful accusations. How dare they?!? And we conclude they must be the most unloving and unkind person we know.

4. We will turn away from truth and turn towards fables. The Shack is a rather old book by now but it is the perfect example of this very thing. This book (and its subsequent movie) presented a fable about God. It was not truth, according to scripture. And, yet, because so many loved the god that William Paul Young presented in his book, they turned away from the true God (as described in scripture) and embraced this false god. They turned away from truth and turned towards a fable. This is just one example. There are countless others and countless more to come. Satan loves to fool Christians. And he does it in such a way that it looks so good and so…right.

Do you have itchy ear? Even a slight case? Perhaps we all do to some extent. We don’t like to hear what is uncomfortable and demands change, do we? Change is hard and ingrained habits are hard to break. Teachers are much loved and the loyalty runs deep. Following hard after truth is not for the fainthearted and weak. And, yet, God can turn a fainthearted and weak person into someone willing to stand courageously in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit. But how?

How do we cure our case of itchy ear? How do we become someone who is willing to endure sound doctrine, willing to turn from our own desires in humble submission to God’s desires, willing to hear both the positive and the negative as we listen to teachers, and willing to turn toward truth and away from fables? How can we be sure to be the kind of listener that benefits our spiritual walk and blesses a biblical teacher?

There are a few things we can do. It’s rather simple really. But we can’t miss a step.

First, we must pray and read the Word. Let’s bring a humble spirit before the Lord, asking Him to show us the truth and to help us be willing to change. And then let’s read and study the Word with perseverance and diligence, so that we can know our God and what He desires.

Second, we must be willing to examine ourselves in light of the Word. Many of us live in a superficial way because we are unwilling to do this. And, I must admit, it is much easier to just live day to day as we endeavor to complete our to-do lists and take care of the many things calling our names. But, without taking the time to examine ourselves, we are opening ourselves up to a severe case of itchy ear, for it will sneak up on us when we least expect it.

Third, we must be willing to turn from our feelings. For many of us (myself included) the temptation is strong to let our feelings drive our lives. And so we don’t read our Bibles because we don’t feel like it. Or we turn on the TV and waste hours of time because we don’t feel like doing anything else. We don’t feel like reading hard books that help us grow but we feel like reading easy novels that fill our mind with fluff (at best) or trash (at worst). We make choices about going to church (oh, it was such a late night, let’s skip), we make choices about music (oh, this has such a catchy tune), we make choices about our children’s entertainment (but I don’t want to upset my child and take this way from her because then she might be mad at me) all based solely on how they make us feel. This will almost always lead to itchy ear.

With God’s help, we must move from making decisions based on feelings to making decisions based on what will please God. For a genuine believer that wants to live out their faith, no decision escapes this examination. Am I choosing this because of how it will make me feel or am I choosing it because I want to please the Lord? (I am convicting myself here!)

Fourth, we must be willing to listen to biblical teachers that will preach the whole word of God instead of those who just give us the positive, uplifting messages that make us feel good.

If we do these things, then we will cure our case of itchy ear, whether it be a severe case or just the slightest case. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be walking around with itchy ear, spiritually sick and weakened, when God has made a way for us to live out a radiant, vibrant faith as we journey through this darkened world!

Should We “Eat the Meat and Spit Out the Bones”?

5 Comments / April 25, 2023

A few years ago I heard a pastor say to his congregation that, as believers, we need not reject a teacher simply because he is false in one area. We can “eat the meat and spit out the bones” is the phrase used to describe such an approach.

In theory, it sounds nice, doesn’t it? I’d like to share with you today a recent (and rather embarrassing) example from my own life as to why I do not follow this approach myself personally. And I encourage you not to, either.

Last week, I wrote about a book of prayer that I had picked up by an author I thought I could trust (you can find that post here). In that post, I mentioned that something seemed off and that I gave it to my brother (the pastor) for review. A few days ago, he sent me a text and mentioned some of the serious theological errors in the book, along with screenshots of the marked pages.

I was thoroughly ashamed of myself. Why didn’t I spot those? They were so blatantly obvious now that he had pointed them out. But I can tell you why I didn’t spot them. It was because I was so enamored by the amazing “answered prayers” and the experiences of the author. While my eyes were drawn towards these fascinating accounts, the other parts that go completely against the Bible found a back road into my brain.

And, while I had no idea this author was compromised, I will not choose to read any other theological offering he may have now that I do know. Why is this? Why would I choose to avoid him if he clearly showed himself unbiblical in just the area of prayer?

Well, let me give you four simple reasons why I’ve come to the conclusion that “eating the meat and spitting out the bones” is not for me–

First, God demands 100% purity. While balance is important in most areas of life, it is never called for when it comes to discernment. While we will never be able to be perfectly pure here on this earth (which is the reason we need Christ), we should be striving for it. We should desire to make our lives as pure as possible as we seek to live for Christ. This includes everything we “feed” to our minds.

If I know a teacher is false, it is my responsibility to walk away from this teacher. Paul says we are to mark and avoid them and John says we aren’t to allow them into our homes or even greet them (Romans 16:17; 2 John 7-11). That is pretty strong language, isn’t it? Instead, many would tell us to dig for the gems that can be found among the dung heap. But the Bible makes it clear: If we know a teacher is false, we should run (not walk) to the nearest exit!

Second, I just don’t know my Bible well enough. The “eating the meat, spit out the bones” approach has a pretty important presupposition that cannot be ignored. It presupposes that I know my Bible well enough to spot any and all false teaching. But here’s the problem: I just don’t. The incident with the book on prayer was just a confirmation of what I already knew to be true. And although I have spent many hours studying the Bible, I do not consider myself even close to where I would need to be to approach any book with an “eat the meat, spit out the bones” mentality. I just don’t know enough. I don’t think I ever will, no matter how much I study.

Third, my flesh is drawn towards the wrong things. My “human nature” draws me towards those lovely experiences and supernatural signs that give goose bumps and wow me. I didn’t think it was but then I read that book and I realized how susceptible I am (and I even know to be looking for these things so how pathetic is that?) It made me realize once again the power that is in experience. This is why mysticism is so very attractive today. It is why churches and individuals are leaving the Bible and objective truth by the droves and chasing after it. It makes so much sense. It is also why we must guard our hearts and protect our minds from anything that would lead us a wrong direction. I am not so much better or stronger than the one who has traded in the Bible to be wooed and wowed by experiences, now am I?

Fourth, it’s a waste of time. Let’s just say that I believed I did know my Bible well enough and I wasn’t prone to fall for accounts of “experiences”, does that make it wise to choose this approach? I don’t think so and here’s why: Why would I waste my time? There are so many great books and preachers out there who aren’t compromised. Why would I bother to waste my time and energy on ones that I know are compromised? It just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Paul tells us twice to “redeem” our time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5). This means we should think carefully about how we spend our time. Is a book that we know to contain falsehood a wise way to redeem our time? I have decided that, for me personally, it is not.

So this is why I choose not to “eat the meat and spit out the bones”. But before I close I do want to answer a question that may be in your mind as you read this:

What about disagreement on “secondary” (non-Gospel) issues?

I’m obviously not going to agree 100% with any author. So how do we handle this?

While I don’t actually believe there are “secondary” issues when it comes to interpreting scripture (there is one RIGHT interpretation), there are issues and areas on which disagreement would not keep me from reading a book written by them. For instance, most of the Puritans were wrong in their eschatology (the study of the last days) but I have learned much in reading works written by them regarding living the Christian life. I would not, however, read a book that they wrote about the subject of eschatology, as it would not be biblical.

Another principle I have regarding this specific question is to avoid any work that would direct its reader towards mysticism (which ultimately renders the Word of God irrelevant to one’s relationship with God). There has been a horrible abuse of the Holy Spirit, in which it is taught and practiced that His work in our lives is divorced from Scripture. This is not a biblical concept whatsoever. This is an absolute deal breaker for me. I will not read or listen to anyone who would lead me in this direction.

And one final principle I personally follow is to avoid anyone that I know to be compromised in how they live their lives and in their associations– even if I agree with what they say or write. This hypocrisy — to preach one thing but to live another– is also a deal breaker for me. And so I generally refuse to read or to promote anyone who I know to be compromised in this way.

I know that many of you will not agree with me on this but I thought there might be a few of you out there who might find these thoughts helpful as you navigate the mine field of “Christian” material available to us these days. This is my own personal approach and it is what I have chosen to do in order to protect myself as best I can against false teaching.

But, that being said, as I recently learned, it can sometimes slip in even through an old book written almost a hundred years ago. We can never let our guards down. We must test all spirits (I John 4:1) and we must test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21). We cannot let ourselves be distracted by the exciting or the unusual or the fascinating. But, instead, we must hold firmly to the truth of scripture at all times. To lose our grasp on that is to lose our grasp on the anchor that keeps us moored safely to our God. And that’s where we want (and need) to be at all times.

Encouragement for the Lonely Believer

12 Comments / March 28, 2023

In the midst of an increasingly and very noticeable shift away from the Word (even in once-sound churches and ministries), we may find ourselves feeling lonely and discouraged. As we watch the crevices and cracks that are left in the wake of removing biblical authority (in practice, if not from doctrinal statements) be filled in with other things (such as reliance upon experience, unity with false religion, and tolerance), we find that few people are willing to stand with us against the apostasy that is coming in like a tsunami across all denominations and organizations that use the name of Jesus. The fear of being labeled “not very nice” and the sin of “appearing negative” are the great things to be avoided in most churches and Christian organizations these days and if you do not bow to this agenda, you are generally sidelined, ridiculed, or just plain ignored.

This change leaves so many Christians without the support that God intended for us to have one with another as we traverse this difficult journey of sharing a Gospel that is no longer tolerated and standing for the Truth of the Word that few people (even those who call themselves Christians) have interest in.

So what is a lonely Christian to do?

In my own journey, I’ve learned a few things along the way. I would like to encourage you today with some of the things that God has been teaching me over the past few years as many of you have mentioned to me your own battle in standing strong while feeling so alone.

First, seek to love and please God above all.

Mark 12:30 says we are to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, with all of our souls, with all of our minds, and with all of our strength. In other words, with our whole self. So often we hold back things from God that make us uncomfortable. Certain decisions that we know we should make but are just unwilling to. I have been learning that we need to give our all to God and let Him take care of the rest (and He does! He is so faithful!!). I have made many uncomfortable decisions with many questions marks. Some of those decisions have not gone at all how I thought they would and some have ended up much better and, even occasionally, worse than I thought. But here’s the thing–through it all God cares so deeply for the one who loves Him and makes choices with this love for God in mind. In fact, Romans 8:28 makes this so clear, doesn’t it?–

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

If we love Him, He will work all things out for our good and His glory. And this is no empty promise. I am sure that you, like me, can look back over your life and see His wonderful faithfulness through that tough choice to stand for truth when it required sacrifice. So even if we have to make a difficult decision that we know is the right decision, we can be confident that we are doing the right thing, despite any deep sadness or antagonism that may surround that decision.

Second, seek to know and honor the truth of God’s Word, at any cost.

This is no easy task in this current “Christian” culture. Most people are uninterested in the truth because–let’s face it– much of God’s truth from scripture certainly doesn’t give us the warm fuzzies or fill us with peace and comfort. None of us likes the idea of being a sinner; of there being an eternal hell for those who reject Christ; and any number of doctrines that make us uncomfortable from a human standpoint.

But God has given us His Word and we are to believe, submit to, and obey all of it. Notice there is no clause anywhere in scripture that tells us we can ignore, rewrite, or re-interpret what is confusing or unpleasant to us.

The one critical thing to keep in mind here is how the Bible becomes clearer and clearer the more effort we give to studying it. I remember talking to my brother (the Pastor) a few months ago and he mentioned how he was looking forward to studying a specific passage that had a lot of questions surrounding it. I said something along the lines of “Well, I guess we can’t always really know the answer.” And his response has stuck with me– “I have found that if I really give effort to studying it, the answer will be found in the Word.”

The problem for most of us is that we’d prefer to read a novel or watch a movie than to study the Word. And so we flounder in the confusion born of a lack of knowledge so much more than we should.

This is a constant and daily struggle and endeavor for me, as well. I have not arrived in any way. I am simply thankful that God has been teaching me the value of knowing His Word and of the authority it must hold for all who would claim Christ.

Third, don’t tolerate compromise.

Compare everything against scripture. As John says “Test the spirits” (I John 4:1) and Paul exhorts: “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” (I Thessalonians 5:21). If something shows itself to be unbiblical we should speak up with love. It is not easy but if not us, then who? Always be loving. Always use scripture. Man’s opinion doesn’t matter.

And if the party you are speaking to doesn’t care? If they have no interest in what you are saying or in looking at scripture? Well, then we learned a hard lesson about that very thing.

“If you stay you will become like them.” This is what we heard when we were seeking wise counsel in a very difficult situation so many years ago. This profound statement was filled with wisdom and we did find it to be true. In this current age of great apostasy, we (my husband and I) have learned that rather than affect the change we so longed for, we would end up giving in and tolerating unbiblical ideas and programs. Thankfully, we recognized that this is the first step on the path of deception. We are thankful for that wise counsel given so many years ago and continue to consider it whenever we are faced with a similar situation.

Fourth, don’t let yourself be ruled by the crowd, the trends, or by what’s popular.

Many, many years ago now, I spoke up against a false teacher that was being brought into the youth group at the church where I attended. At this time, this particular teacher was becoming well-loved in evangelical circles and my words were not well-received. I found myself second-guessing myself. But then I’d go to scripture, compare what this teacher was saying to the scripture, and realize afresh that–if one was judging this man by scripture–that he must be classified as a false teacher.

Many years passed and then one day, I remember very specifically realizing that this same teacher had now made his heresy abundantly clear through books he wrote and associations he had.

This experience reminded me to stand up for the truth, no matter what the world (and the mainstream church) is saying. It just doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is: What does God say?

Fifth, find your identity in God and not in the good opinions of fickle man.

I hate to even use the word “identity”. It brings the idea of psychological babble to my mind. But what I am referring to here is the deep need that we all have to be loved. We try to get that love through the wrong places and even as born-again believers we can find ourselves caving and compromising because we want so badly to be liked by our families, our friends, our co-workers, and our church families.

God has taught me much about this through the past thirteen years of blogging and through many other situations in my life. And, yet, I still battle this desire almost every day. I don’t want people to think I’m strange, negative, or divisive (or any other number of words that have been used to describe me in my efforts to stand for God’s Word).

And, always, in the midst of these accusations, I eventually come back to the same conclusion: God is my all. I need nothing else.

As a side note, I have learned that I must, with humility, evaluate every accusation and examine myself. I cannot simply and pridefully assume that someone is wrong when they say something about me I don’t like. And so that must be our first step as we encounter the opinions of others. And changes should be made if we find ourselves lacking in love or some other godly attribute. But, when it’s all said and done, it is God we must please and not man. Paul puts it like this in Galatians–

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The only approval that matters is Christ’s. If we are worried about winning the approval of man we are going to be sorely disappointed as those who seek to speak truth. For man is generally uninterested in the spiritual truths of the Bible and will hate the one who shares it (John 15:18-20; I John 3:13). In fact, Peter tells us to expect to suffer for the sake of righteousness–

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (I Peter 4:12-14)

Sixth, keep your eyes on Jesus.

This can be so hard in the midst of such great apostasy and in a world heaving with trials and troubles, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. But as the prophet Isaiah reminds us so clearly, only the person whose mind is stayed on the Lord will experience the peace that is promised to the children of the Lord–

You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

It is when I allow my eyes to focus in on the troubles and the hurts and the pain that my spirit is so disturbed with in me. As one of my favorite hymns puts it–

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Seventh, and last but not least, give great effort to prayer and Bible study in the hard decisions.

Oh, what a faithful God we serve! If we will but seek Him and His will for our lives, He will make it known. Of course, it is not always on our timeline, is it?? But He cares about us and loves us so much (Romans 5:8; I Peter 5:7) and He has promised to guide and direct us as long as we aren’t leaning on our own understanding or continuing in willful sin but, instead, fearing and trusting Him above all else (Proverbs 3:5-8).

I am not sure if this of encouragement to anyone or not. I hope that it is. And, remember, that you are not alone. Not everyone is enamored with the modern fodder that goes by the name of Christianity. Not everyone is leaving the Bible behind. And not everyone has turned their back on biblical authority. And, through God’s faithfulness, you may find a little pocket in your own community of like-minded believers that will encourage your soul. But, if not, then God will provide you encouragement through some other avenue. Perhaps even through this blog.

Oh, my dear readers, stay the course. It would seem that our redemption draweth nigh! Let’s continue to proclaim the Gospel and stand for the Truth until the Lord returns! Maranatha!

Can You Argue Against Experience?

7 Comments / March 21, 2023

Can you argue against experience? This is a valid question in this experience-driven world, where people value experience over and above almost anything else. Their experiences are what tells them “their truth”. This is why they believe that they can have a different truth from someone else. According to them, what is true for me, may not be true for you.

But is this statement actually grounded in truth?

If someone thinks the sky is red or purple, does this mean that it is? If someone insists that two plus two equals three, does this mean it does? Does the person’s belief validate the fact?

Of course, any thinking person would say NO, it certainly does not. We are willing to acknowledge this in the physical world and, yet, when it comes to the spiritual, we seem to falter.

But here’s the thing: As believers, we know full well that the Bible is TRUE. All of it. Not part of it, not just sections of it, not just particular verses. All of it is the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God. This means its TRUTH is just as absolute–and, in fact, even more so!–than a math fact or the color of the sky.

So if someone’s experience contradicts scripture, then what do we know?

We know that the experience is what is FALSE because scripture is never wrong.

More and more, we live in the midst of people who claim to love God but want nothing to do with His Word. They simply want the verses that work for them and there is an overwhelming thirst for an experience that makes them feel closer to God that bypasses the Word.

We can see it happening all around us. It’s discouraging and disturbing.

Whenever the Word is bypassed we can know, without a doubt, that true, biblical Christianity is being bypassed, as well.

Of course, the thing that makes this so very difficult is that so many false teachers will use the Word to their own gain, pulling out verses to make their specific points. So it will seem as if they aren’t bypassing the Word, when they really are. (This is simply one more reason that we MUST know the Word of God for ourselves. I am truly not sure there has ever been a more important time in the history of mankind to know our Bibles! The deception is REAL and the delusion is growing exponentially.)

The following two things have something in common–

First, I read something someone wrote recently regarding the need to break away from “religion” and embrace the Holy Spirit. But from the rest of the post, it was evident that this was all based on subjective experience. There was little mention of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and absolutely NO mention of the Bible. I am rather guessing that this fake “Holy Spirit” being referred to offers an appealing worldly “freedom” that is not found in the Bible. One that appeared to be utterly divorced from scripture.

Second, have you noticed, that there have been multiple “Jesus” things to make their way on the scene in just the past few months? I can assure you that none of them are genuine representations of Jesus*. And yet… multitudes of Christians are not only embracing these things but they often get frustrated or condescending with anyone who tests them according to scripture. Antagonism and cooled friendships has become the norm for almost every discerning Christian.

So what do these two paragraphs have in common?

BOTH of these things have taken the people’s hearts and minds from the Word and placed them on experience. Whether it is their own supernatural experience or the experience of entertainment that makes one feel good, it matters not. The KEY is always to move the Christian’s heart and mind away from scripture.

Why is this?

It is because this is the only way to bring mysticism into the church.

And why must that be accomplished?

It is because mysticism is the path to one world religion. You cannot have absolute truth based on the Bible in a one world religion.

When we step back for just a moment and view the BIG PICTURE of Bible prophecy, we can see where “Christianity” is going and why it must go there in order for Revelation to be fulfilled.

As we consider this, may we be encouraged today to never divorce our experiences from scripture. The Bible must be our authority for all of godliness and life. It and it alone must be the grid by which we judge everything. If our experience doesn’t go with scripture then it is our experience that is suspect. It is our experience that is counterfeit. Satan comes as an “angel of light” and can do signs and wonders. Don’t doubt for a second that he can drum up many experiences and has his minions busy creating loyalty to a Jesus that is simply not in scripture.

So can we judge experience? Yes, we sure can. And, in fact, we must.

But it must be by scripture. For, as I’ve said a million times (or more?) my opinion means NOTHING and neither does yours. Only God’s matters. And He has given us His Word so that we can discern and know just what we need to know for such a time as this.

So keep standing on scripture. No matter the name-calling, the antagonism, the cold shoulders, the hatred. And, in fact, know that this is to be expected if we are to stand for the LORD and against the world. This is to be our path when we stand against Satan and his system–especially when that system pretends to be “Christian”.

We are in a battle and the fighting is growing more fierce. But we can and will stand strong because the battle is the Lord’s and we fight in the power of His might!

*Click HERE for an article, written by my dad, regarding why these many Jesus movies and movements are clearly counterfeits. In this article you will find a plethora of links and comparisons to scripture for each individual movement. I think you will find it helpful if you are someone who is truly searching for the truth regarding the latest popular trends to hit the “Christian” world.

God’s Terms or Mine?

7 Comments / March 16, 2023

(Scroll down to the bottom for a brief update about me and where I’ve been the last couple of weeks…)

How often have we heard the words “well, I believe…” or “my opinion is…”? This is fine when it comes to most things. But when it comes to eternity this will never do. We cannot have differing opinions about how one can be right with God. Just as two plus two equals four (and not five or three), there is absolute truth regarding how we can be right with God. We don’t get to just decide what we “want” to believe.

We are not God and so we must turn to Him to find out if and how reconciliation with Him is possible. Thankfully, He gave us His Word to give us insight into this and to all of life. It is a treasure trove of wisdom from above for those who are willing to submit to and obey what it says. (Our spiritual eyes are blinded when we approach it with arrogance and misconceived, pre-determined notions. So one can read–and even study– the Bible without understanding. This is why we must always be praying for and striving for a humble, teachable heart.)

It is in scripture that we find God’s way of how we can have peace with Him. He has provided the bridge we so desperately need through sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus paid the price for our sins and has provided His own righteousness so that we can stand righteous before God. It is truly amazing! It is through Christ and Christ alone that we are able to have peace with God. It is only through Christ that we have the promise of eternal life. In God’s Word, we also find out how He changes us when He saves us and there we find many descriptions of the true believer.

A few weeks ago, we were in Sunday school discussing Cain and Abel from Genesis 4. And I’ve been thinking about this a great deal over the past few weeks. It seems like this story is symbolic of each one of us at some point in our lives.

The question is: Will I come to God on His terms or will I insist on my terms?

Cain gave something to God but it was not what God demanded. God demanded the best. I am uncertain if God had expected a blood sacrifice from Cain. I rather suspect He did but I haven’t studied this passage at great length. I do believe we can say with confidence, however, that He, at the very least, wanted the “first fruits” of Cain’s garden. It says in Genesis 4 that Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil”.

Cain had decided in his heart to keep the best for himself. He deliberately chose to disobey God and to do things in his own way. Abel made a decision to do things God’s way.

This scene has played out throughout history in the heart of every man and the doctrinal statement of every church. Will we accept God’s terms or will we make up our own terms?

When we think we can merit salvation by our own good works, we are demanding God to accept our good works. But He doesn’t.

When we think we can say a prayer and then go on to live a life of sin and worldliness and still be saved, we are demanding the world and Christ, too. But God clearly says we can’t have both.

When we say that all ways lead to God and it doesn’t matter how we get there, we are demanding that God grant His grace to all. But scripture makes it clear that grace is only granted to those who call upon His name.

When we vilify God and make wrong assumptions about His character that are based on our finite minds, we are showing our deep-seated pride. God is good and perfect. He can still be those things, even when we can’t understand certain things in scripture. (As someone once said–we’d be so much better off submitting to and obeying the many things we can understand rather than getting so worked up about the few things we can’t.)

And, while all false religions make wrong presumptions about what it takes to be right with God, I want to turn our focus specifically to the false religion that goes by the name of Christianity for a few minutes. When an individual or church moves from Word-based Christianity to feelings or experience-based Christianity, we automatically move from God’s terms to our terms. Suddenly, we call the shots. Oh, surely, many believe that it is the Holy Spirit who is directing them. But this is a deception of the highest sort, because the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit works with and through the Word. He would never work against it. Not ever.

God has made so much so clear in His Word. And, boy, do we need that clarity for such a time as this! For it is only the Word that keeps us anchored to the truth about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit and, in fact, anchored to all Truth itself. Once we label the Bible unnecessary, irrelevant, and/or without authority, we’ve made a decision to come to God on our own terms. Whether this is how we think about it or not, this is what has happened.

There is a literal tsunami of this going on in Christian culture right now. And, in fact, to turn the eyes of the people back to the Word is to invite the harshest criticism from those who claim Christ. But it is what we must continue to do. It is the only thing that matters. It is the only way we can know the Truth about God and about life. We dare not trust an inner voice or a vision or a dream or a sign. We would have absolutely NO way to confirm where these things are coming from. We can sincerely believe they are from God, when they come straight from the Great Deceiver…that Roaring Lion who seeks to destroy; the Angel of Light who seeks to deceive. Oh, how great and grave the danger to those who, assuming these things are from God, embrace mysticism through the elevation of their experiences.

The thing I have discovered in my own study of scripture is that–

1) We can understand what we are supposed to understand. Yes, there are some difficult passages and I surely cannot understand everything. But God has clearly shown us in scripture how to be saved. He has also given many promises and much encouragement, along with great detail regarding sin and choices, as well as regarding the Christian life and how we will be changed if we are genuinely saved. These things can be easily understood by the average believer who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. No degree necessary.

2) We can’t just pick and choose what we will believe. We must accept it all as God’s Word or we can not logically accept any of it. We can’t just decide that we believe the Ten Commandments or the “red letters” in the Gospel are from God. God very specifically kept His Word cohesive and consistent throughout the entirety of the Book. It is all or nothing.

3) God demands an undivided heart. As God so often does, He has recently brought all I am studying and listening all together into one common theme. I have recently been studying Mark 10 and, in this chapter, I read about the story of the Rich, Young Ruler. W. Graham Scroggie goes to the heart of what is happening in his commentary on Mark–

But what was the thing which this man lacked? The willingness to sacrifice everything to have Christ. Jesus does not teach that to gain eternal life one must be poor in this world’s goods, but He does teach that the divided heart loses the prize. This man wanted something better than he had, but he was not prepared to make any sacrifice to get it. If Christ could accept such, millions of people would join the Church at once. But He cannot, and so this law-keeping, money-loving man missed life. He wanted God, but not at the cost of his gold.; he wanted life; but not at the expense of luxury; he was willing to serve, but not to sacrifice.

Oh, how many want God and the world, too. They desire the golden ticket to heaven but also want to gratify the flesh.

And, oh, how this “say-a-prayer” easy-believism meets that desire! We can have it all and still have Christ. But, my dear reader, those are man-made terms. They are not God’s.

God’s gift is free. He doesn’t demand any works for salvation. But it is clear in scripture that true salvation transforms. Oh, it may not be instant and it will be at a different pace in each and every one of us. But this transformation does occur. It has to. For it is what proves that there is genuine salvation.

If you don’t like what I am saying or don’t believe what I am saying, then I encourage you to read the Bible. You will see that this is what it teaches if you are willing to read it with a humble and teachable heart. Start with the New Testament. When you do this, you will notice a very consistent message of salvation and the desire for holiness that is the natural result of a changed heart.

The Bible, and this alone, gives us God’s terms for peace with Him.

And we dare not miss this. For our very eternity and the eternity for every human being on earth depends on our acknowledgement of and our submission to God’s PLAN.

May we be like Abel and bow in humble submission to our King and His plan, rather than standing pridefully, like Cain, demanding God follow our plan.

For He is GOD and we are NOT.

I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

QUICK UPDATE: Two weeks ago tomorrow, my elderly aunt was killed unexpectedly in a car accident. I have to smile to myself when I use the word “elderly” because she really didn’t seem even close to her 87 years. She was so spry and cheerful. She had been an “adopted” member of our family for several years, as her own family had passed away some years back. We had been planning to go visit our newest (ninth!) grandchild in Texas but God’s timing wasn’t quite our timing and so we had to postpone our trip by a few days. The past couple of weeks have been spent mourning the loss of my dear aunt and then celebrating new life with our new grandson and his family. Grief and joy side-by-side, as is so often the case in this world. Both have been a reminder of the fact that life never stays the same. Birth and death never take a break but are always happening. And death always reminds us of the fragility and preciousness of life. Oh, that we would live with this in mind as we we consider our actions and words with our families and friends, our neighbors and co-workers. I guess that’s all for now. Just wanted to give those of you that aren’t on Facebook a brief update!

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

3 Comments / October 20, 2022

A few months ago I happened upon a historical documentary of the west. I had never really been all that interested in the west and how it was “won” but, for whatever reason, I turned on Part 1 and watched. The whole thing was very fascinating and I just kept watching until I had watched all of the parts.

One of the things that was disappointing was that they highlighted some missionaries but spoke very negatively about them. In fact, in listening to the series, one would have come away with the idea that they did more harm than good. At first, I was disgusted that this couple would harm the name of Christ. And then I began to wonder: Was this true? A little niggling doubt started to grow in my mind. Was this documentary actually telling the truth?

The series quoted a woman by the name of Catherine Sager quite a bit in the one part of the series, as she described her experience going west as a child in a Conestoga Wagon. She wrote a journal that has been published and I found it on Amazon. I decided to read it.

What I found in her journal was not only a vivid account of her experience going west but also a wonderful account of her time as an adopted daughter of the missionaries that were so maligned by the producers in this documentary.

In doing more research, I realized that, while the missionaries certainly didn’t do everything right, they did do much of which was to be commended, including taking in seven orphans who needed a home and loving and caring for them like they were their own.

A few years after these orphans were settled in their new home, a greedy man looking for trouble showed up at their mission station and started spreading lies about them.

Within a few weeks, the couple, along with three of the orphans, were dead. One of the worst massacres in history was started by lies. Just sheer lies.

They didn’t mention this on the series. I found this out through reading Catherine Sager’s diary and a letter to her uncle that she wrote as an adult. Isn’t it interesting how they failed to mention this but, rather, laid the blame on the methods of the missionaries?

As I considered the current agenda regarding Native Americans, I realized that this series was promoting said agenda. Making the Indians look purely like victims and the white man as evil promoted the agenda. And, while many white men were not pure in motives and were quite wicked, so, too, were the Indians, with their satanic religion and disregard for human life.

All men are depraved. Sinners from conception. What happened in the west is what we should expect from the unregenerate.

But there were true believers who went west with the right motives. We can’t call all men of a certain color (whether white or red, black or brown) evil just because of their skin color. What an incredibly evil and manipulative thing to do.

So what is my point? (You know I have one!)

I have been convinced more and more that we cannot believe what we hear. There are so many agendas out there that we must always read, listen, and watch everything with our guards up– no matter which side it is coming from.

While I learned a lot of interesting facts from that series on the west, I recognized fairly early on that they were only sharing the facts that they wanted me to hear. They made the choice to share only the bad (and no good) about missionaries who went west to share the Gospel. They chose to make certain groups victims and certain groups perpetrators, without giving the dynamics, nuances, and facts surrounding the happenings.

This is no different than the news we watch at night or the best seller books we read or the TV show or movie that slithers its way into our homes by calling itself “entertainment”. It is also no different for the many things that are labeled “Christian” and “right”. Few of these things are just stand alone offerings to provide us with something to do with our time. Most have a specific agenda in what they are teaching. There is a very specific way they are trying to change the culture.

Don’t believe me?

I guess you don’t have to. But this is backed up by facts, quotes, and reality so you really can’t say you don’t believe me honestly until you do a little research on your own.

There are many, many lies and agendas that are demanding our attention and getting “our danders” up. (And so they should!) But don’t be manipulated by what you hear. Don’t let it steal your peace. And make sure you have all of the facts before you make a decision about where you stand on any given situation or issue.

And, more than ever, we need to understand the true treasure that the Word of God is. As we begin to understand the plethora of lies and agendas that surround us and come at us from every avenue, including both secular and sacred, we begin to understand the value of a book that holds within its pages absolute truth; a true and loving gift from our Heavenly Father.

Only there can we trust everything written. Only there will we find an explanation for what is happening in the world around us. Only there do we find the puzzle pieces that help us start putting the puzzle of the future together in a way that makes sense. Only there do we come face to face with our sin and find the way to a glorious reconciliation with God. And only there do we find the promises of peace, joy, and love that God offers to those that are His, no matter what circumstances we face.

We are sinners. Jesus died for sinners. He rose again and lives today, caring for and protecting those who love Him and have believed on Him for salvation. And, in that, there is hope, no matter how many lies and agendas swirl about us.

 

 

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is [a]proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Psalm 18:30

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

 

 

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