I almost bought a car this week? An old one but it was in great condition and not a bad price. It was an opportunity and would have helped us cut out the need to maintain a rental car. However it didn’t happen? Now I know a little about cars…not quite the ‘you could put what I know on the back of a postage stamp’ but not far off it! I took it for a drive and was impressed, even lifted the bonnet and sounded quite expert in front of my wife.. Looked good, clean and it sounded great too!Acknowledging that I don’t really know much about cars I asked a friend if he had a friend who knows about cars and sure enough a couple of days later, his friend took a look at the car.. Well, talk of Homer Simpson, Doh!!!! This guy knew what he was about and proceeded to, not only tell me but show every defect and fault this car had and it was not good news…needless to say I didn’t buy it. Here’s the point, I saw nothing!! I was blind to every defect and some of them were glaringly obvious, indeed as soon as this guy started pointing them out well they really were obvious. How did I NOT see them?
I have become acutely aware of the constancy of Scripture when it highlights the rise of false teachers, preachers and doctrines as we near the return of the Lord. They are not always as obvious as the well-dressed couple who knock your door and offer you a certain magazine or the nice young men with badges clipped to their pristine white shirts. No, false teachers are appearing in much subtler garb and from within the ‘evangelical family’ too! They peddle their wares in the guise of ‘truth’ and make alluring promises and sadly many are following after them..I get so angry when I hear their messages of prosperity and gain, of promises that are more appropriate for a Disney Movie than a pulpit and how they have this inane ability to contort even the most obvious of Scriptures (E.G. What it teaches about Heaven AND HELL!) things that, as many of the resurgent writers put it, just cheapen the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. AND people actually beleive them, they are blind?
So who is to blame for the masses that follow these ‘Christian Pied Pipers’? Is it not like me and that car, if I knew more about cars? If I had known as much about cars as my friend did I would have seen the problems myself right away, I would not have needed someone else to tell me! I understand that those agencies in their respective countries who watch for counterfeit currency are so highly trained and expert on, NO! not the counterfeit, BUT the genuine money. They know the real thing so well that as soon as they see a counterfeit it is easily recognisable as false! So there’s the answer to both the questions of who is to blame and how do we avoid it?
So many believers today have such a scant knowledge of the Word of God..Without the knowledge of the Scriptures there will never be any discernment to know what is right or wrong and people will remain blind and follow blindly afer every fade that sounds good, feels good?..Surely the lesson is that of the Bereans, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11. Tell me Christian? Do you know the Word of God? Do you read your Bible every day? You don’t really have an excuse these days..So stop making any more, what about you start right now…Easter always stirs our hearts as we re-read the story of the Passion of Jesus, just keep going……. and if you live here in Tenerife, well you can always join us on a Wednesday afternoon and study the Bible with others. When you get into your Bible then you have someone who can help you understand, help you SEE…. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth… he will guide you into all the truth” John 14:14-16 + 16:13. That way you are doubly sure you will never be fooled by a bit of polish or a coat of paint, or more importantly a convincing speech by a false teacher!!!
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