The Risk Bible Teachers Take

Did you know that Bible teachers are at greater risk of punishment than ordinary Christians? If we teach error, God will deal harshly with us. Therefore, teaching God's Word is dangerous for individuals with big egos who crave a following.

As we read in James 3:1 and 2 (BBE), "Do not all be teachers, my brothers, because we teachers will be judged more hardly than others. For we all go wrong in a number of things. If a man never makes a slip in his talk, then he is a complete man and able to keep all his body in control."

God takes lies seriously and apportions just punishment to whoever spreads them. Look at 2 Peter 2:1 (BBE) which explains, "But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it."

As Peter noted, Israel had its share of false prophets, teaching lies while claiming to be sent from the Almighty. Jeremiah 23:21 (BBE) tells us which sort of people the false prophets were and are. "I did not send these prophets, but they went running: I said nothing to them, but they gave out the prophet's word."

Because some people have no understanding of the Bible and how to correctly read it, they spread error. Paul warned the believers at Troas about wicked teachers in Acts 20:28 and 29 (BBE), saying, "Give attention to yourselves, and to all the flock which the Holy Spirit has given into your care, to give food to the church of God, for which he gave his blood. I am conscious that after I am gone, evil wolves will come in among you, doing damage to the flock;" The word "food" is a metaphor for spiritual teaching.

What tricks people, even today, is that these false teachers claim to be Christians. Jesus warned his disciples, and us by extension, of these liars in Luke 21:8 (BBE), ""And he said, 'Take care that you are not tricked: for a number of people will come in my name, saying, "I am he;" and, "The time is near:" do not go after them.'"

So, how can we determine who's telling the truth? Paul answered this in Galatians 1:8 (BBE. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to be a preacher to you of good news other than that which we have given you, let there be a curse on him." In other words, it must align with what Scripture teaches.

Because of false teaching regarding the afterlife, I'm working on a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? False teachers claim that most folks will go there but the Bible says few are chosen.

On Thursday, I'll post about kind deeds and which motivation for them is given by God.

Saturday Song: Alice Cooper, "School's Out"

June sure does seem to drag by for students. The thought of eight weeks of freedom dominates their minds as they study for tests and sit for exams. On the last day of school, kids rejoice when that final buzzer or bell goes. Alice Cooper said in one interview that the anticipation of school ending for the summer is what inspired him to write the song.

Listen to "School's Out" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcVEhtojXlc

Whether you know it or not, we believers are in school. We're here to learn how to trust God. The primary school lessons came from the fall of Adam and the patriarchs. The secondary or middle school courses are the law given to Moses and Israel. The high school doctrine is the gospel preached by Christ and his apostles.

As Galatians 3:24 and 25 (KJV) aptly states, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

Unfortunately, there are those rowdy disrupters who oppose good teaching. As Acts 19:9 (BBE) reports, "But because some of the people were hard-hearted and would not give hearing, saying evil words about the Way before the people, he went away from them, and kept the disciples separate, reasoning every day in the school of Tyrannus."

And just as there are certain teachers in schools who teach their own political opinions as course material, so there are false teachers teaching destructive doctrines. As we read in 2 Peter 2:1 (BBE) "But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it."

The best way to avoid these wicked people is to study God's textbook: the Bible. Once you're familiar with what he taught, wrong doctrines will be as obvious as a three-dollar bill.

On Monday, I'll post about Christ's dominion and how we became managers of planet Earth. Psalm 72:8 also was inscribed in Canada's parliament building's foundation.

Saturday Song: Daniel Amos, "Cloak and Dagger"

I can't recall how I met my friend Paul. What I remember well is him introducing me to the music of a Christian band from Los Angeles called Daniel Amos. I also saw the band play live at a church in Edmonton, Alberta. To my delight, they were a real rock band whose aim was to glorify the Lord.

One of their fine songs is "Cloak and Dagger." Listen to it here.

During 1984, I was also introduced by a shortwave listener's club to the shadowy world of spy number radio stations. On certain frequencies,  spy agencies would broadcast groups of numbers which were red off by the sampled voice of a woman. Some stations used a male voice but I never heard those.

Spy's in the field would be given a decoder, such as a pad of paper with numbers printed on each page,  to convert the numbers into instructions which they would follow. These codes would only be used once and then discarded so as to protect the message sent out.

I wrote all this to explain that we also are in a covert war, not with a military force but a spiritual one. We have our instructions in Scripture. And though the world can read them, the messages are obscure due to sinners' lack of the Holy Spirit teaching them.

Even so, we have double agents posing as believers. Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:1 (KJV) that, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"

We're also warned in 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV), "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

And I know some women won't like this verse but Paul does have a point. In 2 Timothy 3:6 (KJV), he wrote about these traitors and double dealers, "For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,"

I hope you liked what I wrote and this song. Please comment if you feel led to do so.

By the way, I'll be posting on Monday about what the Quran and the Bible say about our duty to governments. And if you're not careful, you might even learn something. :-)

The Dismissal of Creeds Error

During the past two-thousand years, church fathers came up with creeds to consolidate and solidify the tenets of the Christian faith. But in these modern days, some believers assume we don't need such supposedly restrictive rules. They believe that merely loving Jesus is enough.

The problem with that notion is that Satan has infiltrated churches with false teachers. We're warned in 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV) of such wicked people. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

Some of these false doctrines end up bringing people into the bondage of works. Paul warned about these types and shadows in Colossians 2:22 )KJV). "Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?"

Paul also warned of these retrograde doctrine preachers in Galatians 2:4 (KJV). "And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:"

The Apostle's Creed is one of the first to be adopted by believers. It sets out the doctrines which the church teaches so as to immunize believers from lies.

So why would anybody want to ditch such valuable teaching tools as creeds? Some honestly don't understand their value but others deliberately wish them gone. Jesus said in John 14:24 (KJV) that, "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."

People who are misled need correct teaching, the kind I'm adding to my book called You Think You're going to Heaven? Satan's infiltrators seek gullible followers but we can protect them from lies with the truth. Creeds are the condensed version of those.

On Thursday, I hope to post about the nonsense that we're all born basically good. Some professing Christians actually believe that but it isn't so.

Why We Need a Second Reformation

Five-hundred years ago today, a German monk named Martin Luther inadvertently started a revolution. His 95 thesis statements nailed to a church door began the reformation of Christianity.

For a thousand years, the Word of God was taken out of the hands of ordinary Christians. The church at Rome took over the management of the scriptures, confining it to priests and other professional ministers.

I believe it's time for a second reformation. Because many people don't know how to read the Bible for all it has to offer, they fall into error. Cults twist the scriptures and so do certain sects. As Psalms 56:5 (KJV) laments, "Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil."

And as we read about the Apostle Paul in 2 Peter 3:16 (KJV), "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

Also, as we're admonished in 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV), "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

Heed also the warning in 1 John 4:1 (KJV) which reads, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." This doesn't mean that we should listen to ghosts but that we must discern truth from lies.

Let's not be like the people who Paul wrote to in Galatians 1:6 (KJV).  "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"

There is no other gospel but the one proclaimed by Jesus and his apostles. Therefore, I'm working on a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? From the so-called prosperity gospel to seeker-friendly outreaches, many believers are missing the truth of the real gospel and buying into lies. May this second reformation come soon since so many false teachers are impoverishing believers, both monetarily and spiritually.

Who Are Those "Little Ones" of Whom Christ Spoke?

Our Lord certainly loved children. The gospels contain many references to him touching, blessing, and even using a child as an example of trust in him.

Unfortunately for trusting souls, unscrupulous ministers misread certain passages of Scripture and come up with bizarre doctrines. For instance, the cultic teacher I once knew believed that children had angels assigned to them but once they turned twenty, they no longer needed their supervision  since they were full grown. He got this notion from Matthew 18:10 (KJV) which reads, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."

It's clear from what Jesus said earlier in the passage that he meant all believers, not physical children. Matthew 18:6 (KJV) says, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Scripture is clear that Jesus meant leading trusting believers astray was a serious offense. Even James recognized this when he wrote in the third chapter of his epistle,  (Bible in Basic English) "Do not all be teachers, my brothers, because we teachers will be judged more hardly than others."

The heavenly Father also takes a strong stance against lying teachers. Look at what 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV) boldly states. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

One of those teachers of lies misled me for fifteen years and caused me to hate God for another nine. I wrote about how the Lord freed me from his wicked lies in a book called How I Was Razed. Visit Amazon to find out more about this wondrous testimony of providential leading.