The Challenge
Most
people want some man to interpret the Bible for them. In fact, the largest
Christian church believes that only a priest can interpret the Bible. Why do so
many accept such teaching? It is the easy way to approach spiritual matters. It
is in our nature to want to follow a man rather than God. Many today choose
spiritual leaders based on outward appearance or emotion. If what a man teaches
makes people feel good, they stick with that man. The danger here lies in the
fact that we can become comfortable with a man who has a false message.
Think
about it. How are you being taught doctrine and other spiritual instruction? A
common practice of major Christian denominations is to hire only those
ministers who are willing to preach what the denomination approves—regardless
of whether it agrees with the Bible. Is this a good practice? Where is the
value in it? Shouldn’t we want our spiritual leaders to be unshackled from the
restraints of narrow bias?
God
warns us through Jeremiah, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh
flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5). Truly
spiritual people know that the man is not important. It is the man’s message
that must be all-important. Of course, it must be God’s message—truth based on
God’s Word.
Jesus
Christ, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and all the original apostles worked very
hard to get the attention off themselves and onto their message. Most of them
were killed for what they taught. Theirs was not a popular message. But isn’t
that the way it generally is with the truth? Few want to hear the truth. So it
is also important to consider that a large group gathering around a popular message
doesn’t make the message true. Remember: Though Christ had taught thousands,
only 120 people followed Him at the time of His crucifixion (Acts 1:15).
When
we consider the life-threatening seriousness of world conditions, it is worth
examining these things. Speaking about our times now, Paul said, “For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians
5:3).
We
need to “Blow the dust off our Bible. Read it. Find out what it really says.
You’ll be shocked at the truth of your Bible.” This statements are based on 1
Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Have you
accepted the challenge? Take the time and prove out your spiritual teachers. If
you don’t, you could be headed for spiritual disaster.
“Don’t believe man, believe your Bible.” Yet
it is your personal responsibility to know your Bible. You should not rely on
someone else to know it for you. In Paul’s day, the Bereans were considered very
noble people because they listened attentively to Paul and then proved what he
said from the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Someone proving the preaching or
teachings will not offend a true minister. God will back you up personally
for doing it. The Prophet Isaiah warns, “If they speak not according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). If you don’t know
the Bible, you can’t truly know whether your leadership is bringing you light
or darkness. The Bible belongs to every man, woman and child—not just
ministers. see Part 3
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