don’t be deceived
One of my biggest concerns as a pastor and a Christian is that many will fall away because of false teaching. I am concerned that those who genuinely desire to pursue truth would be manipulated by evil or immature men & women to believe something that is not helpful to their pursuit. I've seen it time and time again, young and old believers falling into the snare of ungodly and immoral teachings. And it can happen in two ways: one way puts on religious burdens that no person could ever carry. Another opens the doors to lifestyles of sin and unrighteousness. Both of these extremes are dangerous to any believer.
How can believers fall so quickly into these traps? In today's Christian culture, we are quick to follow the NEXT big teacher but slow to study and understand the Word for ourselves. I am a pastor, and I teach the bible almost every Sunday, but I am not THE TEACHER. I encourage all of our church members to study for themselves, to find the truth in the Word that the Holy Spirit reveals to THEM.
If we want to avoid unhealthy teachings, un-godly environments, and legalistic beliefs, we must know the Word of God. It's crazy how easily accessible the Word of God is to all of us. We are left without excuse when it comes to studying and knowing God's Word. But here's the hard truth, if we studied God's Word, we would be confronted by the words we read of our ungodly lifestyle choices. Maybe, we don't study the Word because the word reveals the truth about our sinful hearts when we do.
But we would also find true freedom! From old mindsets, chaotic cycles, and much more. The Word of God doesn't bury us with condemnation, but it opens our graves of sin and leads us to true freedom. You don't need to throw up in a trash can to be delivered. You need to know the truth! "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Once you start reading and understanding the bible, the truth will free you! When false teachings deceive us, we will live a life that God did not design for us. So many good things happen when we become people of the Word!
We all must know the Word and stand for the truth of it. We must not fall so easily into the trap of false teaching. You need to know the Word of God. Challenge the theology you believe. Please don't put it to the standards of your emotions or experiences, but test your theology in alignment with the Scriptures. This is the only way we will walk in the truth. Not that we believe what the preacher says, but we learn and believe what the bible says.
There are great teachers out there! There are also terrible ones. Do you know how you can tell the difference? By understanding the Word of God and being lead by the GREATEST teacher of all, The Holy Spirit.