Video Bible Lesson - Recognizing False Teaching in Church By Betsy St. Amant Haddox

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

6/8/2020

Recognizing False Teaching in Church

By Betsy St. Amant Haddox

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths," - 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of teachers and preachers eager to give the people what they want to hear—and usually, they end up making a large sum of money off it. From feel-good prosperity preachers, to teachers who deny the literal existence of eternity, to religious leaders of the popular earn-your-way-to-heaven efforts; false prophets are everywhere. False teaching has been around since the serpent led Eve to believe a lie in the Garden of Eden.

The Bible warns us not to be bitter about this, but to be wise and discerning. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good."

Being able to detect a false teaching is important for believers, but sometimes it’s difficult to know in the moment when we’re confronted by it.

False teachers will lead their congregation to believe that God wants them to be happy and wealthy. Some teachers even take it further, and declare that if a Christian isn’t financially rich, or isn’t emotionally and relationally prosperous, they just “aren’t praying hard enough” or “need to increase their faith”. This type of teaching is dangerous and inaccurate. The Bible clearly states otherwise about the expectations of what this world has to offer.

Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Another red flag to look out for is how a particular teaching looks at sin. False teachers don’t like to offend anyone, so they gloss over sin in order to keep their fans happy. They often do this by stating a particular controversial sin such as homosexuality, fornication, adultery, gluttony or greed isn’t a sin after all, so there’s no need to worry or change.

The Bible teaches that sin is a real issue—and a big one. It’s what separates us from God. It’s what condemns us to hell. Without the intercession of Christ, we would have never been able to get to Heaven or to a right relationship with God. This is the message of the Gospel.

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

These are a few things to keep in mind as we encounter teaching.

#Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

...because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. (1 John 5:4)

At every turn in the road one can find something that will rob him of his victory and peace of mind, if he permits it. Satan is a long way from having retired from the business of deluding and ruining God’s children if he can. At every milestone it is well to look carefully to the thermometer of one’s experience, to see whether the temperature is well up.

Sometimes a person can, if he will, actually snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat, if he will resolutely put his faith up at just the right moment.

Faith can change any situation. No matter how dark it is, no matter what the trouble may be, a quick lifting of the heart to God in a moment of real, actual faith in Him, will alter the situation in a moment.

God is still on His throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a second of time, if we really trust Him.

“God is mighty! He is able to deliver;
Faith can victor be in every trying hour;
Fear and care and sin and sorrow be defeated
By our faith in God’s almighty, conquering power

.“Have faith in God, the sun will shine,

Though dark the clouds may be today;
His heart has planned your path and mine,
Have faith in God, have faith alway.”

“When one has faith, one does not retire; one stops the enemy where he finds him.”
—Marshal Foch

Things That Cannot Be Shaken.....Dr. Charles Stanley

Things That Cannot Be Shaken

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 12:25-29

As a rule, people like security. We seek what is comfortable. Yet the reality of our world is that much instability exists. For example, finances, health, and even a country’s ability to survive are not guaranteed.

When our foundation is shaken, we often feel overwhelmed.  Sometimes Satan causes the difficulty—with God’s permission, of course. At other times, challenging circumstances are brought about by the Lord’s hand. Regardless of the source, we have the promise in Romans 8:28 that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” And in either case, the Almighty’s purpose remains: to glorify Himself in our world and in our lives.

There are different reasons the Lord permits turmoil, but for now, let’s focus on one: He won’t allow anything that enables man to seem self-sufficient in his own eyes. Therefore, God may lovingly allow enough trouble for us to realize our need of Him. Consider the trials the Israelites faced each time they turned away from Jehovah to worship other gods. In many ways, we do the same thing today. Individually, in our churches, and as a nation, we often glorify “gods” like money or status. But the One who created us will not tolerate this.

In our pride, we tend to think we’re able to manage without God. But out of love, He may stir up our lives to reveal our dependence upon Him. If you are basing your security on anything except Jesus Christ—even something as seemingly innocent as comfort—it will prove to be sinking sand.

What Is Loving My Neighbor Supposed to Look Like?

What Is Loving My Neighbor Supposed to Look Like?
DR. DERWIN L. GRAY

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NIV)

Do you ever feel like the injustice, intimidation and violence in our world will never stop? Jesus’ world was not that much different from ours. The Roman Empire was not merciful either.

Even the Jewish leaders had serious issues with mercy too. So the common people were caught between the merciless, oppressive Roman Empire and the merciless, compromised religious establishment.

So mercy Himself came to show us a better way to be human. Jesus knew we could never give mercy until we experienced divine mercy. If you do not possess it, you cannot give it away. Jesus, the One who is the endless fountain of mercy, was sent to earth so humanity could come and drink the life-giving waters of His mercy.

As He extended mercy, Jesus also taught us how to be merciful. In Matthew 5:7, He said “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

According to Jesus, merciful people love their neighbors. But this isn’t a sentimental love; this is a kind of mercy that looks like the cross of Jesus.

Jesus told a story about an unlikely neighbor who displayed mercy to an unlikely recipient. We know it now as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus pointed out that as a man lay on the side of the road, clinging to life, a Jewish priest and a Levite came down from Jerusalem, saw him, and didn’t offer to help.

The equivalent in our culture would be going to Sunday worship and hearing the preaching of the gospel, singing songs, receiving the Lord’s Supper, fellowshipping and baptizing new believers and then walking right past a person in dire need. Yet we are guilty of doing exactly that!

What we miss is that our relationship with God should always cause us to extend mercy to our neighbors in need. Love is not walking past pain. Love is when mercy meets human pain and suffering.

What Jesus says next would have floored His Jewish audience. He informs them that a hated Samaritan, an enemy of the Jewish people, was journeying on the same road. He saw the beaten, bloodied Jewish man and had compassion for him.

The Samaritan teaches us a lot about mercy.

First, mercy isn’t afraid to touch human suffering. The Samaritan didn’t avoid the bloodied, beaten man. Rather, he entered his suffering, resulting from sin that was perpetrated against him.

Second, mercy isn’t afraid to cross ethnic, cultural and religious barriers. The very thought of a Samaritan being the hero of the story would have insulted Jewish hearers as there was a great deal of fear and suspicion between the groups. Just like in today’s world, a lack of proximity to each other created fear and distrust.

Third, mercy costs us something. Helping those in need isn’t free. The merciful Samaritan wrapped the beaten man’s wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put the man on his animal and paid for him to stay at an inn and have the innkeeper take care him. In all, he spent “two denarii” to help an injured Jewish man. Moved by compassion, the Samaritan spent 14 days’ worth of wages on room and board for a man who was supposed to be an enemy.

For so long in circles of Christians, I have sensed that we think if only we believe the right doctrines, we are following Jesus. But doctrine is meant to be lived, not simply studied or talked about.

Loving your brothers and sisters in Christ across cultural, ethnic and generational lines and loving your enemies are the ultimate signposts that God’s kingdom has come. That is living the good life in full.

Can you imagine how different the world would be if we did just that?

Father, as I count all the ways You have been merciful to me, may I be forever grateful. May my heart sing songs of thankfulness to You all the days of my life and on into eternity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Ephesians 2:13-14, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” (NIV)

Luke 10:36-37, “‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (NIV)

God's Unseen Glory

God's Unseen Glory
by Ryan Duncan

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14 

If I had to choose a favorite moment in the life of Christ, it would probably be the story of the blind man in John 9. Most Christians are familiar with the passage, it begins with Jesus walking through the temple with his disciples when they come across a man born blind.      

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” – John 9:1-3

For a long time I believed the “works” Jesus talked about meant healing the man’s blindness. That’s what the story was all about, wasn’t it? Jesus performing a miracle to prove he was the Son of God? Actually, no. In fact, the real message of John 9 turned out to be something much different.

After receiving his sight, the man is brought before the Pharisees to be questioned. The religious leaders are torn: this Jesus performed a miracle, so he must be some kind of prophet, but he did so on the Sabbath, a true man of God wouldn’t break the Sabbath. Eventually they just decide to pull rank (We are the Pharisees, We decide who gets credit for this miracle!) Listen to how the once-blind man responds,

“The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ So they put him out.”

If Jesus had wanted to be recognized for his power he would have ridden into Jerusalem as the conquering hero the Jews expected him to be. Instead he came quietly, touching the lives of the lost and overlooked. His “works” were the restoring of hearts and souls, not just physical bodies. By doing so, he gave a blind man the ability to see truth, where the Pharisees became blind to it. Let us make sure the Church doesn’t become blind as well.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask questions. Don’t be like the Pharisees, who were so wrapped up in their legalism they failed to recognize God. Seek to grow your faith at every opportunity.  

Further Reading
John 10

Our Sufficiency Comes from God

Our Sufficiency Comes from GodBy: Anne Peterson

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God - 2 Corinthians 3:5

We live in a world overflowing with information. If you don’t know something you can Google it, and you’ll have the information you need within seconds. But sometimes we can depend on the information we get and lean on it.

At other times we’ve gone through circumstances, learned a few things and when a similar situation arises, we lean on our experiences.

2 Corinthians 3:5 reminds us we are not sufficient of ourselves but instead, our sufficiency is of God.

The world tells us God helps those who help themselves. Which is not found in scripture anywhere. 

Or it says, pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps. 

The world tells us, You’ve got this!

And then life happens, and we soon discover we are helpless. And often those feelings of helplessness lead us to feeling hopeless. But the good news is we have a loving Father who did not leave us alone, no matter what we’re going through. He makes us sufficient for whatever we face.

We read the story of Peter and how he got out of the boat and walked on the water to come to Jesus in Matthew 14. Can you imagine what that must have felt like? And Peter did fine with his water walking until he took his eyes off the Lord. He noticed the wind, the waves and he immediately went down. What I love most about this passage is how quickly Jesus reached out and saved him. There was no chastening. There was no shaming. Peter called and Jesus answered. And it’s the same for us. God makes us sufficient for whatever we face. And when we fail, he picks us up.

We don’t have control over many of the circumstances in our lives. But we do have God’s hand guiding us, providing for us and giving us the ability to work through and overcome whatever our circumstances may be. He makes us sufficient. 

Some things will seem monumental. Sometimes we’ll be fearful. But as we learn to lean on God and what He tells us in his Word, we’ll remember we’re not alone. God is close enough to collect our tears. And when we make it through to the other side, we can look back and say, “we were not sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency was from God.”

His Hand

I don’t know what tomorrow holds,
or what I’ll have to face.

But I know God is well aware,
and He will give me grace.

And when I start to worry, 
Or I don’t understand,

I’ll call upon my Jesus, 
and I’ll take his outstretched hand.

- Anne Peterson

A Prayer for Busy Moms to Keep Bible Study a Priority

A Prayer for Busy Moms to Keep Bible Study a PriorityBy Meg Bucher

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Bible study since the birth of my children has been an eight-year battle. I’ve done all sorts of things to avoid being noticed until 7 a.m.

There’s little time for formality after childbirth, but always time for Him. Though we may not be able to wrap our exhausted minds around how to fit one more thing into our lives; the Author of Creation can stretch our time.

Wake up. The struggle of the snooze button is simplified by Jesus’ example. When we walk into the day without letting God prepare our hearts, it’s like forgetting to eat. Our minds aren’t as sharp without proper nutrition, and our bodies become susceptible to sickness and injury. The same is true for our souls. We’re promised to be attacked when we walk out the door each day. In five minutes, God can equip our hearts to face the day ahead.

Use your time wisely. Many moms spend a major chunk of the afternoon waiting in the school pick-up line. In that 20 minutes of glorious, quiet space, read a book. One chapter a day turns into 20 books a year, and an opportunity to study the Bible. Christian authors abound with books on topics that meet busy moms where they are at with camaraderie, laughter, and tears.

Find people. God did not intend for us to walk through life alone. People are placed in your space to help you connect to Him. Sign up for a Bible study group, seek out groups of moms that meet to talk while their kids play, or just maintain friendships by scheduling lunch dates. It’s comforting just to go through life together.

During the days we can’t see past our busyness, we can have faith those extra minutes are there.

Please pray with me:

Father, We praise you for leaving your Word as a lamp to our feet. Creator of all, You are powerful to stretch the minutes of the minutes of our lives. Thank you for the free gift we have to read and study your Word in this country, and we pray blessing and peace over nations that do not share that privilege or know Your love. 

Help us to honor You each day by seeking You in Bible study. For you promise, “… those who seek me find me.” (Proverbs 8:17) Thank you for the blessing of motherhood. Bless us with confidence from the strength Your Word provides, as we lift up overwhelming business to the capable hands that craft time. Bless us with strong faith and trust to know in our hearts that we are as precious to You as our children are to us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.