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Hearing and seeing Whom you listen to matters! Paul spoke of the apostles as examples, “ But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness--God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others” (1 Thessalonians 2:4-6) This is one of the ways to see if someone is genuinely serving Gods people and doing his will, or serving themself. What we see all too often is the opposite today in Christianity. These popular ‘unbiblical teachers’ are liked because of how they speak, they are accepted because the listeners ignore the content, they do not examine the substance by the word in Scripture. So they are led astray because of a lack of their own watchfulness. The speaking is to the soul not the spirit, the emotions and not where one can spiritually grow. The writer of Hebrews speaks of Jesus “ He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” ( Heb. 5:9-11) This dull of hearing or spiritual deafness and blindness was stated by Jesus “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”(first mention in Deut. 29:4) and Ezekiel was used as a physical example to a rebellious people. Ezek. 12:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight.” Ezekiel was used as a physical example to the people of their spiritual condition; this certainly can relate to our day, the church of Laodicea who is lukewarm, who had both the world and the word among them but could not decide which to follow. Of whom is said of their condition “ I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” ( Rev 3:17). But the one thing the Lord desired from those having this wretched condition of being poor, blind, and naked is fellowship, that would resolve them. Jesus, quoted Isaiah for John being endorsed as his messenger and for his ministry among the rebellious. Matt. 13:14-15 the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' (Lk.4:17; Jn.12:38) Is this not the same warning to the church falling into the same condition? It is God’s Word that brings healing to us emotionally, spiritually and physically. It is mutual with his peace; that we have faith strengthened through our trials and sufferings. Today the church is lied to by so many who tell them to give in a seed to get more from the Lord via the promiser of this lie, they accept the continual lies from the mouths of false teachers and prophets because they cannot hear the truth and do not perceive because of the pursuit of what the world offers. As Jesus said you cannot serve God and serve mammon. Peter writes of hard things to understand by his fellow apostle Paul. “our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction , as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” ( 2 Peter 3:15-18) He is speaking of error and heresy being taught by unstable teachers and he does not mince words, he calls them wicked. The only way one learns to identify them is by understanding the truth. These teachers have intruded in today’s church, they are now the majority. They as influencers have single handedly resulted ‘in a departure from the faith’ that we are told will take place in the latter times; today. Just as Paul prophesied to his young disciple pastor Timothy (1 Tim.4:1-2) “ Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…” Paul’s solution for timothy (and us) is to “ nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” (1 Tim 4:6). Paul goes on to say, “ These things command and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Tim 4:11-12) What this means is that many will trade off the word of God (Gods truth) for lies, which will be myths, stories, false past history and fake personal stories. These can come from TV, wholesale myths of man’s beginning (which would include the evolutionary theory to revision the Bible), the TV series about Jesus and the apostles (the Chosen), to those who accept Star wars force and all the imaginative movies that influence a force of faith or a living universe to be God like the new age movement teaches. Those who tell you your future and what you are to do as prophets, beware. Gods Word Isa. 55:11 “ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Jer. 23:28-29 “he who has My word , let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD. "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD,"And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Jesus’ promised “If you abide in My word , you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free ." (John 8:31-32) This is a continual process, that one builds upon the foundation of truth (Eph.1:13) they first heard which brought salvation to complete it (Philip 2:12; 2 Thess 2:13; Heb.5:9) |
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