The Entrenchment Of Stewardship

The level of false teaching under the guise of Christianity is mind-boggling, but it is not unique to our day and age. It was active from Christianity’s beginning (and even before that) and has been an on-going satanic assault on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So it is incumbent upon we who are blood-bought, born again Christians to protect the gospel and guard our faith diligently.

First Century heresy brought what was then called “knowledge” and these false teachers were known as Gnostics. This term comes from the Greek gnostikos, which means “learned,” and gnosis, which means “knowledge.” Learned Greeks tried to apply their philosophy to Christianity, which became known as the “Hellinization” of Christianity. This subject is much too deep to go into any detail here, but suffice it to say it kept our church fathers busy, chief among the Apostles John and Paul. Paul wrote to his beloved spiritual son Timothy:

    “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

There is a great responsibility on pastors and teachers when it comes to the gospel. It is one that I do not take lightly. It at times is tempting to overlook blasphemies and heresies for the sake of avoiding an argument, but I will have to give an account of what I did with the knowledge the Holy Spirit has entrusted me. Our Bible is a holy gift from God; it is His Word and Truth and we must never allow it to be profaned or perverted.

Additionally, we must always study diligently the Word so we can identify and correct false teaching. Too many Christians are led astray by false teaching because they do not know their Bibles. King Solomon warned against this:

    “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)

None of us will be led astray by some babbling fool, but some slick-talking peddler of Christ can knock off many an unsuspecting Christian from the path of righteousness. And he does this by filling a spiritual need that the desirous one should be getting from the Word of God. Although this person may sound intelligent and convincing, the Prophet Isaiah describes him as a fool:

    “For the foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error against the Lord, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.” (Isaiah 32:6)

One of the deceptions used by many false prophet is they always say they’ve received a word from the Lord. They always say that:

    “‘I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, “I have dreamed, I have dreamed!” How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal. The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and 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? Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who use their tongues and say, “He says.” Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ says the Lord, ‘and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,’ says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:25-32)

So what ploy do these deceivers use to draw believers from the path of righteousness? They always tempt with something “new” or something “never taught before”; a “new revelation from God.” Whenever you hear that, run—don’t walk, from such teaching:

    “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

Beloved, we are not all called to be ministers of the gospel or Bible teachers, however we are all called to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And we do that by consistently and constantly studying our Bibles and asking the Holy Spirit to teach us something new everyday.

We have all been given some level of stewardship of the gospel and with that gift comes an expectation and responsibility to take care of God’s precious Word.

I pray that each of you will not only come to a ravishing hunger for God’s Word, but also a relentless happiness from it that results in your sharing and shielding the good news of Jesus Christ.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2012 David Jeffers

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