“As you go, proclaim, ‘The Kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:7-8 CSB)
What the Lord gives us we should freely give away, whether a message or money, but what He has NOT given us, we should keep to ourselves. Remember the words of James in 1:16-17: “So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
Not everything that comes into our lives is a gift from God, so, we must use discernment and wisdom as a child of God. As media from all sources floods our mind and heart, without the governing wisdom of the Spirit we will quickly believe lies that the Lord never intended for us to believe. Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light and has misled and deceived many into believing what is clearly false when compared to God’s Word, is true and believable.
Think of the millions who have fallen prey to the lies and false teachings of Joseph Smith, who founded the Mormon cult, Charles Taze Russell, then Joseph Franklin Rutherford who forwarded and promoted the lies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult, and many others too numerous to list who have taken a thread of truth and twisted it into the lies of Satan.
Not unlike Satan himself when he said to Adam and Eve: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit of any trees in the garden?” which, of course He DID NOT say, and Adam and Eve recognized what he said was a lie. But when that didn’t work Satan chose to clearly contradict what God DID say by telling Adam and Eve, “You won’t die!” Every lie begins with some twist of truth that unless we know and understand God’s Word, can twist our heart and mind and have us believing lies.
Do you know why Mormons are so believable? Because they are such good people. Friendly, helpful, loving, kind, and generous. They live better, more godly lives than many professed Christians, yet, their morality and goodness are based on lies, which makes their lives valueless to the Kingdom of the true God. Many people who are sucked into cults are looking for someone to love and accept them, to help them find meaning and purpose for their lives, but cults always have an ulterior motive.
Francis of Assisi wrote: “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” If our lives don’t reflect the life of our Savior, we’re wasting our life by living for ourselves. But, of course, a fair question must be: “What does the life of Jesus look like?” His life was built on the basis of His Lordship and His relationship with God the Father and God the Spirit. God’s Words found in the Bible will guide and guard us in our walk, but we must know them, believe them, and walk by them.
Learning to walk by faith in the Risen Christ is not a solo act, but a group effort. That’s why the early Church banded tightly together and learned at the feet of those whom Jesus Himself had taught and trained. We must, as children of God, align ourselves with those who follow the strict teachings of the Bible as outlined and governed by the Apostles themselves. The original Apostles’ Creed outlines the basic tenets of the Christian Faith and is still, foundationally, the tenets upon which evangelical believers base their Theology.
As disheartening as this next statement may be, hear my heart: No one denomination or non-denominational tenants of belief will encompass the totality of the true message of the Lord, that can only come from the Bible itself; however, some come closer than others. Align yourself with believers who not only “talk the talk”, but “walk the walk”, whose lives actually reflect the character of the Lord they profess to know and serve.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
