How Should I Know!?
Who has the right answer?
Take a look around, which church is the right church? Which televangelist has the right message? Which ‘purpose’ is the right purpose? “What Would Jesus Do? ®” [1]
The Barna Group (barna.org) recently issued a report that questions Americans’ understanding of ‘holiness’. One of the interesting things in the article is the quote, “…the implications of these perspectives for individual spirituality and the health of the Church.” The health of which Church is in question?
Many years ago, Dave Michaux, a Bible teacher (and current Chaplain of Colorado Springs Christian School), asked a question of his students. “If Jesus Christ were to visit earth on Saturday or Sunday, which church would he attend?” It is an interesting question. Dr. Michaux’s answer was a sort of epiphany. “His Church would go to Him.” Think about that for a moment. How many televangelists, preachers, teachers, church members, and parishioners would recognize Jesus Christ, much less drop everything to sit at His feet?
We live in a world of “agendas”. Individuals, communities, churches, and nations are all seeking goals. How do we KNOW which goals are the right goals?
It is an assertion, in previous articles, that a number of ‘truths’ ‘should’ be perceived, pursued, and lived.
Absolute moral Truth exists and the Bible defines that Truth. [2]
The chief purpose of our lives is to be “conformed to the image of His Son”. [3]
The first step to ‘conformity’ is salvation, something all of us need. [4]
While the primary purpose is to be “Christ-like”, the primary ‘mission’ is to spread the gospel of salvation (the ‘Great Commission’). Mark 16:15, crf. Matt. 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-47
How do we know which bandwagon is the ‘right’ bandwagon? Which church, televangelist, or movement has the ‘right’ agenda?
“You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything,” is a line from a Country Western song. It is ‘borrowed’.
Matthew 7: 24-27 tells us, ““Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.””
How do we know what we are ‘hearing’ are Christ’s sayings and not a twisted version to meet someone else’s agenda? In “Messianic Mixed Messages” we talked about the Bereans from Acts 17:11, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
The implication is clear. The Bereans did not accept ANYTHING preached to them at face value. We should do likewise. We are not to be just a passive audience accepting anyone’s word for the scriptures just because of their ‘credentials’. Whether it is church, television, or this blog, search the scriptures to see if it is Truth. Notice the Bereans, they were questioning THE evangelist. Paul is credited with starting more churches than any of the apostles did. He wrote more books of the New Testament than anyone else did. Yet, here, the Bereans receive commendation for challenging his testimony.
That does not mean ‘reject everything’. It means what it says; search the scriptures to determine “whether these things were so”. Christians are not ‘supposed’ to exist in a vacuum. Hebrews 10:24 - 25 tell us TO help each other do and understand what the scriptures teach. (“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”) The Holy Spirit guides us in understanding the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 2:13, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”) We follow the example of the Bereans, “they searched”, and the command from Hebrews to “exhort one another”. [Like Trent in the last article corrected the use of eternal instead of everlasting (and the article was edited to reflect the correction).] Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
The bottom line then is to question what one hears. Search the scriptures to determine if it is true. Use and be used by other Christians to determine sound teaching. If it is not sound, reject it. The only way actually to accomplish this is to spend time in the Bible. Do not just dust off the Bible to carry to church so you ‘look’ like you are spiritual. Open it. Read it. Study it. Not occasionally, do it regularly. Again, what does it say about the Bereans? It says they searched the scriptures daily!
If one wants to know which bandwagon is the right bandwagon or which agenda is the right agenda - one has to become a Berean. Search “the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
[1] “What Would Jesus Do” is a registered trademark of What Would Jesus Do? LLC
Image that - someone has actually registered that question as a trademark.
[2] Seeing Black & White in a World of Shades of Grey
[3] New Year - New Resolutions - New Perspective
[4] Dead and Judged - Judged Part 1
Escape Condemnation - Judged Part 2
Back Door to Heaven - Judged Part 3
Take a look around, which church is the right church? Which televangelist has the right message? Which ‘purpose’ is the right purpose? “What Would Jesus Do? ®” [1]
The Barna Group (barna.org) recently issued a report that questions Americans’ understanding of ‘holiness’. One of the interesting things in the article is the quote, “…the implications of these perspectives for individual spirituality and the health of the Church.” The health of which Church is in question?
Many years ago, Dave Michaux, a Bible teacher (and current Chaplain of Colorado Springs Christian School), asked a question of his students. “If Jesus Christ were to visit earth on Saturday or Sunday, which church would he attend?” It is an interesting question. Dr. Michaux’s answer was a sort of epiphany. “His Church would go to Him.” Think about that for a moment. How many televangelists, preachers, teachers, church members, and parishioners would recognize Jesus Christ, much less drop everything to sit at His feet?
We live in a world of “agendas”. Individuals, communities, churches, and nations are all seeking goals. How do we KNOW which goals are the right goals?
It is an assertion, in previous articles, that a number of ‘truths’ ‘should’ be perceived, pursued, and lived.
Absolute moral Truth exists and the Bible defines that Truth. [2]
The chief purpose of our lives is to be “conformed to the image of His Son”. [3]
The first step to ‘conformity’ is salvation, something all of us need. [4]
While the primary purpose is to be “Christ-like”, the primary ‘mission’ is to spread the gospel of salvation (the ‘Great Commission’). Mark 16:15, crf. Matt. 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-47
How do we know which bandwagon is the ‘right’ bandwagon? Which church, televangelist, or movement has the ‘right’ agenda?
“You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything,” is a line from a Country Western song. It is ‘borrowed’.
Matthew 7: 24-27 tells us, ““Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.””
How do we know what we are ‘hearing’ are Christ’s sayings and not a twisted version to meet someone else’s agenda? In “Messianic Mixed Messages” we talked about the Bereans from Acts 17:11, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
The implication is clear. The Bereans did not accept ANYTHING preached to them at face value. We should do likewise. We are not to be just a passive audience accepting anyone’s word for the scriptures just because of their ‘credentials’. Whether it is church, television, or this blog, search the scriptures to see if it is Truth. Notice the Bereans, they were questioning THE evangelist. Paul is credited with starting more churches than any of the apostles did. He wrote more books of the New Testament than anyone else did. Yet, here, the Bereans receive commendation for challenging his testimony.
That does not mean ‘reject everything’. It means what it says; search the scriptures to determine “whether these things were so”. Christians are not ‘supposed’ to exist in a vacuum. Hebrews 10:24 - 25 tell us TO help each other do and understand what the scriptures teach. (“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”) The Holy Spirit guides us in understanding the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 2:13, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”) We follow the example of the Bereans, “they searched”, and the command from Hebrews to “exhort one another”. [Like Trent in the last article corrected the use of eternal instead of everlasting (and the article was edited to reflect the correction).] Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
The bottom line then is to question what one hears. Search the scriptures to determine if it is true. Use and be used by other Christians to determine sound teaching. If it is not sound, reject it. The only way actually to accomplish this is to spend time in the Bible. Do not just dust off the Bible to carry to church so you ‘look’ like you are spiritual. Open it. Read it. Study it. Not occasionally, do it regularly. Again, what does it say about the Bereans? It says they searched the scriptures daily!
If one wants to know which bandwagon is the right bandwagon or which agenda is the right agenda - one has to become a Berean. Search “the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
[1] “What Would Jesus Do” is a registered trademark of What Would Jesus Do? LLC
Image that - someone has actually registered that question as a trademark.
[2] Seeing Black & White in a World of Shades of Grey
[3] New Year - New Resolutions - New Perspective
[4] Dead and Judged - Judged Part 1
Escape Condemnation - Judged Part 2
Back Door to Heaven - Judged Part 3
posted by Unchained Slave at 2:10 PM
1 Comments:
Hi David,
I like your question about which church Jesus would visit. Actually, when I read it, I thought He would probably say "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." But I like what you said about churches coming out to visit Him, instead of His coming to visit them.
Actually, though, I want to add an exhortation. The Scriptures exist in two forms: the letter and the spirit (2 Cor 3:6). Someone can read the Scriptures like a rule book and find letter and death in them. But then again, they can look for the spirit:
When they look for the testimony of Jesus in reading the Scritures, they will begin to see the spirit and life of the Scriptures (2 Cor 3:6,17; Rev 19:10). Here too, they will find the truest meaning and come to the unity of the faith (Eph 4:13).
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I especially wanted to say that for the sake of others.
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