What I am about to say is going to be problematic for some people and that is part of our problem in this modern day of "knowledge". Christians are too open and too accommodating to ideas and opinions that do not come from the Word of God. To be more accepting we actually entertain ideas that oppose what the Word of God says. Fearing to appear "close minded" we listen to and ponder the opinions of the world, of the educated, of the philosophers of our age and then we hear the Church preaching that there is no hell and that we worship the same god as the Muslims.
We are instructed in the Word that we must be "close minded" to everything that opposes what the Word of God says. We are told to fix our mind and heart on things above, not things of this world, not the things of man. We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, only Jesus, because he is the author and finisher of our faith. We are told to run a good race to win the prize, to train ourselves for this race, to start it and not look back, finishing what we have begun. The Scriptures that warn us against wandering from our faith in Jesus are plentiful and is the last thing that Paul writes in his letter to Timothy:
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
Faith means trust and without faith we cannot please God. We cannot pick apart the Bible or add to it. The Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is the authority of God for all that we do. The Spirit only operates within the Word. We can only preach and teach the Word. If people present ideas that oppose the Word , run away. Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Read it, study it, memorize it, do it.
Most people in this age are modern day philosophers. You'll discover that as you try to share Jesus with people. They will want to chat about everything and anything. They will want to share their theories with you. Even believers fall into this trap and before you know it we are caught up in godless chatter. Thanks in part to the Internet, we are overwhelmed by what some people consider "knowledge". The world also has the wonderful method of indoctrination into this "knowledge" called High School, College and University. Here ideas, philosophies, opinions and theories are presented as fact. Student's study the thinking of depraved men in literature and philosophy. Students go in one way and they come out completely different.
I am not opposed to education but I am opposed to sending students who are ill equipped, who do not understand what they will face and who do not understand the importance to guard what has been entrusted to their care. The Church is terrible at training and preparing our young people, even our old people. The World is getting better at it and the Church is falling off. We as individuals must come to realize the danger of not guarding our mind and our heart. Ideas and philosophies are presented constantly in our television shows and movies. The writers are giving us insight into their thinking and perspective, and we have no discipline as we suck it up and allow it to become what we think, changing our perspective ever so slightly until it has completely changed. This is why so many Christians now accept abortion, homosexuality, adultery and fornication.
My friends, we are under such a grave attack and we aren't even attentive enough to take notice. If you have noticed then please pray. Pray for our young people, for the preachers and teachers, for the whole Church, that we would wake up to what is going on. Pray because your prayers are effective in turning back the enemy. Pray for a new awakening, a fresh wind and fresh fire to blow through the Church. Guard what has been entrusted to your care.
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