The More I Seek You...

This is one of my favorite songs. I sing it throughout the day.  It's so simple and soothing yet heartfelt and intense.  Most of all, the words are so true... the more I seek Him, the more I find Him. The more I find Him, the more I really do love Him!

Have a blessed Sunday full of fellowship, worship, and praise!

Beware of Pinocchio Prophets

2 Peter 2:1-3
   But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

I live in a city filled with churches, and, sadly, most of those churches are filled with false doctrine.  I know because my husband and I visited many of them and walked out of a few mid-service.  There are many forms false doctrine.

There's the doctrine of uber-grace which says we can be saved yet have no evidence of it in our lives, no victory over sin, no change.  We can live "freely" as we desire, ignoring God, ignoring the Scriptures, ignoring the Holy Spirit but claiming to be "Christians".

There's the doctrine of works, which is the background I come from.  It's much like the Pharisee doctrine which had added to God's word through human tradition and oral law.  There was no room for grace.

I grew up in a group that claimed to be "the only way" and every other Christian group was "false doctrine".  Yet, what I read in the bible clearly says that Jesus is the way and those who follow Him in faith are His bride, the Church.  No one denomination (or "non-denomination") as exclusive rights to Jesus.  He cannot be put into a box.  That is false doctrine.

We need to understand that doctrine is important. Now, there are some things that are not salvational issues (such as where we meet, whether a woman can wear pants or cut her hair, or if one can eat pork or not), but there are foundational doctrinal views that are extremely vital.

While most of modern Christendom has rejected the importance of doctrine and the centrality of preaching in public worship, correct doctrine was an obsession for both Christ and the apostles (cf., Ac. 20:28-31; Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3-4; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; Tit. 1:9; Mt. 1:9; Mt. 5:21-48; 7:15-27; 2 Jn. 9-11). There are many reasons why our Lord regarded doctrine so highly. (a) Correct doctrine is foundational to biblical Christianity. The system of doctrine taught by Scripture defines God, Christ, salvation, ethics, sin and everything a person needs for faith and life (2 Tim. 3:15-17). Without correct doctrine the object of our faith is false and all is lost. (b) Correct doctrine is crucial because false and man-made doctrine drives out, replaces and nullifies true teaching (Mt. 15:1-9; Col. 2:8, 20-23). The apostles had the responsibility to lay the foundation of the church by planting congregations and by delivering their inspired teachings and writings. If the shepherds became corrupted, so would their followers. Therefore, we can understand Jesus’ very strong concern with purity of doctrine. We hope and pray that some day many of the modern evangelical churches will share that concern.
                         [Christ’s Warning Concerning False Teachers, Brian Schwertley]

Schwertley also makes another great point,

[O]ur Lord’s warning is directed to the twelve apostles. It is not directed to backsliders, new believers, unreliable professors or ungodly persons but to the cream of the crop. The twelve apostles had forsaken all to follow Jesus. These were men who were dedicated to the Savior; who had been under His personal care and training for quite some time. These were men who had absolutely no sympathy for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. There is no indication whatsoever that the disciples were being influenced by any false teachers. Yet, it is the apostles who receive this strong warning.

            The fact that our Lord’s admonition is directed to the apostles tells us that no one should consider himself to be immune to the influence of false doctrine. There is never a time in our walk with Christ when we can let down our guard. There is not one person who can claim a level of knowledge, sanctification or theological maturity that protects him from the doctrinal assaults of Satan. Even the most godly and knowledgeable believers are able to err in doctrine. In fact, the more we understand about God, Christ, faith and life, the more we realize how feeble our knowledge really is. Therefore, regarding doctrinal matters we must be very humble. We must be very prayerful and careful regarding the doctrinal achievements on which we stand. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr. 16:18). And it is often pride and arrogance regarding one’s own knowledge, abilities and genius that has caused many a theologian and pastor to be seduced by Satan.

            It is not an accident of history that many dangerous heresies originated with pastors or teachers who were the brightest, most creative minds in seminaries or colleges. Indeed, the greatest heresies that have caused severe havoc in Christ’s church have all come from respected ministers of the gospel; from men notable for their teaching ability or intellectual skills.

How to we protect ourselves from false doctrine? How can we spot it?  We must be as the Bereans who "were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

If we depend on other pastors, preaches, ministers, and friends to tell us what is false and what is true, we can easily be led astray.  In fact, Paul tells the Galatians, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"  God will not contradict Himself! Remember that!  The answers are in the bible, and the Scriptures are not open to private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20-21), but a revelation of wisdom according to the Holy Spirit.

Inspect your doctrine. Check what you're hearing in your fellowship gatherings and worship settings.  Test what is being preached to you. Have you fallen for a lie?



Read Christ's Warning Against False Teachers.

Comics from http://www.codystromberg.com/

Children in the Word

I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of my son reading his bible this morning out in the backyard!  Moments like this warm a mama's heart!

Spoiled Rotten

If you live in America, you're spoiled. Even if you're among the poor in the states, you're still incredibly spoiled compared to the 80% of humanity who lives on $10 a day. You see, in the states, we have all sorts of programs and funds set up to help the poor- insurance, food stamps, housing, grants- but in other countries, that don't have such luxuries.

We've been blessed far beyond our "basic needs". We not only have clothing, but we have so much clothing our closets, dressers and laundry baskets are overflowing. We not only have shelter, but we actually have houses with divided rooms for privacy. We're so spoiled, we think that a four bedroom house is too small for a family of six. We're so spoiled, we get our panties in a twist if someone messes up our burger (Ew! I asked for no mustard!) instead of being thankful for what's before us. We're so spoiled, we get to have variety in what we wear, eat, and do where as in other countries, some people only have one or two things to wear and eat the same gruel every day! We're SO spoiled that we get all in a tizzy when the electricity goes out for a couple hours or, woah, a couple days. Here in Texas, we complain about our A/C not keeping up when it creeps up to 76 F! Nevermind that a quarter of humanity lives without electricity.

We're so spoiled, we complain about running out of juice or soda and having to drink water. Yes, folks, we're so spoiled, we can instantly have water with the twist of a knob, and we can soak in steamy hot baths daily and allow the water to run while we scrub our dishes or brush our teeth. Let me give you some statistics:

(Read the rest of this over at MandyMom.com)

Well, that's pretty clear.

Romans 12

The Truth is This (Bob Williford)

Our friend, Bob Williford, posts regularly on his Facebook Group called the Fence Post Digest.  His messages are always timely, and always seem to line up exactly with what I'm currently studying.  (Amazing how that happens!)  In keeping with the Truth and Holy Spirit theme I have been thinking upon lately, I hope this post encourages you as it did me.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6.

"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth..” John 17:15,16 .

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:12-15.

Jesus says of himself, “I am

1. The Way
2. The Truth
3. The Life
4. NOT of this World

Jesus says of us, “They are not of the world…”
Jesus asks of the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth…..”
Of the Holy Spirit Jesus says,

1. Is the Spirit of Truth
2. Will guide in all truth
3. Will glorify Jesus
4. Will disclose the heart of Christ to the us

There are 6 most important things to take note of here:

1. Jesus is not of this world
2. His disciples (Believers) are not of this world
3. Jesus is Truth
4. The Holy Spirit will guide the Believer in ALL Truth
5. The Holy Spirit will disclose the Heart of Christ to the Believer
6. The Father will purify (sanctify) the Believer in Truth

Because of Christ, the Believer is not of this world. The Holy Spirit empowers us in the discipline of Christ and to complete the transformation of the change wrought in His Son, the Father purifies us in the Truth. There is absolutely no achievement in holiness that is possible because of attainment of man. We are completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit in these matters.

Jesus is Lord
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Feeding on the Word- not someone else's interpretation

Are you feeding on the Word, or are you feeding off someone else's "word"?

This video really hit home with me because I grew up feeding off someone else's "interpretation" of the bible. I read the bible, but I always read it through this filter I was given.

I remember that day my husband and I knelt down and cried out to God, "Show us your Truth! Take away this filter and fill us with Your wisdom and understanding as we read it with fresh, open eyes."

That was life-changing moment.  God opened up the Scriptures to us in such an awesome way. Have you ever read the bible with a clear mind, without any preconceived notions and ideas?  Too many people twist and bend the bible to fit their own forms of religion.

I love what one poster said in the comments of this video: "If truth is really truth, then it will stand up to the hardest questions. I wouldn't feel comfortable at a church that was afraid of questions."

For with the measure you use....

For what measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Think on it.
-What if you were judged as you judge others, condemned as you condemn others, forgiven as you forgive others, would you find yourself condemned and unforgiven?
-What if people talked about you the way you talk about others? Would you feel comfortable with the words they would be speaking?
-In your time of need, what if you were given only as much as you had given others?  Do you joyfully help and give of your time, finances, and "stuff" or do you grumble as you give as little as you can?
-Do you treat others as you'd want to be treated?  Do you give little out of the much you've been blessed with? 

I fall so short in these areas. It is my desire to live as Christ lived, to give as Christ gives, to love as Christ loves.  Less of me, more of Christ.  I pray that the Lord would help me be selfless and humble. 

I am a "lover of self".  Our society tells us to do whatever makes us happy- to put ourselves first- and urges us to think of "me-me-me".  The bible tells me to put God first- to do whatever would glorify Him- and urges me to serve others through the love of Christ.  Help me to love others more, myself less.

Help me to set aside my excuses. My excuses will fail when I stand before Christ.

I have especially been considering these verses in terms of giving. Help us all to be extremely giving, not greedy.

Here are some great clips from Francis Chan I really enjoyed: