Jesus once said, "I am the way, THE TRUTH and the life." How do we know if HE is telling the truth? Well, . . . he's Jesus.
Pontius Pilate once asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Funny thing about that . . . he was asking "The Truth" what truth was. Ironic? Intentional?
God is a perfect being. He never sins. Lying is a sin, therefore God never lies. If Jesus is fully God and fully man, Jesus cannot lie. So, when Jesus tells us, "He is the truth" . . . He's right!
Churches are a confusing lot. So many different denominations. So many pastors speaking many different truths. Are some of our pastors lying then? Are some of them not telling the truth? And how do we know which ones are lying and which are telling the truth?
Grab your Bible. God doesn't lie and the Bible is HIS Word. That means the Bible is true! Compare what your preacher says against God's word. You might be surprised what you will find. Ask your pastor to clarify if you find something out of line when comparing his latest sermon with the Bible. He'll probably enjoy the discussion.
Listen for things that are NOT said as well. If someone talks about forgiveness but does not mention repentance they are telling half truths. That's not good.
I went to my old church yesterday and I heard something that caught my ear. The pastor said that when Moses was faced with a line of cases to judge he split them into smaller groups. The pastor then went on to talk about the benefits of small groups. Did Moses really do that? Did he really issue that command to split into small groups? Exodus 18
Was Moses facing a long line of people? Let's consult scripture.
"13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening." - Exodus 18:13
Did Moses break the people into small groups. Well, sort of. He appointed judges, effectively splitting them, but he never gave a command for the people to form small groups.
"25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times." - Exodus 18:25
Is this really a big deal? So what if the pastor embellish the story a little.
4 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you." - Deuteronomy 4:1-2
And again at the end of the Bible . . .
"18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." - Revelation 22:18-19
God doesn't like His Word to be messed with. So, why is this such a big deal? Because . . . God doesn't like His Word to be messed with!
If pastors "adjust" God's Word, if they add to it or take away from it, they are disobeying God's Word. Troublesome. I'm not calling out this pastor. We all tend to exaggerate things to make a point, but it IS a sin. Repentance IS in order.
Only ONE "truth" can be true. Everything else is NOT truth. You and I are the ones responsible for what goes into and out of our minds and heart. Be a Berean!! They didn't trust anything that Paul and Silas said until they held it up against scripture and found it to be true. So it should be with us.
How did I know that what this pastor said was slightly off? Because I was familiar with the scripture he was reciting. I had spent time in God's Word. I was familiar with the truth. Again, so it should be with each of us.
False Teachers Exposed - Justin Peters
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