SOUND
DOCTRINE
2
Timothy 4:3-4 (King James Version) 3: For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4: And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
·Faith that rests on sound doctrine will not fail.
·Faith that rests on every wind of doctrine is no faith at
all and cannot stand.
The age of fables is certainly upon
us and more and more we see so-called Christians following cleverly devised
fables such as THE LEFT BEHIND books and videos rather than sound doctrine.
From Genesis to Revelation, from Enoch to Moses and the
prophets, to Jesus and the apostles, the Bible warns us constantly to beware,
to take heed, to watch, to be on our guard
against false prophets, false apostles, false Christs and false
teachers who come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves.
Sadly, few so-called ‘Christians’ pay much heed to these
warnings not having been taught where these lovers of filthy lucre who make
merchandise of their flocks are to be found. No they are not hiding in bars,
clubs,
If I was the devil and I wanted to lead the believers
astray, I would not tempt them with booze or drugs or other vices that I know
they would resist tremendously. No, I would lead them astray by sending them
men and women who would do my bidding by disguising them as pastors, as
televangelists, as authors, as musicians and as ministers of righteousness. I
would invade their churches and through my subtlety pervert their scriptures. I
would have them write ‘New and Improved’ Bibles, I would have
them write books that were seemingly virtuous but in reality promoted vice. I
would convince them that the only way for them to reach the ‘Lost’ was to
become like the ‘Lost’, in their speech, in their music, and even in their
actions rather than being peculiar and different which REAL CHRISTIANS
are supposed to be. And that dear reader is the state of the so-called ‘Church’
today. Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets, have you ever stopped to
think where these false prophets hang out? They are not out to deceive the
world but rather believers! And where do believers hang out? In churches, of
course! Is it possible that they maybe hanging out in your church? Do you know
enough of the Word of God to be able to discern that your own pastor is not one
of these ravening wolves? Please remember that the pattern displayed throughout
the Bible is that of one true prophet of God for literally hundreds of false
prophets. There was one Elijah but there were 400 prophets of Baal. That ratio
I believe is no longer valid. Judging by the state of the world today, I would
estimate that this ratio today might be 400,000:1 not 400:1 and possibly a
million to one.
Let me conclude this introduction by saying that the some
of the most dangerous places for a true believer of Christ are churches,
‘Christian’ TV programs and ‘Christian’ bookstores and music stores. Most of
these places are dens of iniquity and I will warn you to beware, to take heed,
to watch, to pray that you do not fall prey to these vultures who are even now
trying their utmost to deceive even the elect. As a watchman it my duty to warn
you but it is your duty to pay heed to the warning and do something about it. So
what can you do about it?
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
John 8:31
Then said Jesus to
those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye
my disciples indeed; 32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.
James 1:22
But be ye doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
The beauty of God’s Word is that it really speaks for
itself. Before anyone out there can deceive us, we have to deceive ourselves.
And how do we deceive ourselves?
· By not working: we
are admonished to be workmen and whether we like it or not, this
work, this labor has to be undertaken individually by all individuals.
Deceptive pastors can only deceive and get away with it because the flock is
too lazy to do any work for themselves.
· By feeding on junk food: rather than getting
real nourishment through the milk of the Word of God. I realize that many
‘devout’ persons read a lot books that are supposedly ‘Christian;’ books that they
bought in a Christian bookstore or at church. The majority and I do mean
majority of books, tapes, CDs, videos, DVDs etc. that are marketed as Christian are JUNK not
FOOD.
· By expecting instant gratification: the most misquoted verse in the entire Bible is John
· Be ye doers of the Word: Hearing the Word only and not doing it is self – deception.
But before you can do the Word, you must know the Word. That is your
responsibility, not your pastor’s or favorite televangelist’s or any other
person for that matter. The televangelist may convince you that if you BUY his
latest and greatest teaching tapes or CDs, you will be guaranteed a seat on Air
Rapture to glory land but BEWARE!!! You may lose more than your money to this
charlatan! You maybe the one to whom the Lord may say, “Depart from me you
worker of iniquity, I NEVER KNEW YOU.”
Enough of the sermonizing - let me give you some rules that
are simple yet essential to follow if we are to work out our own salvation with
fear and trembling.
Philippians
2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.
1. READ THE BIBLE DAILY: Spend at least as much time reading the Bible as you do
watching TV or reading newspapers / magazines / other books.
2. MEDITATE ON WHAT YOU HAVE READ: Nowhere in the Bible are we required to do any ‘devotions,’
but we are constantly commanded to MEDITATE day and night.
Biblical meditation is not eastern transcendental meditation. It simply means
to roll something over and over in your mind like a cow chewing cud. It means
to analyze, like taking a machine apart and rebuilding it. Break everything
down that you read into pieces and then piece the pieces together to make a
whole. Then and only then will you begin to know the truth and you will be on
the road to being made free. Biblical meditation does not require you to assume
a lotus or tantric position like a yogi or to be on a different plane of
consciousness although you can meditate in a plane at 35,000 feet or in your
car or in the shower, on your bed, anywhere and at any time.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the
law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein
day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success.
3. KNOW WHICH BIBLE TO READ. If you truly believe Jesus’ words that many false
prophets will come in the last days, then beware that all versions of the Bible
are not God’s Word. Satan knows the Bible better than any mortal and he knows
well enough that to leaven the whole lump all he needs to do is to add a little
leaven here and there. That is the real reason for the multitude of Bible
versions that have exploded on the ‘Christian’ scene over the last 3 or 4
decades. Do not buy into this fairy tale that these versions have been written
to make it easier for you to understand the Bible. Just look at the city and
the country you live in: was it a better and more moral place when there was
only one version that was commonly taught in the churches or is your city or
country more moral and upright today? Has the understanding of God’s Word really
been made easier by these ‘learned
scholars’ that keep bringing us version after version? Is the Word of God
defective to begin with that there is a need to improve, update and change it year
after year?
I won’t tell you which version you ought to study but I
personally read, enjoy, appreciate and value the King James Version
above all other English language bibles. I also believe that it is the only
true and accurate version in the English language. Don’t take my word at face
value but do your own research and satisfy yourself that the book you are
reading is truly God’s Word. http://av1611.com/kjbp/index.html- this is a helpful website since it has much information
on the different versions out there and why the KJV is superior to them all. Check
it out for yourself.
4. Pray: Prayer
means communication with God. Now understand that this can be a real challenge
especially when you first begin to pray. You are trying to communicate with
someone you have never seen with your eyes nor in most likelihood will you see
Him anytime soon, at least not with your physical eyes. The purpose of prayer
is not just to ask God for things, as a matter of fact Jesus told us, or rather
Jesus commanded us not to even think of the things we need to satisfy our
physical needs.
Matthew 6:25: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
You
can certainly ask God for what you NEED but don’t ask Him for what you want. What
you might need is patience or gentleness or longsuffering but what you might
want is a BMW, a vacation in
5. FAST: Last but not least – fast, meaning abstain from food. No I am not saying you should fast like Jesus did for 40 days but it certainly wouldn’t hurt you physically or spiritually to fast, say one day a week. 3 or 7 day fasts periodically will not only help you cleanse and detoxify your body, it will make you more spiritually attuned to hear God when He is speaking. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make special efforts to make God speak to you, if He has called you He speaks to you all the time. The challenge is to get the wax out of our spiritual years so you can hear Him when He is speaking. And fasting is invaluable in helping you get healed from your spiritual deafness. Finally, fasting is not optional, it is mandatory especially in times of danger and peril when destruction looms at the door for persons or nations – the story of Esther validates this principle. Lead a fasted life – make it a habit to eat less as a habit. You really don’t need 3 meals a day not to mention the snacks in between and dessert. It is only when you reduce your physical food intake and increase your spiritual food intake (The Word of God) that you will begin to understand Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Our nations and the world as a whole are facing a time of unprecedented trouble and turmoil; and in these perilous times if you are looking for a How To formula then here it is recorded by a prophet of God nearly 3000 years ago – follow it to a tee, it is the only formula that can deliver us from sure destruction, both temporal and eternal.
Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your
heart, and with FASTING, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the
LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
In conclusion let me write that in the past 50 years or so it has become common in the ‘Christian’ community to equate Success with money much the same way that the rest of the world defines success. However in the Bible money has nothing to do with success. This is how God defines success.
Jeremiah 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither
let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his
riches:
Jeremiah 9:24
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD
which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for
in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
God considers that man successful who knows and understands Him. By this definition there are many men that are heroes who did not have a dime to their names. The book of Hebrews in chapter 11 tells us that some of these men were ‘destitute’, that they did not have so much as a roof over their heads living in dens and caves yet they are the champions of faith. Any preacher or teacher that tries to convince you that you have to SOW (money into his/her coffers) before you can reap is a filthy lucre loving false prophet. Keep following such people and not only will you lose your money you will lose your souls. Is your mortgage that important that you have to pray to God day and night about it, that you have to ‘SOW’ your hard earned money to sows in the misguided hope of hitting the cosmic jackpot. Grow up! If you can’t afford the mortgage, sell your house and go live in an apartment that you can easily afford. Do you really need to work two jobs so that your kids can have $150 sneakers? If God came first in your life you would not care how many or how few material possessions you possessed. Then your material possessions would not possess you and you would be free indeed. Chasing the American dream becomes a nightmare and you end up serving idols in the form of material things that you so dearly cherish but at what cost?
Mark
8:36
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?
Next week:
LEFT BEHIND – fact or fiction???
Questions or comments: rsm.tim@gmail.com