Handling the Word of God

When my daughter was growing up she believed most anything she heard on commercials. She was always telling me which were the best products to buy and why they were the best, When I would ask her how she knew, she would say because they said so on the commercial. It's sad to realize that you must expect an element of deception in advertising and be on your guard for it.

While most of us have wised up about the reliability of commercials, many adults are still quick to believe something simply because another person says (or writes) it's so. Countless emails get passed around cyberspace claiming to be a warning of some sort that will protect you from harm and urging you to pass it along to everyone you know. There are places on the internet where you can verify if that information is correct or not but few people either know where to verify it, how to verify it, or take the time to verify it.

When it comes to scripture we should not simply take another person's word (or written work), for what the Bible says or means, and we should be teaching our children not to either. We should be in the habit of verifying scripture ourselves, and teaching our children how to do the same, prayerfully researching it out. A concordance and bible dictionary are very useful tools for helping to understand scripture as well. We gain more insight into and understanding of God's Word when we look at the original text and it's meaning.

    And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)

Why is it important to know scripture for ourselves? First and foremost is that studying God's Word for ourselves is the best way to develop a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

Another reason is that there are those who would deliberately teach wrong doctrine to draw us and/or our children into their "religion" or cult. The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the original.

Even with people we can trust, our friends, parents, pastors, reputable authors, etc, we need to remember that they can make mistakes. We are imperfect humans and we all make mistakes. As teachers of God's Word, we are held to a high standard to teach it accurately. So it is important that we use reliable references, research out what we are being taught, and teach our children to do the same. We need to keep in mind that popularity and opinion are not proper gauges for reliability, accuracy is.

One way to teach children to develop the habit of verifying scripture is to have them verify the scriptures and meanings you are teaching them. Who knows, they might come back and teach you something you didn't know.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (emphasis mine)

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (emphasis mine)

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (emphasis mine)

Join me at Titus 2 in Action today...

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

What's in the Teaching?

My grandparents on my mom's side lived a couple of hours away from us so we didn't get a lot of visits with them when I was growing up. But every year during our summer break my sister and I would go spend a week or two with them. It was always fun and my aunts always had lots of fun activities planned for us. One year, when I was 12 years old, we went to visit and my aunts had planned lots of bible study for us. This was my first recollection of ever having any kind of bible study. We didn't go to church, study the bible, or have any conversations about God in my home. My grandma (mom's mom) was a Catholic and told me about Jesus being the Son of God and dying for my sins but that was the extent of my biblical teaching. It was a good foundation though.

My aunts had recently become Jehovah's Witnesses and were zealous to share their new religion with us. They wanted very much for us to join their religion and be saved so we got a crash course *bible study*. The study was from the JW bible and most of the lessons or teaching, focused on Armageddon, the end of the world, and the book of Revelation. God was going to destroy the earth as we know it and then make this a perfect world again like it was in the beginning. All Jehovah's Witnesses would be saved and made perfect, like Adam and Eve, and live forever here on the new perfect earth. One of the scriptures that they used in teaching me about Armagedon was from Psalm 91.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. Psalm 91:7-8

The wicked in this verse I was told refered to those who were not JWs. I was terrified at what I learned about Armageddon, but I had a heart, as most children do, ready to love God. All I needed to do was be obedient to God. That would mean that there would be times when I would need to be strong and stand firm. Not everyone was going to believe the Truth but I was not to let that influence my obedience. It would take courage to stand up for God, but if I did, God would save me.

You see, the Truth was being presented but in a way that is distorted. I was being taught that salvation comes from works. I quickly chose not to follow this teaching for reasons that are not relevant to this post. I continued to live in an environment where God was simply never a topic of discussion.

About a year later, after school one day, several kids started picking on my sister at the bus stop, with the tallest and most muscular girl leading it. I thought they were going to hurt her and I didn't know what to do. I was literally a 98 lb weakling and all alone. I mustered up every ounce of courage I had inside of me and said to that girl "What do you think God thinks about what you're doing!?" She looked at me and said "God? What do I care what God thinks!" I was sure I was in big trouble at that point but the party broke up and everyone went home. The next morning I was on the bus to go to school and we were approaching that girl's bus stop. I was cringing inside because I knew I had made a powerful enemy. When she got on the bus I was shocked to see that she was wearing a dress. She never wore dresses. She was a tough girl. It was as though God was telling me that He had taken care of the situation. He had protected me, and I wondered if she had some remorse for what she had said about Him. She didn't even look at me and that was the end of it.

You see, God used the cult teaching that I had received to teach me that obedience to Him comes out of Trusting in Him. That stirred up courage in me to act on Faith in Him.

The devil will take God's Truth and twist it and distort it so that it sounds good, and right, but points us to the wide road instead of God's narrow road. But God can use any situation, holy or evil, to accomplish His purpose. So does that mean that there was nothing wrong with the cult teaching? Does that make it okay to participate in it and teach it to our children?

"...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. Colossians 2:8

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou