Discernment
(S) Scripture
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NASB77)
(O) Observation
Paul is describing the false prophets that are trying to woo the believers. They come disguised as servants of righteousness but in truth are servants of Satan. They may look and sound credible but they are not. The believer needs the discernment that comes from the Lord to know the difference between the true and false prophet.
(A) Application
The internet, TV and radio have given so many teachers and preachers, that claim to be Christian, a forum from which to impact the lives of believers everywhere. How are we to distinguish between the true and false teachers. My fear is that many in my church are fooled. Because a preacher has a large congregation does not mean they are teaching and preaching the truth. There are many "health and wealth", "name it and claim it" preachers that are smooth in their delivery and have fooled many. I must be sure that my preaching is true to the scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I must teach and preach the truth so that when confronted with a counterfeit they will recognize it immediately. My fear is that we have so dumbed down the Scripture and our teaching of doctrine that the believer is left without the necessary tools to discern the true from the false especially when it is disguised so well.
(P) Prayer
Lord, help me to teach and preach the truth of your Word. Help me to make it so plain and understandable that the people I serve will be able to discern the true from the false. Help me not to be fooled by a lie. Lord, I want to follow only You and I want that for the people of FBC, too. Amen
2 comments:
The challenge is to contextualize the message in a way that communicates with the audience without "dumbing down." I've known pastors who have been accused of "dumbing down" their message and have simply been contextualizing their sermons. On the other hand,in the interest of not "dumbing down" I've heard other preachers preach way over their congregation's heads in the name of doctrinal integrity, yet it's never really connected with the real world. If by "dumbing down" you refer to such examples as "health and wealth", etc. I'm not sure that I'd call that "dumbing down." I'd call that heresy. I also wonder if some who don't like "dumbed down" preaching might not be upset with all of the Jesus' story telling approach. I can hear the Pharisees now: "He dumbs down the material. All he does it tell stories. Where's the DOCTRINE?" What do I like in preaching? Solid doctrine communicated in a way that is interesting, life changing and relevant. Some may call that "dumbing down." I know you wouldn't, pastor. It's the way you preach. Keep it up.
The Bud
PS I look forward to your response related to paying down our mortgage. Love to do it! :)
By "dumbing down" I mean not challenging the people with what the Scriptures actually say but rather telling people what they want to hear. I too, consider the "health and wealth" and the "name it claim it" as heresy. It is heresy because it perverts and dumbs down the gospel to something people can recite and think they can command God with their words. It is a dangerous track to go down and yet we have sought to make the gospel so simplistic that we have robbed it of its power and stripped it of God's wrath toward sin.
Thanks for the encouragement of my preaching. I seek to take the scripture and explain it in ways people can understand without taking away any of its meaning or power.
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