We live in a pretty scary time and things in our world are changing almost daily as we near the return of Jesus. Of course, we don't know when His return is coming, but we do understand the signs of His coming and we are clicking on all cylinders on the signs. We should be ready and looking for him to come, but we should not be relying on our own power to handle the things that are going on right now. There are those who almost minimize the power of God and use differernt arguments to deny what God's Word says to undergird their arguments. Part of these arguments include that God is not going to do anything to help us live the abundant live, or that the abundant life anything abundant at, and we need to get what we deserve, punishment for our failings. But this argument denies the very grace of God and the ultimate victory by Jesus on the cross. These people are false teachers and they don't even know at times what they are doing when they take away the value God puts on his people. Different religions in our world are part of this thinking and actually bring across the same way of looking at God. Our God is a loving God who gave His son, Jesus Christ, for the remission of our sins and He did that because of His great love. When Jesus went to heaven He left us His Holy Spirit as a comforter (peace) , convicter (John 16:8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment:), and teacher of "all" things. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.27 Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.
The ones who don't believe in God's power, even as believers, begin to speak against the power of God and bring an argument that we can never expect God to do anything for us because we don't deserve it. But deserving it is not the point of their argument, because we "know" we don't deserve anything from God, and that is a given when it comes to sinners. Sinners are all God has ever had to work with, yet He loves us and continues to empower us to do His work. If it is not His power empowering us then we have no power and that life would be a life of defeat, which smacks of denying the very victory of Jesus. I will not follow these false teachers and their arguments against the power of God in our lives. 2 Peter 2:1--3 says a lot about these false prophets 1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
You may wonder "how can a believer become a false teacher?" When they take their life experiences and teach from those experiences instead of from God's Word. Our experiences will always be subjective and ever-changing so we cannot rely on a truth that is that superficial. Superficial, in that it is dependent on how we perceive life from our vantage point, instead of God's. The teachers of the Law of Moses did this very thing and contrived an additional teaching that combined their reasoning with the Law of Mosess and the end result was heresy. They were so immersed in their false teaching that when Jesus came they did not even recognize Him. That very thing is happening today and we need to be aware of those false teachers who would teach that we cannot live in the victory of Jesus because we are "unworthy." The sacrifice of Jesus makes us right with God and His blood is definitely that powerful.
To follow these teachers and their teaching puts us in a group that Paul warned Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3:2-5 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. Do not follow these teachers and do not allow them to minimize the power of God in your life. That power enables us to not only talk about that power, but live in that power!! 1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power.
When we think about false teaching we think it will only come from those easily recognizable as lost or evil. But in reality the false teaching will come from inside our own ranks and they won't even realize what they are doing to thwart the progress of the gospel. That is why Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica these words in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, All of this is end times stuff and we should be vigilant to read God's word so we can know the truth and follow that truth irregardless of what is taught from those who elevate themselves as awesome communicators of God's Word. I am held to the same standard and I should always stay in the word and not present something that is wrong. One thing I teach I know I can rely on is the "fact" that God is all-powerful and all-loving and on that I will stand until the day I die. Ephesians 1:19 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might. HIS MIGHT!!
NEVER MINIMIZE THE POWER OF GOD.
The Pilgrimage Continues......
David Warren
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