3 John 4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
What gives a pastor joy? John, the last living apostle of Jesus, tells us in a tiny book in the New Testament. What gave John joy? He found joy when his people, God’s people under his care, were walking in the truth.
I understand this. I love, absolutely love, to find the people of God obeying his commands and following his word. This can happen as numbers increase or decrease. This can happen as ministries begin and end. This can happen as programs come and go. None of these things are at the heart of what gives me joy as a pastor. But ,to see the people of God dive into his word, begin to understand it, and even better, to begin to obey it, that gives me joy.
Lord, I am grateful for the calling you have placed on my life. I love to be a part of your plan. I cannot compel anyone to do what you say. I cannot convince anyone of your truth; that is the province of your Holy Spirit. However, I love to be a tool in your hand to help your people walk in truth. I pray, therefore, that you would help me to be used by you and give me the joy of seeing your people love and obey your word for your glory.
Overcoming the World (1 John 5:4-5)
1 John 5:4-5
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
What is victory over the world? John tells us, and it is not at all as dramatic-seeming as we might think. John tells us that victory over the world is our faith, as the one who has put his or her trust in Christ has overcome the world.
I think that, a few years ago, these verses seemed a bit odd to me. How could something as simple as trusting Christ equal overcoming the world? In my world, faith in Christ was natural and well accepted by all. People celebrated your faith. Church going was a good thing, almost expected by the “good” people of the community.
But then, as time has passed, I have come to understand that true faith in Christ is a great victory over worldliness. I can remember being challenged by those who claimed Christ and those who did not that faith is all well and good, but let’s not take it too far. We certainly would not want to be thought of as fanatical toward Jesus after all.
And now, as time has gone by, I am seeing how faith is an even greater conquest over the world. You see, in the day we now live in the US, faith is not as acceptable. The moral landscape of the US has changed. What used to be good and moral is now considered by society as intolerant and backward. Faith in Christ stands in the way of social progress. To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is to also believe his words and his standards. Jesus spoke clearly about marriage, about sexual purity, and about his own exclusivity. All three of those areas are unacceptable to many in our modern culture. In truth, the day may come when believers in Christ find themselves castigated by the world around them, considered to be as backward, bigoted, and dangerous as the KKK.
Of course, the caricaturing of Christians as harsh, closed-minded, backward, and dangerous is an unfair depiction—at least for genuine Christianity. However, the world will not care. There is a social, moral, and political agenda at work that demands that all people not only allow the freedom to do what God has forbidden, but also embrace and approve of the immoral decisions of others as right.
Thus we see how faith in Christ is an overcoming of the world. To believe in Jesus as the Christ is to oppose the part of the world that rejects any concept of the supernatural. To trust Christ is to acknowledge his exclusivity, actually daring to believe that others who do not trust Christ are outside the grace of God. This is not to declare yourself better than such people—we are all sinners who deserve judgment—but it is to dare to believe that not all people on the planet are equally forgiven. To trust in Jesus is to accept his lordship, even over issues where society demands we progress. The follower of Jesus overcomes the world by refusing to walk in lockstep away from the standards of God inspired in his holy word.
The true beauty here is not what we turn from, however, but that to which we turn. God is beautiful and glorious, holy in every way. God receives us into his family. The world would turn us from God. To overcome the world is to turn from the ways of culture and to embrace as the Lord the One who made us, who loves us, and who sacrificed himself to rescue us from our own sin before him. May we overcome and continue to overcome, experiencing his comfort and joy even in the midst of an age that would demand our concession.
Lord, you know that my faith in you is truly your own gift to me. I know that you are sovereign and always good. Please help me, as your follower, to overcome the world. I have no desire to beat others or to win in a contest. My desire is to not be led astray. My desire is to be faithful to you. My desire is to honor you in the middle of an age that would demand I not do so. For this, I need your help. The beginning of this victory is faith, and so I thank you for your grace that has come to me through faith in Christ.
In This is Love (1 John 4:10)
1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
How do we know God loves us? How can it be proved? What hoops must we ask him to jump through in order to show us his love? Does God have to give us a new job, better health, or financial freedom in order to show us his love?
John tells us how we know of God’s love, and what he says is humbling and profound. How do we know God loves us? We did not love God first. But God loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Let’s look at that verse in two halves. First, we did not love God. That may be the biblical understatement of all history. The Bible describes us as having rebelled against God. The Bible describes us as hating God. The Bible describes us as being dead in our sins and transgressions, following the world, following the flesh, and following the devil. The Bible describes us as children of wrath.
So, when we think that we did not love God first, that is significant. God’s love for his children is not something we earn. It is not something that God was drawn into. We did nothing to convince God to love us. On the contrary, we did a great deal to try to push him away. That is an amazing, selfless, powerful love.
Then look to the latter part of the verse. How did God show us his love? He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sin. God the Father sent Jesus the Son to be our propitiation.
OK, most folks who have not studied the Bible deeply have never heard the word propitiation. Even many who have do not know what it means. To propitiate means to turn away someone’s anger by means of an offering or sacrifice. A propitiation is the sacrifice or offering that turns away another’s anger toward us and helps them to look at us with love and favor.
Jesus is our propitiation. Jesus came to earth and offered himself as a sacrificial substitute in our place. God poured out his anger for our sin on Jesus. Jesus absorbed that anger, took our punishment, and fully satisfied God’s wrath. Because of this work of Jesus, God can now look at those who have received his mercy through Jesus with complete love and favor. God’s anger toward us is gone, done away with, completely finished because Jesus has propitiated the Father.
So, how do we know God loved us? WE were sinners. We deserved wrath. We could have been judged by God, and that judgment would have been just. But instead, God sent Jesus to take our punishment, satisfy his wrath, and bring us to himself. God now looks at his children, former rebels against his glory, with nothing but love and favor. This is love, great, self-sacrificial, powerful love. This is proof of love far better than a simple and temporary earthly gift. This is amazing and soul-satisfying love. This is a love worthy of our gratitude and of our commitment. This is the love of our God.
A Strange Look at Discerning God’s Will (1 Chronicles 17:2)
1 Chronicles 17:2
And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
Discerning the will of God is often one of the more difficult topics for Christians to discuss. How do we know when God wants us to do something or not do something? How do we know when a desire is ours or God’s? What should be our pattern? Should we wait for a voice from heaven or a nudging during our prayer time? Should we listen for the voice of a prophet or simply seek wisdom in Scripture?
I think we can find something interesting about discerning God’s will in the above passage. When David found himself firmly established as King over a secure land, he had a stirring within his heart. He wanted to build a temple, a place for the ark of the covenant to rest. And so he proposed this idea to Nathan the prophet.
Notice what Nathan’s first reaction to David was. He told David that God was with David. He told David to do what was in his heart to do.
Now, later that night, as you can read in verses 3 and following, God came to the prophet and told him to rein David in. This desire in David’s heart, though a good desire, was not God’s plan for him.
What grabs my attention this morning is the fact that Nathan’s gut reaction to David’s statement was to tell him to go do whatever was in his heart to do. Nathan did not feel a need to check David’s general desire here. He told David that, since God was with him, he assumed David’s desire to be right.
And, you know what, as I study the issue of discerning God’s will, I do not think Nathan was wrong. Obviously I understand that God used Nathan to later redirect David. But I think that this exception proves the rule.
What did Nathan know? Nathan knew that, as a general truth, a man who loves God with his whole heart is going to desire things that are the will of God. Nathan knew that a man who has a heart for God and who is submitting to the clearly given commands of God will be wanting things that God approves. And so, in a very general sense, it was safe for Nathan to say that David should proceed with his plans.
The fact that God changes David’s plan is not, in my mind, evidence against what I have just written. You see, when a believer who loves God with all his heart desires to move in a certain way for the glory of God, if that believer’s desire does not accord with God’s plan, God will let the believer know. God has a way of checking our desires and correcting them by his word in order to make sure that those who love him will desire what he wants.
Psalm 37:4 calls for us to delight in God and promises that God will give us the desires of our heart. The idea here is that, as we make god our delight, our heart will desire God. As we delight in God, our heart’s desire will be that which God desires. As we obey and love our Lord, he will make our hearts and minds to be conformed to his desires.
So, believers, I think that there is actually something positive to learn from Nathan’s counsel even though, in this exceptional case, the desire was not carried out. When you love God with your whole heart, you will desire things that please God. When you want to do something (go to a particular college, take a particular job, marry a particular person, go on a particular mission trip), check that desire against the grid of the word of God and the wise counsel of other saints of God who love him too. If what you desire is within the bounds of the Bible, and if your life is a life that demonstrates love of Jesus through obedience to his commands, then you may, like Nathan did, assume a green light from God. And, like Nathan, if God has a different desire for you, if you are loving God with your whole heart and following his clearly written commands, God will move in such a way as to either allow you to move forward or not to do so.
The Master Plan of Evangelism – A Review
Robert E. Coleman. The Master Plan of Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Revell, 1963-2010. 160 pp. $5.39.
For as far back as I can remember as a Christian, Robert Coleman’s The Master Plan of Evangelism has been considered a classic on disciple-making. Over years of teaching and ministry, Dr. Coleman has continually sounded the same call for believers to devote themselves, not to the masses, but to making a few disciples who will in turn make disciples.
This book has multiple strengths. One strength, strangely enough, is its reputation. Christians who understand that this book has been well-received for over fifty years will be more willing to read it and hear from it. This is a strength that we ought not write off too quickly.
Coleman also does a fine job of showing his readers time and time again that Jesus made his ministry primarily about investing in his twelve disciples even as he ministered to the people at large. Coleman shows us how Jesus made his ministry about this small group of followers, how he allowed them to observe his life, how he trained them and sent them out, how he evaluated their ministry, and how he commissioned them to make other disciples like themselves. If we see Jesus do these things, we should do likewise.
Coleman’s understanding of the impact of disciple-making disciples is of great worth to the modern church. Coleman argues that a person who works on making only 1 disciple like himself will have doubled his kingdom impact. Assuming that the original Christian and the disciple then both make one disciple each, the impact is now four-fold. If this pattern is continued, Jesus’ goal of making disciples from all nations is in reach far quicker than we might imagine. This is exponential growth that looks realistic, is not gimmick-driven, and that resembles Jesus’ pattern.
If the book has a weakness, it is in the lack of description of discipleship content. Yes, Coleman shows that Jesus demonstrated his prayer life, his devotion to Scripture, his obedience to God’s commands, and his evangelism to the disciples, teaching them these things along the way. However, it is also true that some who read this work will still find themselves wanting a more clearly-defined and followable strategy for step-by-step discipleship growth. Coleman assumes a maturity on the part of his readers which may not be present in the lives of some modern believers who pick up his book.
I would heartily recommend The Master Plan of Evangelism to any believer. This book would be an especially positive read for small group leaders, pastors, and church planters. Truly, any mature believer will be strengthened by being challenged to take even one younger believer under his or her wing, train them up, and send them out to become disciple-making disciples.
Strange Fire – A Review
John F. MacArthur. Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2014. 352 pp. $17.81.
I did not know for sure what to expect when I heard about John MacArthur’s conference called “Strange Fire” or the book of the same name. Given all the Internet hubbub about the conference, I wondered if this book would be some sort of unfair, cruel, hatchet piece on guys I like such as John Piper and Wayne Grudem, both continuationists. However, after listening to the conference, I bought the book when it was on sale for Kindle. And, I have to say, I am far more impressed with the book than I expected to be.
In Strange Fire, John MacArthur works biblically and systematically to respond to the teachings, actions, and individuals of the charismatic movement. MacArthur addresses issues such as tongues, slaying in the Spirit, prosperity theology, prophecy, the history of the Pentecostal movement, and a host of others. While he may not be gentle, MacArthur does not seem to be cruel or unfair as he strives to tackle issues which he believes to be vital to the glory of God and the honor of the Scripture.
The strength of this book is found in a steadfast devotion to the Bible. MacArthur shows time and time again that he desires to interpret the claimed experiences of the mainstream charismatic movement through the lens of the word of God. I cannot say that every aspect of this book is founded on biblical interpretation that all scholars will agree with, but the commitment to Scripture is certainly present. For example, in his discussion of the gift of tongues, MacArthur rightly points out that the gift in Scripture is best interpreted as a supernatural ability granted by God for a believer to speak a very real language that this person does not know. This was evident in Acts 2 when the apostles were able to speak the gospel and have it heard by many who were not Jews. If this is indeed the biblical understanding of the gift of tongues—which would better be called the gift of languages—then the modern phenomenon of speaking an unintelligible string of syllables is not the same thing. And if the modern exercise of “tongues” is not the biblical gift of tongues, then it must be checked by the Bible.
Another apparent strength of this work is MacArthur’s historical research. I say that this is an “apparent” strength because I do not have the personal study to confirm the book’s use of primary resources. However, the historical data does not strike me as made-up or unfair. MacArthur writes multiple chapters about leaders of the charismatic movement from recent history and from the past century. The book includes footnote after footnote supporting the historical claims of things said and done by all sorts of teachers. IN many instances, I believe that modern Christians would be absolutely stunned to see the kind of radically unbiblical doctrines espoused by men trumpeted as heroes of the charismatic movement.
A final strength that I will mention of the book is how MacArthur addresses the more biblically minded among the charismatic movement, the more reformed who call themselves continuationists. MacArthur quotes a few of these men, but certainly does not make personal attacks. MacArthur points out that these folks are not the norm in the charismatic movement, but they do allow many of those who are far off the deep end to have a theologically strong person to give them credibility. The argument is simply that a not-so-careful embracing of an unbiblical redefinition of spiritual gifts among some who are usually very careful with their theology is something that those who are dangerous in many areas of theology can use to their advantage.
I cannot say that Strange Fire is easy to read or always enjoyable. Because MacArthur is very thorough, the chapters can feel long. At times it can feel to a reader like we are beating a dead horse. However, I also understand that this kind of thoroughness is necessary in order not to leave open doors for the dishonest to sneak through.
Some who read this book will certainly feel that MacArthur is less than charitable. I understand this criticism. While I do not agree with it, I can see where readers may be offended by the type of black and white, right and wrong labeling that is done in this work. Please understand, if you choose to read this book, that MacArthur believes that the concept of errant prophecy or of charlatans claiming the Spirit’s power to heal while bilking the poor out of their income is more than just a little wrong. The title of this book is a reference to an Old Testament incident where disobedient priests were judged by God for bringing something unauthorized into God’s worship. This topic is a big deal, and MacArthur speaks with a fervor that is appropriate for a big deal, but which some will find offensive.
I would definitely recommend Strange Fire to someone who would like to really look into the teachings and teachers of the modern charismatic movement. This book sheds more than a little light on some beliefs, claims, and practices that need to be exposed. This is not the kind of book that you want to give to someone who is not regularly a reader or who cannot handle the tedium of a long and thorough argument. I certainly believe that pastors and small group leaders would benefit from working their way through this book, especially if they are in a context where those for whom they care are being influenced by charismatic teaching. Finally, I would recommend this book to the reformed who are continuationists. While much of the book will not apply to the beliefs and teachings of reformed continuationists, many concepts should cause at least a second look at some very important doctrines.
The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw – A Review
Norman L. Geisler and Daniel J. McCoy. The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw: Exposing Conflicting Beliefs. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2014. 192 pp. $11.97.
I have heard it said, and I agree, that we should not present an argument against another person’s position without first being able to express that person’s position in such a way that the person would agree that what we have presented is indeed their belief. In The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw, popular apologist Norman Geisler along with Daniel McCoy attempt to do just this regarding some popular atheistic arguments against belief in God.
Geisler and McCoy cite the writings of multiple popular atheistic authors and speakers in order to present a clear and fair understanding of one of the most common objections voiced by atheists against the concept of a deity. The authors then attempt to disclose that there is a natural self-contradiction in the rationale adopted by many atheists.
In this work, Geisler and McCoy address the atheist’s objection to the existence of God based on the issue of moral evil. The authors point out multiple ways in which atheistic authors and speakers have argued that for there to really be a God as the Bible presents, that God clearly would have done something to put an end to the kinds of moral evil and atrocities that we have seen all throughout human history. The authors then also point out that the same oppose on moral grounds of their own making the concept of divine intervention to put a stop to all evil, the worst cases of evil, or to work within the consciences of the willing to prevent evil. The atheists seem to be demanding that God act more strongly to prevent human on human evil, but to somehow do so without exercising divine authority or inhibiting human freedom in any way. The authors summarize, “In short, we will find that the atheist demands God fix the problem of moral evil while at the same time demanding freedom from the very methods God would use to fix it” (113).
The authors then go on to point out that the atheists will turn back on their own rationale by arguing that the kinds of intervention that they deny God the right to do would be perfectly acceptable if done by humanity. Thus, their opposition to limited human freedom is only opposition to God limiting human freedom. Geisler and McCoy declare, “In a second inconsistency, the atheist seems to reverse stances on the immorality of the divine interventions. Whereas he argues scathingly against the morality of these interventions at the divine level, somehow these interventions turn out not to be problematic at the societal level” (124).
This work has several strengths that readers should appreciate. Geisler and McCoy offer a plethora of quotations from a variety of atheists to make clear the atheistic position. This indicates a level of honesty from these authors regarding their treatment of the atheistic argument. Geisler and McCoy are not trying to set up and destroy straw men.
The two contradictions that Geisler and McCoy find in the atheistic arguments are strong objections that must be addressed by those who would hold to an atheistic position based on the problem of moral evil. Geisler and McCoy raise a strong question about whether full human autonomy—an attribute highly valued by many atheists—is something that can somehow be held to while demanding that God somehow override that autonomy in cases of moral evil. Also, if an atheist argues that human beings can work to put an end to evil by use of moral judgment, reward, punishment, etc., why would such tactics be inappropriate for the Creator?
This book is not for everyone. It is certainly true that some atheists will have different arguments that they claim are their particular objections to faith in God. Such people will rightly claim that Geisler and McCoy have not landed on their “fatal flaw.” For some readers, the sheer volume of quotes will be hard to wade through—I found myself fatigued by the mountains of quotes, some of which were used multiple times. And, for Christians who are emotionally sensitive to aggressive atheistic statements, this book will be hard to stomach.
Truthfully, I believe the book’s greatest weakness may be the overreach of the title. The title of this work could lead a person to believe that this book contains a secret weapon in apologetics to settle the atheistic issue once and for all. However, truthfully, atheists have other arguments that they use to hold to their own faith in a lack of faith in God. Thus, to promise that this pointing out of a contradiction in the atheistic understanding of theodicy will be “fatal” to the atheist’s worldview over-promises and under-delivers.
Overall, I would recommend The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw to a Christian interested in apologetics or to an honest atheist who is willing to look at a Christian objection to an atheist’s claim that the problem of evil seals the theist’s fate. While not the easiest read or always the most engaging, this work has some challenging reasoning that many would do well to work through.
I received a free copy of this work from Baker Books as part of a book reviewer’s program. Baker Books has not influenced this review in any way, but has simply asked for an honest review of the book.
The Wonder-Working God – A Review
Jared C. Wilson. The Wonder-Working God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Miracles. Wheaton: Crossway, 2014. 192 pp. $13.20.
The gospels are full of miracles. Bible readers are familiar with those accounts. But, what should we really learn from them? Are Miracles there to impress us? Are they there to identify Jesus as Messiah? Is something more going on?
Jared Wilson’s new book, The Wonder-Working God, takes a close look at the miracle accounts of the New Testament with an eye toward going deeper than we often do. As Wilson dives in, he shows us how the miracles of Jesus do more than remind us that Jesus is God or that Jesus is powerful; they also display for us the message of the gospel and the glory of God in great and life-changing ways.
One of the beauties of this book is Jared Wilson’s ability to write in a very relatable style. While he does a good job of digging deep into the theological implications of Jesus’ miracles, the author does not bog his readers down in the process. I have always found Wilson to be pleasant to read, and this book does nothing to change that view.
One thing that readers of this book might find interesting is that Wilson groups miracles together. Rather than study each individual miracle in its own separate chapter, Wilson has chosen to put similar miracles or miracles with a similar message together. This is helpful, as readers are then able to see the consistent message of the gospel writers. It can also be a little difficult, as at times I wanted to stick with one miracle account a little longer.
I would happily recommend The Wonder-Working God to anyone who wants to have a deeper grasp of the miracles of Jesus. I could picture this book being a great red for any individual. It would also make a solid source of material for a Bible study group or a helpful resource for a pastor wanting to do a topical series on Jesus’ miracles.
I received a free audio copy of this book from ChristianAudio.com as part of their reviewers program. The recording of this work is of the highest quality, as are all of the work sold by this company. Jared Wilson reads his own book in this audio recording. Were I to choose, I believe that I would prefer to have one of ChristianAudio’s other narrators. This is not to say that Wilson narrates poorly—far from it—however, I find that I generally do not enjoy listening to authors read their own works. Something in the intonation seems to lack when an author works through his own material. However, this would not at all prevent me from recommending the audio version of this work as well.
Syncretism (2 Kings 16:10-14)
2 Kings 16:10-14
10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus. 12 And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it 13 and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
This morning, I find myself working my way through 2 Kings, and this passage about King Ahaz of Judah has my attention. Ahaz visits Syria and there sees foreign religious practices. What does Ahaz do? He sends home to the present priest a copy of the floor plans for worship in Damascus and commands that practices of the Syrian false religion be brought into the worship of God. If you read the remainder of the section on Ahaz, you will see that Ahaz redesigns the way worship was carried out in Judah and the way the temple was laid out in order to mimic what he had seen in Damascus that got his attention so well.
I think it is obvious what the problem is here. Ahaz was supposed to be following the word of God. He was a king of Judah. He had the temple of God in Jerusalem. No way should he have allowed the temple to be reshaped by foreign religion. But Ahaz left the way of God in order to bring in elements of false religion. This is syncretism, the fusion of multiple belief systems, and it is something that God clearly and wholeheartedly forbids his people to do.
It is easy today to look at Ahaz and see what he did wrong. To change the temple layout, to remove the altar, to change how the sacrifices were done, this was all clearly against Scripture. But here is the question for us: How do we act just like Ahaz?
Do we act like Ahaz? Do we look at other religions, false faiths, and find in them practices that we would like to bring into our own Christian lives? Do we look at the world around us and bring in elements of secular humanism? Do we look at the entertainment culture of today and find ways to bring it into our worship?
The temptation here is to now take the opportunity to point out three or four ways in which we give into culture or bow toward false religion in our own worship. However, I do not know that this will help us much. My goal in thinking this through is not to have a chance to vent my pet peeves about the incorporation of worldly elements into the Christian life—so don’t ask me about pagan mysticism, yoga, eastern religious practices in discerning the will of God, popular psychology, the adoption of modern morality regarding marriage and divorce, the adding of our own rules to God’s clear commands, or the use of fog machines in a worship service. (OK, maybe restraint isn’t my strongest virtue.)
The thing that I think I would prefer to do this morning is to let this passage cause me to prayerfully seek God’s grace and wisdom in shaping my worship and the worship of the church I serve. I want to be directed by the word of God. I want to be bound by what God commands. I’m not wanting to give up electricity or modern instruments, but I am willing to pray that our worship be the things that God has directed his people to do through the centuries in his word.
I also want God’s word to be my guide for all aspects of life. God has given us in his book what we need. He has shown us how to know him and to please him. Nothing in that plan to please him has anything to do with reshaping his ways with the ways of other faiths or the world in general. We are not to be pressed into the mold of the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (cf. Romans 1:1-2). May our minds be renewed by Scripture and not by popular practices and catchy ideas from outside the Bible.
The Need for Honest Preaching (Micah 2:11)
Micah 2:11
If a man should go about and utter wind and lies,
saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
he would be the preacher for this people!
The job of an Old Testament prophet was to communicate to the people the truth of God. Sometimes this came through new divine revelation. They would speak at times like oracles, telling people new things that God told them would come to pass. In other instances, the prophets simply pointed out the lives of the people in the nation as compared to the covenant that people had with the Lord. Like law enforcement, the prophets would show the people where they were breaking God’s laws and remind them of the promised consequences for what they were doing.
In the passage above, Micah was pointing out a major problem with the people. They were so foolish as to desire only those who would preach things they wanted to hear. Of course, this is a common problem. Paul pointed out the same problem to Timothy (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 when he spoke of people who would turn away from sound doctrine and gather teachers who would say what their “itching ears” wanted to hear.) .And in this common, human weakness is a lesson for us.
It is tempting to only want to hear people say what we like. It is tempting to only want to hear what we have already accepted and believed. But there are times when we need to hear a preacher of the word of God truly challenge us. There are times when we need to have a well-studied preacher open to us doctrine that is not new, but which we have not yet explored.
Ask yourself, “Do I only listen when I like what I hear?” Ask, “When is the last time I heard something that challenged me, convicted me, or made me think differently?” It is folly to demand that you only hear what is easy. It is dishonest to listen only to those who promise you ease and safety with no hint of the hardships of this world. We need good, sound, godly teachers. We need men who will open the word faithfully. We need people who know how to comfort and convict, to call us to account and to remind us of grace.
Pastor Travis Peterson 