The Sheep

In the Bible, we are told to beware (31 times in the KJV) and yet most Christians are not even aware (5 times in the KJV). Just as there are many truths that they are not aware of, there are many dangers to beware of. There seems to be a lack of discernment. Christians, in general, have failed to develop the art of discernment. I say develop, because it takes study and practice.

We have known and/or heard of people of whom it is said, have the gift of discernment. However, their “Gift” of discernment came from years of prayer and honest Bible study. Bible study where you leave your preconceived ideas and beliefs behind and let God’s Holy Spirit teach you something.

With all the TV preacher to watch, many Christians are getting their Bible learning from the TV. A wise old man, once said, “It is not what we don’t know that is hurting us , as it is knowing so much that just is not so.”

We have heard so much unbiblical teaching and have done so little personal Bible study, that we fail to discern what is true and what is false. Those that do study, do so with preset parameters. Whatever they do study, they will understand within the confines of what they already believe. How then, can they ever learn? They keep repeating the same misinformation and error that they hear from the TV preachers, and those like them. Repeating something over and over does not make it any less wrong than it was the first time.

Christians have been repeating so many unbiblical sayings, that I have started putting them into a book. I call the book: “the Book of Hezekiah”. The verses sound like scripture, just as Hezekiah sounds like one of the books of the Bible, but the verses cannot be found in the Bible. We have all heard sayings like that and now we know what to call them. We can say: “that must be in the Book of Hezekiah, because it is not in the Bible.” Hezekiah was a King of Israel, but was not a book of the Bible.

A lot of what today’s Christian believes is based on incorrect information and assumption. The preacher said it, so it must be true! Preachers are human and can make mistakes, and/or study incorrectly, just like the rest of us. We need to remember to pray for them, and each other. One big difference between a good preacher and the Christian in the pew, is his level of commitment.

I recall a preacher that inserted, into his message, a statement that the reason that there was so much trouble in the Middle East, was because Israel had not received all the land that they had been promised. And then he stated that he did not know why he had put that in there, because it had nothing to do with his subject. I remember wondering if he had not read Joshua Chapter 21:43-45, where it states that Israel had received all the land that God had promised them and that not one promise had failed. I guess that he had heard the misinformation so much that he actually believed it to be true, without ever checking it against the Bible.

I am not trying to pick on that preacher, but rather to point out an example of what is all too common in today’s church. The Lord has blessed me or turned it into a blessing, the habit of questioning, just about everything. It wasn’t always the smartest thing to do when I was a child, but it became a habit and has served me well as I got older.

Think about it. Truth does not fear investigation. God does not mind you searching His word to see if something is so, or not. In fact He encourages it. His word honors those of Berea, stating in Acts 17:11 that they were “. . .more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Hold fast to that which is good, but do not assume that you have got it all figured out. I never really started learning, until I realized that I didn’t know all that much. Learning one truth will lead to another truth, which will lead to another truth. Don’t be surprised if some of your old friends begin to think that you have gone crazy. They just have not got to the point where they can do some honest Bible study, without all the preset parameters. It is often hard to accept the fact of being wrong about something and it is easy to reject any information that is any different than what has been believed for a while.

None of this means that we should be so open minded that we accept anything, but we should be willing to investigate a matter to see if what we believe is true or not. Each person must decide how important truth is to them. Each person must decide to put a little bit of effort into their Bible study, first praying and asking God to lead and guide them in their study. Comparing scripture with scripture is a good habit. God’s Word is the best commentary on God’s Word and He is the best teacher.

Let us not just follow any man like sheep, for man will always disappoint us. This is why we are to follow Christ, for He alone is the good Shepard and we are His Sheep. Let us be noble like those in Berea, let us study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word. Let us use discernment. #