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False Teachers

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: II Peter 2
Meditation: II Peter 2:1

“But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you.”

Shift Your Focus… Oswald Chambers said, “The Bible treats us as human life does—roughly.”  In the entire second chapter of Peter’s second letter, the Apostle really goes after some people—and he treats them roughly.  He is going after false teachers—religious figures who pervert the Gospel for personal gain and manipulate God’s people for their own pleasure.

Peter is telling us to be on the lookout for such people. His message is clear:  We are not to be duped by these phony spiritual leaders. And by the way, in case you didn’t know it, there are plenty of them even in our day.  Just surf through the religious programs on your TV set and you will see one before you know it.  But they’re not just on TV; they are in denominational headquarters, they teach in seminary classes, they fill pulpits and lead small groups all around the world.

So how do you spot them?  It’s not all that hard really, because no matter what era you are in or what position of authority they are in, these phonies fall into predictable patterns.  You can spot them because they are always grubbing for money or they are always trolling for sex or they are always maneuvering for power—or all three.

If you spot a religious figure who seems to be preoccupied with money—watch out! I’ve seen plenty of pastors and TV preachers who were pretty good at that. They are slick, so don’t be fooled!  Peter says “in their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money.” (verse 3)

Likewise, if you run into a spiritual authority that seems to be a little too loose with the girls (or the guys)—have nothing to do with them.  They are bad news, and when they fall, they will take people down with them.  Peter says that God will be “especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire and who despise authority.” (verse 10)  If a spiritual leader is unwilling to be accountable for his sexuality, that is the kind of person Peter is talking about.

And finally, whenever you find a religious figure that is egotistical, prideful, and self-serving—you have found the makings of a false teacher.  When you get on the inside of their world and you don’t see humility, sacrifice and grace, you’ve got a leader who is, among other things, driven by power.  Peter warns of them in the last part of verse 10, “These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.”  Verse 13 says, “they scoff at things they don’t understand.”  Verse 18 tells us, “They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting.”

Peter is really quite rough on these people: “These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.” (verse 17)  He calls them “a disgrace and a stain among you.”  And he says, “they live under God’s curse.”  (verses 13-14)

Tough chapter, I know.  But as I mentioned at the beginning, the Bible sometimes treats us roughly in order to protect us from evil influences and preserve our salvation.  And as it relates to so-called spiritual leaders, it is time we do the same.

A little rough treatment might clear some of them out of the body of Christ and off the airways.

“Hypocrisy desires to seem good rather than to be so; honesty desires to be good rather than seem so.” ~Arthur Warwick

Prayer… Lord, cleanse your church.  Make us a holy Bride, without any spot, or wrinkle, or blemish.  Give us greater discernment and courage to root out the false teachers among us so that we can be the kind of church with whom you are well pleased and in which the world cannot find fault.

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Choose To Grow

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: II Peter 1
Meditation: II Peter 1:2-3,5,10

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life… In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises… work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.”

Shift Your Focus… Every authentic, healthy follower of Christ wants to grow spiritually.  That’s usually right up there at the top of everyone’s wish list.  But just how does one experience spiritual growth?  That’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it?

For most, spiritual growth is a mystery.  It is vague, not defined, something that is felt, not measured.  If it is to happen at all, we see ourselves as the passive recipients of a divine agent that catalyzes growth rather than as the catalyst ourselves.  In other words, our development into deeper spirituality, stability, maturity, and Christ-likeness is more up to God than it is to us.

Yet according to Peter, there is to be a pretty active partnership in this business of growth. God is the senior partner, you the junior.  And here’s the deal:  God has done his part in setting you up for spiritual growth.  Notice what verse 3 says: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.”  Did you see the word “everything” in that verse.  In the Greek, that means “everything!”  God has set you up, my friend, to be a growing, godly believer.  Me, too!

Now it is up to us to supplement what God has so graciously and completely done in order to move along the continuum toward deeper spiritually. So what is our growth assignment then?  Look at verse 5-8:

“Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice the seven key catalytic agents to growth that Peter mentions: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

Very simply, when there is a choice between that which is morally pure and anything else, guess what?  You and I have to choose moral purity!  God can’t choose for us.  He can strengthen us and prompt us, but we must make the choice.  Added to moral purity must be Biblical knowledge, which frankly doesn’t come without regular meditation on God’s Word.  Furthermore, purity and knowledge are safeguarded by self-control.  Self-control is what teaches you to say “no” to anything that would hinder, hurt or destroy God’s work in you or in another. (See Titus 3:11-13).  Adding to self-control is the exercise of patient endurance.  Truthfully, there will be times when the only thing we can do is to grit our teeth and hang in there!  Endurance must be connected to godliness or it is nothing more than stubbornness. Godliness means to think and act like God; it is to practice the presence of God at all times.  Then along with godliness comes kindness and care for our brothers.  Finally, to wrap everything into that which causes growth, we must express Christ-like love for all people at all times.

Purity, learning, self-control, endurance, godliness, kindness and love are the things that you can and must do to grow.  And they are the very things that will make you more productive in your faith and useful to your Lord.

That’s your assignment today.  So get out there and “grow” for it!

“A soul may be in as thriving a state when thirsting, seeking and mourning after the Lord as when actually rejoicing in Him; as much in earnest when fighting in the valley as when singing upon the mount.” ~John Newton

Prayer… Lord, thanks for giving me everything I need to grow into a thriving, useful, God-pleasing saint.  I have no excuses not to grow.  So today, I will do my part to supplement what you have already done for me.

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Love Perseveres

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: II Thessalonians 3
Meditation: II Thessalonians 3:5

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

Shift Your Focus… Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians—which of course, is God’s desire for all believers—is really quite simple:  To love like God and to patiently endure like Jesus.

Yet when you think about it, this is deeply profound.  In light of all that Paul has said in this letter about the duties of Christ-followers during the difficulties of the last days, we Christians desperately need the Lord to lead our hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God.

Though “love” in our world is a concept terribly misunderstood, misused and even abused, and in that corrupted state, overused, we would do well to make a study of God’s love in Scripture in order to gain a correct understanding of it.  To truly understand love, we must begin with God’s love, since God is love.  He authored love, he is the very expression of love, and he is the sole source of true love.  God thinks love, he feels love, and he acts in love—he cannot help himself, for love is what he is.  In order for us to be led into a full expression of God’s love, we first need to understand it—if one can truly ever understand the depth of his love.

Not only do we need to study God’s love in Scripture, we need to study God’s love as it is expressed in the person of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps the highest expression of that love is seen in the patient endurance of Christ.  Jesus is the consummate visible, physical, literal expression of God’s love, and in particular, his death on the cross for unworthy sinners like you and me is the ultimate definition of enduring love.

The love of God expressed through his Son, Jesus Christ, was not a fair weather, sentimental, feel good sort of love, it was a tough love that hung in there when there was absolutely no reason, apart from his own loving nature, to hang in there.  Yet he hung in there, literally, hanging on the cross for our sins.

That’s the kind of enduring love to which we have been called.

So how does your love measure up to that standard?  Not very well, you say.  Me neither!

How do we develop that kind of enduring love?  Study it—for sure.  Ask for it—of course. But mostly, we must surrender our will to the only one who can transform us into that kind of patiently loving people—the One who directs our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

“Love means loving the unlovable—or it is no virtue at all.”  —G.K. Chesterton

Prayer… Lord, bring me into a deeper understanding of your love—and may I be radically transformed by it.  May the testimony of my life be that I became the expression of your enduring love.

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Foolproof Theology

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: II Thessalonians 2
Meditation: II Thessalonians 2:2-3

“Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say.

Shift Your Focus… Paul is speaking specifically about the coming of the Lord, warning his readers not to be alarmed and misled by the constant and “creative” barrage of new information coming to them about the end times.

Of course, what Paul teaches specifically has a general application as well.  Not only are we hit from time to time with supposed “new teachings” regarding the Lord’s coming, i.e., “88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return in ’88,” (I’m fairly certain the author of that one, which was written in 1988, was off a bit), in general, there seems to be new doctrinal teachings du jour that we have to sort through.

Paul’s advice—and mind:  Check it out in the Word.  Whenever you hear of some new revelation, a new practice or phenomenon, a “word” from the Lord, go to the Bible to see if it lines up with the clear teaching of Scripture.

That’s what the Berean Christians of Acts 18 did.  Verse 11 of that chapter says, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

Although the Thessalonian believers were amazing Christians in so many ways—just go back and read I Thessalonians 1—apparently they were also fairly gullible.  They seemed to be easily swayed by every wind of doctrine.  Not the Bereans!  They filtered everything through the Word of God, and if it didn’t line up with orthodox doctrine, they tossed it into the spiritual trash heap.

Let me encourage you to be Berean-like in your faith.  Know the Word of God and test everything you hear against it—even what I have to say.  If you will do that, you will not be misled as false teachings increase in these last times.

“The Holy Scriptures tell us what we could never learn any other way: they tell us what we are, who we are, how we got here, why we are here and what we are required to do while we remain here.”  ~A. W. Tozer

Prayer… I will keep your Word, O Lord, as a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway.  I will read and meditate upon it daily.  I will seek to live out its precepts fully.  I will measure every sermon I preach and every sermon I hear against it—it will be the plumb line by which everything gets measured.  Mostly Lord, I will honor your Word supremely in my life.

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The Best Praying

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: II Thessalonians 1
Meditation: II Thessalonians 1:11-12

“We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Shift Your Focus… I pray for people—every day. I assume you do too.  Often the focus of our prayers is for their comfort and success—and that is not necessarily a bad idea.  But wouldn’t the better way be to pray for them be as Paul prayed for these Christians in Thessalonica?  The priority of his intercession for them was that God would count them worthy of the calling that he had placed on their lives, and that he would fulfill divine purposes through them.  He prayed that through God’s power and their submission to that power Christ would be glorified in them and they would be glorified in Christ.

Now that is an altogether higher form of intercession!  And when you think about it, isn’t it really far better than asking God for another person’s happiness and comfort?  Isn’t it truly more noble than praying for someone’s success?  At the end of the day, wouldn’t that person be better off if God’s power had enabled them to accomplish his purpose, that their achievements would have been those inspired by the Holy Spirit rather than their own spirit, and that their efforts had caused a good word to be spoken about God rather than themselves?

I don’t know about you, but if that could be said of my life by the end of this day, I would take that over the usual definition of a good day any day!

As you are prompted to pray for another today, take Paul’s approach.  In fact, why don’t you just use Paul’s prayer—I don’t think he would mind.

Oh, and by the way, if you are taking the time to read this Blog today, I just want you to know that I am praying Paul’s prayer for you. If you have made the effort to get this far, just know this:  I am lifting your name and your cause before our gracious Father.  I am praying Paul’s Thessalonian prayer for you:  That you will be counted worthy of your calling and strengthened with supernatural power to carry out the good purposes that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to fulfill.  My deepest prayer for you is that through your life, Jesus Christ will be glorified.  And I also pray that you will know something of his glory in your own spirit at some point during this day.  May his blessings rest upon you in very real ways today, and as you lay your head down on your pillow tonight, may you hear him whisper in your ear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my Father’s rest.”

“Let your prayer for temporal blessings be strictly limited to things absolutely necessary.” ~St. Bernard

Prayer… Lord, you see the dear person who is reading this.  Fulfill this Thessalonian prayer in their life.  Bless them with every form of spiritual abundance and enlarge their capacity for faith.  Let your hand be with them today.  Keep them from causing harm, and keep them from being harmed. Make them a trophy of your grace and a conduit of your glory.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.

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Get Ready To Go

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Thessalonians 5
Meditation: I Thessalonians 5:2

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”

Shift Your Focus… Both Thessalonian letters devote a great deal to Christ’s return.  Paul concludes this first letter by reminding his readers that this great event will happen when people least expect it—“like a thief in the night.”  So as believers, we must therefore live each and every moment expecting the unexpected.  We are to live with our bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave for our true home—heaven—at a moments notice.

What does it mean to live in such a way?  Paul gives a checklist of sorts in the final verses of this letter.  Perhaps you’ve used a checklist to make sure you have the right things packed in your suitcase before going on an extended trip. As you prepare for the journey home—which by the way, will be an extended trip with no return—here is your spiritual checklist:

  • Verse 6:  Be alert—be on the lookout; remain on guard as to Christ’s return and the evil conditions of the time in which it will take place.
  • Verses 6 & 8:  Be self-controlled—keep your life, your passions, your desires and fleshly drives in check.
  • Verse 8: Be armed—put on the armor of faith (conviction), love (self-sacrifice) and hope (the assurance of your salvation).
  • Verse 11:  Be encouraging—instead of finding flaws in others, build them up and help them to be ready for Christ’s return.
  • Verses 12-13:  Be respectful—treat your spiritual leaders—ministers and lay leaders—with high regard and love.  Give them respect not because of their position, educational achievements or popularity, but because of the nature of their work.
  • Verse 13:  Be at peace—seek peace actively, not passively, with fellow believers.
  • Verses 14-15:  Be involved—get involved with others by warning the idle, motivating the timid, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and exhibiting kindness rather than retaliation toward those who’ve hurt you.
  • Verse 16:  Be joyful—maintain an attitude of joy no matter what.
  • Verse 17:  Be prayerful—stay in God’s presence continually.
  • Verse 18:  Be thankful—not only in good times, but even in bad times exhibit an attitude of gratitude.
  • Verses 19-20:  Be sensitive—develop a sensitivity and an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ; especially as it relates to prophecy.
  • Verse 21:  Be discerning—be knowledgeable of the Bible so that everything can be tested against it.
  • Verse 21:  Be obedient—understand what the Word of God says, and be quick to obey it.
  • Verse 22:  Be pure—moral purity should continually characterize your life.
  • Verses 23-24:  Be dependent—be wholly dependent on God and cooperative with the Holy Spirit to bring about sanctification and blamelessness in your life—body, soul and spirit.
  • Verse 25:  Be an intercessor—regularly intercede for others before the throne of God.
  • Verse 26:  Be friendly—love and affection must be demonstrative, and an outward expression of your inner affection for fellow believers.
  • Verse 27:  Be unselfish—take responsibility to share with other believers the truth of God’s Word.
  • Verse 28:  Be gracious—live in the light and reality of God’s grace, personally and relationally.

Are you ready to go, or do you need to do some more packing?  Jesus may come today, so make sure you’re ready for the journey.

“Our deepest calling is not to grow in our knowledge of God. It is to make disciples. Our knowledge will grow—the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, will guide us into all truth. But that’s not our calling, it is His. Our calling is to prepare the world for Christ’s return. The world is not ready yet. And so, we go about introducing a dying world to the Savior of Life. Anything we do toward our own growth must be toward that end.” ~Jeffery Bryant

Prayer… Lord, I long to see you. Perhaps it will be today!  But whether it is today or a hundred years from now, empower me through the Holy Spirit to live in a state of readiness, ready to go home at a moments notice.

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The Masterful Sermon Of A God-honoring Life

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Thessalonians 4
Meditation: I Thessalonians 4:11-12

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.  Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.”

Shift Your Focus… In Paul’s day, some of the believers were so convinced that Jesus was going to come back at any moment that they simply quit life and waited. They quit showing up to work, they quit earning a living, they quit taking care of stuff around the house.  Why bother?  Jesus was coming back.  So they just waited.

And they became a burden for everybody else.  Others had to do their work.  Others had to provide food for them.  Others had to take care of the things they were supposed to do.

We have words for people like that:  Irresponsible, irritating, lazy.  And they are a terrible witnesses for Christ.

I haven’t seen too many people in our day who have quit life and are just sitting around waiting for Jesus to return to rescue them from the daily chores of life.  But I have seen a fair number of people who are terrible witnesses for Jesus.  Not so much because they don’t give an adequate verbal witness—they talk a good game.  They just don’t play it.

Their lives don’t match their language. Seekers can’t see Jesus because their lifestyle gets in the way of their language, their work ethic clouds their witness, their nosiness and noisiness is incongruent with their beliefs.  They cut corners, do sloppy work, show up late, gossip—working as unto the Lord is not something that describes them.  Sinners can’t see the purity, reverence, industriousness and excellence of their Christian faith simply because those Christ-like values are consistently missing from their actions.

You’re life is a sermon.  The question is, what is it preaching?  Paul is saying that your life—your behavior, attitudes, words and world-view—at all times must generate respect for your Lord. People are watching you, and whatever they see in your life day in and day out paints a picture of your Jesus.

Hope you are painting a masterpiece!

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” ~St. Francis of Assisi

Prayer… Lord, help me today to so live that when people look at me, they will see you, and be attracted.