“Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:30)
Paul writes: “From among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (vv. 30-32).
When someone claims “special revelation from God” that doesn’t line up with what Scripture teaches, don’t buy it! Do what the Bereans did: “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Whose teachings did the Bereans put under the searchlight of Scripture? Paul’s!
No leader, regardless of the size of their following, is beyond such scrutiny. Indeed, good leaders welcome it. “But doesn’t God still have more to say to us?” you ask. Yes, and when you take your last breath, you still won’t know everything. Does God have new and effective strategies for reaching the world with the gospel in this age of technology? Yes, and we must embrace and utilize them in order to reap the final harvest. But we must never compromise when it comes to God’s Word.
We are also guided by the need to examine, by the Word of God, from such as Paul in Acts 17:10-12: “As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.”
It is proper to check out church leaders by the unchanging Word, who speak with God’s authority, and who also are under assault by Satan through their sin natures.
“From among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things.” Sometimes the greatest threat to truth comes from those we know, love, and have worked with, who have wandered off track. So, what’s the answer? It’s simple. Always ask, “What does the Bible say?” and make that your benchmark.
Prayer
Father, I thank You for the gifts of grace, mercy and salvation You have given me. Strengthen me while I study Your Word and help me with my challenging life today; may Your Word always be the guide I follow in my life.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
