Morning Moments

In 1 Timothy 4 we shall consider:

SEDUCTIVE DECEIVERS as follows:

HOW TO SPOT THEM 4:1-5
THEIR PURPOSE 4:1
THEIR PREACHING 4:2-3
THEIR PROOF 4:4-5

WE MUST LEARN HOW TO STOP THEM 4:6-10

WE MUST LEARN HOW TO STAND STRONG AMONG THEM 4:11-16

It is far easier to go along and get along than to stand alone, stand tall, and stay true. As mama use to say, "Now put that in your pipe and smoke it". We are not to be intimidators, but we must be imitators of Jesus who lived faithful to Sound Doctrine (Chapter 1), who fulfilled His Sacred Duty (Chapter 2), who followed Spiritual Directives (Chapter 3) and who stood against Seductive Deceivers (Chapter 4), as Paul instructs Timothy to instruct the church.

There are some things and some people who when left to themselves soon get out of control. It is why there are rules in sports, that if broken, bring consequences for individual players and effect the entire team as well.

Many an athlete has hurt himself and the team by bending and breaking the rules and by attempting to influence others to do the same. That cannot be tolerated, but in these Days of Extreme Tolerance is doesn't seem to matter too much as long as we win.

I have personally witnessed doped up players (with prescription drugs) play the game just because some coach didn't think they could win without them. How utterly stupid! YES, I said STUPID! I watched a mother dole out pain pills to her own son so he could be the hero of the game. We have lost our minds.

The whole point of this is that when we are taught wrong we walk wrong, and this generation has been taught wrong - in public schools, public sports, and sadly enough public sermons in some cases. We even cancel services for certain sports events. It's a tough pill, but we must swallow it. We just want the crowd, with the cash, to build our castle.

In the Church of Jesus Christ also, there are things that must not be tolerated. Remember Jesus said, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump...cast out the leaven and the lump". In today's Church there are two extremes: Those who tolerate everything and those who tolerate nothing and the latter is fading fast. There is a balance and the balance is ALWAYS Biblical. Once the Church preached and practiced the balance, but no more!

OH, DEAR GOD, FOR JESUS SAKE, DELIVER US FROM THIS HARMFUL AND HURTFUL TEACHING AND BACK TO TRUE HOLINESS TEACHING!

If you only knew how it breaks my heart to see the Church so conformed to the world by doubt, debt, deception, and disgrace. STOP AND THINK: Honest to God, have we not become conformed to the world's mentality - "IF WE BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME". The plain truth is that if we won't go - we blow it! We are entertaining and recreating the masses into a superficial salvation and a false security that is destroying our nation. We won't stop, we won't stand, and we won't see where all this stuff is leading us. In case you did not know it, the rest of the world wants to be like us. What a responsibility!

Can you now gain a little better understand why Paul, in the days of the Greek Olympics might talk about "fighting the fight", "running the race", and "winning the prize"? It was a society like ours and the Church did not build facilities for play, but they met in houses to pray.

"Oh, but we must do this or people won't come". People won't come because Christian's won't go. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that that the church is a place for unbelievers. The true Church is THE BODY OF CHRIST. The Church has NEVER been the place for winning the lost - the marketplace is the place for that. People are won to real faith in Christ by a holy human in heavenly harmony, sharing their faith, not showing their facilities.

Okay, that's enough for today by way of introduction, but I pray we might see how relevant the Scripture is. Who gives a rip if we can exegete every verse and impress one another, if we are not reaching and teaching God's Will, God's Way, with God's Word and godly worship and witness - WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY?

BLESSINGS!