Good morning,
But I am not surprised!
When Jesus was living with us here on earth, who desperately wanted to kill him? Was it the Romans? No, they ignored him. Was it the ordinary people who were living with Jesus? Not at all! To them he was the healer. Was it the people who thought that they knew the Bible the best, who demanded that he be killed? Yes. After Jesus died on the cross, was buried in a rock tomb, only to rise again on the third day, these same Bible believers refused to accept this truth and before long were determined to kill his disciples as well. After their hatred couldn’t stop the churches from growing by the thousands, Satan used a different attack to try to destroy these followers of Jesus. Years later the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth,But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.(2Cor.11:3) What our Enemy did was to fall back on the strength of our sin nature that finds it easier to believe lies then God’s eternal truth. Paul continued, You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.(v.4) If killing couldn’t stop people from following Jesus, our Enemy gifted religious men and women to twist the truth under cover of following God. Paul continued, But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers.(vs.14,15)
Alas, these two basic approaches of attacking God’s family by threats or by twisting what God’s Bible tells us is eternally true, are still with us almost two thousands years later. In some parts of our world today there are people by the millions being threatened or killed because of their faith. However, until recently in the Western World, Satan’s wicked followers have been taught to be loving and believable in what they say and do. Our modern church pastors and church leaders are being trained that only the best trained people are able to teach others the real truths found in the Bible. The people who attend these churches are been trained that we must use the worlds ideas of right and wrong or they won’t listen to us. These false shepherds also find it helpful to focus on the promises and the love of God while ignoring the requirements that also are a part of the Lord’s people loving and obeying the Savior. These leaders ignore what Jesus told his followers, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and perforsurprisedmed many miracles in your name.’(Mat.7:21,22) God’s test for the reality of our relationship is not based on how much I do or what someone has told me. Jesus said, But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’(v.23) The cultures that we are living in during these angry and confusing times are based on values that ignore God’s will and tell us that each of us have the right to be treated the way we feel is right for us. Jesus also told us that, Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.”(John14:21) Dear Lord, help us to live by faith in your Word, your love and your Holy Spirit’s guidance and not be taken in by our enemies.
2 Corinthians 11:3But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.
Roy Wisner
