Jump Start # 514
Galatians 1:6-7 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
The apostle Paul had established the Galatian church. Things started well. Paul moved on to other places. Jewish teachers who were insistent upon keeping part of the O.T. law moved in. They confused and misled the brethren. Some had accepted what these teachers were saying. Paul writes Galatians to iron out these things and to set forth exactly where the Law of Moses fits in with the gospel of Christ. The language is often strong in this letter. Chapter three begins, “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you…” In the next chapter Paul wonders aloud, “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”
These thoughts remind us how easily it is to be persuaded by someone. It happens to our kids all the time. Older kids will tell younger ones some whopper and they will believe it. College kids sit in a classroom and a professor rants for thirty minutes about how offensive religion is. The minds of the students are persuaded. It happens to believers.
Crooked teaching is as old as the garden of Eden when the serpent misquoted God. Ever since then, there has been folks, some misguided and innocent and others with an agenda, who have set forth to tell others “the truth” about God, religion, Scriptures and the church.
Our passage today shows that Paul was shocked that it happened to the brethren there so quickly and so easily. It can happen. It can come through the pulpit, blogs or facebook. Twisting the words, changing the meanings, revealing an insight that no one else has known or seen, and the purpose is to rally others to a cause that is false. This continues today. Books are printed spewing false ideas but laced with just enough passages that they seem right. Often it’s the young in faith or those upset or disgusted with things that feed on these fringe and false concepts. They get worked up and excited about these things. They lose trust in the leaders who kept them from these new ideas. They become obsessed with these new things, forgetting everything else, they dig deeper and deeper into them, finding a network of others who feel as they do. Before long a movement has started. These ideas are then presented in Bible classes and sermons. Brethren divide. Churches split. And Satan smiles.
I’ve seen it happen. I know places where it is happening right now. I, started down some of those roads myself, more than once. Been there. Know what it’s like. I can tell you stories.
What can be done? What are we supposed to do? First, I, you, we, must know God’s word. To know it, we must first read it, study it and consume it. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you is what the Colossians were told. Don’t just read articles about the Bible, read the Bible. Jump Starts are not a substitute for Bible reading. We can read what others say about the Bible, but we must be first hand investigators. We must be able to recognize truth. I don’t have to know everything that is false, if I understand what is right. This is where it begins. This is Paul’s point within our passage. The Galatians should have known better. False things, crooked ideas, concepts that are not true to the book don’t stand a chance when they come face to face with truth. What happens is that folks that don’t know the truth as they should, those who have not grown as they should—they are gullible and they don’t realize it. A few Greek words here, a little history there, a passage out of context and before long they are following the Pied Piper to the land of happy clappy. Get the Bible out. Look for yourself. Think. Consider. Ask questions. Quit reading what disgusted people have to say. The internet gives a voice to the disgruntled who do not get their way and whose heart was never converted to Christ. They remind me of the occupy movement. Change, change, change is what they demand and shout and what they ought to do is start by changing their smelly clothes. That’s one change everyone would be happy with. I don’t read negative blogs about the church, Christ or the Bible. I don’t watch TV shows about Bible mysteries. They tend to discredit miracles and look for natural explanations for the miraculous powers of God. I won’t go there. I spend my time reading the Gospel. If you don’t want the Lord, then step aside. I do. If Heaven’s not your thing, then go your way. But don’t be telling lies. Don’t be trying to steal people to your side. Don’t be misquoting God. Don’t be saying things that are not true. A dog fight might happen if you do.
Know the word of God. Know what is truth. That is the best weapon. Truth never suffers from investigation, error always does.
Become a purest with God’s word. Take it simply as it is given. Speak the way God speaks. Use Bible words. Stick with the way God uses those words. That’s a purest, just the pure word. 100% God—nothing else. That’s what I’m after.
Satan won’t leave us alone until we are out of this world. So we must be on guard. We must listen carefully. Read carefully. Satan is after you. He knows what the word of God will do. He doesn’t want that. If you won’t give it up completely, then he will twist it and try to change it. A distorted Gospel won’t do the trick. A crooked message won’t take you where you want to go.
One other thought…if folks would quit giving attention to the crooked things, many of them would go away. If the books didn’t sell…if no one commented on the blogs…if no one watched the programs…if they no longer had a voice…they’d go away until the next one arose. Error is popular because people give it a platform. If that stopped, then the spread of that error would stop.
Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. That’s old hymn has it right. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for proof for what they are saying. Check it out. See for yourself. As one old Christian told me a long, long time ago, “If it ain’t so, then you know it ain’t so.”
Roger