Tag Archives: god

On True and False Teachers

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Of all the deceptions that exist, there is nothing so egregious as that of religious deception. People can and do (unfortunately) deceive others on a great variety of issues, but the one who deceives in religious matters brings God into his sin, associating Him with a lie. This is why false teachers are so destructive: they not only mislead people but also tarnish the reputation of Christ before a watching world.

Recently, a false prophet named Joseph from South Africa predicted that Christ would “rapture” His church on the Feast of Tabernacles, September 23rd or 24th of this year. He claimed with “a billion percent” certainty that Jesus Himself had spoken to him in 2018 about this event. Many pre-tribulation believers

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A Time to Rebuild

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Charlie Kirt was a good man. He was a faithful Christian who sought to bring biblical truth into the public sphere. He exemplified what it means to “let your light shine” before others (Matt. 5:13–16). In every video I watched, he was always kind and respectful. He was also firm and unwavering in his convictions. The problem we face today, and what I believe contributed not only to his death but also to the insidious mocking of it by many, is that firm convictions make people uncomfortable. Today, truth is often no longer defined by principles or objective reality; instead, for many, it is defined by

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Be Fruitful

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John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

In his Systematic Theology, Charles Ryrie writes concerning this verse, “Believers have been chosen to bear fruit; not to do so would be contrary to God’s purposes.” Ryrie considers fruitlessness a sin. This is an important point to understand. While Ryrie points out the negative aspect of fruitlessness, namely that it is sinful, Jesus states the truth in the positive, namely that the Christian life was designed by Him to be fruitful. He states that we are chosen, that we “should go bear fruit.” The Christian life was meant to be fruitful. Or stated another way,

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An Unwelcome Blessing

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Jeremiah 6:27-30

God told Jeremiah that he had been appointed an assayer among God’s people. In this capacity, he was called to examine them on God’s behalf. But his job was not limited to just examining the people. He was also called to be a refiner. Through the preaching of God’s Word, he was called to lead them to live faithful lives before the Lord. Jeremiah continually called upon the people to repent of their sin. Their greatest sin was idolatry. Instead of turning to the Lord, they continually went after the many false gods of the surrounding nations. However, despite their idolatry, they still worshiped God in the temple. He wasn’t pleased.

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A Living Faith

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Hebrews 10:26-27, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

We are called to live a life of faith. For many people, however, belief is equated with faith. In other words, they assume that if you “believe” in Jesus, then you have faith. However, saving faith is not just intellectual belief expressed through verbal consent. Saving faith is expressed as a life lived for Christ on his terms (cf. Mark 8:34-38; Luke 14:25-33). James echoes the same truth (cf. James 2:14-18).

We live in a day, however, where false assurances of “belief” abound. People are commonly called to make decisions for Christ. Churches that lead many people to make decisions for Christ are heralded as models to emulate. If those decisions are translated into an active life of discipleship through intentional training and equipping, they are worthy of emulation. If no discipleship takes place and people are told they can now have assurance of eternal life while they continue to live life on their terms, then such a church is not to be emulated.

The author of Hebrews sends a strong warning to those who fail

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