Tag: truth

Christian

Verses for Meditation, 11/2/23

Cindy Dawson

“But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine.” 2 Peter 2:1-3a AMP (emphasis mine) Read full chapter

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

PRAY FOR ISRAEL

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What Does God Say About the Bible?

Cindy Dawson

Should we interpret the Bible in terms of our culture? Do God’s Words mean something different today than when they were written? We must look to the Word of God itself for the answers. What does God’s Word reveal?

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 (emphasis mine)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16 (emphasis mine)

There may be verses that we want to interpret in a way that is more acceptable to our culture, but my advice is to put those verses on the list, Verses I Don’t Understand Yet, because God says,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

In his article on Postmodernism Christian Movements, Bruce Cooper describes Progressive Christianity as: “a contemporary Christian movement that seeks to reinterpret traditional Christian beliefs and practices in light of modern perspectives and societal changes.”

But God says, “I the Lord do not change.” Malachi 3:6

To twist the meaning of Scripture to suit ourselves will only dull our Sword and contribute to our own demise! In effect, we shoot ourselves in the foot!

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

If we don’t prepare ourselves by reading the Word daily, we will be like a soldier going into battle who doesn’t know the intelligence report or the battle plans! Jesus explained it this way:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-27 (emphasis mine)

Notice that in verse 24 Jesus said, “Therefore”. That means that the “house built on sand” analogy does not stand alone, but is in reference to the preceding verses which say,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Pause and reflect on that for a moment!

We live in a time of great deception. Our culture believes things that shock the senses! It is becoming increasingly difficult to speak the truth because we don’t want to be called a hater or be hated. Jesus said,

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:18-20 NIV

During our current times and in light of current events, those verses take on greater meaning than ever before in our lifetime.

How amazing that the Bible, written 2,000 years ago, is so pertinent to the world today and all its problems!

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

More Scripture About God’s Word:

In His Love, Cindy

Sources: Reasoned Cases for Christ, Postmodernism

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

All Scripture is from the NIV unless noted otherwise.

PRAY FOR ISRAEL

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Sunday’s Memory Verse, 10/8/23

Cindy Dawson

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash

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How Do I Know If That’s True?

Cindy Dawson

Why do people believe a lie?

Many times, people believe a lie when that lie is something they want to be true. Sometimes people believe a lie because they have heard it so many times. In fact, a study at Villanova University proved just that. If a person hears something often enough, they will start to believe it’s true.

Is there any way to know what is really true and what is not? There is! God’s Word is true. The longer you study it, the more you will realize how true and relevant it is today!

One of the best things you can do to protect yourself is to commit to a “Read the Bible in a Year” chronological reading plan. The reason I recommend it so highly is that you will be exposed to “the whole counsel of God’s Word” and begin to see God’s Word as the complete story of Christ.

At the very least, read the New Testament cover to cover at least once a year (although twice a year would be better). But remember that the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy saying,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Paul is talking about the Old Testament! It must not be neglected because it has much to teach us! Some preachers have said the Old Testament is not relevant today, but that is clearly a contradiction of 2 Timothy 3:16.

Many preachers claim God wants you to be wealthy and rich. That’s called the “Prosperity Gospel” and it’s very popular. (Possibly one of those things people believe because they want it to be true.) But the Bible says something different.

“These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:2-5 NIV

Errant teaching thrives when specific verses are taken out of context, as in the two examples above. We can pray for discernment, but we must still check what is preached against the Word of God.

Let’s take Harriet as an example. Harriet goes to church on Sunday, has a devotional at home (usually a passage from Psalms, and reads random verses for encouragement. She even attends a Ladies’ Bible Study in which they study the latest best-selling book of a well-known Christian author. For the most part, Harriet gives well-known Christian personalities a lot of respect and she trusts their teaching. She has attended church her whole adult life.

Here’s the question I have for you: Is Harriet a mature Christian woman? Is she safe from false teaching? She thinks she is. But is she? Is she developing discernment? Take another look at Harriet’s habits. She depends almost entirely on Bible teachers to guide her beliefs. She has never read the whole Bible, not even the entire New Testament. Is she well-equipped to recognize false teaching or is she vulnerable? You decide.

In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challies compares spiritual discernment with identifying counterfeit currency.

Challies writes, “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right. Experts on counterfeit currency know this as well. They train others first to know the traits of genuine currency… Experts in counterfeit money study every aspect of their currency including how it feels and every detail of its appearance and color. Only after they do this are they shown counterfeit currency. And guess what? They know immediately what is not real!”

In the same way, the better we know the Bible the easier it will be to discern truth from error.

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:16 NIV (emphasis mine)

Learn more about discernment in the following articles:

 How To Be a Discerning Christian

Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers?

The Skill of Discernment

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Kristina Paparo on Unsplash

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Tuesday’s Verse, 9/26/23

Cindy Dawson

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NIV

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

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If Jesus Sent a Letter to YOUR Church, What Would It Say?

Cindy Dawson

Jesus said we are blessed if we read the book of Revelation. I also realize that studying Revelation can be overwhelming! So let’s break it down to one bite-size piece.

Interestingly, in chapters 2 and 3 Jesus expresses serious concerns for 5 of the 7 churches, and He has made them known to us by including them in the Scriptures. With that in mind, shouldn’t we give it careful attention and ask ourselves if we are guilty of the same things? Here is a list of those concerns:

  1. To the Church in Ephesus… “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4) He goes on to say that if this doesn’t change, He will remove their lampstand, meaning the church will not continue to exist. They were commended for their hard work, perseverance, and discernment. They also endured hardship and did not grow weary. But all of this could not excuse their diminishing love for Christ. Having lost the zeal and enthusiasm they had at first, they were just going through the motions.
  2. To the Church in Smyrna…no criticism
  3. To the Church in Pergamum… “There are some who hold to the teaching of Balaam… You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:14-15)
  4. To the Church in Thyatira… “You tolerate that woman Jezebel.” (Revelation 2:20)
  5. To the Church in Sardis…“You are dead. Wake up!” (Revelation 3:1-2) Have you ever been to a dead church? This church was filled with people going through the motions of dead religion. 
  6. To the Church in Philadelphia… no criticism
  7. To the Church in Laodicea… “You are neither cold nor hot…You are lukewarm… Because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) That sounds like apathy. Perhaps they were allowing “the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things [to] come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

These concerns can be put into 2 main categories: a decreasing love for God (Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea) and tolerance of false teaching (Pergamum and Thyatira). These are serious problems that the church today should be aware of and look out for. For now, I want to turn our attention to the problem of allowing our love for God to wane.

A Decreasing Love for God

Consider this: When asked, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:36-38

I asked the Lord, What does that mean? What does it look like? Here is what I found in the Word:

1. We show our love to God when we make decisions to obey His every command.

Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them… Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:21, 23-24 (emphasis mine)

2. We show our love to God when we worship the God of the Bible, not a god we have created to be what we want him to be. Idols are gods of our own creation. They promise to give us what we want.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol,” Exodus 20: 3-4 NASB

“… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 AMP (emphasis mine)

“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,” 2 Timothy 4:3 AMP

3. We show our love to God when we persevere.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

4. We show our love to God when we obey our calling and seek to do His will.

“Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” John 21:16

Are there other ways we can show God our love? Of course! These 4 things may not be what you expected to find on the list, but I’m pretty sure that if we are doing these things, we are showing God that we love Him! On the other hand, if we are not doing these things … we should examine our hearts.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

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Verse for Meditation, 9/21/23

Cindy Dawson

 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6 NIV Read full chapter

My Thoughts: To affirm transgenderism or homosexual behavior is not love. Sin brings pain and heartache. It always does. That’s why God warns us against it. Pastor David Jeremiah says, “This is the way sin works: it comes covered in an attractive veneer that hides its evil and hideous consequences.” (See Romans, Chapter 1.)

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash

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Quote of the Week, 9/20/23

Cindy Dawson

There is nothing in the world that’s happening today that the Bible does not address. It answers everything that’s going on.”

Pastor Jack Hibbs

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Verse for Meditation, 9/14/23

Cindy Dawson

“… the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 AMP

Comments: False religion and secular philosophy have created thinking that has imprisoned the minds of millions. It is a true spiritual battle…Those who know the truth must confront error with the weapon we’ve been given, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. GotQuestions.org

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Tony Rojas on Unsplash

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A Biblical Response to the Transing of America

Cindy Dawson

This exceptional sermon from Pastor Gary Hamrick explains the madness overtaking America today. Learn more about what is happening and why as he speaks about the deception overtaking our culture. Hear how Pastor Gary encourages believers to respond to this present-day delusion.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Norbu GYACHUNG on Unsplash

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