Wednesday 17 August 2016

Warning to Christians

Warning to Christians
The apostle Paul wrote,
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”2 Timothy 3:1-4
Later in chapter four of 2 Timothy he writes,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
People in Paul’s day were deviating from the truth about Jesus. People were twisting God’s word to suit their own agenda. It is happening today. Such things are made even worse by the electronic age we live in.
Christians in the twenty-first century need to be vigilant more than ever. We need to question pastors, evangelist and teachers about what they are teaching. We need to be studying the word of God ourselves.
When we hear a sermon don’t take it at face value. Study it. Check the scriptures to see if they are taken in context. If you have any questions ask the person who gave the sermon. If they won’t answer you or don’t answer you correctly have nothing to do with them.
Don’t give to a ministry until you have checked them out. Ask them for a full accounting If you are uncertain about them don’t send a penny to them.
Here in Canada where I live our Church is required to give a full accounting to the members at least once a year. That includes listing salaries of all workers for the church. All ministries should do that.
The bulk of the money given to a Christian ministry should be going to the work of the ministry to spreading the word of God. Not into salaries.
Remember the words of Jesus who said,
“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 perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22,23.
Included in those Jesus talks about will not only be those sitting in the pew but pastors, evangelist and teachers.
Thus the word to Christians is the same as the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, saying,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.
Please think about it.

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