John 18:37-38 / 37Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
It isn’t that people couldn’t plainly hear Jesus’ voice when he was speaking. That is not what he was referring to in John 18:37. I am going to give one piece of the definition for the word “heareth”, which comes from the Greek word “akouō” – “to understand, perceive the sense of what is said”. It is not just enough to HEAR – there are plenty of people that let words go in one ear, and out the other. They hear what is spoken – the only problem is that they aren’t listening. However, what Jesus was saying was that those who hear him were those who truly understood what he was preaching.
The gospel is a funny thing – it is 100% accurate! However, there are so many sects, and denominations, and each one seems to have their own spin on the Bible. I will be honest – at basically every church I have visited, I have found things preached that were inaccurate with the Bible. Sometimes they were little things, and sometimes they were big things. Even though I am a stickler about knowing what the Bible says, I don’t concern myself as badly with the small things. I know that some things are taught ignorantly, and it is not worth it to get riled up over the smaller matters. I could easily throw a fit over hearing someone preach a great message, yet miss one point, and ruin an opportunity later to discuss the Word with the preacher, and possibly give him or her a different look on what the Word says.
An example of something I heard recently at a church along this line was a pastor teaching that when they prayed, the congregation was to hold hands. This is not necessarily a bad thing to hold hands while you are praying – it shows unity of mind and spirit, and brotherly love. But, the reasoning was why I consider this a small error in teaching – they were referencing Matthew 18:19 /Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. They taught that since the Word said “touching”, then they were to touch while praying. However, the Word “touching” comes from a Greek word “peri”, which means “about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near”.
We see no record of Jesus holding hands with people every time He prayed for them. Remember the man who came to Jesus and asked Him to speak a word of healing for his servant in Matthew 8:5-13? Jesus never grabbed the man’s hand – he simply spoke a word of healing over the man’s servant. How about the man whom Jesus told to take up his bed and walk in John 5:8-9? He rose up without Jesus grabbing his hand to pray for him – the Word is what brought the miracles, not the grabbing of hands.
This brings us to an interesting sidenote – we see this in Genesis 1, but maybe we underestimate what it means. We read in Genesis 1 how God created the heavens and the earth – but how did He do it? What tool did He use to do these things? THE WORD! We read that Christ is the Word, “And God SAID, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) God never used His hands, nor His feet. He simply spoke. What power there is in the spoken Word of God! It can unchain a person’s mind from the clouds of darkness – it can free a person’s soul from the chains of depression. It can bring healing to a person’s body. It can restore finances. It can heal a marriage. There is power in the Word of God!
Back to the subject - we might say that Jesus could heal others without holding hands, but what about the rest of us? Do we need to hold hands while we pray? No – it isn’t that it is bad. Jesus never commanded us not to hold hands. What he did say is that we must agree – we must be in one mind and one accord. What about when Peter was in prison, and the disciples gathered together to pray for him to be released (Acts 12)? There is no mention of them having to hold hands. What makes the difference here is, once again, they prayed without ceasing for Peter to be released. It had nothing to do with holding hands.
Finally, we can look at what Paul taught in Ephesians 1:15-16 / 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; - Paul most definitely prayed for the saints of God, but he could not be where they were. However, his will united with the Will of the Father – God had favor on Paul, and heard his prayers. IT IS NOT THAT WE HAVE TO BE PHYSICALLY TOUCHING TO BE IN THE WILL OF GOD – IT IS THAT WE ARE IN ONE MIND AND ONE ACCORD, AGREEING UPON THAT WHICH IS GODLY, WHICH WILL CAUSE POWERFUL CHANGE UPON THIS EARTH.
I would consider this a small thing – this particular church is a great church, in the sense that it reaches out to the community, it demonstrates love for the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and it preaches the fundamental gospel of Jesus Christ. They strive to preach that which is holy – I pray that God shows this man the error of this “touching” teaching. I am positive in my spirit that he will take a fresh look at the Word when that day comes, and He will make amends to his teaching. REMEMBER – GOD ALLOWS US TO DO THINGS IN IGNORANCE FOR A TIME, BUT EVENTUALLY HE WILL COME TO REVEAL THAT WHICH IS TRUE.
Then there are preachers who alter the gospel in a larger way. One of these larger alterations I have heard recently was that Jesus was rich. This is not an unknown teaching – it was taught by Oral Roberts, a very famous preacher who had the gift of healing. I have heard real testimonies of his healings in meetings – people who said that when he prayed for them, they felt a surge of electricity go through their body, and they were healed of back ailments. But does this mean that everything that Oral Roberts taught was biblical? Not necessarily – remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 / 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Regardless of the gifts that God gives, if you feel like you have permission to alter God’s word, then you are doing no better than the serpent, who twisted the Word of God in Genesis 3. It is a GRAVE offense to twist the Word – it is important to know the Word, and to not add to it, nor take away. Why are so many churches guilty of this teaching? IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE PREACHER, AND NOT ON JESUS! Before we continue into why it is taught, we need to take a look at what the Bible really teaches in comparison with what many call the “prosperity” gospel.
The preacher was teaching that when the rich young ruler came to Jesus, Jesus never told him to give up EVERYTHING he owned – only the things that he had on his person. This is not true – God required EVERYTHING for the rich young ruler to be perfect. Why? Because if he couldn’t give it all, then that meant that his heart worshipped having things. The teaching of the rich young ruler can be found in Luke 18:18-23. The man could have never followed Jesus, knowing that his things were left behind – he had to be willing to depart from all of it.
Does this mean that I have to sell everything I own right this second and give it to the poor? No – but there is more to it than this. For one, EVERYTHING I own belongs to God right now – I can willingly give any of it up at any time if He calls me to do that. Has He called me to do that? No – at the moment, I am not called to be a travelling missionary. The twelve apostles travelled with Jesus anywhere he went. They did not have time to go back and constantly check on their goods – they had been purchased by Jesus to do the Will of the Father.
In my house, we distribute of our wealth to the poor. We are not rich in comparison to what the word “rich” means here in America, but we definitely have more than others out there. We take of what God has blessed us with, and we give it to those who are less fortunate. I use the computer and Internet I pay for with the money God has blessed me with to evangelize and spread the gospel. My house is open for teaching of the Word (and other things too). Ultimately, everything I own already belongs to God. HERE IS THE KICKER – if God called you today to leave behind what you own, and go into the mission fields to spread the gospel, would you do it? Is your treasure here on earth, or is it in heaven? If it is here on earth, you will be bound to your possessions, and you will not be able to go. REMEMBER – ANYTHING THAT YOU REFUSE TO GIVE TO GOD GIVES THE DEVIL A FREE LICENSE TO DESTROY THAT THING. God cannot stand idolatry – when you hold anything in higher esteem than God, you have created your own god.
I have heard teachings that you can be asleep (still in sin) and still be saved. Churches teach that you can accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and simply be asleep. To be asleep means that you are not growing in Christ – he is not your Lord. Remember – sleep is a symbol of DEATH. I don’t want to be a sleeping Christian – I want to be awake to what He speaks to me, and have a spirit that is willing to hear what He has to say. His word says in 1 Corinthians 15:34 – “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” Jesus Himself says that Lazarus is sleeping, and then right afterwards says that he is dead (John 11:11-14). Why would I want to be “sleeping” spiritually, when a sleeping Christian has no clue about what is going on?
Think about it – when you are asleep, people can pass by you, and you are unaware of it. Things can happen, noises, lights…yet you are unconscious to them. So it is in the spiritual – a sleeping Christian cannot discern what is right or wrong, and he will do whatever, whether it is pleasing to the Father or not. He has turned off his ears to hear. Effectively, he is nulling his end of the contract with God – he is not letting Jesus be his Lord. He is not being led by the Spirit. Now, Jesus is not so easy to cast away – His desire is to save that which is lost, and He always comes for us when we fall into sin, to beckon to us to depart from that which is wicked. It is our choice to listen to our Lord, and to “awake to righteousness”.
I will probably continue on this next week, the Lord willing, about how we can either choose to be led by the Truth (the Word of God), or be led by our own lusts. Ultimately, if we choose to keep our eyes focused on God and Jesus, we will do just fine!
01-07-12 / Led by Truth vs. Led by Lusts – Part 1
John 18:37-38 / 37Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
It isn’t that people couldn’t plainly hear Jesus’ voice when he was speaking. That is not what he was referring to in John 18:37. I am going to give one piece of the definition for the word “heareth”, which comes from the Greek word “akouō” – “to understand, perceive the sense of what is said”. It is not just enough to HEAR – there are plenty of people that let words go in one ear, and out the other. They hear what is spoken – the only problem is that they aren’t listening. However, what Jesus was saying was that those who hear him were those who truly understood what he was preaching.
The gospel is a funny thing – it is 100% accurate! However, there are so many sects, and denominations, and each one seems to have their own spin on the Bible. I will be honest – at basically every church I have visited, I have found things preached that were inaccurate with the Bible. Sometimes they were little things, and sometimes they were big things. Even though I am a stickler about knowing what the Bible says, I don’t concern myself as badly with the small things. I know that some things are taught ignorantly, and it is not worth it to get riled up over the smaller matters. I could easily throw a fit over hearing someone preach a great message, yet miss one point, and ruin an opportunity later to discuss the Word with the preacher, and possibly give him or her a different look on what the Word says.
An example of something I heard recently at a church along this line was a pastor teaching that when they prayed, the congregation was to hold hands. This is not necessarily a bad thing to hold hands while you are praying – it shows unity of mind and spirit, and brotherly love. But, the reasoning was why I consider this a small error in teaching – they were referencing Matthew 18:19 /Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. They taught that since the Word said “touching”, then they were to touch while praying. However, the Word “touching” comes from a Greek word “peri”, which means “about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near”.
We see no record of Jesus holding hands with people every time He prayed for them. Remember the man who came to Jesus and asked Him to speak a word of healing for his servant in Matthew 8:5-13? Jesus never grabbed the man’s hand – he simply spoke a word of healing over the man’s servant. How about the man whom Jesus told to take up his bed and walk in John 5:8-9? He rose up without Jesus grabbing his hand to pray for him – the Word is what brought the miracles, not the grabbing of hands.
This brings us to an interesting sidenote – we see this in Genesis 1, but maybe we underestimate what it means. We read in Genesis 1 how God created the heavens and the earth – but how did He do it? What tool did He use to do these things? THE WORD! We read that Christ is the Word, “And God SAID, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) God never used His hands, nor His feet. He simply spoke. What power there is in the spoken Word of God! It can unchain a person’s mind from the clouds of darkness – it can free a person’s soul from the chains of depression. It can bring healing to a person’s body. It can restore finances. It can heal a marriage. There is power in the Word of God!
Back to the subject - we might say that Jesus could heal others without holding hands, but what about the rest of us? Do we need to hold hands while we pray? No – it isn’t that it is bad. Jesus never commanded us not to hold hands. What he did say is that we must agree – we must be in one mind and one accord. What about when Peter was in prison, and the disciples gathered together to pray for him to be released (Acts 12)? There is no mention of them having to hold hands. What makes the difference here is, once again, they prayed without ceasing for Peter to be released. It had nothing to do with holding hands.
Finally, we can look at what Paul taught in Ephesians 1:15-16 / 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; - Paul most definitely prayed for the saints of God, but he could not be where they were. However, his will united with the Will of the Father – God had favor on Paul, and heard his prayers. IT IS NOT THAT WE HAVE TO BE PHYSICALLY TOUCHING TO BE IN THE WILL OF GOD – IT IS THAT WE ARE IN ONE MIND AND ONE ACCORD, AGREEING UPON THAT WHICH IS GODLY, WHICH WILL CAUSE POWERFUL CHANGE UPON THIS EARTH.
I would consider this a small thing – this particular church is a great church, in the sense that it reaches out to the community, it demonstrates love for the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and it preaches the fundamental gospel of Jesus Christ. They strive to preach that which is holy – I pray that God shows this man the error of this “touching” teaching. I am positive in my spirit that he will take a fresh look at the Word when that day comes, and He will make amends to his teaching. REMEMBER – GOD ALLOWS US TO DO THINGS IN IGNORANCE FOR A TIME, BUT EVENTUALLY HE WILL COME TO REVEAL THAT WHICH IS TRUE.
Then there are preachers who alter the gospel in a larger way. One of these larger alterations I have heard recently was that Jesus was rich. This is not an unknown teaching – it was taught by Oral Roberts, a very famous preacher who had the gift of healing. I have heard real testimonies of his healings in meetings – people who said that when he prayed for them, they felt a surge of electricity go through their body, and they were healed of back ailments. But does this mean that everything that Oral Roberts taught was biblical? Not necessarily – remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 / 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Regardless of the gifts that God gives, if you feel like you have permission to alter God’s word, then you are doing no better than the serpent, who twisted the Word of God in Genesis 3. It is a GRAVE offense to twist the Word – it is important to know the Word, and to not add to it, nor take away. Why are so many churches guilty of this teaching? IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE PREACHER, AND NOT ON JESUS! Before we continue into why it is taught, we need to take a look at what the Bible really teaches in comparison with what many call the “prosperity” gospel.
The preacher was teaching that when the rich young ruler came to Jesus, Jesus never told him to give up EVERYTHING he owned – only the things that he had on his person. This is not true – God required EVERYTHING for the rich young ruler to be perfect. Why? Because if he couldn’t give it all, then that meant that his heart worshipped having things. The teaching of the rich young ruler can be found in Luke 18:18-23. The man could have never followed Jesus, knowing that his things were left behind – he had to be willing to depart from all of it.
Does this mean that I have to sell everything I own right this second and give it to the poor? No – but there is more to it than this. For one, EVERYTHING I own belongs to God right now – I can willingly give any of it up at any time if He calls me to do that. Has He called me to do that? No – at the moment, I am not called to be a travelling missionary. The twelve apostles travelled with Jesus anywhere he went. They did not have time to go back and constantly check on their goods – they had been purchased by Jesus to do the Will of the Father.
In my house, we distribute of our wealth to the poor. We are not rich in comparison to what the word “rich” means here in America, but we definitely have more than others out there. We take of what God has blessed us with, and we give it to those who are less fortunate. I use the computer and Internet I pay for with the money God has blessed me with to evangelize and spread the gospel. My house is open for teaching of the Word (and other things too). Ultimately, everything I own already belongs to God. HERE IS THE KICKER – if God called you today to leave behind what you own, and go into the mission fields to spread the gospel, would you do it? Is your treasure here on earth, or is it in heaven? If it is here on earth, you will be bound to your possessions, and you will not be able to go. REMEMBER – ANYTHING THAT YOU REFUSE TO GIVE TO GOD GIVES THE DEVIL A FREE LICENSE TO DESTROY THAT THING. God cannot stand idolatry – when you hold anything in higher esteem than God, you have created your own god.
I have heard teachings that you can be asleep (still in sin) and still be saved. Churches teach that you can accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and simply be asleep. To be asleep means that you are not growing in Christ – he is not your Lord. Remember – sleep is a symbol of DEATH. I don’t want to be a sleeping Christian – I want to be awake to what He speaks to me, and have a spirit that is willing to hear what He has to say. His word says in 1 Corinthians 15:34 – “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” Jesus Himself says that Lazarus is sleeping, and then right afterwards says that he is dead (John 11:11-14). Why would I want to be “sleeping” spiritually, when a sleeping Christian has no clue about what is going on?
Think about it – when you are asleep, people can pass by you, and you are unaware of it. Things can happen, noises, lights…yet you are unconscious to them. So it is in the spiritual – a sleeping Christian cannot discern what is right or wrong, and he will do whatever, whether it is pleasing to the Father or not. He has turned off his ears to hear. Effectively, he is nulling his end of the contract with God – he is not letting Jesus be his Lord. He is not being led by the Spirit. Now, Jesus is not so easy to cast away – His desire is to save that which is lost, and He always comes for us when we fall into sin, to beckon to us to depart from that which is wicked. It is our choice to listen to our Lord, and to “awake to righteousness”.
I will probably continue on this next week, the Lord willing, about how we can either choose to be led by the Truth (the Word of God), or be led by our own lusts. Ultimately, if we choose to keep our eyes focused on God and Jesus, we will do just fine!
God bless!