27. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Make the Most of Every Opportunity

We are busy discussing the various ways we can let our light shine so God may be glorified from Matthew 5:16: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

           What are the good works that we must do? One thing we generally perceive as good works is caring for the poor and the widows—the less fortunate. The Bible mentions good works many times, which stresses their importance. Our involvement can be either in the form of giving money or helping others physically. We need to hear from the Lord in order to determine what He wants us to do.

The word “good,” however, means being involved in anything virtuous. Physically caring for the less fortunate will not necessarily help them to receive the Good News and meet the Good Lord Jesus. Therefore, doing good works involves more than the physical. It is linked to the motivational gifts which each Christian has received.

            We read in Romans 12:6-8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” All these gifts (called motivational gifts) are aimed to strengthen God’s Kingdom and to ensure that people get saved and equipped properly. They, in turn, reach and equip others. Since expanding the Kingdom of God is a good thing, we can consider activities related to kingdom growth as good works. This includes teaching the Bible, encouraging others, and taking a position of leadership in the Kingdom of God.

            Not everybody is designed for physical caregiving, but we can all exercise the gift we have and strive to excel in it. If someone is gifted as a giver, it is easy for him to give money. Someone else may have the gift of encouragement, and she receives the same blessing as the giver.

So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31, 33)

The church often places an unhealthy emphasis on financial giving. We make it a condition for receiving and don’t emphasize the development of other gifts. This can lead to undeserved feelings of guilt in those whose gifts don’t include giving. They often find it difficult to give all the money expected, especially if their pastors emphasize financial giving. Had their gifts been identified and been put to use within the church, these people would be fulfilled, happy, and blessed as a result of their obedience (Matthew 6:33). They may even find it easier to give financially as well. If everyone flows fully within their gifting, the church will grow.

My wife, Julia, and I have different gifts. Hers are mercy, hospitality, and serving. Mine are teaching and encouragement or exhortation. We both love to give, but neither has the ability to generate money in excess. We give financially, but only within our ability. We are extremely blessed, not as a result of giving money, but because we obey God within our gifting and because we show our love to Him through praising Him for every small blessing (Proverbs 3:6: In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths).

Sometimes I feel merciless when she acts within her mercy gifting. The Lord has shown me that my gifts have an equally strong effect on people and the Kingdom as Julia’s do. Where mercy meets the needs with regard to the physical, teaching and encouragement meet the needs concerning faith and hope. I felt guilty because humanism emphasizes the physical and stresses that we should not just talk, but also act. I want to encourage those with “talk” gifts. Talking is also doing if your words build faith and hope.
         Therefore I want to encourage you to work your gift with all your heart. Make every effort to develop your gift and bless others with it as much as you can to the glory of God. Seek every opportunity to make a difference in people's lives and... "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone, (Colossians 4:5-6).

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

26. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - The Power in Deeds Part 2

We're busy discussing the following passage; Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) and are looking at how Jesus set the example of having your light shine.

Jesus was busy from early in the morning until late at night. Then at night, he prayed. Looking at the two references in the previous post, we get an idea of Jesus’ style of making His light shine so that His Father may be glorified.          Can you imagine how hard He must have worked to fill so many books, as mentioned by John? Jesus walked all over Israel, meeting spiritual and physical needs. From Jerusalem to Nazareth is about forty-four miles (70 kilometres). To Caesarea-Philippi is another forty-four miles—plenty to cover on foot. He walked about, healing every disease. He gave food to the hungry. He set people free from oppression and gave them hope. All these He did through God’s power, not through human resources, although He was fully human and as dependent on God as we are. 

        He spent His life for those around Him. There was no time for sport, entertainment, or self-indulgence. Even when He relaxed and socialized His aim was to affect the lives of His company (e.g. Luke 7:36-50, Luke 19:1-9, John 2:1-10). What was it that glorified His Father? Was it His miracles? No, it was His sacrifice for that which was important to the Father.

Jesus simply was not part of the status quo. He just could not be missed. Even if He had done no miracles, His selfless lifestyle of sacrifice upon sacrifice would have separated Him from everybody else. People would have asked, “Where does this man come from? What motivates him to do all these things? What is he getting out of it?”

Then Jesus would have had the opportunity to answer: He did these things because of His Father’s amazing love. Jesus prayed in John 17:4: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

And what about us? We wear “What would Jesus do?” bracelets. We want to be like Him. We enjoy church services, but does our light shine as effectively as that of Jesus? Or do comfort, circumstances, and self-indulgence hide the light from the world? Could you and I say, “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do”?

If all Christians lived self-sacrificial, light-shining lives with one goal in mind—to glorify the Lord—the world would have no choice. They would have to declare, “The Lord Almighty, He alone is God.”

It does not seem that is the case at the moment. More accurately, the world ignores the Church, or worse, mocks it. It is as if the church desperately seeks acceptance from the world, screaming, “We are here. Don’t overlook us.” Instead of walking in the power of God, risking persecution in order to win the world, the church has incorporated all kinds of worldly activities to become acceptable to the world. The church has become a social club with a Christian appearance, having a form of godliness but denying the power (2 Timothy 3:5).

We don’t know what happens in church people’s private lives. Paul wrote the following to Timothy, a pastor, to warn him against religious people. If we would mirror our secret lives in these verses, I wonder what would reflect back.

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 self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

            What are the good works that we must do? To be continued.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

25. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - The Power in Deeds Part 1

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

This reference contains a few keywords and phrases. We already know that our light shines, whether we want it to or not. The first key word is “let.” We decide, in part, whether people will understand what they see in us and be changed by it. We have been created with a free will. We are God’s hands and feet. He took the responsibility to cause His light to shine through us. It is our responsibility to cause this light to make sense to those who see it.

            Next comes the keyword, “that.” This word indicates our purpose. We are taking a conscious action to let those who see the light understand what they see so that God may be glorified or praised by it. We will always face the temptation to take the glory. Therefore, we are called to witness that in ourselves we are nothing; it’s all about the Lord. This verse mentions good works. People must not only hear about the Lord, but they must feel God.

Many non-Christians and secular organizations do good works. This is called charity. Many people do good works in order to feel good about themselves. They are helping people; therefore, they are good. It might earn them credit with whoever their god is. However, they can help others only temporarily, meeting their immediate needs. Good works in the name of the Lord may result in people being saved and spending an eternity with the God who gets glorified by those works. The point is to do our good works in such a way that people recognize God in them and then bring glory to Him. The all-knowing God sees exactly what people need and how and when they need it. If we listen to the Lord telling us what to do for others and when to do it, then His wisdom will bring the perfect solution. The one in need would stand in awe of the person or group who knew exactly what to do. Then the Christian should point to the Lord as the source of wisdom and refer the glory to Him. This opens a perfect opportunity to share the gospel with the unsaved.

We are all familiar with the saying, “Your actions speak so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” If others can’t reconcile the things we do with the light they see, we bring dishonor instead of glory to the Father. Jesus did not stand in a pulpit in some glorious amphitheater, preaching mighty sermons. He did not do His good works by simply inviting the people forward during a service, delegating His task to the disciples while He just prayed over the crowd. No, he was among the people, meeting their every need.

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. (Matthew 9:35)

           

Jesus was busy from early in the morning until late at night. Then at night, he prayed. Looking at the above two references, we get an idea of Jesus’ style of making His light shine so that His Father may be glorified. To be continued.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

24. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - You are the light of the world - Last part - a must read

We are busy talking about being the light to the World from Matthew 5:14b, 15: “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

        Why did Jesus mention both the city on a hill and the lamp in a room? The city on the hill consists of many lights, all in one body. The light can be seen from a distance and give direction, drawing the tired traveler to it, giving her hope.

Imagine a man in Bible times walking through the wilderness at dusk. As night falls, he thinks he is drawing near to the city, and having walked all day, he is not in the mood to set up camp once again. He stumbles on in the moonlight.

As he crests a hill, his gaze is drawn to the brightly lit city on a hill in the distance. After a day of heat and dust, he warms to the sight, and hope surges within him. A warm bath followed by a soft bed sounds much better than a mat on the stony ground.

As the church, we should bring hope to the world. After some hard years of hopelessness and hardship, the unsaved should experience a church brimming with good works. The expression of the gifts and fruit of the Spirit will draw the sinner and give him hope like lights shining from a city.

Jesus also mentioned that the city was on a hill. John 12:32 says, “‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’” In John 14:12, Jesus said, “‘I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’” With these words, He elevated the church or body of believers to a higher level (on a hill), since He lives within the believers. We as the church represent the Almighty. Our conduct should cause the world to look up to the church and not down as it often does today. If we act in Jesus’ power, doing greater things than He has done, the power and love emanating from us will draw the world up to Jesus. This will inspire awe of Him and the church rather than contempt caused by religious actions and talk, as well as passivity.

The Lord Jesus knew that it is easy to disappear in the crowd and let others do the work of the ministry. He therefore also mentioned the light in the room, which represents the individual. Light bathes everyone in the room in its warmth. In the window, light draws the lonely one who looks for comfort and support.

As Christians, we should influence others by causing them to desire to learn from us. We should bring them light and answer their questions. Our light and our gifting bring comfort, support, and development to others. Our encouragement, teaching, and mercy will flow to the one in need.

In order to be effective, we need to develop our gifting. A teacher should know the Bible well, attend Bible classes, and be tuned in to the voice of the Holy Spirit for new revelation. He should make use of every opportunity to teach. A giver probably has the gift of making money. She should learn all she can about business and be tuned in to the Holy Spirit for creative ideas to both make money and give it away. Prophets need to learn from other prophets how to hear from the Lord as Elisha did from Elijah. In order to lead, one needs to seek opportunities such as becoming a home group leader. All the gifts in Romans 12:6-8 are linked to skills and effort on our part. Obtaining these skills is essential service to the Lord and evidence of our love for Him.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.

23. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - You are the light of the world - Part 2

Last time we started the topic on believers being the light of the world and we discovered that we are light and that we have no choice in it. Let's continue.

“A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14b, 15).

             Imagine a massive city on top of a hill, seen by all who pass. A large city in Jesus’ time probably had sufficient lights in the windows to make quite an impression.

            Many Christians keep low profiles when it comes to witnessing. Once Jesus’ light is living in us through the Holy Spirit, it cannot be hidden. 

            Those outside Christ cannot miss the fact that we are emitting something. However, they do not know what they see unless we tell them. The man who approached Reinhardt Bonnke was probably a Christian, because he knew what he saw. 

            We set a lamp on a stand in order to make light for all in the room. It is our Christian duty to bring the Light of the Holy Spirit to the world so that they will be able to see through the darkness in their lives. If you are camping with your family and one of the children needs to go to the bathroom after dark, would you send her without a flashlight? Instead, we would get a flashlight and walk with her because we love her and don’t want anything to happen to her.

Why then do we not allow those of the world to experience the light of the Holy Spirit in their darkness? Is it because we don’t love them enough? Maybe we are selfish and want to avoid involvement.

            If we are passive, not allowing the world or even other Christians to understand the light we have, are we self-centered and careless? How do we bring light to the darkness in their lives? We do it by allowing them to identify with the darkness that we used to have and then let them understand how the Light of the World removed our darkness. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

            The Holy Spirit gives new revelation to Christians daily. Usually those who are walking closely with the Lord receive His revelation light. We are not meant to hide this light but to share it with the others in our lives. We should make good use of every opportunity to teach one another, for revelation knowledge brings faith. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The written Word (logos), made alive by revelation from Christ (rhema), through the Holy Spirit, creates faith.

Pastors have a responsibility to recognize opportunities for their members to share their light with the congregation. While this may occur more frequently in home or cell meetings, the pastor needs to allow his members to make it available to the whole congregation. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16a).

Paul spells out the purpose of the five-fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11-14: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

The ministers’ job is to identify the gifts within the congregation and create opportunity for the development of those gifts in each individual. Say, for instance, the church leadership identifies a few immature people gifted as teachers. The mature teachers should take an interest in these people and equip them with knowledge. Once the new teachers are ready, the leadership could guide them in preparing sermons and then let them teach. The same could happen with the other gifts such as encouragement, leadership, mercy, etc. as per Romans 12:4-8. In this way, the church obeys the command to equip the saints for ministry, and everybody has the opportunity to let their light shine. It prepares the way for church growth, since the Lord sees that there are enough equipped workers to handle the growth. To be continued.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za

22. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - You are the light of the world - Part 1

You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

We're discussing this passage Matthew 5:14, but in John 9:5, Jesus also said, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” We don’t know the chronological order of these two statements, since they are recorded in two different gospels, but the implication is that once Jesus left the world, His representatives became the light of the world.

One interpretation of this scripture is that we must do good works and say good things that bring light to the world and make Jesus known to them. There is not much wrong with such an idea except that it places the focus on man, giving him the ability to determine whether the light will shine or not. 
We know that “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5b). We must also agree that God the Holy Spirit lives in us, together with all the light that He is.

            The Greek word for light in verse 14 is “phos.” It is the root of the word “phosphorous,” an element which re-emits light it has been exposed to or intensifies light to a white brilliance as we see in fluorescent lamps. “Phos” means to shine or make manifest, especially by rays. It can mean the light emitted by a heavenly light such as that which surrounds angels when they appear on earth. It can also refer to anything emitting light: a star, fire, a lamp, or a flashlight. In other contexts, it can mean light or the brightness of a lamp.

Believers are light. We can’t choose whether or not we want to be light. We can’t be light when we are good and darkness when we are bad. Jesus said "you are the light of the world" and not "you should be the light of the world." We are the light in the same way as He was the light, and should have faith to measure up to His example (John 14:12). 

Ephesians 2:8-10 deals with our position as light. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of —God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good  works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We must accept that, when we are born again, we automatically become the light of the world. It is by grace that we are light. It does not come by works; otherwise we could boast about what a great light we are. As verse ten tells us, good works are pre-planned - the result of the light which the Holy Spirit emits through us. 

            Jesus uses the temples of the Holy Spirit (that's the believers) to make Himself manifest in the form of rays of light for the world to see. Sometimes people can see something shining from us, a light of sorts, as when a stranger cleans up his language in your presence. That is why He says, “You are the light of the world.” We are the vessels by which the subtle, brilliant light of God reaches the world. People sometimes see the purity of God in you. Maybe the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to see the light that we cannot.

            A man once asked evangelist Reinhart Bonnke, “Are you a Christian?” Bonnke was astonished. “How did you know?” The stranger said, “I can see Jesus in your eyes.”

Afterward, Bonnke explained that the eyes are the windows of the heart, so the Holy Spirit, being resident in you, must shine out sometimes.

The world is in darkness. Without God there is no light. “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Jesus said that we are the light of the world. As people see our light shining, they want to know more about it. In the process, they see our good works and end up knowing God. If we love the Lord, the works come by themselves without any effort on our part. We can’t help doing good works. This is what separates God-lovers from the world. When we think of the element, phosphor, in this context, we realize that, as phosphor absorbs and re-emits light, our emitting of light will be more evident and powerful as we absorb more light whilst spending time in God's presence and whilst responding to His commands in obedience. Religious people do good works in order to feel good about themselves, to buy their salvation, to earn acceptability, or to impress their peers. When those outside Christ see the difference, and believe me they do, they will be drawn to God. To be continued.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za

21. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Losing Your Power

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. (Matthew 5:13)

How is it possible for salt to lose its saltiness? Jesus did not speak of salt as such, but He was comparing people’s attitudes toward the Kingdom of God to the qualities of salt. When we look at it that way, we see that He doesn’t beat around the bush.

I once cooked a few whole potatoes. As I took the potatoes out of the oven, they all looked alike: healthy, smooth-skinned, and light-colored. When it came to eating, though, I had a surprise. One of them was bitter. I wanted to spit it out, and I would have if my mother hadn’t taught me better manners. They all appeared the same, but the taste differed.

Psalm 34:8 says: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” Why does the Lord taste good? It is because He bears so much good fruit. Have you ever wondered what we must taste like to the Lord? Like salt that lost its savour or like that potato I ate? Or do we taste like the Lord?

In Matthew 5:13 above, the Greek word for “loses its saltiness” means both “tasteless” and “made foolish.” God has chosen Christians to deal with the supernatural, with spirits, good and evil, which we cannot see. These are the qualifications we must have in order to deal with this realm:

·         Born again

·         Filled with the Holy Spirit who is not of fear (timidity) but of power, love and a sound (disciplined) mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

·         Equipped with the Word of God

·         Praying much

·         Pure and holy before God

·         Dead to self

·         Humble

Without them, we are bound to be foolish in the spiritual realm. The seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16 made fools of themselves when they played with the supernatural. The man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

If we ignore the powers at work in the spiritual realm of this earth by playing at religion, not recognizing the devil’s power and our power to prevail in the name of Jesus, we are fools. 

If I say to a man, “I want to hire you for four times the normal rate to level that mound of soil with your bulldozer.” Won’t he be a fool if he refuses? He has the power available. He is equipped. God has so much He wants to bless us with if we are obedient, so many rewards in heaven if we employ His power to help heal this sick earth. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 that He has all the authority and that He will be with us as we go and make disciples. What more do we need? We need to believe.

1 Peter 5:8, 9 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Our enemy is not to be underestimated. We are fools if we attempt to be the salt of the earth but reject the Lord’s equipping for the task.
We won’t become the salt of the earth by playing church on Sundays. We must constantly walk with God in faith, listening for His plans for this sick earth. We need to be instruments of His power in every situation. This involves much prayer and acute listening. If we pray and believe, great things will come our way. If not, we become fools, no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men (Matthew 5:13b).  

            What happens to the fool who got trampled? The Afrikaans language has an expression for such a man: “nog vis, nog vlees” (neither fish nor meat), meaning he stands for nothing. He is neither hot nor cold. He isn’t blessed of God, nor is he a favourite of the devil. It is like someone trying to walk through a milling crowd. He doesn’t get anywhere, has no direction because he first gets bumped in one direction and then in another, hopelessly out of control.

            The modern world probably laughs at the average, religious church. They don’t see much power or love. They mostly see materialistic, religious people attending boring, powerless church services. Why would they desire what the church has? While the followers of evil religions manifest all kinds of powerful sorcery which excite their people, the religious Christians hide their faith because of its lack of power.

The fool will be tossed about by life. He has no purpose regarding Kingdom issues and no effect on the spiritual condition of those around him. How could Jesus have been so harsh? Is there not a middle way? He said to the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:15, 16:

“‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are —lukewarm—neither hot nor —cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.’”

The Lord wants Christians to go all the way. His power and gifts are available to us. When we need to look after fellow servants during tough times and tribulation, our own power is not sufficient. The same applies if we want to change a sick world.

For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za

20. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - The Last about the Salt - A Must Read!

Salt purifies 

We mentioned earlier that an effective way to get rid of sinusitis is to rinse the sinuses with a solution of salt in lukewarm water. It purifies those canals from all germs and loosens all the muck. We also use saline or salt solution to clean contact lenses.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges (discerns) the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word, which is living in us and is commanded by us through faith, does the purifying. Jesus said to the disciples: “‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).

The Greek word used in both these references is “logos” (the written Word or Bible) and not “rhema” (the revealed Word as from the Lord). So what is our task as salt? We need to help clean this earth of all the muck doctrines, ideas, and teachings by proclaiming the truth. For this we use the information and guidance in the written Word to replace and eradicate the false doctrines in people’s hearts. It is the written Word—the scriptures—quickened by revelation and power from God through intercessory prayer that will discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.

As in advertising, the information must be offered continuously in order for it to gradually replace the incorrect knowledge in people’s minds. This is why lifestyle evangelism (showing Christ through your life) on its own is not enough. We need to preach the Word, in and out of season as we read in 2 Timothy 4:2, 3: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 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.”

We need to do this boldly. Why do lies such as evolution, New Age and the like get away with so much and grow at such an immense rate? It is because there is not much truth resisting it, proving it wrong. Why is there not much truth? It is because there are too few Christians bold enough to proclaim and command truth as a direct counteraction to these lies. We are scared of unpopularity, persecution, and estrangement. It is a low priority since we are busy building our own little kingdoms. The amount of time (if any) that we avail for the sake of Kingdom issues is so small that the work has practically no effect.

Political correctness also forms a barrier, since it is easier to have an attitude of “Let them deceive: I don’t care as long as I’m okay. Why should I get involved and risk persecution?” The problem is that when people are indoctrinated from childhood with false beliefs, it is hard to change. The Word of God calls for people who will sacrifice their lives for the sake of truth and not just exercise religion all the time—people who will fight for the truth. If we really trust the Lord, we would not be scared to speak up, because He promised to cover for us if we seek His Kingdom.

Every Christian, not just ministers, needs to proclaim the truth of the Word of God at all times. This Word is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). We need to be courageous, speaking this Word at every opportunity—with colleagues, in the grocery line, with other parents at school, with brothers and sisters at church, with yourself and with the devil (“Listen, Satan, about this temptation, the Word of God says . . .). When we pray, we must also speak the Word to the Lord, because praying His Word releases His power. This demands that we know the Word. The only way to get to know it is through reading and memorizing it. Imagine what little influence false doctrines will have if millions of Christians refute it all the time with the truth.

How do we do it? Once again, get the power and direction from Jesus in private prayer, and then simply proclaim truth wherever He shows you. Will I have the courage? “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). The Greek for spirit is pneuma, which can be translated either as human spirit or Holy Spirit. The new spirit God gave us at rebirth, since our old spirit was dead because of Adam’s sin, is one with the Holy Spirit who is Almighty. So why do we fear?

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