Yesterday I was doing my devotions and a verse jumped out at me from the page. It's found in Acts 17:11: "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth."
I can't begin to emphasize how important it is to check information out for yourself. Yesterday one of my Facebook friends posted about an evangelist who had been preaching a word that was contrary to the Word of God, full of evil and hate. People were following him, as if he was preaching the Word. I'm sure that happens all of the time in this country, but it doesn't have to if people will search the Scriptures themselves.
I've never had a Pastor tell me that I needed to check up on him and make sure that what he's preaching is solid teaching, directly from the Scriptures. That is, until I started attending His Tabernacle. Now, I do check up on our Pastor. And I've never found an instance where he was wrong. Sadly, that's not the case for many churches. And I know...I've been a part of a house where the teaching wasn't exactly 100% up to par.
I've learned many things in my Christian walk during the past 21 years that I've been saved. And one thing I know for sure is that as Christians, we can't assume that every Pastor, every teacher, every Evangelist is giving us instruction that's from God's Word. Just because someone gave that person the authority to stand before a group of people and teach/preach, doesn't make that person right.
So, when someone tells you that healing is only done if God wills that it be done...check that out with the Word. Your faith releases God's healing power.
When someone tells you that speaking in tongues isn't for THIS generation, that it stopped with the church in Acts...check that out with the Word. God's gifts ARE for this generation, and that includes speaking in tongues.
When someone tells you that there are no such things as Apostles in this day and age of the church...check that out with the Word. God never said that Apostles would cease to exist. He said that there were five-fold ministry gifts in the church: Apostles, Teachers, Pastors, Evangelists and Prophets.
God's not some big secretive God. He wants us to know things. He wants us to have the inside scoop. That's why He gave us His Word in the first place. Sure, you don't know everything about your life right now. Maybe you've asked God a hundred questions about where He's taking you on this road you're on now and you don't feel like you're getting any answers. My guess is that if you knew it all, you probably wouldn't need God to help you through it anymore. My second guess is that if you knew it all, you wouldn't be able to handle it. That doesn't mean God is secretive. It means He's a protective Father. He's a great Daddy. And He's written in His Word exactly what His gifts for us are as His children. He's written in His Word what He has for us. He's given us His Truth.
Don't settle for teaching that's less than what God's Word says. Don't settle for a "Hobo Gospel" when you've got the real thing.
