I am going to offend you. I'm just warning you before it happens, but it will happen, someday, sometime, something I write will offend you.
Why?
Because I am not perfect. I am a fallible human.
Don't judge the message by the messenger. Judge the message against the Word of God. Do your own study and compare everything I or anyone else teaches with the Word of God.
For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
Priests (pastors) have weaknesses, only Jesus is perfect.
I John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Check everything you are taught against the Word of God.
2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Notice it does not say make sure you have a pastor that divides the word properly, this responsibility is laid on each of us.
Acts 17:11
These [the Bereans] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Be as the Bereans. They searched the scriptures for themselves to see if the things they were being taught were true.
All that preach or teach, myself included, are fallible humans. We make mistakes. We interpret incorrectly. It is up to you to dig in and study these things for yourself, come to your own conclusions, allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text, just for you.
Look at pastors, teachers, and preachers as merely messengers. Don't discount the message because of their weaknesses (they all have them). But also, don't expect their message to be flawless. I venture to say that if you agree 100% with a pastor, teacher, preacher, then you haven't been doing your homework. There is not one person (friend, pastor, teacher, etc.) that I can think of that I agree with 100%. That is why I advocate listening to a variety of teachers and preachers. Get a varied diet. Get varied perspectives and outlooks. Use various commentaries in your study.
It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us all things. (John 14:26 & 16:13) Some of what your pastor, teacher, commentary will teach you is being inspired by God, some of it is their own voice. We all have influences and experiences that shape us and shape our thinking. That will come through in our teaching.
So, as I said in the beginning, I am sure I will say something, sometime, that you will disagree with. I hope you do not get offended, but rather agree to disagree civilly. If you feel I have fallen into error, I do want to hear from you, but I won't be drawn into arguments.
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1 comment:
YES!!! Wonderful word, and very timely for me, too! Thank you! And as you can imagine, the scriptures your referenced at the end (in John 14 and 16) are some of my current favorites! By the way, I don't always agree with you (although my percent of disagreements with you is pretty low compared to my disagreements with most people), but you have yet to offend me. It still makes me smile to think of that. I just don't think it is going to happen.
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