Know What You Believe

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You have probably heard the saying “drinking the Kool-Aid” many times. Do you know where this quote originates from? The quote “drinking the Kool-Aid” originates from the Jonestown Massacre in 1978. Jim Jones, the cult leader of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana ordered his followers to commit suicide by drinking a flavored beverage laced with potassium cyanide. Many drank the poison willingly. Some were forced. After it was all said and done, over 900 people were dead because they followed the teachings of a sadistic madman. A madman who did not even drink his own poison laced concoction, but died by a bullet to the head, perhaps self-inflicted. This is a very graphic and devastating consequence of following a person teaching false doctrine instead of studying the scriptures and following God. Today, “drinking the Kool-Aid” refers to anyone who blindly follows and willingly submits to a person, group or ideology despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence of corruption and fabrication of the truth.

Are you drinking the Kool-Aid? Would you know the difference between a doctrinal sound sermon and a heretical sermon? In Matthew 7:15-16 Jesus says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” How can Christians recognize a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing who speaks so convincingly and eloquently about “spiritual” matters? By knowing the Word of God! 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “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.” Years ago when I accepted Christ, I remember talking to a fellow Christian about a difficult decision that I had to make. I asked her to pray for me. After praying for me she said, “The Lord told me to tell you that whatever you need to do, do it quickly”. I immediately knew that the word she had spoken was not from God because they were the words that Jesus used when he spoke to Judas on the night he was betrayed (John 13:27). If I had not known the scriptures and followed her advice, I would have made a grievous decision that was completely outside of God’s will for my life.

Can we trust that the Bible is true? We absolutely can! The Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God. The Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith. Outside of the Bible, there are no other scriptures that are inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God has given us the scriptures as a primary means of hearing his voice on all matters in our lives. Sadly, there have been self-professed interpretations of the scriptures that have led people astray and doctrine has been diluted to appeal to the masses. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when people 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.” Just 15 years after the after the Jonestown Massacre, David Koresh, the cult leader of the Branch Davidians convinced his followers that he was a prophet from God. Like Jim Jones, Koresh manipulated the scriptures to control his followers and partake in fleshly desires. On April 19, 1993, Koresh and 76 of his followers died in Waco, TX in a fiery siege led by U.S. law enforcement on the Branch Davidian compound. This past April marks the 18^th year anniversary of this tragedy. Shockingly, some of the survivors of the tragedy in Waco, TX believe that Koresh will return for them some day. In the end, Koresh and Jones were exposed for what they were. Proverbs 30:5-6 says, “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.”

1 John 4:1-3 says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ”  Here are some other tips:

• When you hear a sermon at church, take notes and go home and study the scriptures used in the sermon for yourself so that you understand them better. I always read the verses surrounding the scriptures used in the sermon to gain a deeper understanding.  Many churches do a great job of making sermon notes available or offering cell/life group gatherings for further study and other practical applications (like training) for applying the message to your Christian walk.
• KNOW what you believe and DON’T use a person as your primary resource for the scriptures. A person cannot be your sole reference for scripture because the Bible is the only reference for scripture. If you have a Bible, read it for yourself and do what the word of God says (James 1:22-25).  The scriptures can even be found for free on the internet on websites like biblegateway.com or biblestudytools.net.  If you’re looking to purchase a good study Bible, purchase one that has a good concordance, a dictionary, scripture cross references and book outlines.  I personally prefer the New International Version (NIV) translation.  There is also the New Living Translation (NLT), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the King James Version (KJV) and the New King James Version (NKJV).  To understand scripture more deeply, be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) who with great eagerness examined the scriptures every day to decipher truth from error. 
• There are many books written by sound Christian authors that cover a vast array of Biblical topics and are supported by scripture. However, these books should not be used as a primary resource for knowing the scriptures, nor should they substitute studying the scriptures.  Also, if you’re reading a Christian book and are unfamiliar with a Christian author, do research to verify that they are doctrinally sound.
• Visiting a new church or reading Christian material on a website or a blog (like mine)? Use the Bible, to ensure that the statement of faith and doctrine is sound. To see the statement and faith and doctrine for Sharing God’s Grace, click here.
• KNOW the doctrines that are essential to salvation:

— There is one God who exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4 & Matthew 28:19).

— Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but also is God (John 1:1, 1:14). He was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18). Jesus Christ went to the cross and died a sacrificial, atoning death, and his sacrifice is the only avenue of salvation (John 14:6). After his death on the cross, Jesus fully conquered death and rose on the third day in the same body he died in after his crucifixion. (Matthew 28:5). Jesus will return to earth at the Second Coming (Acts 1:11).

— Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5 & Acts 4:12).

— No one can save or redeem themselves to earn eternal life by performing acts of compassion, having good conduct, partaking in religious rituals or belonging to a specific church denomination (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace through faith. Salvation is only obtained by repenting of sins (Romans 3:23), accepting God’s forgiveness and by placing complete faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ and trusting him alone as Lord and Savior.

— As mentioned above, the Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God. The Bible is the final authority on all matters of faith. Outside of the Bible, there are no other scriptures that are inspired by God.

• Attend a church that honors Jesus Christ and teaches the Bible.
• Attend a church that will help you to grow in your faith and keeps you accountable in your Christian walk.
• Attend a church that is outreach focused and is compassionate toward the lost, fulfilling The Great Commission, and compassionate toward the poor and those facing adversity. (Matthew 25:31-40, Matthew 28:18-20).
• Get out of the habit of running to people as the primary resource for spiritual advice.  I’m not saying that it’s wrong to ask someone for advice and I am not suggesting that you pray about calling 911 to reach the fire department if your house is on fire.  What I’m referring to is that sometimes we constantly run to a person, instead of running to God at the first sign trouble. You can go to God in prayer. You can approach his throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). God will place people in your life for companionship, to help you (and vice versa), to pray with/for you, to fellowship with you and to encourage you. We need each other for all of these reasons. But the people in our lives and our social interactions are not a substitute for our personal relationship with God. Always remember that your personal relationship with Jesus Christ should be stronger than it is with any person. Always seek him and his will first (Matthew 6:33).
• Beware of any church or person that claims to know the date of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said that no one would know the day of his return. Therefore, any person or church that claims to know the day of the Lord’s return has made a false prophecy.
• Beware of any religious organization that makes claims that membership in their organization is the only avenue to salvation. Remember, salvation is not based on belonging to a religious group or denomination. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and is received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Beware of any church leader who claims to have a new revelation from God.
• Beware of any Christian church that promotes interfaith worship.  There are Christian churches that worship with other religious groups based on what they agree upon theologically.  I’ve partnered with people of other religions for charitable causes and I have many friends and people in my family who practice other religions.  I talk with the people in my life that practice other religions to gain an understanding of what they believe through respectful dialog.  I respect them even if they don’t agree with Christianity.  But to say that we are worshiping the same God is in essence denying that Jesus Christ is the only way (John 14:6).  Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so (Amos 3:3)?  There may be Abrahamic traditions and Old Testament covenants that are similar.  However, when Jesus Christ enters the equation, there is a world of difference.  When it comes to salvation in Jesus Christ there are no gray areas.  He is the only way.  We should be steadfast in building relationships with people of different religions to show them the love of Christ, so that we can share the love of Christ.  There will be times when we have to come out our comfort zones to build bridges and in doing so, we must seek wisdom and guidance from the Lord, but we should never compromise the truth of God’s word and what it truly means to be saved.
• Beware of any church leader who makes themselves equal to or greater than Jesus Christ.
• Pray for God to protect you from false teachings and to give you wisdom and discernment.

In conclusion, know what you believe. Harold Camping, the president of Family Radio, which is a California based radio station consisting of 150 markets, predicted that the rapture would occur in 1994. When that prophecy failed, he made another prediction that the rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. Many of Camping’s followers were dismayed after this prophecy also failed to materialize. Astonishingly, Camping made yet another prediction that the rapture would occur on October 21, 2011. Sadly, in light of his false prophecies, many of Camping’s followers still believe him and still follow his radio program. I sincerely and prayerfully hope that their eyes are opened to the truth. I truly do not know Camping’s motivation for making these prophecies. Only God knows that. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” And certainly, DO NOT follow that person… Follow God and study his word! Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing, and when something seems too good to be true, do not drink the Kool-Aid. KNOW what you believe.