BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU TEACH
OR
are we GATHERING OR SCATTERING
SUNDAY AUGUST 8, 2021
Scripture To Consider:
“And Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’ Others testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.”
“But He knowing their thoughts, said to them: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.’”
“But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” Luke 11.14-23
Something To Consider:
Our Scripture to consider today sounds very similar to Matthew 12.22-32, which we have already studied in a previous lesson. In Matthew 12, the man was blind and mute. But in our text here in Luke, we find the man to whom Jesus casts out a demon to be mute only. As in both cases, after the demon is cast out the mute man spoke.
Another difference is that in Matthew chapter 12, the Pharisees argued that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Here in Luke 11, it appears to be the multitudes who argued the same point that the Pharisees put forth in Matthew 12.
This brings up an important issue for leaders and leaders in training. It is possible that the multitude learned about the claims that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub, from the Pharisees who were previously teaching this false and evil assumption. If so, the multitudes were simply repeating the deceptive messages concerning Jesus taught to them by the religious leaders in power.
Therefore, the lesson to learn for leaders and leaders in training is to be biblically confident that what is being taught is the truth of the Word of God and not man’s tradition or demonic doctrines approved by man. It would help us to remember the words of Jesus that He spoke in the upper room while praying to His Father in heaven prior to His arrest, “Your Word is truth.”
Something Else To Consider:
Psalm 100.5 declares; “For the LORD is God; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” The enemy of humankind is in these end times attempting to erase or to distort all biblical truth from the face of the earth. And the worse part of it is he is using humans in his attempt to accomplish this evil edict. Everywhere we look, in every society around the globe, the Word of God is being eradicated in one form or another.
And yet, truth, God’s truth, the Word of God, will live forever in the hearts and minds of His few enduring to the end faithful followers! The writer of Psalm 119 proclaimed in verse 30; “I have chosen the way of truth.” And according to John 1.17, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
And according to the apostle John a few verses earlier in John chapter 1, we are instructed; “And the Word [the Word of God] became flesh [in the person of Jesus] and dwelt among us, and we [the early disciples] beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was, and is, and will forever be full of grace and full of truth due to His being the Word of God come to earth in the flesh and blood of a man to experience all the temptation of sin, and yet to be found without sin on our behalf.
Something More To Consider:
Therefore, are we allowing Jesus Christ, who is the truth come in the flesh as the Word of God, to captivate our lives? Are we allowing His truth to rule and to reign over our daily agendas? Does the truth of God’s Word stand supreme over the word of man? Think about it for a moment! And if so, are we also doing our small part in the teaching others of the truth? In other words, are we pointing others towards the truth of Jesus when given an opportunity?
By our teaching the truth of God’s Word we become partners with Jesus and join with Him in the gathering of others into the kingdom of God. God forbid that He should find us teaching heresies, especially teaching contrary to what Jesus taught, and thereby find out too late that we have been guilty of scattering and working against God.
Above all, let us be faithful and careful to teach the truth of the Word of God. According to Jesus, in John 16.3; “When the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He [the Holy Spirit of truth] will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He [the Spirit of truth] will tell you things to come.”
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is declaring to all who have ears to hear, future things to come. Are we listening? Are we allowing the truth of God’s Word to teach us concerning end time events and their sequences? This is extremely important! According to Jesus, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Let us pray for divine direction and spiritual discernment in this matter, rather than ourselves and others being taken by surprise by the soon coming end time events that are not being taught by the mainstream organized and yet deceived church.
And let us not be distracted away from the truth of the Word of God by disinformation as was the tactic of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Should we be concerned about the manipulation and mandates of the global elites of our day and their attempting to depopulate the earth and to eradicate the human race, who have been made in the image of God? Concerned yes, but not distracted or misdirected from the mission of learning the lessons of a lifetime from the teaching of Jesus.
A Few Final Words:
In the end, will we be found gathering for Christ and the kingdom of God? Or, will we be found at judgment guilty of scattering and falsely teaching in opposition to what Christ Himself taught us to observe? These are questions we do not want to be found having never answered or never answering correctly!
Spiritual leaders in training should always be fully armed with the truth of God’s Word, which will guarantee a gathering of souls come harvest time. For according to Jesus, “He [or she] who is not with Me is against Me, and he [or she] who does not gather with Me scatters.”
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, teach us to be careful to teach the whole truth and nothing but the truth of God’s Word, so we may never be found scattering. Rather than our being deceived, let us keep coming back to the truth of Your Word and the teachings of Jesus. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 