So, by the grace of God you have come to see you are in a church that teaches false doctrine......what now? How should the true believer respond when the Holy Spirit reveals what is really going on? The following is what you should not to. Edited from Rick Becker's A Famine in the Land.

 

 

1.  I’ll ignore the bad teaching – it's not like its an essential...right?
There is no biblical mandate for this argument.  Those who teach contrary to the gospel need to be marked and avoided, not marked and ignored. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them“ Romans 16:17

In his letter to Timothy, Paul explains that someone approved by God “rightly divides the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)  He then gives an example, of two teachers who did not rightly divide God’s word: “Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (vs 18)

Finally, Paul tells us what our response should be: “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (vs 19)

 

By sitting under a pastor who twists the word of God, you are submitting yourself to someone God has disqualified and submitting yourself to someone who is responsible for damaging the faith of their followers.  You pastor should in fact be the one rebuking those who teach false doctrine. He “ must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it“  Titus 1:9

 

The church at Thyatira was rebuked for “tolerating that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants..” Revelation 2:20.

We must avoid the irreverent babble of those who distort the word of God to suit their own carnal appetites. False teachers need to be silenced, not supported: “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.  They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach” Titus 1:10-11
 

A wolf has nothing to offer you:  they come to steal, kill and destroy.

 

Don’t fool yourself into thinking the situation is static in the sense that the current level of false doctrine will remain constant.  It begins with singing Hillsong or Jesus Culture songs, and before you can say “heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss” your pastor will be introducing the doctrines of Hillsong and Bethel.

 Soon your leaders will find it necessary to attend a Bethel or Hillsong conference, and then new materials and courses such as sozo or a school of supernatural ministry will be introduced.  You will probably observe new terminology coming from your pulpit, as new teachings come with some catch phrases.  These words, for example, accompany NAR teachings: “shift, alignment, presence, atmosphere, impartation, acceleration”

 

God’s word is ignored or twisted beyond it’s original meaning, resulting in progressive error: “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom  you learned it  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.   All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God  may be complete, equipped for every good work.”2 Timothy 3:13-17

 

2.  I’ll just stay and be a witness

That may work for a short while, but at some point you are going to be accused of “sowing division” and your “rebellious spirit” will be dealt with by your leaders.  Your first port of call in any case should be your leaders.  A meeting with them, explaining your concerns, will quickly determine whether your discernment is appreciated.  There were no undercover believers in the early church; they broke away from the various sects and teachings of the pharisees.  If you want to be a testimony then you need to leave and have no fellowship with darkness.  Those who are interested in truth, will come and ask you for the reasons you left and that will be your opportunity to present the truth.

 

3.  I have family members in the church; if I leave I will offend them

This is a difficult case, but one that Jesus warned about: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.  For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”  Luke 12:51-53

You have the advantage of spending time with your family members and giving your reasons for leaving.  I realize there may be some complications, but ultimately your leaving may be the catalyst for their eyes to be opened.  You may offend them if you leave, but you won’t be offending God.  What is offensive, and indeed unloving, is to stay silent when doctrines that may shipwreck the faith of your family members are not addressed.

 

You have a duty to warn your family and friends.  They should not feel at ease among enemies of the cross.  “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.  Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” Acts 20:29-31

 

4.  I stand to lose too much

The opposite is true; you stand to lose much by participating in any ministry that has swerved from the truth, and is deceiving people. Many are heavily invested in their churches.  Apart from the possible loss of friendships that are dear, there are other factors that may come into play. A church I attended had a “business directory” for church members.  We were encouraged to support the businesses of church members, nothing wrong with that.  Some may however find themselves in a situation where their business is largely dependent on the support of fellow church members, or even the church itself.  The choice then is simple – God or mammon. The same God who leads us out of deception, will provide for our needs and make a way when disaster seems imminent.  Your spiritual welfare must be prioritized above any earthly concern.  You can never lose when you obey the word of God.

 

5.  Despite some bad doctrine God still moves

We need to clarify what “God still moves” actually means.  By this argument, people are usually referring to signs and wonders, testimonies from people in the church, or perhaps their own experience.  I’m sure you have heard  similar expressions such as these: “the presence of the Lord was so strong during the service” or “there was such a powerful anointing during the meeting and Holy Spirit was present.”  When subjective experiences take precedence over the word of God, we are dealing with mysticism, not biblical Christianity.  People falling over backwards, gold dust appearing during services, rain falling during a prayer meeting, fire tunnels, goosebumps during worship, and even signs and wonders are not evidence of God moving.  These last days will include many signs and wonders, but they won’t be a result of God moving, but of deception:

“ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24

 

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11

 

In another scenario, people may actually have been saved or even healed in the church they now realize teaches false doctrine. Perhaps the church started off well, but gradually succumbed to the ear tickling doctrines of demons, or perhaps the church has always been rooted in NAR and other false teachings. Be thankful God is his mercy and grace has saved or healed you in spite of people, not because of them. God saved you, God healed you, be faithful to God!

 

6.  I will be without a spiritual covering

You have not been under a spiritual covering in the first place.  The “spiritual covering” that false teachers offer is nothing but a means to manipulate and control their followers.  There is no mutual submission to one another in their vocabulary.  False teachers serve their own appetites, and to get what they want, they will dominate if they have to. True shepherds lead by example with pure motives: ^“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock”1 Peter 5:2-3

 

We are still experiencing the influence of the heavy shepherding movement of the seventies and eighties, and the fear instilled in many due to “covering” teaching remains.  Those who experienced this will know what I’m talking about.  In some cases leaders had such control over those under their authority, that they had the power to determine who your spouse should be, where to live, and what work to do.  If the leaders did not “have peace” or managed to find a scripture in Jeremiah for example (wrest out of context) contradicting your choice, you had little option but to submit to them.

 

Teachers like John Bevere, are still promoting this aberrant doctrine.  This is a long quote (from one of our previous blogs) but worth repeating: “Another book by Bevere – Under Cover, promotes a pyramid model or hierarchical leadership structure in the church, the very thing Jesus and Peter warned about.  It’s an abusive pastor’s dream reference book, as Bevere basically equates submitting to your pastor with submitting to God.  A far more appropriate title would have been “The Untouchables Manual For Ultimate Manipulation Of Sheep.”  Based on faulty exegesis of Romans 13 which applies to civil authority not church authority, Bevere exalts church authority to a level condemned in scripture itself.  Bevere believes that if we oppose God’s delegated authority, we oppose God Himself.  The consequences are severe: “Not only does it place us under the judgment of God, but it grants legal access to demonic powers. If we want to remain obedient to God and ,we have but one choice when it comes to delegated authority – submission and obedience.” p88

And it gets worse: “Our provision as well as protection could be blocked or even cut off as we disconnect ourselves from the Source of true life”

 

In a conversation with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit said to Bevere:  “John, if I intended for every believer to get all his information, wisdom, and direction only from prayer and communion with Me, then I’d never have instituted authority in the church. I placed authorities in the church with the full intent that My children could not get all they needed just from their prayer life. They would have to learn to recognize and hear My voice through their leaders as well.” p147

God did place leaders in the church; not to dominate people but to instruct them through rightly dividing the word of truth, and setting an example through servanthood.  Furthermore, we are commanded to test all things. The Bereans were commended for comparing Paul’s teaching with scripture (Acts 17:11)   Bevere makes no distinction between leadership under the old covenant with that of the new.  His frequent use of old testament authority examples are out of context and he comes to this shocking conclusion: “..when God places His authority on a person, no matter his private or personal behavior, we may still receive if we look beyond it and honour him as sent from God” p116

 

This is in clear contradiction to scripture: “appoint elders in every town as I directed you –  if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.  For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Titus 1:5-9

According to Bevere’s teaching, if your pastor is a drunkard, abuses people in his congregation and teaches false doctrine, your job is to submit: “To resist delegated authority is to resist God’s authority. We should not take upon ourselves the pressure to discern beforehand whether leaders are right or not. Nor should we judge after the fact. This is not our burden, but God’s. He alone knows and can change hearts as He so desires.” p147″

The same teachers that want you to be accountable, are accountable to no one. They live in comfort, concoct a new revelation at will, and have established themselves as an intermediary between God and their followers.  Our head is Christ, and he has given his body gifts in the form of pastors and teachers to mature us in the faith.  These leaders need certain qualifications according to scripture.  Their lives need to be an example, and they need to rightly divide the word of truth (life and doctrine).  Jesus Christ is your covering, and while we need to be in fellowship, remain accountable and submit to one another, leaving a church that teaches false doctrine is being obedient to your head – Christ.

 

7.  I play a valuable role in the church

All the more reason for you to leave, especially if you are in leadership.  You may be the secretary, lead the worship, teach a bible study group, or as in my case even be one of the pastors.  You might think you will let people down, and the thought of leaving can cause a sense of guilt and betrayal.  This is when you need to step back, and examine the situation in the light of God’s word as well as from an eternal perspective.  When you leave a church that teaches false doctrine, you are playing a valuable role! Your actions alone will be a powerful testimony.  You have made a stand for the faith and you are refusing to betray the word of God.  Rather be guilty in the eyes of carnal men and women, than stand before God and give an account for compromise.  Your choice  is between: contending for the faith, or remaining content with a distortion of the faith.

 

8.   There is no alternative nearby

This is a reality for some, and it’s not just a problem for those leaving a particular church.  People live in isolated areas all over the world and others live in communities with hardly any believers.  Using the “no alternative” argument to remain in a church that teaches false doctrine is choosing to support a false teacher.  At times, we are simply not aware of any alternative churches because we are still looking for a denomination or movement that we are familiar with.  It may take a while to find a fellowship with good sound expository teaching and a body of believers that will encourage you in the faith. God has not forsaken you;  you have forsaken false teaching.  Keep that in mind if you find yourself in limbo as far as finding a fellowship is concerned.  Many people I speak to in South Africa, have unfortunately at some point come under the spell of Bethel church.  Even though they are in a church, Bill Johnson has been teaching them. You know what I’m getting at:  modern technology.  There are literally thousands of good online resources at our disposal.  Not having a home church is not the same thing as not growing in your faith.  Study the word of God, pray, and if possible find fellowship with others who may be in the same predicament: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25

 

In conclusion, if you know that your church is teaching false doctrine (NAR, word of faith, prosperity gospel, seeker sensitive and other forms of false doctrine) there is no valid reason to stay.  If your church has started introducing these doctrines and promotes any of the teachers mentioned,  you should set up a meeting with your pastor.  Be prepared and make sure you are able to articulate your concerns.  Prayer is part of preparation.  You are not going in to attack an individual, but are going to test their teachings. You should mention specific teachings that you find to be contradictory to the word of God, and give examples.  A pastor worth their weight in salt will want to hear what you have to say.  As an overseer they should be concerned for you, and as a teacher of God’s word, they should be only too happy to let God’s word in context be the arbitrator.  If they ignore your concerns, they will in all probability begin the slippery slope that leads to delusion.

Flee from pastors and churches that do not preach the gospel.  You have nothing in common with an enemy of the cross.  You have no business fellowshipping with those who are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Come out from among them and contend earnestly for the faith!  Resist, rebuke and run from those who distort the faith.
 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel –  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9

Who's on the team?

“We are on the same team”. I heard this statement recently and it really caught my attention. It was made after a person said “Christianity in this country is disintegrating before our eyes.” As I pondered the comment I began to realize maybe that is the very reason why Christianity is disintegrating. Perhaps the assumption that everyone is on the same team is what is causing the issues.

Imagine if you will the US military. If the supposition was made that everyone who lives in America was on their side and they all went into battle together what would be the outcome? It would be utter defeat by the enemy. Some soldiers would probably even be shot by “friendly fire.” What makes the military strong is unity in purpose, unity under authority and unity in understanding of the objectives and the means to accomplish them. Christianity is absolutely no different.

What we have today is a cancerous ecumenicalism that says as long as you believe in some sort of Jesus it doesn’t matter what your objective is, what your purpose is, whether you submit to the authority of the Bible or are even obeying what it teaches. All that matters is that we get along. “Just go and do your own thing” is the cry. What difference does it make?.......look around, the consequences are tragically evident.

In an effort to bring some clarity here let me bring the scripture into the discussion. In order to be “on the same team” one must first be a Christian. I do not mean one in name but a biblical one as described for us in the word of God. A Christian is a born-again believer by the Spirit of the living God. A Christian is not someone who says they believe in some sort of Jesus and does whatever they want.

Saving faith is not mere assent to truths, even the demons believe and tremble, much less blind submission to a church or a man-made Christ. Faith is trust in the Christ of the Bible. To trust in someone, you have to know something about them and have some confidence that they can do what they promise. The question really is what are the essentials of understanding that a believer should have. In other words, what must I know to be saved? Albert Martin wrote a fantastic piece called “What is a biblical Christian”. I attach a link here for your edification. I would agree with this wholeheartedly. As a matter of fact, I would say if a person does not agree with this then they might not even be “on the team”. https://www.crichbaptist.org/articles/biblical-christian/

Jesus called his disciples to go to the whole world preaching the gospel, baptizing, and teaching them to obey “everything” he had commanded. Please watch this carefully. Jesus mentions things in a certain order: faith comes by hearing the preached gospel (a body of doctrines and truths about who we are, who he is and what he has done). You are not on the team if you reject this or preach something other than this. As a matter of fact, the military would call that person a traitor. The great theologian John Owen said, regarding the content of the gospel: “The clearer the knowledge of the truth and the deeper the denial, the less assurance one can have that the God of truth will save him.” Someone may ask: "Can a person be saved who denies the resurrection"? I've never even seen such a person. The thing to remember is the Holy Spirit does not give defective faith that denies the gospel.

The next step, according to Jesus, is the believing converts are then baptized, and then there is a life of learning “obedience to everything he commanded”. The “learning everything” part of it is not the condition for salvation, but the privilege of unpacking the gifts we’ve been given for the rest of our life.

Once a person is saved there are many exhortations in scripture to go on to maturity, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ etc. Discipleship is first and foremost a humble eagerness to hear, learn and obey every word that comes from the mouth of God. However untaught, and even confused, people have been, all believers are called to grow up by instruction and participation in God’s means of grace. Jesus commands this in the great commission and Paul exhorts us to it everywhere. It is unity to that and submission to his word, as sole authority, that makes true unity and puts us on the same team.

What the church is to be, focus on and do all fall under the “teach and obey everything” command of scripture. Jesus gives the example that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest (that is him) that he would send laborers into his fields because the fields are ripe unto harvest. What if some went into the field and bulldozed down the crops? What if some went in there and built a rec center for the Philistines? Clearly that would be absurd and those would not be considered by Jesus to be faithful servants and would be condemned.

If one wants to do their own thing and call it Christian, again, that is not fruit of being on the team. That is called insubordination by the commanding officer. To teach others to do that is called rebellion. Jesus has told us what we are to be about and do.
How are we to view differences in doctrine? We are to sit down and reason together and come to consensus. The early church had no doctrinal differences at all because they loved and respected the word of God, as do those who are truly saved. They would not tolerate “new” ideas or interpretations. They would not deviate from the mission. They knew that it was the truth that made them one. How far we have fallen in our day where everyone has their own "truth".

Paul warns us of that attitude very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Notice it is “love” for the truth, not simply rejection of what we do not approve of, that determines who is saved. People on the same team look for unity in the truth they love.

Today there is a seeking of false love and carnal unity that sacrifices truth. I have said for many years, the issue in the church is that people love relationships more than they love the truth of God. Time and time again I have seen people stand with a person instead of standing with God. Even when shown the word of God they simply ignore it and persist in sin.

So, what makes a team of Christian soldiers? What makes a person a co-laborer? Well, it is not a church or religion, but being born again. That is person is described above. Any person that is born-again by the Spirit of God, who knows the Lord’s purposes for the church universal, who is willing to obey and submit to God’s word, who is on board with the objective and means given, who is willing to obey and repent when they fall short, that person I will go into battle with all day, every day………. That person is on the team and that team will never collapse because God will strengthen and uphold them by the word of his power. Their love for him is evidenced by their love and obedience to his word.

So, what are we to make of the many public leaders and dozens who have denied the faith recently? Are they on the team? Not at all. They were never on the team. None of the above was ever true of them. They made up a god they were comfortable with and used the name of our King for their own advantage. John said in 1 John 2:19 “they went out from us because they were not of us”. Solomon said this in Proverbs 22:12 “The eyes of the Lord keep watch over (His) knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.” A true believer can stumble and fall but the Lord will always bring them back into the ranks. Who is on the Lord’s team? The one who when the Bible is open says; “Here I am to do your will. Speak for your servant is listening.” That soldier will never be lost or ultimately fail.

What about those who claim to be on the team but teach things that are not from scripture? Jesus, the apostles Paul, Peter, and John all repeatedly warned that false teachers would rise up among us, and lead many astray, even within the visible church. They warned that not only would there be many false teachers, there would be many followers of them as well ...people "to suit their own desires ...will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3). Sadly, very few people do their homework when considering who they listen to, so the wolves have taken advantage of this fact to keep multitudes in their blinded condition. Obviously, we should not easily call other people a heretic, but if they publicly teach doctrine long recognized by the church as false and dangerous, then we are commanded to call it out.

John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of his day) "a generation of snakes" (Matt. 3:7). Today, he would be accused of being unloving, unkind, and unchristian. Jesus said to the religious Pharisees, "O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). To many, this would be unacceptable language, but it is biblical language and it came from the mouth of the Son of God.

So what are we to do with false teachers who are not on the team?

We are to “try or test” them. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4: 1). All doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to the Word of God. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Every message, messenger, and method is to be judged according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus was commended because they had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars " (Rev. 2:2). The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those that held "the doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It is never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be tried by the Word of God, and exposed. Of course those who want to disobey the Word of God under a false understanding of “unity” will seek by every means to avoid and deny this teaching.

We are to “mark” them and “avoid” them. "Now I beseech you, brothers mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them " (Rom. 16:17). Those whose conduct and teaching contradicts the Word of God are to be marked and to be avoided. This requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible. Once again, the ecumenical unity lover of our day will reject this scripture and undermine the commands of our Lord Jesus. They cannot be marked and avoided, unless they are judged according to the Word of God.

We are to rebuke them (Titus 1:13), have no fellowship with them (Eph 5:11), withdraw from them (2 Thes 3:6), turn away from them (2 Tim 3:5,7), not receive them into our homes (2 John 10-11) and reject them (Titus 3:10). As for warning about their errors by calling them out by name: Paul did this constantly. He called out Peter by name (Gal 2:11-14), Demas in (2 Tim 4:10), Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:18-20), Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:15-18) and Alexander the coppersmith (2 Tim 4:14-15). John named Diotrephes (3 John 9-11). In fact, the whole Bible abounds in examples of false prophets being named and exposed. All this modem day talk about “love”, used as an excuse for not exposing error, is not really biblical love at all but is simply disobedience.

Ultimately, we want all these false teachers to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We seek that by wielding the sword of the Spirit and prayer. Unfortunately, many of them never do. Perhaps it is the fulfilment of what Moses spoke concerning them: Ex 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This often misunderstood statement does not refer to saying O.M.G. for many reasons. 1st “God” is not God’s name. Most importantly the term “take” means "carry". This means “do not carry the Lord’s name in vain.” Misrepresenting God, and undermining his truth, while carrying his name (saying this is God’s truth) is exactly what this text is about. Notice God says he will not hold those guiltless that do that…. that means he will not forgive. That is the destiny of the false teacher.

Brother and sister, let us consider these things and remember that being on the same team really means being in the same family (God’s) and Jesus says you will know those of the family because they “love one another.” John tells us in 1 John 5:2-3 that what that looks like is not a false unity based on our own ideas but obedience to the commands of God. In other words, make sure the ones you are standing by are standing with God.

The true Christians described above are our brothers and sisters regardless of the sign on the door where they fellowship. Wherever they gather the church is there in all her glory. However, if the building they attend stops abiding by the above they should work to change it or go to another fellowship that does.

What if the church does not do what I want? Check the Bible and see if they are even supposed to and if they aren't then drop it. If they are then praise God that he has called you into the ministry! The evangelism, outreach and discipleship program of any church is given to each member. Matt 28:16-20 are your marching orders private.

Christianity is not disintegrating; God is simply separating the sheep from the goats in anticipation of
the return of Jesus Christ. Look up church for your redemption draws nigh! Go team Jesus!

Out of Tune?

I was asked today why so many Christians are at odds with each other over what a church is supposed to be and do. Why do they disagree about doctrine, worship or outreach? The answer to that question is very simple and I'd like to give it to you in the form of an illustration first and then explain it clearly.

Have you ever considered that 1000 pianos that are all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically in tune with each other? The general standard of our day is A440. A piano in Germany tuned with that fork with be completely in sync with a piano in San Diego that was tuned that way. Because they are in tune with the tuner they are automatically in tune with each other. I believe you see where I am going.

In our day people are tuning themselves to their own ideas, desires, hearts and comfort levels. Thus, there is simply a lot of confusion and the symphony sounds terrible. Instead of asking why is the sound so bad they just point out that every one else is out of tune except them. They will then find others who are tuned to their warped fork and begin to fault find others.

Jesus prayed for our unity and there is only one way that can happen. The tuning fork of our lives is not "self" but the word of God. When people are tuned to the Bible then there is automatic unity. Everyone will be on same page and work for God's ends, and not their own. The solution is so simple and yet implementing it is so difficult.

If this resonates with you then I would request one thing. Tune yourself to the Bible and not popular ideas, preachers, culture or other social agendas. Reason together with other believers from the scripture to get the right pitch. Don't run off with your sour notes trailing behind you. When you get in tune with the Bible then there is one more instrument in tune with Jesus and we are one step closer to seeing Jesus' prayer answered...... the beautiful music of the symphony of the saints. Ps 101:1
 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. Tune us Lord to you!