2 Timothy 4:1-5 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men 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. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Never could there be a more dire need than now to warn God’s people to “keep their head” and to “preach the Word” and to “be prepared”! Periodically throughout modern history there have been times of highly, emotionally charged movements surging through our churches. The classic Pentecostal movement can be traced to the early twentieth century. We saw Healing Revival during the 1940’s and 1950’s. That was a time which emphasized “gifts of the spirit.” Then came the 1960’s with the emergence of The Charismatic Movement emphasizing “gifts” and “speaking in tongues”; and throughout the 60’s and 70’s The Charismatic Movement migrated from Pentecostal to Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, Anglicans, Advent Christians, and Reformed. We also saw the 80’s and 90’s produce the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit movement, The Vineyard Movement, and the British New Church Movement. All of these movements feed on the emotionalism of its victims. These movements require a type of “special” baptism of the spirit—for them it is not enough to receive the Holy Spirit at conversion as taught in God’s Word—you must have something additional, something better and “deeper” than what everyone else has.
Oh my dear friends, watch out! Be careful! Be on high alert! In my opinion, YES, it is merely an opinion that you must take for whatever you feel it is worth; one of the best things you can do is to stop reading paraphrased versions of the Bible and find a solid translation of the Bible! Be cautious when reading paraphrases (e.g., The Living Bible, The Voice, Good News for Modern Man, The Message), because while they main contain elements of translation, they are in fact paraphrases that tend to tug at your emotional side. Again, I stress this is just my opinion and you must consider it as you will. You are free to agree or disagree.
My sincerest prayer is that precious loved ones and friends will not be taken in by the next and newest spiritual movements that are present even on our doorstep of time. Read your Bible daily. Know God’s Word so that you might be able to “keep your head” in all situations. Know that well-intending folk who are listening to what their itching ears want to hear will approach you from their mountain top experiences and make you feel like you might be missing out on something. Dear loved ones and friends, YOU ARE MISSING NOTHING if you have accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, because His Holy Spirit is already within you. You do not need a separate special “experience.” If Christ is in your heart, then the Holy Spirit is already in you leading you, guiding you, directing you, and comforting you. Be steadfast. Be strong. Stay firm in your faith. God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
You know how my heart aches for dear loved ones and friends who are enticed by the lure of special experiences. Give them peace and grant them an upright and steadfast heart for you. Bring us back to a time of sound doctrine and truth.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The devotional Keep Your Head appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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