JULY 31

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES FOR GOD:

JEHOVAH EL GEMUWAL—LORD GOD OF RECOMPENSE

JEHOVAH ELOHIM TSABA—LORD GOD OF HOSTS

JEHOVAH ELOHIM YESHUA—LORD GOD OF MY SALVATION

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

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Philippians 3:1-3

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!  For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,”

(for clarity, I will also use the Amplified version as well as the NKJ above)

Philippians 3:1-3

“Finally, my fellow believers, continue to rejoice and delight in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.

 Look out for the dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation];  for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—”

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WATCH OUT FOR ERROR

The second way to safeguard ourselves is by watching out for errors and adhering to the truth of Scripture.  Verse 2 says:  “watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.”

Paul referred to false teachers here as dogs.  Now, most of us love dogs.  But it wasn’t that way in Biblical days.  Dogs were scavengers, running wild, and the Jews considered them unclean.  So Paul used that word to characterize the false teachers who were dogging him everywhere.

Who were they?  They were Judaizers – teachers who believed you had to convert to Judaism if you wanted to become a Christian.  They said a person had to receive Christ as Savior PLUS be circumcised, PLUS keep the Jewish calendar, PLUS keep the Jewish diet, and so on if they wanted to be saved.  Jesus was a Jew, they said, and Christianity was the evolution of Judaism, so anyone who wanted to embrace Christianity had to embrace Judaism.  But of course, it wasn’t true.

After the Messiah was born, He established the church.  Under His instruction, the church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles.  To some Jewish believers, the ritual of circumcision was so important they thought a Gentile man could not be saved without undergoing this medical procedure.

They would say, “Oh, good.  You want to become a Christian? Let’s go see a surgeon.”

As you can imagine, that was a significant barrier to church growth.  Plus it was totally untrue.

Paul spent vast portions of his ministry fighting this heresy. He told the Philippians that to keep yourself safe, you need to guard your theology and keep your beliefs anchored to Scripture.

I don’t know of anyone today preaching the exact same message that Paul confronted, but the danger of false teachers is greater now than ever.  If you’re thinking of joining a church, make sure you know what they teach and believe.

In many churches, their articles of faith have been replaced by statements about human diversity, radical inclusion, social justice, tolerance, religious pluralism, affirmation, and reconciliation.  One church website said, “We are inclusive.  We have spiritual practices, not dogma.”

Much of it is code language for beliefs that are distinctly unbiblical.   Notice what’s missing in many church statements:  There is nothing about the Bible, nothing about sin or justification, or redemption, nothing about eternal life and death, and nothing about heaven or hell.  Jesus is often only referenced as a teacher who taught us to love others and minister to the marginalized.

There cannot be Biblical conduct without Biblical content.  Trendy sermons and motivational talks don’t build a church or those who attend it.  The pulpit is a battlefield.  Our weapons are not sticky points but Bible verses, well exegeted in their context.    The pulpit is the foundation of a healthy church: the word of God is the foundation of the pulpit: and Christ is the cornerstone.

We cannot be safe if we don’t rejoice in the Lord and maintain our Biblical theology, doctrine, worldview, and lifestyle.

When Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of England, she kept an eye on Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, and wasn’t having it.  She famously pulled George H. W. Bush aside at a diplomatic meeting and told him, “Remember, George, this is no time to go wobbly.”

That’s what I would say to the church in America today.  That’s what I would say to pastors and Christian schools at every level.  It’s what I would say to YOU. 

Whatever happens, learn the techniques of spiritual self-defense – the joy of the Lord and the truthfulness of our Gospel.

THIS IS NO TIME TO GO WOBBLY.

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