Have you ever heard something that you just knew wasn’t right; I’ve had one of those moments over the past week. I was watching one TV preacher on YouTube, as he claimed that God wanted us all too happy, healthy, and wealthy, and if were not, were probably not right with him. I’m hoping you all see the problem with this as well. Where does that leave guys like Paul, Peter, John and James? Where does it leave Martin Luther and John Knox, and other reformers? Where does it leave the late Rich Mullins who never accepted more then an average working mans salary before he was killed in a tragic accident. As a matter of fact where does a teaching like that leave Jesus, who was born in a manger lived the life of a poor carpenter was tortured and killed on a cross, all while being the only truly innocent person to ever walk the earth.
Sometimes these teachings are given to please men. They fill churches and sell books, to be honest who wouldn’t want to hear that fame and fortune were headed their way. It sounds good to me, only that’s its not the true teachings of Christ or those men who were inspired by the Spirit before and after Him to.
I guess I bring this up today, as I came up with an interesting teaching from Paul well having devotions with my wife. Galatians 1:6-10 says:
“6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
This passage of scripture in one we don’t often use when speaking against false teachers but its teachings are clear. I personally appreciate verse 10. As a pastor we can sometimes walk the line of preaching truth without offending men. Sometimes however the gospel is offensive, we don’t like hearing were sinners. We don’t like hearing we are helpless without Christ. We want to believe “Good” people always go to heaven. Yet if we spoke only to please men, we would not be a servant of Christ. We would not be following in His footsteps.
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