Thursday; February 9

When the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1) he challenged believers to make sure that we guard our lives from false teachers. We have a responsibility to know the truth and live by it – yet we also need to make sure to identify those who intend to mislead others. All believers have an obligation to protect the whole.

Now, having said that, I wonder sometimes if we spend too much time trying to keep people out of the churches and we don’t spend enough time trying to help them get into heaven? Do we pounce so hard on people who don’t think the way we think that we squeeze the desire to learn more about Christianity right out of their souls? Rather than trying to help them find a better way to live, we alienate them with a hostile spirit. In essence, rather than saving a soul, we are more interested in “winning” the battle.
We must be committed to the defense of the truth, but let’s make sure we leave enough space to teach the lost. It isn’t enough to merely win the argument, we have a responsibility to help them change their lives so that they, too, can be part of the true church of God.

Think About It!

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