Friday, May 8, 2015


Mr. Jefferson was, of course, referring to the necessity of speaking out against the tyranny of the British government of his day; but his words are "evergreen"--they apply to any people at all times

EDITOR’S NOTE: I am fairly confident that none of my regular readers of this blog are caught up in this heresy that is designed to rob believers of their sensibilities. So, in one sense, I could easily be accused of ‘preaching to the choir.’ However, it is my hope that there is enough here for you to share with others; or that someone may happen upon this article from an outside source and be helped.

In the mid-70s a doctrine arose within the Charismatic realm of the Church that spread like wildfire, but its fruit was soon seen to be poisonous. It was known by various terms such as “shepherding” or “discipleship.”

In its essence, it was simply “do what your leaders require.”

Now, on the surface, if you are not familiar with what was going on at that time, you would see right through such a teaching, and rightly point out the stupidity of such a situation.

However, the teaching was brought in during a time when the majority of Charismatic believers were hungry for the things of God, and wanted nothing more than to be found pleasing in His sight.

The main thrust of the Charismatic Movement was teaching.

Teaching was a gift that had been all but ignored in the Church, but was at this time seemingly being restored to the Body of Christ. (Jer. 3:15)

Men and women were rising to the forefront of leadership in the Church because of their teaching abilities (gift). The Bible was the basis for their teaching, and people were hungry to hear the Word of God. Anyone who was facile with the Word could command large audiences.

People would go from one church to another attending special meetings, and go off to a conference in another part of the country, and then buy books and tapes from a television preacher, thus fulfilling 2 Tim. 4:3.

Not being students of the Bible themselves, but depending on their teachers to tell them what they needed to know, Satan had locked in place an effective mechanism to deceive the Body of Christ.

Why is it that people cannot make the distinction between listening to preaching and being in the Word for themselves? For some reason, we tend to think that being in a preaching meeting somehow satisfies our need to be in the Word.

There IS a verse that has lent itself to this deception—Rom 10:17.

That particular verse was hammered home enough during the late 70s to the mid 80s for people to begin believing that all they had to do was “hear” the Word being preached.

I am certainly a major proponent of preaching/teaching the Word of God, so please don’t misconstrue my intent here.

However, since the majority of believers left off being in the Word for themselves, it became easier for Satan to slip in his various interpretations of that same Word. No one was equipped to challenge the subtle shift in the pulpit from teaching the Word to preaching from the Word to talking about something with a verse to back it up.

So that now,
biblical illiteracy is more prevalent than at any other time in history, except for possibly the Dark Ages. (click to tweet)
"Christians used to be known as 'people of one book.' They memorized it, meditated on it, talked about it and taught it to others," he wrote. "We don't do that anymore, and in a very real sense we're starving ourselves to death." (emphasis added) ( {Retrieved from the internet 4/3/2015}
The people of God are not being fed on/from the Word of God.

Paul told Timothy to “preach the word.”
It is hard to imagine how he could have said it any more emphatically! It’s as if he reached out and grabbed Timothy by his shirt, pulled him to within six inches of his face, and screamed at him, “Preach the Word!” (Stephen J. Cole at {retrieved from the internet 4/3 2015}
It is most difficult to find that anymore within the evangelical church.
Christians who lack biblical knowledge are the products of churches that marginalize biblical knowledge. Bible teaching now often accounts for only a diminishing fraction of the local congregation’s time and attention.
( {Retrieved from the internet 4/3/2015}
What can be done?

Are we to just shrug our shoulders and say, “It is what it is”?

Without a move of the Holy Spirit on the lives and hearts of people, nothing can be done that can prove effective. I understand that. I am not diminishing that. (Psa. 127:1; Jn 15:5)

But, there are three things that we can do; and, there are some things that we are expected to do.

First, if you are reading this with agreement as to its truthfulness, and you have a desire to see a return of God’s power to the Body of Christ, you can practice 2 Chron. 7:14. Do the first part of the verse, but do not neglect the last part of that verse which says to turn from your wicked ways.

In this case, there are two things from which to turn away:
  1. Any lack of bible reading on your part
  2. Attending a church where biblical preaching is not the mainstay
Secondly, share this article with as many people as you can. Post it on Facebook. E-mail it to your friends. Give a link on Twitter.

Thirdly, if you have found your own bible-reading to have stalled, and you have not been able to re-ignite a desire, then get a free copy of How to Read the Bible. It is a simple 7-page report filled with concepts you have probably not heard too often.

This has been a necessary introduction to the main thought of the article on Submission and Obedience. I will get into the biblical understanding of the subject in the next article.


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