{Please help me welcome my dear friend, Anne Marie, to the blog today!}
Nothing is new under the sun. Humanity has not changed for the better or for worse. We are still sinners saved by the grace of God through Christ Jesus.
However, the world does seem to change. When you look around, how do you know what is real or false?
When a meme passes by on your Facebook feed, do you fact check before you share it? Magazine models are all air-brushed these days, and the news, liberal or conservative, doesn’t really share the “News” but opinions about what is happening in the world. Even churches today can get caught up with the entertainment factor and forget about the gospel.
The Apostle Paul warned his protege, Timothy, against false teachings. Timothy was the pastor of a church in an environment that included disorder during worship, false doctrine, and materialism. Having a reputation for godliness (Acts 16:2), Timothy was a good leader, but needed the support of a strong mentor. Paul knew that it was vital for Timothy to teach what was false doctrine and real gospel.
Paul reminded Timothy that it was essential for the people to have a good understanding of the law because knowledge of the law brings about a conviction of sin. He knew that once the people were convicted of their sin, then their appreciation for Jesus and grace would sky-rocket!
We have a lot of “junk” that swirls around us every day. How can we know what is sound and what is false? Like Timothy, we want to minister to those around us as well as teach our kids well.
There are TWO ACTIONS you can take to make sure that you know the difference between a true gospel and false doctrine.
Know Scripture
Be proactive and know as much scripture as you can. His Mercy is New has wonderful resources that help you entrench scripture into your heart. And my blog, futureflyingsaucers, offers fun Biblically solid lessons you can use with your children. Dig into your Bible and read it. Meditate on it.
Once you have that scripture planted, once you know the law and what God expects from His people, then the Holy Spirit can do His job and help you remember truth as He guides you throughout life. But if you do not put scripture into your heart, then the Holy Spirit has no material to work with. And that will make you susceptible to lies and false doctrine.
Examine Everything
Friends, we cannot be too careful monitoring what we allow into our homes and hearts. I don’t mean for you to cut yourself off from the world and sing, “kum-ba-ya“. As Christians we are to be IN the world, but not OF the world. This means we must use discernment.
If you know your scripture, then call upon the Spirit to help you know if what you are reading and listening to are edifying to your soul. Are you doing something that is harmful to yourself or to others? Are you *not* doing something you *should* be doing? This might mean we need to be convicted of sin. And this is good because we learn to love the grace of God more.
We also want to be discerning of those from which we learn: preachers, teachers, Bible studies, podcasts…and even blogs. Do these people really share a gospel message?
We are not to give heed to fables and false doctrines that cause arguments. What we are supposed to do is teach gospel doctrine and serve with godly edification. Examine everything with the heart of God through the Holy Spirit.
This sounds hard enough for us, but what about our kids?
Same thing. They need to be soaked in scripture and learn how to examine everything around them.
Be intentional when teaching your children about Jesus. Be intentional when you have them in activities. Help them to think about their choices and how they affect others. Don’t be busy just to be busy. Examine how your family is spending time…then redeem it, no matter the cost. How are you serving people in your community? Faith without works is dead.
Know the scriptures. Examine everything. Then serve those around you as you spread the gospel of Jesus.
Anne Marie Gosnell has a Masters in Education with a focus on developing curriculum and instruction. Her life journey includes over 25 years (so far!) in Children’s Ministry: Sunday School, Puppetry, Vacation Bible School, Children’s Church, Awana, and various outreach ministries. Currently she is an Awana Bible Teacher and loves every moment of it! She is the founder of www.futureflyingsaucers.com where she shares creative, engaging Bible resources so parents and teachers can share Jesus without fear.
She is also the author of the book, Walk This Way: Ethics and Sanctification Lessons for Kids. For more info about the book CLICK HERE. Or check it out on Amazon! If you purchase the paperback version, you get the kindle version for FREE!
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