Beware: There Are "Weeds" In Our Churches

A recent survey polled practicing Christians who “consider their faith very important in their life.”

Twenty-eight percent agreed with this statement: “All people pray to the same god or spirit, no matter what name they use for that spiritual being.”  
(See: 1 Corinthians 10:20 & Are There Many Ways to Heaven?)

Twenty-percent agreed with this statement: “Meaning and purpose come from working hard to earn as much as possible so you can make the most of life.” 
(See: Luke 12:15 &  Less is More)

Twenty-three percent agreed with this statement: “What is morally right or wrong depends on what an individual believes.”
(See: Psalm 119:11 & Thou Shalt Not....Maybe)

This means approximately 25% of the people in our churches are believing significant errors. Some of these are confused believers, but not all. 

Christ warns us in Matthew 13 that there will be “weeds” in our churches, closely resembling wholesome wheat, but planted by Satan.  

Satan’s purposes are always to damage and destroy God’s purposes, and we should be aware and prepared.  

Now, more than ever, we must be like Bereans, checking every teaching with Scripture. (See Politely Skeptical).
 

Bible Study

1. All Gods are not the same.

If we believe that our God is the same as pagan, Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, or Jehovah Witness gods, we have not studied these other religions. 

Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses use a great deal of Scripture in their explanations, but neither of them believe Jesus is God, a non-negotiable aspect of Christian faith. 

Hindus worship a variety of gods, and the god described by the Muslims is not even similar to our God. 

To believe in all of these gods would be to believe they are all liars because they all contradict each other.

Scripture is clear:  

John 14:6: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 John 5:11-12: And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

2. Materialism has always been an enemy of faith. 

Matthew 6:24:  "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

1 John 2:15-17: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

3. Right and Wrong If right and wrong were truly up to the individual, then we could delete most of the Bible. God alone sets the moral code for mankind. Nations and individuals who disagree are wrong. No debate necessary.

Romans 1:18-20: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

We must know Scripture and teach Scripture, constantly being on guard against "weedy messages" meant to damage our walk and our witness.
copyright 2017, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com