STUDY HALL TIME

Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15

“’Am I a God who is only close at hand?’ says the Lord. ‘No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?’ says the Lord. ’I have heard these prophets say, “Listen to the dream I had from God last night,” and then they proceed to tell lies in my name…. Stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord Almighty.’”

“Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. … Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.”

“For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
 O Lord Almighty, what joy for those who trust in you. ”

“Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.”

For as long as people have given any consideration to the things of eternity, there have been false prophets. Religion has always been a fertile ground for profiteering by the self-proclaimed. Many who come through the doors of the church appear to leave common sense at the door – choosing instead to live solely by what they think is “faith” – making themselves easy victims of the ones who would take advantage of their emotional approach to the Throne. I know false prophets abound. Many brazenly appoint themselves pastors and ministers with no formal training. Their primary goal is to promote materialism within the church (renaming it, of course, “good stewardship”) so as to better capitalize on the gullibility of their flocks. I know there is a special place reserved in Hell for these charlatans who presume to personally profit from the name of Christ, as if Jesus is a Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant endorsing their personal ministry. But what I am not always so sure of is how to discern the true prophets from the false.

I’m not alone. It seems fairly obvious, for example, that God does not threaten the life of His shepherds as an exercise in fundraising. Yet that little ploy netted the “pastor” who posited it millions for a glorious new sanctuary in his honor (albeit ostensibly dedicated to the Lord). I am certain Christianity does not support polygamy or spousal or child abuse, but there are “Christian” cults all over who “religiously” practice them. And what of today’s overemphasis on the charming idea that the Lord actually does desire that we be materially blessed, the so-called “prosperity gospel”? Goodness, I’d like that to be true. But I strongly suspect it’s just more wishful thinking by those too bound to this life who have no real confidence in their eternal future.

When Christ sent out the disciples on their first mission projects, He commanded them to be “wise as serpents, but innocent as doves.” That’s a tough line to walk for those of us who came after and would follow in their footsteps. Even under the best of conditions, the boundary between calculation and innocence is pretty blurred. It also seems Jesus was more concerned with helping the poor and needy than filling Temple coffers, although He clearly supported both. In the end, it all probably comes down to this: we have a personal responsibility to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” In a word, the Holy Spirit leaves the decision of what to believe up to us. God sets before us life…, and death. Blessings…, and curses. He invites us to choose life, but the point is He leaves the final choice up to us. And none of us makes good decisions when we are too uninformed to be intelligent.

God has given us His Word for a reason. If guidance and wisdom were purely matters for the Holy Spirit to bestow, we wouldn’t need a Book, or a Life. But the fact is, we need more than guidance. We need education (especially, in history), and we need an Example. There is a very plain and focused conclusion today. If we don’t know the right answers, or who to turn to in a pinch, or what to believe, it’s probably because we have not studied the material we’ve been given. Ten months ago, I began this journey in an effort to reeducate myself and allow the Lord a new kind of say in my life. I candidly had gotten a bit lost. But I now have living proof we can go Home again. We just have to make sure we follow the instructions, example and guidance given. We have to study. When we fail to do so and get misled, off track or taken advantage of, we have no one to blame but ourselves.