Unhinged Doctrines

Unhinged Doctrines

10/16/18

In order to understand any presentation, the subject must become clear enough for all who are present know what is being spoken about.  It is easy to become caught up in the excitement of a new or potential gift, but if we are not careful we may be sucked into a scam that could have grave consequences if put into place fully.  There is no question that this type of gospel presentation is present in many denominations today and the same lines are present here as well for if we do not understand the Word of God well enough to know when bad information is being taught, we too can be caught up into a web of lies that could not only lead to our fall but others as well.  God never meant for His Word to be tainted in any way, but because sin is present and we are all subject to its wrath, we must be prepared for the Truth instead of lies at all times.

It has been a while since my family has been without television but I must say that I have not really missed it too much and have been blessed to be able to have spent more time with my wife and girls ever since this change occurred.  One of the more fascinating schemes of television has been the creation and development of the infomercial which promotes and sells anything and everything to anyone who will stay up and watch the contracted program.  Cable came into existence back in the 1980s and ever since that time period infomercials have been on the rise, in fact, there are now entire channels and networks that are strictly dedicated to shopping online, 24/7 without interruption with holiday express shipping available if necessary.  One must ask if this type of activity is healthy enough for our needs or do these opportunities provide us with more excuses to inquire debt.  This type of unhinged doctrine selling can become addictive and dangerous and while it has proven to be a lucrative business opportunity for some the rest have been left out in the cold when the truth rolls around.

With this type of online purchasing, I have heard many horror stories about the products and what occurs when one tries to return the articles bought after satisfaction is not present.  It is very easy to believe that a product that is being presented for purchase is of the correct quality that the advertiser promotes, but because of this aspect of the business, we know that this belief is not always correct.  This type of disappointment can occur with any product and must include the many churches that carry the message to those who do not know Christ.  I have heard so many preachers say that living for Christ is an easy process or that when we accept Christ we can still love the world as we have before, not change one bit and still make it to heaven.  On the other hand, I have heard preachers speak the truth about people’s lives and teach that living for Christ is a total separation from the world and that we should have no part of the world while we are present on its surface.  So, which sermon should people believe and how do they know what to believe when a sermon is presented to them?  It is true that the Gospel of Christ is easy to speak and to live under but the day to day activities of being a Christian is war against the world and should always be perceived as such for Christ calls us out to be different on every level of our existence and to teach such truths to those who need Christ.

All of us harbor contrary works that we have acquired over our lifetime that go against the Word of God that is part of the definition of sin that we are born into.  It is our responsibility to recognize such destructive works and have the correct resources necessary to allow for the riddance of such works in our lives.  In order for this to occur, we must have sound teachings on this issue and thus be prepared to confront them when God deems it is time for them to be extracted from our hearts and lives.  The world will promote such factors as ones that you yourself can take care of and thus have no need for any other authoritative figure to help, it is this aspect of the world that many people believe and in turn, push God out of the way while “believing” that their way is best.  One of the most devastating lies that many believe is that any church denomination that is around is correct in what they teach and should be taken as the gospel by which we live and breathe.  This type of belief actually promotes self-regulation and allows for worldly habits to form thus creating a self-indulgent religious aspect which can only promote itself and not God.  The Bible repeatedly tells us that we cannot do this restorative process alone and that there is only one way possible for eternal life and this eternal salvation cannot be completed by our works.

The definition of doctrine is as follows: “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other groups.”  How important is it that we understand what truth is and what is not?  This seems like a simple and logical question to answer but would it surprise you to know that misinformation and misleading teachings come across our eyes and ears every day?  The answer to the difference between truth and non-truth is covered throughout the entire Bible and when one looks at this statement on a personal level, as they study the Bible, they cannot help but figure out what type of fight is going on for their minds and hearts.  The passage that God wants to use here is 1 Timothy 1:1-5 and it represents a perfect example that false teachings of God’s Word have been around for centuries and can even be stretched back to the Garden of Eden.  In other words, all of us are susceptible in these inaccurate beliefs and that it is of the utmost importance that we know and hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we know a lie when we hear or see one.  How many doctrines do we keep in our hearts that do not fit correctly with God and in the genealogy of Christ?  Do we even understand this genealogy of Christ and what it means to our lives and how important it is to keep this line of life?  I have trouble believing that we do and this belief is confirmed by the horrific examples that we give to others each day.

I do not like politics especially when I must address it in passages and messages but God laid this in my heart and I must obey what He wants us to understand where our importance lies and how we need to refocus our importance of life.  For a while now, there has been some controversy over one of our leaders concerning her heritage and lineage through claims she has made about being from a certain ethnic line.  It has been sadly amusing to watch this inquiry unfold for a couple of years now and it seems like it is coming to a head pretty quickly at present time.  This society of the present day is so anemically hungry to find anything to talk about or to make fun of that they will take a result of anything and stretch it out for days or weeks.  What they do not understand is that they are creating and establishing a genealogy of these instances and introducing it as a line of establishment that needs to be taken as the truth.

This type of genealogy does not have to stick with bloodline issues, these types of lineages can deal with any type of story or article of information that concerns no one or everyone.  It is a line of inquiry that is presented by this world in order to keep your attention drawn away from our Creator and the works that we have been commanded to do.  It is so very easy to get caught up with these images and run with the congruent or adverse ideas that are being spoken and one must admit that once we are sucked into this trap it is difficult to not become absorbed in their content.  How does this serve our lives and in what capacity does it infiltrate our hearts?  1 Timothy 1:4 addresses this issue for just as today, the Early Church had to face similar issues when it came to how many variations or denominations, if you wish, that they faced.  It is the job of our enemy to make sure our hearts stay as confused as possible so that our direction in Christ can be skewed.

Paul understood this concept of the enemy and heard that some of these types of misgivings had infiltrated the churches that Timothy was associated with.  Paul also knew that when these types of genealogies appeared that they could easily be taken as the truth for it is like giving a dog a bone when it comes to self-indulgence on a belief that adheres to your ears.  We must remember that there were no modern day communication lines back when this epistle was written, so it took a bit of time for Timothy to receive such a letter but the effectiveness of the words that Paul wrote to him must have given him the courage and the reassurance to address these issues with the highest level of spiritual confidence.  It does not matter how Paul got this letter to Timothy, for it is the heart that serves as the most important transportation and communication device.  Paul reminded Timothy that the Church has only one genealogical line and that is through Christ alone.  The physical aspects of our lives do not matter when it comes to the eternal, and if our enemy can weasel his way into this lineage he can manipulate all sort of issues into it so that we lose our focus on the eternal lineage and once again place the worldly lineage in our forefront.  This is why God cannot stand denominations of any kind and it is the single reason why Jesus came to establish a single church, not one of human lineage but of His lineage and genealogy.

Now, do you see how important it is that we stay off of the channels of the world that can distract us enough to purchase such ridiculous items that we do not need?  I have fallen for such atrocities and false genealogies and I am positive that the rest of us have as well but more importantly, how many false and impure genealogies have we initiated, established, growth, promoted, and thrived under instead of keeping the one eternal genealogy alive that is vital for our survival?  If the Early Church can become subject to many false genealogies after a few decades after Jesus was on the earth just think how easy it is to fall for such lies thousands of years later.  It is common for Satan to use these types of issues in the physical but what we tend to forget is that these physical issues will bleed into the spiritual if they are not checked quickly.  The only way we can know what is going on in our lives and then take the correct stand against them is to understand and to know the Word of God.

This passage begins with an address by Paul to Timothy and greets him with the love of Christ and praises him for the duty that he has been doing for God’s Kingdom.  Paul immediately addresses the issues that he has heard coming from the area in which Timothy is responsible, Paul in no way is rebuking Timothy but teaching him and telling him that the issues that he is dealing with have spread enough that other areas know of their existence.  Paul is greatly concerned with these issues and wants Timothy to become more aggressive with teaching about the single genealogy of Christ and how important it is to their eternal survival.  The question of denominational power and status and who is deemed worthy of having such continues to grow and will eventually eat up the Church by the time the Medieval Church comes into view.  It is evident that what Paul and Timothy tried their best to teach about did not sink in very well for it was this abuse of authority that unnecessarily claimed so many lives throughout the life and existence of the Church.

I find it so intriguing that God would address this type of subject so early in the life of the Church but when one stops and thinks about things even Moses was concerned about his heritage and lineal abilities when God instructed him to lead the people of God from Egypt.  All God wanted was for Moses to understand that He did not care about where Moses came from but it was his heart that He read and knew that he could serve in the capacity that God needed.  God is the Creator of everything including human lineages and what God wants us to understand is that He really does know our lives even down to that level, but all He wants is our heart’s obedience to His lineage.  Some of you know that my physical lineage is convoluted at best, but when I submit to God and to His Ways my lineage falls right into line with Christ and puts me in a position of obedience on all levels of my life.  This is what Paul was teaching Timothy to tell the Early Church, for when we line ourselves up with Christ our lineages do not matter for our eyes, hearts, and lives fall completely under the doctrine of Christ.

Now we come to the Modern Church and what she is teaching to those who need Christ in their lives for every day we read or hear about another scandal that rocks the Church in some area of our lives.  Can we honestly say that she is completing the message and command of God as our eyes pass over line after line of scandalous ways?  Many are angered by these projections and rightly so, but what are we doing about them, are we just sitting back and shaking our fists in the air and screaming that they are wrong or are we truly being active in cleaning up the spiritual mess and contaminated doctrines that we have allowed to convene and administer these wicked results?  That question has an obvious answer and it is one that God is not proud of and that our enemy absolutely loves.

Do you understand that how we respond to a need or a wrong is reflective of what lies within our hearts?  If a parent allows their child to get away with a lie on any level it teaches that child that there are no rules or boundaries and eventually that child shall cross another boundary and then another until there will be no solidarity within their life, only denominations.  Now, God asks us today to take a look, a close look at the heart of the Church and see where she is concerning God and the mission that Jesus gave to His Church.  She is way off course and is drifting among the waves that the storm has generated, she is confused and standing still in a time where she needs to be out amongst the people witnessing and sharing the gospel of Christ to those who will listen.  Yet, she stands on the street corner and hands out drug needles to addicts and pats them on the back as they walk away without any mention of Christ to them at all.  She is so spiritually tied up in denominational garbage for so long that she no longer understands how to be free in Christ.  This is NOT what Jesus desired for His Church to live nor is it the message that He wished for His Church to convey, it IS, however, what Paul warned Timothy about and what would occur if the Church did not figure out the detailed Truth about being in lineage with Christ.

Unhinged doctrines will quickly seal off our existence with Christ if we allow them to stay within our lives.  Any time we realize that our focus on Christ is swaying or varying, we need to turn to the Word of God and find the answer to combat such lies.  It does not matter what type of unhinged doctrine one wishes to address, they are real and they are present in our lives today.  You are the Church and you are the single most important messenger that God has for the dying world but we cannot allow any type or level of a denominational heart to exist within our lives.  Our hearts must be in line with Christ and when this occurs, no church building or setting, no personal lineage or personal addiction can withstand the lineage of Christ.  This must be our message to those who need God and in order for us to be restored back to this eternal lineage we must turn our hearts back to God and allow Him to work His wonderful process again.  Our hiding place is not stationary but follows us at all times and when we understand this truth about God and His love for us we should not have any issue with any other unhinged doctrine invading our lives.

DLB