When reading the handful of letters written by the Apostles to congregations to encourage them to live more fully to the will of God, we should notice something: many churches struggled with the same problem(s). If the Apostles were still writing letters to congregations, probably most churches would receive a letter encouraging them to continue in demonstrating genuine love and respect for others.
This simple message cuts to the core, dividing the Godly from the ungodly. Yet this simple message can get cluttered by teachings that don’t highlight the Greatest Command (Matthew 22:37-39). There is a real danger of people explaining the Truth in ways that cause a person to misunderstand God’s mission.
Ironically, the seeds of false teaching impact how confident we are about sharing it with others. The incorrect teachings, plans, and theories about God’s will floating around out there can cause us to be timid about sharing our hope of eternal life!
Paul said in Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” And as He continues in the Sermon on the Mount, He outlines how we should respond to others: help out, share, forgive, etc. Matthew 7:12 could serve as a summary of His sermon, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Paul said to the Corinthian congregations, “You yourselves are our letter [of recommendation], written on our hearts, known and read by everyone…” (2 Corinthians 3:2). What a tremendous goal: to be a “light on a hill,” to be a picture of Truth being lived out amongst our communities!
Paul said in Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” And as He continues in the Sermon on the Mount, He outlines how we should respond to others: help out, share, forgive, etc. Matthew 7:12 could serve as a summary of His sermon, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Paul said to the Corinthian congregations, “You yourselves are our letter [of recommendation], written on our hearts, known and read by everyone…” (2 Corinthians 3:2). What a tremendous goal: to be a “light on a hill,” to be a picture of Truth being lived out amongst our communities!
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