:
Stay awake!
The workers in Jesus' parable were alert enough to realize that weeds had been planted among the good crop of grain. Paul repeatedly warned people to watch out for false teachers and false teaching (doctrine). This job, of course, comes easier to the one who is carefully learning the Word of God.
It's a natural outcome - as you become familiar with handling God's Word, you are increasingly able to spot the error. Respect and listen to those who teach - but check out what they say in God's Word. Enjoy Christian music - but don't assume that just because it's catchy it's true.
Paul wasn't shy to identify those who were opposing the Gospel. He warned Timothy that not only would false teachers come into the church, but that many people would fall for their lies, only hearing what they want to hear:
"A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths. But you must keep a clear head in everything..." (4:3-5 (GW))
This is a never-ending job - stay alert! Interestingly, the weeds in Jesus' parable, called tares, produced a strong poison that would put you to sleep. A little lie that is allowed to be taught as truth has a way of growing, and putting us to sleep, and causing us to miss the bigger errors later on.
Test; question; check the Scriptures. Now you've found that someone is teaching something that simply isn't accurate. It may be on purpose, it may be from ignorance - what should you do? Time for Paul's next step . . .
» Step 4: Time to take a stand
Back to our home page
This article is ©2002 James Cottrill