Got Fruit ?

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years.

He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100% .

The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again!"

The elderly gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!"

Grace and peace be with you.

Just thought I’d share the outline from Part 1of last night’s Bible study for the Young Adults group available…

Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

I. What is Discernment?

From a Biblical perspective discernment implies scrutinizing for accuracy, validity or truthfulness, etc;.

Webster’s Dictionary defines discernment as:

1. To see and identify by noting a difference or differences; to note the distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish.

2. To see or understand the difference; to make distinction; as, to discern between good and evil, truth and falsehood.

John MacArthur’s definition of discernment:

In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.

First Thessalonians 5:21-22 teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” The apostle John issues a similar warning when he says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). According to the New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer-it is required.

Citation from “The Vital Importance of Biblical Discernment” by John MacArthur (http://bible.lightsource.com/11531806/)

II. Biblically speaking, what is the purpose of discernment?

1. To avoid being deceived

• 1st Timothy 1:3-4
• 1st Timothy 1:8-11 (Note verse 10! “contrary to sound doctrine”)
• Mark 13:5,22-23 (warnings directly from Jesus!)

2. To know and recognize the true Jesus Christ from the false christs (antichrists)

3. To distinguish Biblical fact from “fiction”, to recognize Orthodox Christian doctrine from worldview “religion”/man made doctrines

4. To be obedient to God and His Word

• 1st John 4:1
• Ephesians 5:6-7
• Colossians 2:8

5. To become matured Christians

• Wisdom - James 3:13-17
• Discipline
• Discretion
• Knowledge - Ephesians 4:12-16

6. Love (1st Timothy 1:3-5 Note verse 5!)

1st Timothy 1:3-5
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

III. Why study and discuss discernment?

1. The Bible tells us to be discerning (1st Thessalonians 5:21-22, 1st John 4:1)
2. To be obedient to God and His Word (1st John 4:1, Ephesians 5:6-7, Colossians 2:8)
3. To become matured Christians (Ephesians 4:12-16, 1st Timothy 1:3-5)
4. Concerns over the many misleading spiritual leaders, sects, movements, and religions masquerading as being of God and “Christian” in the Orthodox sense.

IV. Warnings directly from Jesus!

Matthew 24:4
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

Mark 13:22-23
22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Luke 21:8
8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

V. How does one become a discerning Christian?

1. Discernment is imparted by the Holy Spirit - 1st Corinthians 2:12-14

• Not “learned” or “taught” from self-help or self-esteem books
• Not based on our wisdom (human intellect) nor solely on our experiences See: Proverbs 3:5-6

1. Referring to the Bible for direction & spiritual nurturing
2. Relying on God’s wisdom, not ours - 1st Corinthians 1:25-30
3. Habitual prayer and reading of God’s Word - it’s vital that this is a regular part of your daily walk with Christ
4. Application of what God’s Word says, to your life
   These are components of spiritual nurturing which result in spiritual maturation.

Grace and peace be with you

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled,and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 14:11

There are two ways to attain high esteem. One is the world’s method: Take every opportunity to promote yourself before others; seize occasions for recognition and manipulate your way into the center of attention. The other way is God’s way: Humble yourself. Rather than striving for recognition and influential positions, seek to put others first. Cultivate humility, for it does not come naturally. One of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that when God sees your genuine humility, He exalts you.

Proverbs 16:18 warns that if we put our efforts into promoting ourselves, we will be brought down. Jesus told of a man who tried to enhance his own image (Luke 14:7-ll). While attending a banquet, he immediately claimed the seat of honor. When the host saw this, he humiliated this man by asking him to move to the least honorable place to make room for a more distinguished guest. Jesus said the wise thing to do is to seek the lowest position and allow others to exalt you as they feel you are worthy.

There is an enormous difference between the way the world honors you and the way God does. Proverbs 25:27 indicates that glory is not legitimate if you seek it yourself. When the world exalts you, you are the one who receives the credit. When God exalts you, others will praise Him for what He has done in your life. If you honor God, He will honor you (1 Sam. 2:30). Strive to humble yourself and bring glory to God. Allow Him to be the One to honor you in the way that pleases Him!

Experiencing God Day-by-Day
Henry T. and Richard Blackaby

I found these motivational posters from a blog called Team Pyro last night and laughed my butt off!

Before anyone goes off on a rant, I’m laughing at how the creators point out the "characterizations" (all real or not) of this movement.  False teachings and spiritual deceit however, is no laughing matter.

Grace and peace be with you.

I need a break from the study and research I’m prepping for Wednesday night’s class over discernment, so I thought I’d just comment a bit on what’s going on with the preparation (not H) process plus whatever else comes to mind from the past few days.

I had a chance to chat briefly with a friend this weekend and I was sharing with my friend about the "teaching" opportunities put before me; and about how for the past few months I really felt this urging to address the young adults group about discernment.  My friend who serves in a ministry capacity informed me that discernment is a big subject but gave encouragement.

Well let me tell you, I can definitely appreciate my friends outlook.  I must have spent at least 3 hours yesterday evening just trying to weed through notes and information gathered to come up with an outline of the materiel to be presented.   Keep in mind this is a subject that I hope will cover the next 6 to 8 weeks of 1 hour Bible Study/discussion.

Initially my ideas were born more out of concern to specifically inform the young adults about some of the teachings and movements that are Biblically unsound or at least cause me to look on them with a skeptical eye.  Thankfully, I quickly realized (thank you Lord, for your wisdom) that unless approached systematically, there was the potential for any study and or discussion to turn into several non-constructive and distracting practices such as:

• joy derived from witch hunting versus truth seeking
• us vs. them mentality
• an hour of self-righteousness and haughtiness
• discussion of a word with no weight to it (because no one understands from a Biblical perspective what, discernment is)

The last bullet is therefore going to be the base, with everything else discussed in the weeks to come originating from principles disclosed in that base topic (Discernment: What is it?).  Below is an outline (for the curious or for anyone else considering engaging a similar study time)… for what it’s worth.  This is simply a skeleton view of general ideas and questions to develop a broader study upon as it relates to defining discernment before jumping into examining doctrines and beliefs.

 Discernment: What is it?

• What is discernment
• What is the purpose of discernment
• Why study the subject of discernment
• How does one become a discerning Christian

The Gospel and Christian Doctrines defined (via CARM resources)

• Essentials
• Secondary Essentials

Comparison of doctrines (not all inclusive nor exhaustive)

• Prosperity Gospel (Name it Claim It):
• Emergent Church/Social Gospel:
• New Age mysticism/spirituality/Contemplative prayer:
• Humanism
• Charismatic Movement
• Classic cults: Mormonism, Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witnesses

Anywho…  just a few thoughts and ideas being kicked around the ‘ole noodle that I felt like sharing.

Proverbs 15:14
14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
       but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

folly:
1: lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight
2 a: criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct obsolete : evil, wickedness; especially : lewd behavior
3: a foolish act or idea
4: an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking
5: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

Grace and peace be with you.