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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #924 October 3, 2003 How To Tell The lake was almost mirror smooth last night. You could even see the reflection of the individual grasses and the seed head of some of the shore plants. If a person had a picture of the scene he/she would be hard pressed to know which was the real landscape and which was the reflection off of the lake. It really was quite beautiful. You'll note though that I said "almost mirror smooth". A close examination showed insects hatching and fish breaking the water. There were tiny ripples from the wind. In places there were the wakes of ducks and the muskrat. The closer I looked, the less exact the reflection was. It can be that way with churches. They claim to be Christian, they claim to be biblically sound. They look like church buildings and they use churchy words. But do they stand up to close scrutiny? Many cannot. Some will have false prophets and teachers. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3 NIV Some will teach lies that others want to hear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV How can you tell the difference? After all there are areas of the Bible where godly men and women can quite legitimately disagree on. Here's a few questions to ask.
This isn't an exhaustive checklist by any means, but it will help you find a true church. It's an interesting exercise to ask your pastor and elders. Radio Bible Class puts out a wonderful little free booklet entitled "How To Recognize A Good Church" that I often recommend to readers. We're not affiliated with them in any way, other than to say they produce a great quantity of biblically sound literature which is largely free for the asking. They can produce and giveaway quality resources that we couldn't even hope to print. You can read their booklet on recognizing a good church on line by clicking this link. There are many good Christian churches out there. Find one that's solid and you feel comfortable in and support them wholeheartedly. There are also many counterfeits out there. Be diligent and avoid them Until next time, rejoice that God's truth has been revealed to us and that we can know Him. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you lack no wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING Christianity isn't about religion, it's about relationships. A personal relationship with Christ gives you your gate pass to heaven, gives you forgiveness, hope, peace, joy and freedom. That relationship equips you to relate to other people with the love of Jesus. Today is the day to start that relationship. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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