Is Our Teaching Out Of Balance?
Have you ever tried to drive a car with a wheel that was terribly out of balance? No matter how great a car is, no matter how luxurious or powerful, no matter how much it cost or who made it, if only one tire is out of balance, the whole car is affected.
So much so, that we are limited to how fast it can go, and in many ways how far it can be driven.
If it is terribly out of balance, the car can barely be kept on the road.
As I was praying recently the Lord began to speak to me about just how grossly out of balance much of today's teaching has become.
If we were to listen to some ministries all the time, we would conclude that the only purpose the Lord has for us is to become prosperous and successful.
Who would not want to hear this message on a continual basis? Who would not want their life to be one of prosperity and success? Yet there is a great danger to focus only on this aspect of the gospel as we are warned in the following verses: 1 Tim 6:5-9 KJV 5...
supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
The problem is that as much as the word has to say about success and prosperity, it has far more to say about "denying yourself and taking up the cross.
" In fact the Lord is quite clear about the cost of true discipleship - Luke 14:27, 33 KJV 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Matt 16:24-26 KJV 24 If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? I was shown a plastic paddle that comes with those tiny blow-up boats that are used on the beach to float in.
The same kind of boat that says very clearly, "Warning this is not a life saving device.
" The Lord spoke to my heart saying, "This paddle represents the word of God that most of my children have been taught.
This paddle represents the prosperity and success truths that they have been feeding on.
There is some truth in these messages, but it is a very small part of the gospel.
With this paddle, all my children can do is paddle their play boat in circles.
If my children are not taught the balanced gospel, their boats will never survive the time of winds and storms that will come into their lives nor, will they develop the desire and skills to reach the lost!" I was then shown a pair of strong, sturdy oars in perfect balance.
These oars were so long and powerful that it would take a very strong oarsman to use them.
Yet with just one stroke with these oars they would be propelled powerfully through the resistant currents of life.
I thought of the oars used on the surf boats that rescue the drowning swimmers.
Is it not true that very little that we hear from the blessing and favor message includes the call to rescue the perishing? Yet the scripture is so clear as to our privilege and responsibility to preach the gospel of salvation to the entire world.
Mark 16:15-16 NKJV 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
As I continually waited on the Lord, I saw hundreds of pairs of these oars being brought into my house, then thousands, and then tens of thousands.
The problem was that they were not being used but rather being stored there.
I knew it was my responsibility to distribute every last pair of these oars and to train the ones receiving them on how to use them effectively.
One of the most powerful scriptures that clearly balance the truths of blessing and judgment come to us from the verses Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2.
Isa 61:1-2 NIV 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, Can you see that this verse speaks both of favor and of judgment? On the other hand, I remember a season of ministry in which I was so focused on the "crucified life" the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "It is time to balance what you have been teaching with my message about faith.
" Oh how loving and wise is our heavenly Father.
In truth our God has revealed Himself through twin truths that enable us to understand and grasp all the variables in between.
For instance think with me about the twin truths of light and dark, of hard and soft, of cold and hot, left and right.
Are there not hundreds of such comparisons in the earth that give understanding to all that is in between? Again we can see this in the truths of faith and works, free will and predestination, and enter into His peace and put on the whole armor of God and labor to enter into His rest.
To preach only favor and blessing is to fail to equip the child of God for the work he or she has been called to do.
To preach doom and gloom is to ensure that we do not have a message for the lost.
We are to preach the full counsel of God.
Acts 20:27 KJV 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
1 Thess 2:4 NKJV 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
2 Tim 4:3 KJV 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; Let me mention here again a truth the Lord taught me in my first church.
It was a very small church, with only about thirty people in attendance, that we started from scratch.
Yet when we would win someone to the Lord, the minute they got up from the altar, a precious elderly woman of the church whom I had great respect for, would rush over and talk to them.
The problem was that after she talked to them, we would never see them again.
After a while, I decided, I better talk to this woman, so I approached her and asked her what she told the young converts.
She said, "I just told them the truth.
" Well I went home after church and fell on my knees crying out to God and said, "Lord, we will never be able to build your church if we continue like this, and yet if she is telling them the truth, I certainly cannot stop her.
" Remember, I was a very young pastor with no experience.
The Lord then spoke into my heart these words, "Son, truth that is spoken without love is only a half-truth no matter how accurate the facts because My Son is both truth and love.
They cannot be separated and be true.
" Yes speak the truth but always speak it in love.
Eph 4:15 KJV 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
So much so, that we are limited to how fast it can go, and in many ways how far it can be driven.
If it is terribly out of balance, the car can barely be kept on the road.
As I was praying recently the Lord began to speak to me about just how grossly out of balance much of today's teaching has become.
If we were to listen to some ministries all the time, we would conclude that the only purpose the Lord has for us is to become prosperous and successful.
Who would not want to hear this message on a continual basis? Who would not want their life to be one of prosperity and success? Yet there is a great danger to focus only on this aspect of the gospel as we are warned in the following verses: 1 Tim 6:5-9 KJV 5...
supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
The problem is that as much as the word has to say about success and prosperity, it has far more to say about "denying yourself and taking up the cross.
" In fact the Lord is quite clear about the cost of true discipleship - Luke 14:27, 33 KJV 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Matt 16:24-26 KJV 24 If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? I was shown a plastic paddle that comes with those tiny blow-up boats that are used on the beach to float in.
The same kind of boat that says very clearly, "Warning this is not a life saving device.
" The Lord spoke to my heart saying, "This paddle represents the word of God that most of my children have been taught.
This paddle represents the prosperity and success truths that they have been feeding on.
There is some truth in these messages, but it is a very small part of the gospel.
With this paddle, all my children can do is paddle their play boat in circles.
If my children are not taught the balanced gospel, their boats will never survive the time of winds and storms that will come into their lives nor, will they develop the desire and skills to reach the lost!" I was then shown a pair of strong, sturdy oars in perfect balance.
These oars were so long and powerful that it would take a very strong oarsman to use them.
Yet with just one stroke with these oars they would be propelled powerfully through the resistant currents of life.
I thought of the oars used on the surf boats that rescue the drowning swimmers.
Is it not true that very little that we hear from the blessing and favor message includes the call to rescue the perishing? Yet the scripture is so clear as to our privilege and responsibility to preach the gospel of salvation to the entire world.
Mark 16:15-16 NKJV 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
As I continually waited on the Lord, I saw hundreds of pairs of these oars being brought into my house, then thousands, and then tens of thousands.
The problem was that they were not being used but rather being stored there.
I knew it was my responsibility to distribute every last pair of these oars and to train the ones receiving them on how to use them effectively.
One of the most powerful scriptures that clearly balance the truths of blessing and judgment come to us from the verses Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2.
Isa 61:1-2 NIV 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, Can you see that this verse speaks both of favor and of judgment? On the other hand, I remember a season of ministry in which I was so focused on the "crucified life" the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "It is time to balance what you have been teaching with my message about faith.
" Oh how loving and wise is our heavenly Father.
In truth our God has revealed Himself through twin truths that enable us to understand and grasp all the variables in between.
For instance think with me about the twin truths of light and dark, of hard and soft, of cold and hot, left and right.
Are there not hundreds of such comparisons in the earth that give understanding to all that is in between? Again we can see this in the truths of faith and works, free will and predestination, and enter into His peace and put on the whole armor of God and labor to enter into His rest.
To preach only favor and blessing is to fail to equip the child of God for the work he or she has been called to do.
To preach doom and gloom is to ensure that we do not have a message for the lost.
We are to preach the full counsel of God.
Acts 20:27 KJV 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
1 Thess 2:4 NKJV 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
2 Tim 4:3 KJV 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; Let me mention here again a truth the Lord taught me in my first church.
It was a very small church, with only about thirty people in attendance, that we started from scratch.
Yet when we would win someone to the Lord, the minute they got up from the altar, a precious elderly woman of the church whom I had great respect for, would rush over and talk to them.
The problem was that after she talked to them, we would never see them again.
After a while, I decided, I better talk to this woman, so I approached her and asked her what she told the young converts.
She said, "I just told them the truth.
" Well I went home after church and fell on my knees crying out to God and said, "Lord, we will never be able to build your church if we continue like this, and yet if she is telling them the truth, I certainly cannot stop her.
" Remember, I was a very young pastor with no experience.
The Lord then spoke into my heart these words, "Son, truth that is spoken without love is only a half-truth no matter how accurate the facts because My Son is both truth and love.
They cannot be separated and be true.
" Yes speak the truth but always speak it in love.
Eph 4:15 KJV 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
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