Grow in discernment

Paul wrote: 'Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes. I now place you in God's care. Remember the message about his gift of undeserved grace! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God's people' (Acts 20:30-32 CEV).

When someone claims 'special revelation from God', but it doesn't line up with what Scripture teaches, don't buy it! Do what the Bereans did: 'They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true' (Acts 17:11 NIV).

Whose teachings did the Bereans put under the searchlight of Scripture? Paul's! No leader, regardless of the size of their following, is beyond such scrutiny. And good leaders welcome it. Even if we're constantly learning and discovering our entire lives, we still won't know everything about God. Does God have new and effective strategies for reaching the world with the Gospel? Yes, and we must embrace and use them. But we must never compromise when it comes to God's word.



So what now? When you're not sure of a teaching or godly claim, always ask, 'What does God say about this in his word?' and make that your benchmark. And ask someone whose journey with Jesus you trust to help you discern what is shared with you.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Every day they carefully examined the Scriptures.' Acts 17:11 GWT
— SOULFOOD —

Acts 18-19, Matt 10:11-20, Ps 146 , Pro 16:4-5