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Friday, July 08, 2005
It's a game we all played as kids, I suppose.
You know it. You and a bunch of friends are in a circle and one of them starts a very short story or song lyrics or something by whispering it in the ear of the first person. That person then whispers it to the next person. And so on. And so on, until you get to the end of the circle.
That person is then supposed to repeat the sentence. Invariably, it sounds little like the original sentence, if anything at all. Then everybody laughs.
Well, the same thing can happen with bad theology. One person can say something, then next can pass it on, and before long, a large group of people actually believe the wrong thing.
And how do you know bad theology when you hear it?
The only way is to know the Bible so well, that when anything contrary to that is brought up, you immediately spot the difference.
Good people can be led astray by smooth talkers or people who are out for their own gain. It happened in 2 Timothy...a couple of guys named Hymenaeus and Philetus. The Message says these two were "throwing the believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile saying the resurrection is over and done with."
The doctrine of the resurrection was being toyed with and the hearers were thrown off stride. Their walks were affected. The NASB says that their talks were:
Worldly...
Empty chatter...
Lead to further ungodliness...
And spread like gangrene.
They were teaching things that were lies of the world.
They were talking nonsense.
And other people were failing to be more like God.
And spreading it around to others.
For those of you that don't know, gangrene (or cancer) attacks in a unique manner. It kills tissue slowly, by preventing blood to flow through to it. If treatment is a failure, the only "cure" is removal of the area by surgical means...sometimes through "amputation."
That's why it's so important, like yesterday, to make sure your gardening rows are straight, or to make sure your bricks are laid correctly, or your tent fabric is cut straight. If the things you believe are not godly, you'll become more worldly, believing lies and in effect, talk nonsense...and you'll lead others down the wrong roads.
So, for today, what practical things can you do to avoid worldly and empty chatter when you hear it? What can you do to avoid causing it to spread in your own life? How can you encourage others who have not avoided it or let it spread?
Brent 5:04 AM
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