Another Church Planting
Last week's article analyzed an appeal to residents of the Winter Park area to come participate in a new church that was just beginning. Another such invitation from a different religious group, printed professionally on card stock also was received recently. On one side is a picture of a young family with a baby and two small children. Underneath the photograph is the following:
A CHURCH PLANT TEACHING
PEOPLE HOW TO HEAR GOD
FROM TIME TESTED BIBICAL TOOLS
The other side of the card asks, “Do you like to be part of something new?” The paragraph that follows includes these words:
The Lord is calling Pastor Jon to first teach people to hear God's voice; second free them from the enemy and finally to serve the multitudes. He teaches a method of learning to hear God's voice that he likens to being as safe as having training wheels. Freeing people from the enemy is one of his passions because he was once freed from depression and his eyes were opened to how the enemy works in our lives.
“Pastor Jon” may be very sincere, but he is too young to meet the age requirements for a pastor as given in the New Testament (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
How does he know the Lord is calling Him to begin a church here? Others have said the same thing and then folded up after a few months. Then they receive a “calling” to go elsewhere.
We hear God's voice when we open the Scriptures. If He is going to talk to us personally, we do not need the Bible. If the Bible is sufficient (and it is), then what use have we of “voices” allegedly telling us things?
Yes, we do have an adversary, whose name is Satan, and he makes an effort to draw us away from God and His Word. What people need to know is how to study and understand the Scriptures.
We all have thoughts in our head; ideas formulate and develop. Some want to attribute these to God or to Satan, but most likely they are a product of what we have seen, heard, observed, or drawn conclusions about. Neither God nor Satan speaks to us directly; God operates through His Word, which is “alive and powerful” (Heb. 4:12). Jesus effectively used the Word to combat Satan (Matt. 4:1-11), and we can too.
The Bible tells us how to stand against the enemy, and that is by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17). May we all have the courage to stand with the Scriptures.