Today’s guest contributor is Kevin from Ohio. His note reminds me of how exciting it is to come out of darkness and into the light. You can sense Kevin’s wonder and awe of how God is working in his life and answering his prayers. Here’s a portion of his story.
While seeking God with an honest heart, I quickly realized how God answers prayers.
I was approaching 3 years of sobriety and was longing for a social outlet not surrounded by alcohol. BOOM! Two Bible studies reached out to me.
Being a musician in a time of ovid I couldn't express my love language and give back to people with my gift of music with everything being closed. BOOM! I received a call from Deerfield Friends Church looking for a praise leader, allowing me to play music for a congregation that showed me such love, gratitude and acceptance.
Approaching the winter months in Ohio I feared that I was going to go down a road of anxiety and depression with all the life changes I had been going through and feared the effects of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and knew I needed something to help me through. BOOM! 100 Days of Pursuit.
To grow, you must be broken down repeatedly. I'm still growing and not quite sure of what the future holds. I'm currently just following God, love, and living by faith, trying to focus on opportunities and not obstacles. I have been truly mind-blown by all the incredible things that have happened since the beginning of this pursuit. It's been messy and beautiful, and God has brought a lot of incredible people in my path to encourage me and build me up.
Thank you Kevin for sharing and reminding us of the ways the Father provides for us in order to build us up spiritually. As I read Kevin’s story I found my heart feeling jealous over Kevin and others like him. I don’t mean jealous as in envious, but I mean jealous in a protective way. His enthusiasm is so precious that I found myself praying that the Lord would keep him on the wonderful trajectory he’s on.
Theology
The reality is that so many people who start out well end up falling away. I want to talk to you today about the importance of truth in your pursuit of God. This isn’t just for Kevin’s sake but for all of us. It’s a jungle out there of false doctrines, crazy interpretations of the Bible, diluted “gospel” messages and damnable heresies.
In our pursuit of God we tend to think mainly of things like prayer, fasting, writing, solitude, worship and contemplation. All these, however, will lead us astray unless we have a solid understanding of who God is. So I want to drive home to you today the importance of theology.
Now, for some of us, as soon as we hear the word “theology” we start yawning. It feels like school. It sounds like an academic thing; we aren’t into it. We think, “Doesn’t the Bible teach that knowledge puffs up?” We pride ourselves as people who don’t just have head knowledge but heart knowledge; we don’t just know about God but we know God. But here’s the thing—we all have a theology.
Theology is simply the way we think about God as a result of our formal, or not so formal, study of God. Yes, there are many technical theological terms and lengthy theological books that have like 1000 pages. I’m not talking about that. Theology is what you think about God in your innermost thoughts. It is our concept of God. And everyone has a theology, whether they admit it or not. Theology (how we think of God) and our lifestyle (how we live) are intricately connected.
Essential
Sound theology is not only helpful in our pursuit of God, it is absolutely essential. I don’t mean that our theology needs to be airtight. Not at all. There will always be mystery, and there are many secondary issues that we struggle to understand with certainty. But it is absolutely essential that our thoughts of God are aligned with who God has revealed Himself to be. Here’s why.
Let me explain this by using an exaggerated illustration. Let’s say I think of God as a big teddy bear in the sky. And let’s say I imagine that He exists to make me happy. I believe that God is someone I can control and can tell what to do. I think He’s nervous and makes poor decisions at times. I know this sounds ridiculous but stay with me. Let’s also say that I call this God “Jesus Christ” and that I quote the Bible. Let’s say I pray to my Jesus and sing songs to Him. Maybe I even become a pastor and put a huge lit sign above the church for the whole city to see that says, “Jesus Saves.” The question is this: What would happen if I devoted myself to pursuing this Jesus?
Hopefully, by using this extreme example of terrible theology, you realize that if I prayed to this Jesus all day every day—I’d never come into an actual relationship with the real Jesus who is the Living God. I would only have an imaginary god—who is no god at all! It would be nothing more than a figment of my imagination. It would be like an imaginary friend that doesn’t exist at all. It would be a god that can’t answer prayer, isn’t listening, can’t save and can’t even talk—because he doesn’t exist.
I use this exaggerated example to make the point that theology is really important. I’ve heard Christians through the years say they can’t be bothered with all the deep theological questions. They act like it’s just all so confusing and unknowable. But this strange attitude toward theology is dangerous. We absolutely must watch our doctrine closely so we aren’t tossed and turned by every wind and wave of bad teaching out there.
Be discerning
If you are younger in the faith I want to caution you to be discerning of books, sermons, churches, music, and other resources that speak of Jesus and the gospel. Having been deeply immersed in the American Christian scene for over 30 years I can tell you there is a lot of really bad and dangerous theology out there. Much of it seems fine on the surface, but as you connect the dots of what is being taught, you find that it’s another Jesus, and another gospel. The Apostle Paul lamented over this to the Corinthian believers.
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:1-4
Two reasons
There are two primary reasons why it is important to have a solid theology. The first reason is that it will deeply affect our relationship with the Lord. Bad theology is bad because it’s not true. It’s not the opposite of truth but is usually a mixture of truth and lie. When we believe lies about who God is and isn’t, it puts strain on our prayer life. The Lord does not put His blessing on lies. So much of our relationship with God is Him teaching us truth. We cannot deny who God is and be hearing His voice at the same time because Jesus is the Truth.
The second reason why it is so important to have a solid theology is that it preserves us. It keeps us from falling away. I’ve watched so many Christians become cold spiritually and many have even departed from the faith.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1
Their straying from God doesn’t happen right away. They are in the church for a length of time but then slowly begin to unravel. The bad theology begins to show itself. I’ve watched some get so off base they don’t even identify as Christian anymore. We must know who God is so we can stand firm.
Faulty foundation
The way bad theology works is a little like a deficiency in the foundation of a building. You probably know that the foundation of a building is essential. You can have solid framing, durable cladding, an excellent roof, quality systems, but—if the foundation is faulty, the building will eventually fall down. Oh, it might look okay for a while; it may look like all the other houses on the street, but eventually, the bad foundation will cause the entire house to collapse.
That’s why we often say that theology is foundational in our pursuit of God. If our theology is not solid then eventually our Christian life will collapse. Maybe what I’m saying seems obvious. Or, maybe you think I’m being more dramatic than I need to be. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about this.
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. Acts 20:29-31
Paul is telling us that from within the Church “will arise men speaking twisted things.” Yes, the world around us will speak twisted things too. But Paul is telling us that deception will come from within the walls of the Church. He’s referring to pastors, leaders, authors, speakers, elders, deacons, and influencers.
Wolves in costume
Again, most false teaching is not obvious at all. It’s mixed with truth and there is much sweet talk about Jesus. The most dangerous false teachers are people who are lovable and persuasive. They often have an extraordinary intellect and speak with great authority. I’m telling you that it’s not obvious. Many teachers with bad theology are not aware that they are false teachers—they have deceived themselves, which makes them even more convincing.
If you think I’m being an alarmist about all this I encourage you to casually read through the New Testament and take note of all the warnings about false teachings and false teachers. Jesus warned us to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing. In other words, the wolves will not look like wolves, they will look like innocent sheep. But they aren’t! These kinds of warnings are abundant in Scripture.
Interpretation
I’m saying all this because I don’t want any of you to be deceived. Be careful where you get your ideas about God. Of course, the Bible should be your primary source. The problem is that false teachers always use the Bible. Their sermons and books are filled with Scripture. The problem is how they interpret the Bible. One of the most important things you can do is learn how to interpret the Word and also be devoted to handling the Word with honesty.
Hidden motives
The underlying reasons for teaching false theology can be complex. Usually, it has to do with money and power and recognition. People create versions of Christianity that will attract people who will maximize their money, power and fame. The Lord isn’t fooled by this and His judgment will be terrible against those who use His name for the sake of personal gain. Lord, have mercy.
But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Jude 1:10-13
Me and you
The reason that me and you can fall into the subtle trap of believing false teaching is different. The appeal for us is that certain teachings suit our whims. They cater to our preferences. They remove the difficult elements of the Gospel message like hell, sin and guilt. They twist what the Scriptures say about sex and marriage to provide a way for us to believe in Jesus without being counter-culture. They soften the call to discipleship and even downplay sin. They essentially dilute Christianity into something so different that it’s no longer Christianity. It would be like adding a gallon of water and a pound of sugar to a cup of coffee. The taste of coffee can be traced, but it’s ruined.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Listen for the sound
This is my earnest plea to you today. Be careful. Be discerning. Watch out especially for new and exciting teachings that feel very different from the teachings of the thousands of men and women who lived for God throughout history, many of whom gave their very lives. It’s not that these saints were perfect, and they didn't agree with one another perfectly. But the ethos of their lives was of a certain sound.
So when you are reading some popular Christian book that everyone seems to be eating up, compare it to the teachings of the Bible, first of all, and then to the teachings of Polycarp, Augustine, Knox, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Whitfield, Wesley, Hudson Taylor, DL Moody, Spurgeon, Carmichael, Booth, Graham, Mueller, Packer, Piper, Ravenhill, Tozer, Lewis, and others. While it’s good to read new books, I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the classics and understanding Church history.
I have so much more to say about this that I simply can’t cover in this one letter to you. Just know that a lot of what’s out there may taste sweet but it’s laced with rat poison. Don’t be bamboozled by charisma, intellectual breadth, skills of persuasion, winsomeness, wealth, power or beauty. Always weigh the truth. Ask yourself if this seems like something Jesus would teach. Ask the Spirit to give you a funny feeling about it if it’s not right. He will.
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16
Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings ... Hebrews 13:9