two problems with believing in modern day miracles

When studying with non-Christians, many times we have to combat the false doctrine of modern day miracles. It's not difficult to understand and prove that miracles no longer occur; it is only difficult because we have to sift through all the false teachings one by one. 


 I have noticed that most of the time, there are at least two teachings that need to be correct first. If these two things are understood, it automatically corrects many other false beliefs that those people have.

A. “that which is perfect” (1 Cor 13:10)

They believe “that which is perfect” is Jesus. I believe that the scriptures indicate very well that this cannot be the case, but that the “perfect” must be the scriptures themselves. Let’s look at why it is the bible, and not Jesus.

1. The original Greek word for “perfect” in this verse is “teleios” (#5046 strong’s concordance)

This word is defined as “complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc) completeness, of full age, man, perfect”

-It’s interesting that Paul uses a Greek word which heightens on the idea of maturity and growth, and then says in verse 11 “but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” He’s comparing spiritual gifts to that of being a child. The church was young and needed the gifts to arrive at maturity, as revelation was what would guide the church into maturity. When he wrote this letter to the Corinthians, they were still “children.” Paul is saying that when the church is “grown up” they will no longer need spiritual gifts.

-Also, if we look up that word in Strong’s concordance, it also says it’s of the “neuter” gender. The Greek language has gender specific words, kind of like Spanish does…this word is of the neuter gender, meaning it cannot be applied to male or female, rather a thing instead of a person. So it can’t be talking about Jesus.

2. The same Greek word for “perfect” is also used in other verses throughout the new testament. I’ll list some:

-“Ephaphras prayed for the Colossian brethren to be ‘perfect’…He was not praying that they would become deity (like Jesus)…He was praying that they would become full grown and mature, just as the Greek word indicates. (Colossians 4:12)

-Every man is to be perfect in Christ Jesus (“That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossian 1:28)
Obviously, we cannot be perfect (faultless). In the proper context, we can see that Paul states we are to be complete, full grown, or mature in Christ Jesus.

-“Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded…” (Philippians 3:15) As many as be mature, complete, etc. Once again, this is speaking of the Christian rather than deity.

-Paul speaks of Christians being “perfect” (1 Corinthians 2:6, the same book and author under consideration for this discussion) “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect…”
Christians cannot be sinless, but we can be mature.

-The one who controls their tongue is considered “perfect” (James 3:2)
Mature, full grown.

-One who has patience is “perfect” (James 1:4)
Again, mature, full grown.

*Every time this Greek word is used in the bible, it is used to speak of man, not deity.

3. Ephesians 4:11-13--

“and he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

           
            So, according to this passage, the miracles were only purposed to be active until we come to the knowledge of Christ. Do we have something to give us that knowledge now? Yes, the bible, given to us through men that were inspired of the Holy Spirit. The bible teaches us about Christ and the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. (Also, the word “perfecting” in verse 12 is #2677 in Strong’s, and it means “complete furnishing”)

           

B. 1,000 year reign

This is a quote from someone that I studied with: 

“THEY [miracles] PASS AWAY AT THE END OF THIS AGE WHICH IS GRACE, THIS HAPPENS WHEN JESUS RETURNS.  THE AGE THEN IS TRIBULATION FOLLOWED BY THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST FOR 1000 YEARS.

WHEN JESUS SETS UP HIS KINGDOM THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH WILL AGAIN SPEAK ONE LANGUAGE, LIKE IT WAS UP UNTIL THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER OF BABEL IN GENESIS.”

Jesus is coming back a second time, as is supported in the scriptures (John 14:1-3, Rev 1:7, James 5:7, 1 John 3:2, 1 Peter 1:13, Phil. 3:20, Jude 7, Acts 17:30-31)
Most people agree with this.

Jesus will not be coming back to set up an earthly kingdom and reign for 1,000 years. The scriptures, in no way, harmonize with that idea.

1. What will happen on the day Jesus returns?
-All will be resurrected.
“For the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:28-29)

-Judgment will come to all people in the last day.
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” John 12:48

-The earth and elements will be dissolved and no longer exist 

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”- 2 Peter 3:10-13

If the physical earth and skies are going to be burned up and no longer exist on the day He comes, then how can he set up an earthly kingdom and reign on Earth for 1,000 years?
 
Also:

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”-Revelation 20:11-15

-Death will be destroyed
“the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26…talking about the second coming in context)

-The saints (Christians) will be glorified (Col. 3:2-4)

2. WHY is Jesus coming again?

-Not to set up a kingdom
“Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1)

Jesus was talking to those people in the first century that were in His presence. He said some of them would see the kingdom before they die. Have you ever heard of or seen 2,000 year old people walking around the Earth today? This means that Christ must have already established His kingdom, and it was in the first century…the church.

-NOT to give a second chance

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

This says that after our death is our judgment….we do not get a second chance after death.

-Jesus will not set a foot on this Earth again

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

See, it says when Jesus comes that we will meet him in the air. He won’t come down to Earth to meet US, WE will be called up there to meet Him!

Here's the challenge: When talking with people about this subject, don't go through every single belief they have and refute them all at once. Start simple with the most important things. In most cases, these two points will cover a lot of ground. And always remember to be honest when studying God's word. If it contradicts something you believe, then change your beliefs.

Do you have friends like Jonadab?

What kind of people do you allow to influence you? The people that usually have the most influence on us are our friends. King David's son, Amnon, had a friend named Jonadab. The bible describes Jonadab as crafty. As most of you know, the story goes like this (in my own words) (2 Samuel 13): Amnon (David's son) had a severe crush on his sister, Tamar, and he was really stressed out over this temptation, because he knew it would be improper to do anything unto her.

-So Amnon knew that it wouldn't be right to do anything to his sister....and so he didn't plan on doing anything. -

Jonadab noticed that Amnon was stressed and getting skinny because of it. Amnon revealed to Jonadab his situation when Jonadab asked why he was stressed/skinny. Jonadab suggested that Amnon pretend to be sick and request that Tamar take care of him and make him food. From there, he could have his way with her. Amnon did just that. When Tamar came, he ordered everyone else attending to him to leave. He begged Tamar to lie with him and when she refused, he forced her.

-Friends that support sin don't have our best interests in mind, and therefore, don't really care like friends should.-

I wonder if Amnon would have done this without the influence of Jonadab. Would Amnon have just ignored his feelings and moved on with life? I think it would have been much easier for him to forget about it and overcome the temptation if he didn't have a friend supporting his sin. Do you have any friends like Jonadab? Friends that encourage, participate in, overlook, support, or tolerate sin should not be in the constant company of a faithful Christian. (which is one reason why I believe it's a terrible idea for Christians to marry outside of the Lord's body) 

You have the power to choose your friends! Yes, we should be acquainted with non-Christians so we can lead them to Christ, but the main company we keep should be FAITHFUL Christians. We need to stop looking for loop holes and start denying ourselves (what we want) for Christ. I understand that switching your primary friendships from non-Christians to faithful Christians is not easy. It will take a while. Here are some suggestions for making those changes.

1. Instead of simply denying those friends company, it's easier to occupy your time with church friends, church activities, bible study, etc. It is easier to hang out with those people less when you are too busy being lifted up by your church family and growing stronger in the Lord!!

2. Let your friends know where you will/will not go with them. Explain that you cannot be seen at places like bars, clubs, or parties. Also explain what you cannot let them participate in while you are with them (smoking, drinking, cussing, vulgar entertainment, etc.) Your friends need to know where you stand. This can result in you leading them to Christ by your wonderful example or losing their friendship. If they are not understanding about your requests, they aren't real friends anyway.

3. Talk with your friends about Christianity and the church. They need to know what the bible says and you need to show it to them. If your excuse to hang out with these people has something to do with "leading them to Christ" and you aren't constantly discussing biblical things and requesting bible studies with them, then how are you to lead them to Christ, eh?

Having members of the church as your best friends is a wonderful blessing!! Soon, you won't even want to be anywhere else!!

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Prov. 12:26).

(In the words of Kevin Pendergrass): In the long run, if you remain faithful, you will not have to withdraw your companionship to those in the world because the world will eventually withdraw from you (Jn. 3:19-21; Mt. 5:16; Jn. 15:19).

1 Corinthians 15:33 

"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."

Make sure not to forget the "BE NOT DECEIVED" part! Do NOT think that YOU are the exception!! You WILL be influenced by what you are around. The influence others have on us can, many times, be hard to see for ourselves. By the time we realize it, it's gone so far that we experience extreme heart break because of it. Make sure you are being influenced to be a better Christian. We should never go backwards or stay the same in our Christian walks. If you're not growing, something needs to change.

True friends are the people that will do anything to try and take you to Heaven with them. Don't have friends like this? Well, then you need to find better friends.

As always, I love you all very much, my family.

Some awesome friends that have made me a better Christian through college. I'm so thankful for them and miss them so much!

                Some of my new friends at MSOP. I love them. They have helped me grow as a Christian so much already! I've only been here for a couple months and I know I'm going to miss them like crazy after we leave!

prove all things!

(1 Thessalonians 5:21 says "Prove all things")

In 1 Kings 13, a prophet of God was sent to warn Jeroboam of things to come (a child would be born of his lineage that would burn the bones of men on the altar)

Jeroboam didn't like the sayings of this prophet, so he stretched out his hand to lay hold on him....and his hand "dried up" or disappeared. Jeroboam told the prophet to pray to God that his hand will be restored. His hand came back, and to thank the prophet, Jeroboam asked for him to come home with him for a reward. The man of God said he couldn't because God said not to. Skipping ahead a little, some men that witnessed this told their father (an old prophet from back home) and that prophet went to find the man of God. When he found him, he asked for him to come back and eat with him. The man refused an told him why. Then the old prophet said in verse 18 "I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord saying, 'Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water'" ...this was a lie.

The old prophet had good intentions, I'm sure, of rewarding the prophet of Judah for what he had done.

The man of God believed the old prophet, went with him...and later was attacked and devoured by a lion because of his disobedience. (v.24)

So many problems in the religious world today are caused by good intentions. There are way more false teachers out there than ones that teach the truth.

Most false teachers don't even realize that they are! It's because they trusted that their parents, preachers, teachers, etc. were teaching them the truth...or trusted that beliefs they've grown up with can't possibly be wrong because it's what they've known their whole life. 

How do you know if someone is a false teacher? 

Read your bible. Test everything that they teach. If it contradicts the word of God, then it's wrong. Sure, most of them have a verse or two to back up what they're saying....but they use those verses out of context. When comparing those verses to the rest of the bible, one can see that the verses they use are not in the context that they try to put it in.

Your parents, preachers, bible teachers, etc. may not intentionally lie to you, (in fact, I'm confident most believe they are speaking the truth)...but there cannot be two or more contradicting "truths" and they both be true. The door cannot be opened and closed at the same time.

This brings me to another point, God would not give contradicting instructions to people. The bible is consistent. The bible even tells us that there is ONLY ONE TRUTH and ONLY ONE WAY. (John 14:6, Ephesians 4:5...one faith, one Lord, one baptism). This is just one reason that we know that prophets and apostles do not exist in our modern world.

God gave us ALL we needed to know in the bible ( 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Once the bible was completed, God became silent. He now speaks to us only through His words in the bible. If you are not reading the bible, then God is in no way speaking to you.

We MUST read our bibles for OURSELVES to make sure we are on the path to Heaven. 

It hurts to find out that you've been taught wrong or that your friends and family believe false teaching....but are you going to sacrifice your soul to Hell for eternity just because you don't want to change? Look at what's at stake.

Weigh your options...trust that what my preacher/parents say is true and not study the bible for myself and LOSE MY SOUL FOREVER....or forsake the false teachings of my church, family, friends, etc. in order to spend eternity in Heaven with God....

There is a church that is consistent with God's word...and that's the church that Christ established himself in Acts 2. It is commonly known as the Lord's church, the church that belongs to Christ, Christ's church...or the name you've probably heard ...the "church of Christ" (Romans 16:16)

2 Timothy 2:15 "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."...from this verse we can see that not studying and knowing scripture should make us ASHAMED.

Hope my rambling makes sense and most importantly, is consistent with God's word.

Please study the bible.

I love you all! 

Evangelism Help!

I know made a specific promise for my next post, but that will have to wait until later. This is currently on my mind so I figured I could post this first :)

Most of my evangelizing has been tackling the problems at hand in conversations in person or on the internet. We’ll post statuses on facebook about baptism, spiritual gifts, etcetera and then respond to whatever people say about it. Although it’s important to talk about these things when evangelizing (they are necessary), I’m starting to think that I should ask for bible studies with those people before I answer to what they said about “deeper” subjects. Of course, I’m not saying it’s wrong to tackle what they say immediately, but I think it would be more effective if we started from the beginning. I’m starting to discover that people will not change their views on a lot of things because they don’t have the proper foundation for their belief. Most problems can be solved when one understands the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. If everyone believed the truth on that subject, think of how many problems might be eliminated! There is not just one way to evangelize, but I think there are techniques that are more effective than others, depending on the situation and the person. Generally, there is an order for things to discuss and understand before attempting to move over higher hurdles. I hope this list will help you all in evangelizing and being more effective in converting souls to Christ.

           

1.     (sometimes the first step will need to be proving God exists and/or that the bible is His inspired, inerrant word by which we are to live. For now, we’ll just assume they believe in God and the bible)

1. Difference between the testaments. They must understand that we are under the new law and why.

2.  The bible is the only authority for religious matters (not parents, preachers, friends, etc.)
(depending on the person, you might need to discuss the spiritual gifts issue at this time)

3.   Part of the plan of salvation: hear, believe, repent, confess

4.   Christ established only one church, all others are false.

5.   Baptism saves us and adds us to Christ’s church (I think it’s important to discuss the church before/during the baptism conversation)

6.   Identifying marks of the church (no mechanical instruments, the name, the organization, etc.)

7.   Alcohol, drugs, gambling

8.   Modesty, attendance, works of the church

9.   Other things

Like I said before, these steps need to be discussed and also understood. We can’t move past baptism if they don’t agree with what the bible says about baptism, for example. This doesn’t HAVE to be the order that we always use, it’s just a personal judgment call, but I think this is a good guideline to go by.

**easy ways to evangelize**

1. Open Bible Study series

You can order these here
I think this is in a book format when ordered from this site, but I’m sure you can email them and ask how to get them in pamphlet form (so you can have multiples of each lesson and have them separate for different studies)

2. Fishers of Men bible study pamphlets

Go to this link and ask for the bible study series.

3. We Care Bible

This is a small bible that starts you at one place and leads you to exactly where you need to go next. Anyone can use this for study.

You need to contact Mark Williams to order this

4. “Business” cards

Just google business cards and you can find blank ones (sometimes even for free) that you can create to hand out to people at the grocery store, with your tip, etc. Write your invitation to your congregation, with contact information, and plan of salvation. Whatever you want to. You can also put that you’re willing to do bible studies with them. This is an easy way to reach out to people that you don’t know.

5. The Church of the Bible by JC Choate

This is a book that has instruction with questions regarding the true church. You can send this to family and friends, give it as a gift, or go through it with someone. Tell them to let you know of any questions or confusion that they have.

This book can be found on several websites. Just google it. You can order a bunch of them for a low price.

I know there are other things out there, so if you have suggestions, please leave a comment. I would appreciate your information!

Here’s the challenge: In order to use these techniques, we have to GET OUT THERE and ASK for studies! Most of the time, people will not come to you and ask you to study with them. We have to initiate! It’s scary, but we must be willing to suffer for Christ. Go make the devil angry!!

Love, Acceptance, Humility

(I ask that you please read this post to the end before you have any ill thoughts towards me or what I have written. Thanks :) )

I have known many people that have obeyed the gospel but have become entangled again in error. Most recently, one of my dear friends that was baptized a few months ago. This person has so much potential to do good things for the kingdom. Smart, hard-working, strong, bold, and caring are all words to describe her. With those kind of adjectives attributed to one person, many great things could happen! Unfortunately, she has left the truth and is now wasting her talents on what she believes to be love.

I'll show you what I mean. We moved to Memphis a couple of months after she became a Christian and I decided to check up on her and see how she was doing. (On a side note, we should be doing this to everyone that obeys the truth. We cannot just teach them the gospel and leave them to fend for themselves when they are just infants in the faith. We need to go out of our ways and out of our comfort zones to help the new Christians grow.) Because she studied with me, and was my friend before she obeyed, I believe I am especially responsible for keeping her encouraged and helping her grow.

Anyway, she left the church for a denominational organization. She said that the church doesn't respect that organization as being a Christian group. I explained to her that it's because they are not Christians. We all know that being religious does not make one a Christian. Everyone has to obey the correct plan of salvation and become a member of the ONE church that Christ established. I explained this to her again (she understood this before she was baptized and we studied for a while about it). She had this to say to me:

"I have trouble accepting what you say now because you denounced _____ as a Christian foundation. The people at _____ are better Christians at times than the people at the church of Christ. _____ does a better job with love and acceptance. I mean how can anyone really get across the point of God without first showing love and acceptance. The people at ____ are also humble."

LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE:

Yes, we should be loving and accepting. Yes, we need to love others to teach them about God...but does "loving" someone mean accepting their sins?

NO.

We absolutely cannot accept someone's sins. Part of salvation is repenting, meaning to turn away from sin and live no longer in them (Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30) If someone is still in their sin, they WILL NOT be in Heaven. (Galatians 5:19-21)

If we don't try to lead someone to Heaven, are we really loving them? NO.

We should be loving in leading someone away from their sins and showing them their error, but we cannot let anyone think it's okay to continue in those actions and lifestyles and still get to Heaven. That is completely false. If we do, we are contributing to the condemnation of their soul and ours. 

Would you rather have feelings hurt and get yourself and others to Heaven, or be "accepting" and lead yourself and others to Hell? 

BENEVOLENCE:

This is not mentioned in her above quote, but I know one reason she is involved with other religious groups is for the acts of benevolence for the less fortunate.

"And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; yet you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?" -James 2:16

In the context of this verse, it is talking about faith being dead without works, but I think we can use this verse to illustrate another point. What will it profit if we save children from a war, feed the hungry, take care of the elderly, etc. if we do not show them how to get to Heaven? Do we only care about the temporary, physical body? We need to care more so for their eternal spirit. We need to feed, clothe, and take of care of the spiritual body as well as physical. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be benevolent. That is a work of the church and we need to do those things...but don't put the emphasis where it doesn't belong. You may keep someone from going hungry, but you are still letting them go to Hell because you are not teaching them the truth.

HUMILITY:

Should we, as members of the Lord's one body, be arrogant? No. Should we deny that there is only one truth to avoid looking arrogant? No.

I think what she meant by saying we are less humble than that other religious group is that they accept all teachings and believe it's okay to believe what you want, be a part of the church of your choice, etc. while we believe what the bible teaches about there only being one body, one truth, one way to Heaven. Does the bible teach there is only one way to Heaven through one church and one savior? See for yourself.

"Jesus saith unto him, I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life: NO man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:16

The way, the truth, and the life are singular. It does not say "a way, a truth, a life"

"There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one body.

"And God hath put all things under His feet, and hath given Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23

If the church is his body, and there is one body, then there is one church. It is not arrogant to teach so. Our purpose is not to tell everyone that they are in error, but to show them why they are in error and how to fix it in order to get to Heaven. For more on this subject, watch for my next blog post....or better, go to the new testament and read/study about it- that's where I'll be getting the thoughts for my next post, because I want to only teach what God teaches.

"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11

We love souls and we want to all go to Heaven together. I love this friend of mine very much. I pray for her and cry when I think of her. She may think that I am arrogant and hateful, but friends that don't tell you when you are wrong are no friends at all.

Here's the challenge: Teach the truth in love, not accepting error but teaching truth to take others with us to Heaven. Don't be afraid to get your feelings hurt, lose friendships, etc. It will happen if we are doing the right thing. Are you willing to suffer for Christ? (Matthew 5:11-12)

A Lesson Learned

This week I came out of a lesson thinking "AHH!!! I don't know anything!"


I was briefly discouraged and stressed and felt like such an immature Christian, but then I found a new motivation to study the scriptures. It was a very humbling experience for me.


I'm continuing to pray that I become more humble and motivated to become a stronger Christian...and not be discouraged with the "level" that I am, but be more excited to build on it.


This blog's purpose is to encourage others and I hope that my own experiences can do exactly that.


Thanks for reading!

not everything is what it seems

 Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. A child stopped to listen but was pushed along by his mother, in a hurry. Several children that came by stopped, but were all hurried along by their parents. Some people dropped money into his case without stopping or looking. He made $32 in total.

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.


No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.


This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.


How much are we really missing? Is everything we know the way it really is? Do we ever really think about the things we believe or have been taught?


The two thousand people walking past Joshua Bell probably felt that a man playing at a metro station was nothing to think about....he must be a nobody, right? 


People are too comfortable with their beliefs and how they were raised to think for even a moment that they could be missing something. Unfortunately, though, most are wrong about what they believe and will never look for or accept THE truth. Religious people carry their bible to church, put it on the dashboard, or place it on the bookshelf without ever searching through it to see if what they believe or have been taught is really true. Religious people believe that Christianity is the right religion without having any proof of it. 


DON'T trust that your preachers, parents, bible teachers, or friends are teaching truth. They may not even know that they are teaching falsely...but we CAN know if we search the scriptures. 

How many times have you been to church or bible study and left with no intention on checking those teachings out? We all need to do this with other teachings that we hear, as well as our own....even in the church. I've heard false teachings come from the mouths of some members of the Lord's body, and they will be accountable for that. 

People in the religious world fail to see that there is such a thing as false teaching. The bible talks about false teachers, which implies that some teachings are false. That's not only in the religious world as a whole, but also in the "christian" belief.

Don't know how to understand the bible? Look at some rules for bible reading/understanding here.

Here's your challenge: Search the scriptures daily!! (Acts 17:11) Go to church on Sunday and Wednesday and take notes on what you hear, whether you agree with them or not. Go home and look it up!

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."