12/22/16 Reggie about 45
I was stumped. I was sure the
verse he claimed was in the Bible didn't read that way, but sure enough, there
it was. I had reached out to start a
Gospel conversation at a coffeeshop and was talking with Reggie, about 45, who
sounded Christian at first but soon proved to be preaching a very different
gospel. He used a lot of
"Christian" terms to explain his beliefs which were really a mix of
Hinduism, Buddhism, and transcendental meditation. "Oh, it's biblical" he kept saying,
and offered elaborate and very symbolic reinterpretations of straightforward
biblical passages. He claimed Jesus
supports the eastern concept of the third eye of mystical knowledge when He
referred to having a "single eye". "But that's not even in the Bible!"
I said. Oh, but it is. I looked it up and found it in the King James
Version, which I don't often read. In
Matt.6:22 it reads "…if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light." I had to admit I was wrong. For Reggie, this was a chance to drive home
his point that with special enlightenment through meditation, we will learn
truths we never imagined existed.
"Don't get stuck in your beliefs.
You've got to think outside the box!" he urged me.
Really? Fortunately, I have a
habit of regular Bible reading and am grounded in the orthodox creeds of
historic Christianity. They are like a
road map to the Bible, because they provide the bigger biblical narrative by
which to discern true doctrine from false.
I was able to ask Reggie some direct questions that quickly revealed the
teaching of the cult he is in, which tries to elevate man to the position of
God, and to bring God down to the level of man.
The popular book and movie "The Shack" is another
example. It may claim artistic license,
but in my experience whenever a basic doctrine of Christianity is altered, it
has a domino effect on other doctrines of the faith, leading to a wide range of
false teachings and practices done in the name of Christianity. It affects us as believers and the faith we
share with the world and those we love the most. We need to be grounded in the Bible, not just
in other people's opinion of it. We need
to know the historic creeds that have withstood the test of time and the
scrutiny of biblical scholars. And we need the constant reminder of biblical
truths both as we sit under godly teaching and as we engage in teaching
others. "Watch your life and
doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both
yourself and your hearers." 1 Tim.
4
2 comments:
Jeff, thanks for your blog. I, among many, read it often.
This is a good reminder for me as I recall a recent memory verse found in Jeremiah;
Jeremiah 6:16
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the Godly way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Jeff, thanks for your blog. I, among many, read it often.
This is a good reminder for me as I recall a recent memory verse found in Jeremiah;
Jeremiah 6:16
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the Godly way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
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