You’re having a Bible study with someone, and they say, “I simply don’t believe in Jesus.” Or perhaps you discover that a young person you’ve been discipling is having premarital sex. And you wonder: Have I done something wrong? Have I failed in my efforts to teach God’s Word?
Ministering to people can lead to heartache. Yet Paul exhorted Timothy (and us) not to give up, but to press on in teaching others. He wrote that we need to neither be an optimist nor a pessimist, but a realist. Let’s face it, the Bible and experience reveal that some people will turn from their faith in Jesus. So apostasy (renouncing one’s faith) is not a surprising development, nor should it be considered evidence that we’ve failed. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11 that “many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.”
We also need to see that lost faith is all about spiritual warfare. Paul described the heretics in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) as those who “[followed] deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). The ultimate origin of all deception is Satan. In 2 Corinthians 10:4, Paul instructs, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” What are God’s mighty weapons? His Word and prayer.
Finally, we need to continue to teach the truth (1 Timothy 4:6). In dealing with the false teaching in Ephesus, Paul told Timothy to point the believers back to right doctrine—truth revealed from Scripture regarding God, His ways, and His purposes.
It can be disappointing when people turn away from God, but His truth will never disappoint us.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 20:1-19
More:
In Colossians 2:6-19, read another example of how to correct false teaching.
Next:
How are you using right doctrine to correct wrong thoughts, values, and behavior? How can you actively apply God’s truth to your life?
daisymarygoldr on August 25, 2011 at 6:41 pm
It really hurts to see people turn away from God—especially if they are our children, spouses or friends. The heartache is because we know the painful consequences people will suffer when we stray away from the truth. For instance, we know those having premarital sex will end up with wounded spirits, emotional scars and most probably bodies infected with STDs.
While some deliberately reject the truth many others ignorantly swallow error. Yes, we need to continue speaking the truth and point believers back to right doctrine. One good example is of Priscilla and Aquila who took Apollos aside and explained the way of God to him even more accurately (Acts 18:26).
Prayer is a powerful weapon. Those who have the Spirit of God cannot stay away from Him for long and will certainly get back on track. Those who do not come back have proved that they did not belong with us (1 John 2:19).
Thanks Poh for the important reminder to be grounded in God’s Word and guard ourselves against error!
regina franklin on August 28, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Dear Poh Fang,
Thank you for the reminder that the results are not up to us. I understand that people (as am I) are a work in process and but I am also wondering if the church (at large) in the United States has sought to make Christianity palatable and convenient (neither of which I see evidenced in scripture). Jesus said the way would be narrow, not comfortable.