The Church of Christ has persistently encountered numerous battles and struggles, a trend expected to endure until its culmination. The most arduous and vehement conflicts faced by the Church have consistently originated from within. This paradoxical reality might seem counterintuitive, yet it remains undeniably true.
The church faces its most severe attacks from those who exhibit “the appearance of godliness” yet deny the truth and power of the word of God. Despite variations in size, form, and type, every battle ultimately revolves around this conflict – a war against the word of God. Interestingly, this conflict isn’t novel, tracing its origins back to the Garden of Eden.
Listen: –
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”” Genesis 3:1 ESV
Did you see it!
What was the serpent’s question to Eve?
“Did God” really say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’
This question stands as one of the craftiest inquiries possible: What exactly was God’s original command or word to Adam?
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” Genesis 2:16-17a
The serpent’s cunning question instilled doubt in Eve—not just in the word of God, but also in the goodness of God and in her foundational truths. Throughout their interaction, it became apparent to the serpent that Eve lacked the protection of God’s word. Persistently pursuing his agenda, the serpent eventually transformed Eve’s doubt into full-fledged unbelief. Once unbelief took root in her heart, disobeying God became a much easier choice for her.
This pattern is typically the one into which all Christians tend to fall before sinning against God.
The devil now employs a more effective strategy: fostering doubt within us by challenging our understanding of truth, not through the word of God, but via our personal life experiences.
By the way, this is commonly referred to as “Pragmatism.”
Pragmatism is defined as “an approach that evaluates the truth or significance of theories or beliefs based on their success in practical application.” In essence, pragmatism defines truth as “that which proves effective.”
The principle here is simple: if something works, it’s considered true; if it doesn’t, it’s deemed false. The focus remains on achieving desired results in life experiences, without scrutinizing the methods employed, as long as the outcome is attained.
This stands as a significant issue: many people today fall into deception by accepting various fairy tales as truth or the word of God. When questioned about their belief in a certain message or practice, they often respond, “I confirmed its truth in my life.”
Previously, we wrapped up the discussion on teaching sexual purity to begin a series called “How a Young Man Knows and Protects His Sexual Nature.” The preceding note serves as the introduction to this teaching, aimed primarily at cautioning parents of young children. Its purpose is to highlight the pressing issue currently faced by the Church of Christ, urging parents to prepare and equip their sons with the “Truth” and the word of God.
The word of God says,
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. . . and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:11, 17 ESV
The word of God stands as the sole offensive weapon bestowed upon His church and us, Christians, to combat “the schemes of the devil.” There exists no other weapon for this purpose.
I urge young parents with young children to equip their kids with the word of God. This preparation shields them from becoming victims of prevalent lies propagated by the devil, preventing them from questioning their sexual identity and sanity. Such questioning often leads to embracing grievous and sinful lifestyles under the guise of “life experience.”
I had a conversation with a young mother who expressed, “My 4-year-old son enjoys dressing like a girl, playing with toys typically associated with girls, adopting a feminine gait, and speaking in a way that sounds like a girl. I didn’t guide him toward these behaviors; he’s been this way since he was one. It seems he identifies as a girl in a boy’s body. Although the Bible doesn’t address this directly, this is the reality in our home, and it aligns with what others are claiming to be true.”
Do you notice the slippery slope here? The young mother determines and comprehends “the truth” based on what she observes, hears, and feels, rather than through the word of God.
Another young mother shared this with me: “I traveled to Addis Ababa seeking prayers from those renowned prophets to heal my illness. I experienced healing and returned feeling significantly better. However, they charged me a substantial amount for the guest house, and certain actions they took made me uneasy. Still, I concentrated solely on my healing. Now, I advocate for people to abandon their skepticism about these prophets and journey to Addis to receive healing in the name of Jesus. These prophets are human, just like you and me. They might err, but we should overlook their mistakes and focus on the results we receive from their service.”
Absolutely, it’s crucial to protect our young ones from this line of thinking. Equipping them with the word of God during their formative years is essential. We must instill in them a biblical worldview, teaching them to comprehend and firmly believe in life guided by the interpretation of the word of God, rather than solely relying on their life experiences, transient needs, emotions, and feelings.
God willing, our next session will mark the official commencement of the teaching on young men’s sexuality, using the Book of Proverbs as our guide. Numerous theologians assert that the Book of Proverbs is primarily crafted to offer guidance and mentorship specifically tailored for young men. ///