Subject: Call those things that are not |
Bible Note: Mother, let me say first of all that you have amply convinced me that you are an honest, sincere seeker for the truth found only in the word of God. My heart goes out to you and my prayers are for you in your struggle with a reading comprehension disability. To touch on some of the points you raised: (1) Acts 17:11 is not my "translation"; it is from the NASB and leaves little room for variant interpretations. (2) "God helps those who help themselves" along with another familiar axiom, "Cleanliness is next to godliness" are often ascribed to Scripture but are not to be found there. It has been said in jest that both quotations are from Hezekiah, chapter 4, but try finding the book of Hezekiah in the Bible! (It doesn't exist). (3) I can't help but wonder: do you not have a pastor to whom you can turn for counsel and instruction? I've wondered the same thing about other members of this forum who have presented problems and posed questions on which a pastor or teacher in the members' local congregations should be able to, and ought to, provide assistance. (4) Regarding your fears of following the wrong teaching, I have some misgiving about posting specific direction on this forum, but will venture out to this extent at least: Be extremely careful of whose counsel you heed on the Internet, on the TV cable networks, and on religious radio shows. On the latter two media, I can recommend the following list, which is by no means comprehensive, of teachers/preachers who are trustworthy (listed in no particular order): Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers, R.C.Sproul, David Jeremiah, Richard Land, Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias, James Dobson, Vernon McGee (deceased, but his talks are re-broadcast), Larry Burkett (money matters from a Christian perspective), and any re-broadcasts of the Billy Graham crusades. This list is woefully sparse; there are other sound expositors of the word of God on the airwaves. But there is an army of fakes, frauds, deceivers and charlatans out there too. Extreme caution is advised! --Hank |