On Sunday, I challenged the church to always test the teaching that they are receiving. Start with what you hear with me. Test it. Then, go to your small group. Test it. Test what you are listening to on podcasts. Test what you are sharing on Facebook. Test what you are reading. Test all of it.
Centuries ago, Paul told Timothy why we should be testing our teaching today:
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:3-5So, what do you test to see if the teaching is sound or if it is only tickling itching ears?
Am I being taught about sin and salvation even as a believer? Do they teach clearly that Jesus forgives sins and calls us to live holy lives? Many teachers today avoid the issue of sin altogether. They may talk about mistakes, problems, issues, but seldom what Christ has done and is doing to forgive us and free us from our sin. So, what's the problem with that? If we minimize our teaching to help people deal with their mistakes and problems and how they can overcome their issues, then we have become self-help artists.
Am I being taught things that have never been taught before? Catch this: there is a huge difference between learning things from the Bible that you have never learned and being taught by one who believes they are teaching from the Bible in ways that have never been taught before. If they claim to be the only ones who have this knowledge or if they claim to have a special revelation from God, steer clear of this teaching because they are no longer teaching from the authority of the Bible, but instead, they are speaking based on their authority.
Am I being taught the stories from Scripture or the modern day meaning behind the stories in Bible? The story of God was written by men under the inspiration of Scripture. In giving us His Word, God gave us stories, poems, parables, prophetic language, and more so that we could know Him, honor Him, and tell others about Him.
As some teach from the Bible, rather than teaching the stories in historical context, they instead allegorize the stories. Here's an example: when David killed Goliath, what was God's intended message to us? Is it that God can use even a boy to defeat a giant to show His, God's, strength and protection of His people? Or, is it about how you and I need to face the giants of our life? When we remove the story from history and make it about us, then every part of the story becomes something with a hidden meaning for us today. The armor has meaning. The stones have meaning. So, the teaching shifts from the historical fact that a boy killed the oppressor of God's people to the three stones that we need to carry to face the giants in our lives?
So, the story shouldn't be applied to our lives? Yes, it should, but not in a way that reduces God's perfect Word to the whims of a modern day preacher. The pastor's job should be to find the intended message of the passage and then apply it in many different ways so that those listening learn and live the message of the passage.
Am I receiving a balanced diet from God's Word? As with our physical lives, if we don't have a balanced diet, our spiritual lives will struggle. Every teacher has their favorite passages and their favorite things to teach, that's why you must make sure that you are receiving teaching that is pulling from the whole counsel of God's Word. You can't feed only on the "ice cream" passages of Scripture and expect to be healthy. You also can't feed only on the "meat" of Scripture and expect to be healthy. It doesn't have to be an either or. If the one who is teaching is rightly dividing God's Word, then you will hear the truth in all of its voices.
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