God’s Thoughts to Me
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1, NIV).
Test everything. Hold on to the good (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NIV).
The Noble Bereans
I used to be good friends with a lady who was a member of the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church. She had a very difficult childhood and subsequently grew up into a very insecure, vulnerable young woman.
When she desperately needed love, she met a few Seventh-Day-Adventists and they welcomed her with open arms. As she didn’t grow up in a church and didn’t know our Lord, she accepted their teachings and married their young pastor.
The founders of the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church were Ellen G White, her husband, James White and Joseph Bates. The Adventists consider the teachings of Mrs White, which are based on visions she apparently received from God, to be just, if not more, reliable and true as the Bible.
These precious people are heavily bogged down under the yoke of legalism. Yet, they consider themselves to be the remnant spoken of in Revelation 12:17.
This belief can easily scare the living daylights out of a naive, gullible person, like my friend, and make them a life-long member of this church.
Their teachings are very dangerous and the fact that they celebrate their Sabbath on a Saturday, is only a small fish in the ocean of deception.
My friend tried her utmost to convert me to Seventh-Day-Adventism, but when she realized she was wasting her time, she sadly ended our friendship. I did a thorough study of their teachings and our Pappa protected me from believing lies.
I am amazed how educated, intelligent people use a single Scripture verse as the basis for a whole new doctrine and subsequently a new church!
Just to give you an idea how easily a Scripture verse can be taken out of context and manipulated to create a whole new doctrine, I want to mention their teaching about dietary laws.
According to them it is sinful to eat pork, but conveniently ignore Paul’s warning, “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink… (Colossians 2:16)”.
When Peter received the vision from heaven of the sheet containing all the “unclean” animals, according to the Old Testament laws, our Pappa told Peter to eat these unclean food. We know our Lord wanted to show Peter that, contrary to their belief, He didn’t consider the Gentiles to be unclean.
The Seventh-Day-Adventist believe He was referring only to people and not animals! Pigs are still happy and safe in Jerusalem and amongst these folks! The dietary laws of the Old Testament are still operative to them today.
Their teachings made me realize how easily one can base many false, deceptive doctrines on a few Scripture verses taken out of context and by implication deceive millions of people. The fear factor and the false security it offers keep many earnest seekers of God chained to these false doctrines.
The greatest danger lies in the fact that nearly every lie can be defended from Scripture and the adherents usually valiantly claim to be just as noble as the Bereans who eagerly listened to Paul and Silas and searched the Scriptures daily to if what they preached was in fact the truth.
When I came to realize that countless, terrible lies were being nobly taught straight from the Bible, I seriously looked at what the Bereans were really doing. I found the secret lying not in what they were doing, but in what Paul was preaching.
Paul and Silas were in Thessalonica before they came to Berea. There was a Jewish synagogue and for three Sabbaths in a row, Paul reasoned with these Jews.
He used the Torah to explain the prophecies about the Messiah who had to suffer and rise from the dead. He informed them that Jesus was this promised Messiah.
The Bereans were more open-minded than the Thessalonians and eagerly listened to what Paul was preaching. Yet, they didn’t just gobble-up everything Paul said, but searched their copy of the Torah daily to make sure of the truth of their words. Paul commended them for this (Act 17:11).
Paul warned the Thessalonians to test everything and only hold on to what is good and true. In the same manner we find John warning the believers not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they were from God. Even then many false prophets were claiming to preach the truth of Christ.
Today were are in the midst of a great apostasy and we have greatly stifled the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment. We believe left, right and centre everything that is taught in the name of our Lord Jesus without testing anything.
I know that if people are like me, we often cry this great battle cry of “Sola Scriptura”. Yet, we are clueless about the battle we are so valiantly fighting for! No wonder the Roman Catholic papacy, at the time of Martin Luther, used to say that the Protestants only exchanged their idol of the Pope for another, the Scriptures!
I invite you to accompany me as I investigate, like the Bereans, for another few posts and test a few of the subtle false spirits doing the rounds today and which are difficult to discern as falsehood.
I want to delve deep into the Gospel Paul was preaching and hold onto our Lord Jesus who is the only Way … the only Truth … and the only Life.
Blessings and love.
Mia
Linking-up with
His Loving Embrace 
Thank you Mia. You put a lot of thought and research into this post. I appreciated all that you shared. Thanks for linking up over at WholeHearted Home.
Very well written, and excellent point!
As humans we are very easily deceived, and the many forms of even “Christianity” proves it.
Something that I have always tried to do when reading the Bible is to take it at face value. Yes, our languages have changed a bit. But if the Bible says something, it is simplest to believe that how I am reading it, is exactly how God wants me to hear it. I can look up the Greek and Hebrew translations, and sometimes for fun I do. But I don’t like to look things up, with the purpose of proving something different than what the Bible plainly says.
Looking forward to more 🙂
Oh, and I linked up after you at Missional Women
I firmly believe that when we need to understand a new truth, Pappa will reveal it to your heart. In the meantime we do well to test everything to see if it is true.
Blessinsg
Mia, you have increased my hunger for the Word through your post. I am going through a sort of dry season, but the Lord has spoken to me through His still small voice and through His Word. My prayer is to desire more of HIm daily! Thanks, Mia and blessings to you! Love, RAchael
Dear Rachael
It is during these dry seasons when much growth are taking place there we cannot see. Just keep on keeping your eye on Him.
Much love
Mia, great food for thought. One of the things I always pray for is discernment when reading the Word and on my daily life because I do believe as you mentioned that the Holy Spirit, and its power has really been overlooked for so long. These days everyone has a different interpretation of the Scripture and more than ever we need to hold pray for clarity and discernment to ensure our interpretation is based on Jesus’ teachings. Look forward to your series.
Dear Maria
I read somewhere that Solomon was considere the wiset man who ever lived and we can learn a lot from his wisdom. Yet, Jesus is the wisdom of God and it would do well to listen to Him.
Much love
Mia, thank you for encouraging us to “be bereans” and dig into our Scriptures to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Your experience with your Adventist friend reminded me a great deal of my husband’s story with a former friend who tried to convert him into becoming a Jehovah’s Witness… thankfully, his wise & prayerful sister gave him a book to read that explained some of the fallacies that he needed to be aware of. Soon after, he came to know that true Christ of the Bible personally. His sister had prayed for him for many years.
Dear Lyli
I have a dear friend who is also a Jehova Witness and they are also heavily burdened with terrible burdens. I am still paying that Pappa will open her eyes a practicing one at the moment.
Much love
Mia
This is a valid warning, Mia. Too often whole doctrines are written from just one scripture, even when the supposition may (supposedly) contradict more scriptures elsewhere. We need to take a look at the whole book, the complete story, and hold onto Jesus, like you said. Thanks, friend!
Dear Lisa
We would do well to look at the whole Bible as a book about Jesus and Pappa’s plan of love and redemption.
Much love
I find it fascinating that even Christians “choose” to believe the things they want to believe. Some of the most divisive issues in the church are always backed up by a few of the verses of scripture, never of the whole of God’s word. Free will is more powerful than we grasp I believe. I referred to it earlier this week, but it is a choice to be “willfully ignorant.”
I look forward to your studies and being involved. May God bless the fellowship.
Dear Floyd
I always say we should not talk about what we know nothing about. But when Pappa has been revealing to my heart how many lies are being taught in His name, I cannot keep quiet.
Much Love
I hear you, Mia. The difference is I believe that you seek all of His word in truth, not to back up what you’re trying to sell. That makes you the real deal.
I didn’t know (or remember) all the beliefs that Seventh-Day Adventist’s believe. I thought there were some significant issues, so I’m grateful for you spelling them out here. But most of all, I appreciate your encouragement to study the scriptures with fervor and continually, like the Bereans, Mia. That is my desire and goal. I don’t know that I always do the best job of it, but I certainly appreciate reading from those, like you, who do some of the digging for me. Great thoughts, my friend, and thanks for linking up with Wedded Wed!
Dear Beth
I just love to study and to do research. with the FM/ME I often have lots of time to do just that. and studying the Bible is my passion.
much love
Mia
Dear Mia,
How are you? And yes, how we need to carefully study Scripture…praying you are feeling better…love to you.
Dear Dolly
I had a great week, thank you. We need always ask for discernment for many false teachings are doing the rounds.
Much love
Yes, Mia … let’s hold high the banner of Scripture, God’s love letter to us in all its truth, beauty, and power! Thank you …
Dear Linda
Yes, my friend, it is a love letter from our Pappa God. Not a set of doctrines that no one can understand.
Much love
Mia, enjoyed reading this. Truly anything can become an idol. And we all need to be like the Bereans because things can sound good but not be truly Biblical as you pointed out. Hope the rest of you week is a great one.
Dear Wanda
The Bereans truly did leave us a good example of nobleness. We will do well looking at their example.
Much love
This is great Mia; thanks for sharing how (sadly) vulnerable people chose to be in these off religions; I can’t wait to read more! God’s Word is the only thing that keeps us focused, and is guaranteed to keep us healthier in mind, body, and spirit. We must feed on God’s Word daily if we want to nourish ourselves spiritually and keep us from being deceived!
Blessings sweet sister,
Denise
Dear Denise
Yes, my friend, we need to be very careful of what we accept as truth. some lies are so very deceptive.
Blessings
“No wonder the Roman Catholic papacy, at the time of Martin Luther, used to say that the Protestants only exchanged their idol of the Pope for another, the Scriptures!”
I couldn’t agree more! (Stopping by from the EO’s Just Write)
Dear Joy
This is so true. We can know the Bible from heart from A-Z and still not know our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for visiting.
Blessings