"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." -Galatians 1:6-8; bold, italics, and underlining added for emphasis.
Recently I was reminded of this "another gospel" (a.g.) principle while reading through Numbers chapters 13 & 14. Upon arriving at the promised land, 12 men were sent to spy out what God had sent them to; this included assessing the inhabitants of the land already there, which they would have to fight. 10 of these men brought back an evil report to the children of Israel, overcome with fear by the apparent strength of the land's inhabitants. Israel listened to these 10, rather than to the faithful Joshua and Caleb, murmuring then against Moses, Aaron, and the Lord. The end result of this rebellion was that the 10 men died, and God determined that all of the rest (except Joshua & Caleb) from 20 years old and up would wander in the wilderness 40 years, and die there- never seeing the good land God had intended to give.
In response to this terrible pronouncement against them, the Israelites then decide that they will go up and fight, after all! But it was too late. For them now to go and assay to take the promised land was going against God's will.
Today we find mouth-professing believers everywhere serving a.g. They keep trying to please the Lord in their own strength and wisdom, rather than following what He has said. By adding or taking away from the words God has given us, they risk having their names blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 22:18,19).
The Christmas holiday is part of a.g. Even when a professed Christian finds out that 12/25 is from the pagan worship of the sun god, AND that nowhere in God's Word are we told to observe the arrival of Christ, and even that any "observance of days" (Gal. 4:9-11) is a sign of a.g., a spiritual corruption to be avoided, they still insist on observing lies and idolatry in xmas; rationalizing that they are "sincere", and God accepts them, and is blessed by their behavior.
Brethren, God does not lie, nor is He the author of confusion! God is honored by our obedience to Him, and nothing else. If God is really God to you, OBEY HIM!!! Do not trust any "warm feelings" that you might have, for the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. All our righteousnesses are but filthy rags! This is why it is so important to have the standard of God's Word in the King James Bible and believe it. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Apart from the solid testimony of God's written Word, all that we could go by are feelings, and the teachings of "learned" men.
Please take time to read I Cor. 1:18-31 right now in relation to this subject.
God's wisdom is foolishness to the learned of this world, and even to our own "natural man" of the flesh. At the time of His passion, Christ said that all would be offended because of Him that night, for it is written, 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But Peter denied this, saying that he himself would never deny his Lord! Peter's verbal response may seem to be a desireable one, but he was contradicting the written word of prophecy! See Mark 14:27-29 for the account.
On our website, I was fairly recently inspired to do an article, Green Bible Comments. The Green Bible was written in an attempt to reveal God's "true concern" for taking care of the Earth, and preserving it. Sounds like a noble goal, doesn't it? We should all have a certain concern for taking care of our natural resources, beyond doubt. But does God really tell us to save the Earth? No! We are told to preach the gospel to every creature, for God would that all men be saved, spiritually.
In the Bible, we find that God routinely destroys parts of the Earth and its environment when dealing with mankind. We also find well- accounted for that God will eventually destroy the Earth, and create a new one! The preaching of environmental care, as a Biblical mandate, is plainly a LIE! It is also a great example of what is another gospel.
Brethren, we need to wait for the Lord, and seek His direction- much like the Israelites were doing in Numbers 9:16-23. WAIT-WAIT-WAIT. See the difference God's timing makes by the example of the disciples' fishing in Luke 5:4-6, and John 21:3-6! Take the time, also, to search the Word for support in all of your actions. Without this as authority in your life, you are lost (John 12:48, Rom. 10:17, II Tim. 3:16,17). The differences between the real gospel and a.g.can be subtle, but the Lord will make your steps sure.
Take the time in prayer to examine your life- are you serving another gospel?
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