False Teachers Exposed, Part 2

For part 1 of the series, please click, False Teachers Exposed, part 1

There are many who think that all preachers, teachers, pastors are from God. All that is being preached in the church by the pastor, preachers, TV preachers, fly-by-night preachers are from God. No, it is not. You need to test the spirits as John says in I Jn 4: 1 says, 'Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.’ What is he saying here? Let’s see Prov 14: 15, ‘The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.’

It simply means do not believe in all what the preachers preach. Verify whether what they are preaching is in accordance with God’s word, God’s doctrine.

Acts 17: 10-12: Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

The saddest part is, still you do not want to study God's word. To study God's word and understand it, you need to be saved. It is not written for the unbelievers. An unbeliever like Gandhi may read it, but it is foolishness to them, for it is written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God (II Tim 3:16) and is thus, spiritually discerned. Another reason, for not studying God's word, even when you are an active member in the church, part of a choir group or hold prominent position in the church is, because you are not a child of God. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice". Jn. 10:27 Again He said, "You do not hear my voice because you are not of God". Jn. 8:47. He was referring to active disobedience on the part of the Jews. They heard the truth, they saw the truth but they wouldn't believe. You neither read or study God's word nor obey it when you read it or when you hear it, because you do not have the source, the indwelling Spirit of God to generate in you the desire to obey. The Spirit of God resides only in God's people. Rom 8:9b

There are many Christians who have been in the church for years, 40 years, 30 years, 20 years, 10 years, but still are spiritual babies, immature, unstable souls. How is it possible that you have been going to the church weeks after weeks, months after months, and years after years and still do not understand the basic tenets of Christian Faith? How could you be a Christian and not know God's word? You defend your doctrine, your church, your pastor but you do not want to defend Jesus, His teaching, His doctrine. You live a life of sin and then heap up preachers, teachers and pastors for yourself who do not condemn your sin, who do not criticize you of your sinful life, who distort God's word to make you feel good, who let you push your sins under the blanket and never confronts it, nor let you confront it. Then, you come to the Bible and seek the verses that correspond with the doctrine you heard, you want to believe, which is not condemning you for your sin and you conveniently ignore the true doctrine, and teachings of God's word.

For part 3, please click, False Teachers Exposed Part 3

Eating with Hands, Oprah Winfrey and Jesus Christ

Oprah Winfrey in one of her shows on India being aired on Discovery channel has ruffled few feathers by commenting on Indian's custom of eating with hands. We Indian's forget that she is not the first one to comment on our shabby state of affairs, prominent among those who commented against Indians would be the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr. Winston Churchill and former Indian cricket coach, Mr. Greg Chappell.

Some learned and not-so-learned Indians have taken the comment personally and have tried to defend themselves by seeking shelter and solace under the banner of the Great Indian culture. I had hardly scratched my head to figure out what's the whole cry is about when in an instant I realized that eating with hands has got nothing to do with our Indian culture. In my personal opinion, I find eating with hands as a reflection of an uncivilized society. It is unhygienic and disgusting.

The custom of eating with hands is prevalent in third world countries, among tribal, economically and socially weaker sections of the society. It reflects the deplorable state of the society. Eating with hands reflects a pre-medieval custom still practiced by people living in forests. If I dig further, it also reflects that we have still not learnt to enjoy the fine art of dining. Eating is not about filling our bellies; it is much more than that. When you are still scrounging, you would only be content to survive rather than even ponder about luxuries and eating with hands, in my personal opinion, epitomizes the fact that we are still trying to meet the most basic of our needs. We neither have the resources nor the will to experiment with spoons and forks.

This raises another really serious question about our attitude towards good and better things in life. We Indians are obstinate, perverse, stubborn and adamant people who due to ignorance, false pride, ego and fear do not want to change for the better. Bible refers to us as stiff-necked people. For centuries, we continued the despicable practices of child marriage, sati system (the burning of widows alive on her expired husband's pyre), thugi ritual (the ritual murder of travelers as human sacrifices to the mother goddess kali, by gangs of men known as thugs), casteism, and untouchability. We still practice the abhorable dowry system. Britishers used stick to implement and enforce the law enacted to abolish the custom of child marriage, sati, and thugi. It took the Britishers along with some enlightened Indians to ban these customs. Casteism, untouchability and dowry system is still advocated and practiced all across India, even among learned, educated and rich Indians.

This attitude runs deeper. This malaise goes way down deep right into the human soul. We are so hung up on our rituals, tradition, culture and practices that we have rejected the True and Living God. Jesus said, 'I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.' Jn 10:10 He again said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.' He has very categorically made it clear that He's the only way for the salvation of mankind. In Acts 4:12, Peter the Apostle proclaimed, 'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' Again Paul the Apostle reiterated the same in Acts 13:38, 'Therefore let it be known to you, brethren that through this Man (Jesus Christ) is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.'

You do not accept Jesus that you may have life because you are, as the Bible rightly says, 'the children of the devil', 'the children of wrath', 'the children of darkness' and 'sons of disobedience' who have been kept for the great and terrible day of judgment before the Great White Throne of the One and Only True and Living God. For you have rejected the True and Living God, who became man and suffered the shame of cross and died for your sins. You have rejected Him who rose up from the dead. You have trampled underfoot the goodness, love, sacrifice and grace of the One and the Only One, Jesus Christ.