Flirting With Satan

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil"  (Heb. 5:14, ESV).
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..." (Isaiah 5:20, ESV).

Some Christians think it's cool to dabble in the occult and experiment with its luring temptations. The most popular and largest segment of the occult is astrology, which has been around for at least 4,000 years, as an adventure into supernaturalism.  It seems "innocent" enough, but it opens the door to satanic activity in your life, such as using Ouija boards, palmistry, Yoga, TM, crystals, seances, tarot cards, or channeling.

Paul encountered sorcerers in Ephesus in Acts 19 and, when they repented, they brought all their sorcery texts and burned them publicly. Remember, Simon the Great had been a sorcerer and, after believing, sought to buy the gift of God with money, and today this heresy is known as simony.   King Saul sought advice from the witch of Endor, a medium, and was punished with death with his sons as a result. 

Of course, they don't see the harm, but a mature believer realizes that this domain belongs to the devil and will steer clear of it--it's no joke!  You cannot partake of the Lord's Table and the table of demons!  The Bible clearly condemns astrology and any type of star worship in Isaiah 47:13 as follows:  "You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you."

Contrary to popular thought, the magi were not astrologers but noticed a sign in heaven and knew the Scriptures were being fulfilled from a prophecy of Jacob.  Nowhere does God condone astrology and a believer in Christ is disobedient to lend it any credence.

Why is this so serious?  Even if you don't take it seriously and are just playing around, your testimony is jeopardized and it speaks of your lack of faith in God.  Also, you have a responsibility to obey Scripture and not to do anything that makes your brother stumble (cf. 1 Cor. 8:12).  We don't play around with Satan but take him seriously as our adversary.  Anyone who is into occult practice, such as consulting the stars for advice, is doing the work of the devil and in league with him, and will be judged--i.e., we are not to call evil good (cf. Isa. 5:20).  If you don't worship God, you'll still find something or someone to worship--it's our God-given nature!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Sharing Ignorance At Bible Studies

What is a Bible study but to increase in our comprehension of the Word from someone who knows the Word?  I have been to LDS Bible studies and know where they are too, and I have attended many church Bible studies through my more than 40 years as a believer in many churches.  We don't just share our ignorance but must have someone who assumes leadership because all things are to be done decently and in order as in a church.

Contemplate your goal:  do you just want to be a better person with more virtue (any religion will do), or do you want to know the Lord?  Hosea says that the people perish for lack of knowledge and that a people without discernment perish.  God's pet peeve against them is not knowing Him--not lack of being religious or doing the requirements of the law of Moses.  Part of the appeal of cults and sects is that they seem to make good and virtuous people that have it together:  "You're a good man Charlie Brown."  The goal should be to know the scoop, the lowdown, the skinny, or to be in the know spiritually speaking, which will improve our relationship with Christ.

The application is important, but it is not everything.  The ultimate goal is to apply the Word to us, but God wants to know Him and the Word teaches us about Him. "If thy Word had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction," says Psalm 119:67.  "O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day long," says Psalm 119:97.  As we apply the Word we grow in sanctification and Christ-likeness.  There is an intrinsic reward in knowing and loving the Word per se and meditating on it by memorizing it.

Some Christian Bible studies are no different than Catholic, JW, LDS, or Unitarian Bible studies!  Anyone can study how we are to be more honest and develop integrity and general virtue, for instance.  How do you get filled with the Spirit would be foreign to them, because they aren't--they're just good people and as I have mentioned before, Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, but dead people alive.  Teaching about walking in the Spirit, or developing the fruit of the Spirit are Christian and nonsectarian.

It is alright sometimes to be non-denominational but Bible studies should be willing to take doctrinal stands and not just ignore them for the sake of the Bible study or unity.  I am not ecumenical or interdenominational and do not believe we should just cooperate with each other for common goals.  I believe in the autonomy of the local church--no outside authority can dictate dogma or policy.  The more the members of the Bible study can agree in the Spirit, the more the Spirit can bless them and they can enjoy His presence.

In summation, if you go to a Bible study and realize that you could have learned this at a Mormon or Jehovah Witness study, then it is not what you need, even if you enjoy it and it is good company or fellowship for you--you may need fellowship then!  Teaching is a gift and not everyone is qualified to teach a Bible study; that means members don't share their ignorance and by virtue of that they can teach.  CAVEAT:  WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NO ONE KNOWS SOUND DOCTRINE!  Soli Deo Gloria!

"Bible-club Mentality"

Chuck Swindoll talks about having an "exclusive mindset" in our circles and churches. Without a mixture of love and grace, we think we have "cornered the market" on the truth and are a cut above other groups or believers. We become proud, smug, and arrogant. No church owns your mind and has a monopoly on the truth. No pastor is infallible, not even the Supreme Pontiff himself (by the way, the Pope didn't claim infallibility when speaking ex-cathedra (pontificating) until 1870). We are not to "kiss our brains good-bye" or commit intellectual suicide, but to be Bereans who check things out for ourselves and don't just take everything for granted or as "gospel truth."

We can be unbearable if we think we know all the answers or that we think we are better by virtue of superior knowledge which puffs up. We must remain teachable and humble in our attitude. Knowledge can be dangerous when not based on the Bible. When we think only our group is right and all the other groups are inferior we have become a cult and truth has gone to seed in our intolerance. We all have something to learn from each other and we all need each other.

We don't all have the gift of pastor-teacher, but that doesn't mean we can't instruct and edify one another. Let us be Bereans that go to the Scriptures to check out whether these things are so! We don't commit spiritual suicide when we join a ministry. In sum, we don't "park our brains in the church's narthex," as Josh McDowell says.   Soli Deo Gloria!