What’s the greatest threat to the church today in Canada? That’s a question I asked a few weeks ago on my Instagram stories. I enjoyed reading your responses. And I am hoping to do more of these, so watch for them throughout the week.
The greatest threat to the church is not what is happening outside the gathering but what is happening within it. Yes, times are not good in our country. There are a lot of bad things that are happening in our nation. Democracy is dying. Charter rights have been suppressed. Certain people and ideologies are being censored and penalized. Protests that aren’t in line with the narrative are aggressively curbed. Communist ideologies and bills such as S-233 are trying to be pushed through. Moral legislation is voted down, and immoral ones are passed. Increasingly our government is being given more power, and currently, we have a Liberal-NDP coalition. God’s Word is called a myth, and teaching biblical sexual ethics is deemed as hatred and has been criminalized. Times are not good, but these things are not the greatest threat to the church. Are we in unprecedented times? Is the government we have and the culture we live in worse and more immoral than others throughout history? No. In the New Testament times, God’s people were literally under a dictatorship and surrounded by a slough of sinful debauchery. Yet, what is their greatest concern? The infiltration of false teachers into the church. We shouldn’t be oblivious to what is happening in our country. However, we should be more vigilant when discerning those in the gatherings throughout our country that propagate false ideologies – especially if you are an elder. As Paul is making his way to Rome, he gives this warning to the elders of Ephesus. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31) Those savage wolves are here, and some are even leading churches. For clarity’s sake, I have in mind those who teach doctrine contrary to God’s Word – especially those preaching a different gospel and a different Jesus. Jesus referred to the false teachers as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Mt. 7:15), expressing how they try to masquerade as harmless and something they aren’t. They are often a hidden danger in plain sight, mixing in with those in the church (Jude 12). This truth isn’t lost here. Paul says that these false teachers will arise even from within the church. Men who seem trustworthy and innocent would insert themselves into places of influence and begin to teach things that distort the truth and draw people away. These men are savage wolves that bring harm through what they teach. Peter refers to their teachings as “destructive” heresies for a reason. As I look around at our country and even right here in the Annapolis Valley, there are a few prevalent heresies that are being embraced and promoted.
A wolf preys on the weak. A weak Christian is someone who doesn’t know God’s word enough to stand against the deception and lies of these teachers. Sadly, churches throughout Canada have been plagued by biblical illiteracy for decades. Many do not know what God’s Word says on a given topic because they do not intentionally spend time reading and studying it. As Charles Spurgeon said of those in his own time, “There is enough dust on some of your Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers”. This makes them easy pickings for these wolves. These savage wolves are a far greater threat than authoritarian governments. Remember that when Paul gave this warning to the Ephesian elders, Nero was the ruler. Yet Paul’s focus is not on him but on the savage wolves seeking to destroy the church through deceptive doctrines. This threat was so significant to him that he never stopped tearfully warning them day and night for three years. Let me ask a question – is Justin Trudeau a more significant threat to you or a pastor such as Henry Hildebrant that teaches a different gospel? Don’t get me wrong. Justin Trudeau can definitely make things more difficult for us politically, economically, and physically. However, false teachers that distort the truth lead others towards spiritual decay and eternal destruction. On top of that, embracing these lies will lead to a further decline in our society. The church is the pillar and the butler of the truth, given the task of confronting error. We can’t do that if we have embraced the error. And this is largely why we are in the state we are in today. Yes, we should be concerned about our government’s actions; however, we should be more concerned about the false teachers influencing others to embrace damnable heresies. So what do we do? The Bible provides us with practical steps to take.
As you stand up for what is right, don’t be fooled that the government is the greatest threat to you and the church. It isn’t! These savage wolves are. So fellow brothers and sisters in Christ...dig deep into God’s Word, be on guard, contend for the truth, and commit yourselves to God. And pastors, guard the flock God has made you overseers of. Guard, teach, equip, contend, expose, warn and confront. The wolves are hungry. Don’t give them an opportunity to feed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello! I'm glad you found my blog. My name is David Hanson, and I am a concerned Christian who desires for the church of North America to become aware and begin to think biblically of what is happening around them in society. It's time for the church to awake and speak into the current events of the day. We alone have the truth to navigate life effectively. That truth is the Word of God. Archives
May 2022
Categories |