TRUTH - QUESTION MARK

You can’t know the truth unless you know what it is. Sounds like a silly statement doesn’t it, but you would be surprised how many Christians do not know the truth, the sort that sets you free.

For most protestant Christians, the truth is what the pastor preaches from the pulpit each Sunday. They listen to him and then go home and forget what he has said which is not surprising as one man preaching up front and the rest just listening is probably one of the worst methods you can use to get people to remember and learn what you have said.

Using this method you only retain 20% of what is said. If the church used the New Testament method of teaching, discussion, feedback and teaching others, they would retain about 80%.

Perhaps pastors don’t use or don’t want to use this method because someone might ask an awkward question which they don’t want asked or which they can’t answer.

Having one man stand up every Sunday and give his take on whatever the subject without question is very unlikely to be an exercise in truth telling for the simple reason that you have no way of challenging the validity of what he says. If you only have one man doing all the preaching which is the case in a lot of churches, you cannot get a comparison or dig deeper into the meaning of the text.

Basically we are not encouraged to do so. We might be told to read the scriptures and get direction from God that way, but if you find something contrary to what the pastor believes and says, in most cases you are always wrong because he is the anointed one and he is paid to hear from God.

The scriptures says that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, not the pastor. Whoever is telling us whatever, unless it is backed up by the revelation of scripture, what that person is saying is wrong and not the truth.

According to scripture, you have the right to study it and show yourself approved to God, not approved by the pastor. When you study it and listening to a sermon is not studying it, you will need to get revelation by the Holy Spirit to know the truth because it says he will lead us into all truth.

Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot know the truth. All you have is man made ideas about religion, most of which are wrong.

Next time you hear a sermon which you are expected to accept in its entirety, go and search the scriptures about what has been said and ask the Holy Spirit for his revelation. If it differs from the speaker tell him so. If he is spiritual he will listen gracefully to what you have to say.

If he doesn’t, I would suggest that he is more interested in his own opinion, not the truth.