One Huge Difference

I’d like to talk about one huge difference between the vast majority of churches that would be categorized as Christian, and even fundamental, and those that rightly divide their Bible. I’ve experienced this difference my whole life growing up in church. The difference is an openness in allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you something even though it might sound different than what your traditional view has been. One sure fire way of never teaching from a pulpit again is to teach something different than your denominational position says is allowable. I have a friend that was told he could not understand the Bible because he had never taken a course on Biblical hermeneutics. Let me tell you something about hermeneutics classes, they have ALL failed. I know that statement might anger some men with a higher education from a seminary or Bible college but the truth is the truth. Why would I say such a thing? Look around you at the state of Christianity today. The only churches growing quickly today are the ones who spend 45 minutes waving their hands in the air during their praise and worship service, and the preachers mumble self-help mottos and tell you everything God is going to give you just because he loves you so much. Never mind the FACT that God is as JUST as he is loving, and he hates the sins of pride and arrogance as much as he hates the sins that are easy to point out. Hermeneutics is a failure because each seminary teaches Biblical interpretation according to their own tradition! Every class in Bible interpretation is taught from the denominational agenda of the school. I could provide a list of denominations here, and you could easily tell me the slant each one teaches their “preacher boys” as they show up for class each day. There’s really not much need because these preacher boys have been spoon fed their denominations agenda from day one. I know this because I grew up in this and was well on my way to indoctrinating my kids too. Chances are you are doing the same thing. The huge difference between a church that rightly divides the Bible, and those who stand behind their chosen denominational position is an openness to the teaching of the Bible ALONE, taken LITERALLY, trusting that God can give us the words we are to learn in our own language. At Abundant Grace we allow 1 hour if needed EVERY SUNDAY for questions, and yes these are discussed in the open. If you can’t and don’t question anything and everything you believe, are you open to the Holy Spirits guidance? Why do you think every denomination has its own colleges and seminaries? Is this because they all teach the same method of Biblical interpretation? You already know the answer. It’s so once we have taught our kids that our denomination is right, and everyone else in Christianity is wrong we can send them to a college that tells them the same thing. Of course never mind the FACT that each of those other colleges also use the Bible to prove their position, and they tell all their kids that YOUR denomination is wrong! I understand many will not like this post but I’m so weary of seeing people fight for their traditions and ignore the Bible that it feels like a weight on my back, and I just want to scream at the world to just BELIEVE WHAT GOD SAID IN HIS WORD and forget your denominational tradition. Problem is so few are listening. Teachers today do such a masterful job of teaching around the verses that don’t support their position or explaining the meaning away that the average Christian has no clue how little they actually understand their Bible. I contend that those that read their Bibles regularly see these contradictions all the time but have been conditioned to ignore them. Does this describe you?