Just a Few Thoughts…..
By Pastor F. M. Riley
“I charge thee
therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick
[living] and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom;
Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
2 Timothy 4:1-4
My Testimony
Fifty-two years ago this month [May]
I answered God’s call and surrendered my life to preach His Word.
I was a young man and still young in the Lord. I was also very ignorant
of God’s Word. All I really knew at that time was that the Lord had
mercifully saved me from sin, death, and hell, and now wanted me in His
ministry.
I immediately began
to study the Word of God with a hunger and zeal that I had not previously
known. I began carrying a Bible with me all the time. Every time I had
a minute to spare, I was studying God’s Word. I wanted to learn
the Word of God for my own spiritual growth, and I wanted to be able to
share the great truths of the Word with others. As I studied, I prayed
constantly, asking the Lord to teach me His Word, and to teach me how to
“rightly divide the Word of truth,” 2 Timothy
2:15. I wanted the Lord to make me the best preacher that
I could be for His honor and glory.
The Key
In the course of studying
through God’s Word, I came to Proverbs
2:1-7. By God’s grace, I immediately recognized
that in these verses was the Scriptural “Key” for finding the
knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that only the Lord can give
to His people. Folks, here it is! Receiving,
hiding, inclining, applying, crying after, praying, seeking, and
searching. “Then
shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge
of God.” Glory! What an incentive to get serious
about the study of God’s Word.
The Requirement
Then as I read a few more verses, I came
to Proverbs 3:5-7. Wow! What a passage! The Lord graciously
showed me the second “key” I would need to obtain a correct
understanding of His Word. “Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy
paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes:
fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”
Folks, that very instant I came
to a spiritual realization that the Scriptures are God’s Word.
They do not belong to me, or to any other man [or woman]. The Scriptures
belong only to God. I knew at that very moment that if I was to
ever correctly understand God’s Holy Word, and be able to “rightly
divide” the Word, I would have to totally look to and
depend upon the One who gave His Word to mankind. My opinions, my
ideas, my feelings, my human reasoning, my philosophies; everything of
the flesh, would have to be “sacrificed,”
Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14; in
order that I might gain a correct understanding of the Word of God.
I realized right then that the “old man” would have to die,
in order that the “new man” might live, Romans 6:6-11. Would such a “sacrifice”
be worth it? Absolutely!
More Insight
As I continued to study God’s Word
I came to Acts 5:29,
“…..we [believers] ought
to obey God rather than men.” This Scripture
made me realize that it doesn’t really matter what others think, or
want, or demand, or how much they criticize and condemn. All that really
matters is our love for and obedience to the Lord and His Word.
Then I came to Romans 3:4, where Paul declared, “…..let God be true, but every man a liar;…..”
This verse tells me that I must accept God’s Word at face value
for what it actually says and teaches. If I have to choose between the
word of others, even the word of brethren that I love and respect,
and the Word of God, I must choose God’s Word over man’s
word every time.
Then I came to 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good.” This
passage made me realize that everything we [believers] teach
as spiritual truth must be proven by the Scriptures. This is in
absolute harmony with the law that God gave to Israel
[and to all mankind] “that
in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established,”
Matthew 18:16. See also Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19,
Hebrews 10:28, and Revelation 11:3. Folks, if what we are teaching cannot be
proven by the “rightly divided” Scriptures, then we shouldn’t
be teaching it as Scriptural truth.
In studying the Old
Testament, I found that seven times God’s people [true believers]
were specifically admonished in regards to the Word, “…..turn
not from it to the right hand
or to the left.” See Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 17:20, 28:14, Joshua 1:7, 23:6, and
Proverbs 4:23-27.
As I studied, I saw how God blessed His people when they
obeyed this command.
I also saw how much trouble people got into when they refused to
believe and obey His Word. The record speaks for itself.
A Few Thoughts
Folks, these Scriptural truths have shaped
my entire ministry over all these years. I insist on going by what God’s
Word actually says and teaches, rather than by what others would like to
make it say or what they may say about it. If my stand for God’s
word makes me appear to be dogmatic, or arrogant,
or a know-it-all, in the eyes of some, then so be it. My heartfelt
desire is to share the absolute truth of God’s Word with people.
I have no intention of turning from God’s Word, neither “to
the right hand or to the left” to please any man.
If my “brethren” want me to receive their teachings as “gospel
truth,” then they need to back up their teachings with book, chapter,
and verse, in the “rightly divided” Word of God.
Folks, “feelings,” ideas, theories, and opinions just won’t
“cut it” where truth is concerned. We who claim to be “Christians”
need to either go by God’s Word, or take down our sign and quit claiming
to be something that we are not. When God’s Word has spoken, then
what you or I or anyone else thinks about it isn’t really important.
God’s people ought to have enough humility to submit themselves
to the higher authority of the Word.
Folks,
God’s Word is not always fulfilled like it might
appear that it is going to be at a given time. But the Word is always fulfilled
exactly as stated in the Word. All of the ideas, theories, opinions,
plans, and efforts of men never alter God’s Word one iota.
Therefore, if we [believers] want to be “right” in the sight
of God, then we should stay with what His Word actually says and teaches,
totally, completely, and without any deviation whatsoever.
The Shame of the Modern Ministry
Beloved, it is a
shame when preachers forget WHO it is that called them into the
ministry, and become so filled with their own self-importance and pride
that they will cling to their own ideas and opinions rather then humbly
accepting and submitting to the plain statements of God’s inspired
Word. May God have mercy! [Such is equally a shame for laymen…men
and women].
It is also a shame
when a preacher [or a layman] becomes so “smart” in their own
eyes that they can’t learn anything from another child of God. I
know from experience that many lay people [men and women] have great
spiritual insights into God’s Word. Preachers are not the
only people who study the Word. Some of these “big preachers”
could learn a whole lot from “the little people” if they would
humble themselves, get off their “high horse” and just take
time to listen. Proverbs 12:15, 15:22, and James 1:19-20 are still in the Bible. Is that your phone ringing?
Just a few thoughts…..
Thanks for listening.
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Last Call Gospel Ministry
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