Asking Questions

Asking Questions 

I see so many people quoting Bible verses out of context, and believing what they read without including the whole chapter, or even without asking questions.

I hear so many preachers preaching short devotions and without explaining to their listeners, not only the moral of the story but "Why", "How" they should arrive at the moral of the story.

I shall give a quick example: a minister taught his devotional to a group of ladies a short while ago. The story was about Jonah. Jonah, a believer, ran from God. He did not want to go and tell the people of Nineveh of their evil ways, so Jonah ran from God and took a ship to Tarshish. Eventually, Jonah was thrown overboard and landed in the belly of a whale. God saved Jonah from the whale and Jonah went to Tarshish to do what God had originally asked him to do. The minister giving the devotional then said: "The moral of this story is, 'Don't run from God!' " That was it. No teaching, no explanations, no questions answered, nothing.

Well, even an unconverted heathen living in a jungle somewhere, never hearing the word of God, not knowing or having a Bible, even he would understand "Don't run from God (even though he didn't know who God is." But he wouldn't be satisfied with that. He would want to know who God is, where is He, what would God do if he did run?

The larger question is: Why, When, How, Where...

Another example: the old hymn "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know".

"Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Yes, Jesus loves me, 
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me, 
The Bible tells me so."

Okay, you know who Jesus is. You may even go to church, even been baptized (because that is what you are supposed to do, but where was your heart when you were baptized - did you really love Jesus, were you truly filled with the Holy Spirit?? (and that is a very important question of which I wonder how important you know it is), or were you only looking to have yourself a grand ole time socially with others in the congregation. You might have a Bible lying around somewhere but never read it. So, you hear this hymn and think to yourself "Yes, Jesus loves me!" That's what it says, right there in the hymn! "I'll go to heaven when I die because that's what it says! I don't even have to do anything else - I can keep on sinning, getting drunk, committing adultery, loving the world, and never thinking about the world beyond - because it says "Jesus loves me!"

Let me ask you, dear readers - "will this kind of thinking get us to heaven? Will this kind of thinking conform us to the image of Christ? You know, don't you that our image was corrupted after Adam and Eve sinned. That is why Jesus had to come, that is why He had to die on the Cross. That is why God sent His only Son, perfect and righteous, to die for us. That is why God raised Him from the dead.  Since we are all sinners, corrupted, unworthy, not perfect, not righteous - that is why Jesus died and rose again because we could never be worthy enough to do it  until we truly work at becoming like Christ, and that won't be perfected  in us until we get to heaven!!

So, let me ask another question: Is all the above false teaching?
Wow! Is it?  Or is it simply a way to build the numbers of the congregation because it sounds pleasant to the ears?

Let's look at the hymn, "Jesus Loves Me" again. Ask questions about it. Why does Jesus love me? What does the Bible say about it? How can I love someone who I can't see or feel?

Now, let's look at Jonah again. Ask yourself "Why shouldn't we run from God? How can we not run from God? What did Jonah do that we shouldn't do? How can we be obedient to God - to repent of our daily sins? What are "daily sins"? How can we love God more and more, grow in our faith, have joy and happiness even in the worst of times?

Well, I think that is enough to get us thinking for ourselves and reading our Bibles for ourselves. Yes, there are all sorts of help when we need it but it is always best to begin a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour before asking someone else to tell us what to do. A personal relationship with Jesus gives us discernment to know when to ask and when to run straight to Jesus for help. The Holy Spirit is always ready to answer! (Do you know that every time we don't listen to the Holy Spirit within, we quench Him?), and as you continue in your faith-walk, you will need less and less help to understand - you may even become a teacher to those who are just beginning their walk with God! I pray that we all become like that - helpful to others and with the love of Jesus Christ in our hearts!

~Whispering Wind~