Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67
Ray
has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary,
and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the
rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical,
insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.
Below
are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is
following, and an archive of all his daily devotional
writings for 2010.
| Daily Reading Guide | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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3 Aug 10
Dear ones.
God is still on the Throne. His promises are still true. The devil is
still a liar. And faith is still the victory that overcomes the
world. If you can firmly establish those facts, you are quite ready
for a new day. If not…be worried.
Sorry…there I go preaching again. Oh well…you’ll get over it.
Lots on the agenda…both commercial and otherwise. Some of the
OTHERWISE is to give some attention to my boat to get it ready for
going out to nail some tuna. They’re coming in closer. We should have
some within 2 weeks. Wanna come for a BBQ?
Blessings. Breakfast is on. Love—Dad/Ray
3 August 2010
Passage: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Focus: “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached...” 2 Corinthians 11:4.
Normally we accept the idea that there is only one Jesus Christ. And
that is absolutely correct IF we specify that there is only one true
Jesus Christ… .or one Jesus Christ of the Bible. But according to
scripture there are untold numbers of false Christs (Matt. 24:24; Mk.
13:22; Gal. 1:6-9). Even in this passage before us, Paul establishes
the possibility that any kind of twisting of divine revelation, even
though it may accompany the claim of being “scriptural” and “Christian”
in nature and origin, can actually divert unstable believers into
following a false Jesus Christ. Paul confesses, “I am afraid that just
as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning your minds may somehow be
led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ (…the true
one)” (v. 3). Let’s understand that “the serpent” is not dead. He is
still very much alive with the same deceptive designs toward God’s
people as he had in the beginning.
Notice that the focus
of Paul’s fear on behalf of these believers is their minds. The mind is
clearly the control center of one’s entire life and faith. And it is
the target of the influence of both the “serpent” and the Spirit of
Truth alike. And it is in the mind that every individual draws from
his knowledge and information to form his own personal perception of
Christ. It is this personal concept of Christ that a person serves or
does not serve. A person may say “I know Christ” or “I have received
Christ.” But that does not necessarily ensure that the Christ that
they know and received is the same one that I know and received…or the
same one that is presented by the Word of God. So if and when a person
says, “I am a Christian…I follow Christ,” but they demonstrate by their
actions and attitudes obvious violations of the commands and teachings
of the Christ of the Bible, I have no alternative but to conclude that
they are following a different Christ…the wrong one. That’s why God
has given His written Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17), to assist us in gaining an
accurate perception of the true God and true Christ. Paul confessed to
a similar kind of struggle on behalf of the Galatian believers, like a
mother paining to give birth to a child, “until Christ (the true one)
be formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).
Please be constantly
alert to the subtle infiltration of a Jesus other than THE JESUS of the
Bible (Big difference!) so that you not “be led astray from your
sincere and pure devotion to Christ (the true one).” If I read
correctly, your eternal destiny depends on it.
“Jesus Christ is God spelling Himself out in language man can
understand.”