Dangerous Teaching

I was out of town yesterday due to a professional commitment my wife was obligated to keep. Being in a new area, I wanted to find a church I could worship with. I selected one due to its proximity and it had a 9AM service. I parked in the "First Time Visitor" parking space and was greeted by two very nice men. I inquired what type of a church it was and I was informed that it was an independent charismatic church. I found a seat in the middle section and listened to the praise band practice. The music was contemporary and uplifting. The service began and after singing, announcements, and prayer, the pastor began in his words, "to teach." His message was that as Christians we need to "stay ahead of the curve." He used Power Point slides to demonstrate that if we are not careful, our spiritual lives will be like a bell curve and we will start to slide downward. He explained that Jesus was doing a new thing and His curve was rising as the Old Testament was descending. He explained that the Old Testament had passed away, that the priests did not like to offer the once a year sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, and that the Holy Spirit had been pinned up in the Temple, lonely, and waiting to be freed because He liked people. He said that Jesus' sacrifice set the Holy Spirit free so He could be active in people's individual lives. Further, there was a major emphasis on being free to be you; all the chains that held you were broken.

This type of teaching is very dangerous. First, the Hebrew Scriptures have not passed away. I have previously taught on Mathew 5:17. Yeshua did not come to annul the law; He came to correctly interpret it. Look around; has heaven and earth passed away? If not the Torah is still most important in our lives. It teaches and guides us in how we are to live to please Elohim. Second, the priests considered the Day of Atonement a solemn occasion, but it was also one to be celebrated exactly as ADONAI had instructed. Third, the Spirit of Elohim has never been locked up in the Temple. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of evidence of the Spirit's active involvement in the lives of His people. Finally, Yeshua did not set you free to do what you want to do; He set you free to obey.

As I left yesterday, I could not help but to have a sense of sadness. People are searching for Elohim. Yet, they are ignoring what He has said in the Bible and in exchange they seek a personal liberation to be the masters of their own lives. They want a fresh word from Him. I say, He has already given you a good place to start listening to Him: His Torah. If you want to hear from Him, start with what he has already said. One last word of advice, avoid dangerous teaching. If Torah has been eliminated, you are on dangerous ground because it will be replaced with a man made doctrine.