Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

In my devotion this morning one Scripture stood out. What caught my attention was the first five words in Hosea 12:1, which reads, “Ephraim feeds on the wind.”

As I meditated on these five words my mind went to something the apostle Paul said to the Ephesian Church concerning spiritual maturity. He wrote, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves [of emotion] and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.” (Eph. 4:14)

Just about every time the Lord arrests my attention in this manner, I know there is going to be a follow up. Guess what? A bit later as I’m reviewing the Drudge Report, I see this headline from CBS Evening News, ‘Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists.’

The report names six very prominent TV preachers who are under investigation, ”to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.”

You can read the report at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/cbsnews_investigates/main3456977.shtml

I’ve been deeply concerned over the years about certain teachings being presented to God’s people that are nothing less than false doctrine. And most of these ‘winds’ are being fermented by TV evangelists. The downside to all this is that God’s people are being merchandised. It is difficult to find any upside.

What is it that makes a wind of doctrine so alluring? Perhaps John Gill can clue us in on it. He defines the winds of doctrine this way: “[a] false doctrine, which may be compared to wind for its lightness and emptiness, and for its swelling and puffing nature, and for the noise and bluster it makes, and for its rapidity and force, which which it sometimes comes and bears all before it…”

Just yesterday I had a discussion with a brother concerning the teaching that we can ‘create with our words.’ What I pointed out is that these kinds of teachings actually counteract the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a person’s life, but in a very subtle way. (Subtle = difficult to detect.)

A false doctrine will have just enough truth in it to throw the unaware off guard. Gill spoke of its ’swelling and puffy nature.’ What the person may not realize is that these false teachings are appealing to his base nature and not to his spiritual alignment with Jesus.

For instance if we are able to create with our own words, then why would we need to consult the Lord about anything. Perhaps no one thinks of it in those terms, but that is insidious nature of a false doctrine. (Insidious = intended to entrap.)

By the way, was this not the original lie that was passed to Adam and Eve? Did not Satan say, “You will surely not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5)

The subtle side to Satan’s reasonings is that Adam and Eve would not need to consult God anymore. They would have God’s knowledge and be able to do what God Himself does. They would become gods in their own right.

In the case of ‘creating with your words’, it is not as if our words have little significance. Quite the contrary. There is ample Bible teaching on the words that we speak. However, there is no Bible teaching on our being able to create with our words. This sort of teaching carries the nature of metaphysical philosophy.

The list of false doctrines are unending. A great measure of them will be found under the heading of ‘prosperity’ teachings. And again, it is not as though there are no prosperity teachings in the Bible. Yet when a man-centered slant is placed on the teachings, you no longer have a true doctrine but a man-centered materialistic perversion.

Another problem with man-centered teachings is that they actually gender to bondage and not to liberty. I’ve seen believers so caught up in ‘creating with your words’ that they lived in of fear of creating their own destruction. On the other hand they were into this idea of being able to create their own prosperity if they would simply quote certain Scriptures over and over. (Usually Scriptures taken totally out of context.)

Does not this sort of teaching show kinship to sorcery? The sorcerer uses words or magical spells to harness forces in the world in order to produce a desired result. I realize this seems quite harsh, but I cannot help but feel great sorrow in my heart for those who are being tossed about by the waves and winds of false doctrine.

So, what is the answer to dealing with ‘winds’ of doctrine? For one thing the answer is not simply to attack these teachings. The answer is to provide the true doctrines of Christ. Truth will always stand on its own. In fact the apostle said that there was nothing that could be done against the truth.

Perhaps this is why Jesus instructed His disciples not to worry about the false teachings of the Pharisees. What He said was, “Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

But what about misled children of God? Should we just leave them alone? Not at all. We also have instruction in this area. The apostle said…

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth …

…and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26 nasb)

So what about Ephraim feeding on the wind? Here is the entire verse: “Ephraim feeds on wind, and pursues the east wind continually; he multiplies lies and violence. Moreover, he makes a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.”

Did you catch it. Ephraim ‘multiplies lies’ and ‘pursues the east wind continually.’ The Geneva Bible says that Ephraim flatters himself with vain confidence. But there may be a unique key to the term ‘east wind.’ This could apply to the idolatrous teachings that come out of the east. Israel had rejected the true teachings of their God and were whoring after the gods of the Assryians. 

This is where we need to take stock. If many of the ‘winds’ of doctrine today are not true to the Scriptures, then where do they come from? Listen to this warning — “But the Spirit explicity says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)

Here is a clip that is not for the fearful in heart. It is titled, ‘The gospel of creed and prosperity EXPOSE false teachers.’ View it if you please. Afterwards I am going to share with you the scarest Scripture in the Bible. (In my opinion.)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SlL3BR4OnD8 

Ok, here it is . (Matthew 7:15, 22,23) —

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothingm, but inwardly are ravenous wolves … Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

— A lady recently wrote me and wanted to know how a person who practiced lawlessness could cast out a demon. Here is my response —

“Perhaps the answer is that demonic spirits are known to cooperate with people ‘who practice lawlessness’, to further their own demonic agenda. The greatest damage that can happen to a group of believers is to have a demon in the pulpit impersonating a servant of God. Jesus did say that the tares would be found among the wheat.

… The apostle Paul spoke of God’s people being led astray by the preaching of a false gospel, a different Jesus, and receiving a different spirit. (2Co11) He also spoke of ‘false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.’”

… He goes on to say that ‘even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.’

…this can be a difficult area to get a grasp on. It was these very Scriptures that arrested my heart when I was a younger preacher. (I’m now 67) But over time I learned that the Lord is faithful in all His ways. Perhaps what I shared above will help a little.”

Well, that’s it for today.

Think about it.

Buddy