Fickle Followers

I have an Instagram account, I share photographs, some with a small message, some with scripture on, and the odd video, it’s an open account so I don't put anything too personal on there, such as photographs and information about my family and friends. I am amazed sometimes at people who "follow" me, and often wonder why, and then I realise it is to promote themselves or their business, because if they follow me, they hope I will follow them back (I don't) or that people who look on my account will see them and go to their account and so on. They will usually stop following you once they have recruited you. They really are fickle followers, if they can’t get what they want they are off. I usually block people who I believe have a hidden agenda, I will not be used in this way. My account is solely to encourage, uplift, build up, and help other people by sharing the Word of God and the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ.

I wrote a blog on being discerning you can read it here: Duped we are not here to promote ourselves, John the Baptist said, " I must decrease, He must increase" and so it should be with everyone who professes faith in Christ. If you truly are in Christ then your heart’s desire will be to live and serve Him, not promote self or any man. I am aware that there are some godly, prominent teachers who teach and preach sound doctrine. When you recommend such people, you are not promoting the man, but the message, any true teacher/preacher points to Jesus, not himself.

I have been studying the book of Samuel, how the people were loyal to David until Absalom, his son came along and wooed them, and then they followed after him. When Absalom was killed Israel and Judah went to David, but an argument ensued and Sheba persuaded Israel to have no part of David and off they went. All it took was one man, and all it takes if we do not discern false teachings, is one man to lead us away from Jesus. We must not be fickle followers, we must be obedient to God’s Word and not mans.  

Make Your Mind Up

My daughter and I recently went for a couple of days break into the Derbyshire Dales. As we set off the weather wasn't too bad but as we went into Derbyshire Peak District it began to snow, then the sun came out, then the snow stopped, then it snowed again, by the time we reached our destination it was freezing cold and very windy, but the snow had stopped. The hills on the horizon looked lovely covered in white. We were fortunate to have a hot tub at our disposal, my daughter went in after we had had our evening meal, and yes you guessed it, it snowed, so there she was enjoying her hot tub whilst being snowed upon. It snowed in the night, but stopped before morning, the next day we had rain, by the afternoon the sun was out and I joined her in the hot tub. This being my first experience I wasn't sure about sitting outside in a large wooden barrel of hot water, but I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I thought about how the weather seemed not to be able to make its mind up as to what it wanted to do, as Christians we shouldn't be changing our minds all the time just because some new thing has come out and it appeals to our senses. We should be standing for the truth no matter what man does or says. Paul warns us about being blown about by every wind of doctrine. 

Ephesians 4 :11-15

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

If we truly are followers of Jesus then it is only His Word that matters and not mans, or man’s interpretation of it. There are plenty of false witnesses and teachers who put their own ideas into God's Word, we shouldn't be adding to it, or removing the things that don't fit the way we want to live. If we truly are in Christ, then each and every day we should be more and more conformed to His likeness and be willing to submit to His will, and stand for the truth.