This passage reminds us to be careful to not be
deceived. There will be people who say
they are Christians, proposing beliefs that sound good but will lead many
astray. It goes on to say that Satan
transforms himself into a minister of righteousness to mislead people.
I always remember Jim Jones who was a minister years
ago. He took a group of “believers” to Jonestown , Guyana
Jim Jones either convinced or tricked these
“believers” into committing suicide when the authorities got too involved. Well, although these were very committed
“believers” who gave up all for their faith in God, it was for nothing. They gave up all their things, friends,
family and lives for a very disturbed minister who led these people to believe
he was doing the will of God. (If you
want more details; look up the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana during 1978.) Did these people find Salvation? I can’t speak to that, but it’s highly
questionable.
We don’t want to find ourselves misled by others who
profess to be followers of God. I think
it’s very important for all Christians to check things out in the Bible. Don’t take things for granted just because
someone else says them, whether it’s a minister, a devoted Christian, me,
someone on a Christian Channel or Radio Station. It’s very easy to take a verse or two out of
the Bible and make it support just about anything. That’s considered using the Bible passages
out of context.
Reading a chapter before the passage and after the
passage is beneficial. Each chapter is
about a page or two. This gives you a
better idea of what the quoted Bible verses really mean. That’s why I always tell you where I get the
Bible passages. I want you to be able to
look them up and verify them. It’s a
very important thing to do.
You need to look at the people who have an influence
on your religious life. What type of
lifestyle do they lead? Are they running
in the fast lane? Are they preaching
something that has become very popular or a fad type of belief? Are they taking too much credit for things
rather than keeping the focus on God?
Are they putting an undue emphasis on giving money? Be cautious about who you give ultimate
control of your religious life. Check
things out. Passages like this one
remind me that very dedicated believers can still be misled by others as in the
Jonestown Massacre. It pays to check
things out. It may have a direct impact
on your Salvation.
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
