‘Do-It-Yourself’ Christianity

Have you ever taken time to read the books of first and second Kings in the Bible? These books are basically a history of the different kings who ruled in Israel. But what I find rather interesting about them is the way Israel behaved under each king. 

If a king was good and obeyed God, then the people did the same, but if a king worshipped idols and committed all sorts of atrocities, the Israelites followed suit. These people could not decide to serve God for themselves, but used their leaders as their excuse. This however did not spare them from the consequences of their actions.

One of the beautiful things I love about Christianity is that you don’t need anyone else to help you know God. You can do it yourself! The reason Jesus came was to make God accessible to everyone. But guess what? Some people would rather transfer the responsibility of their relationship with God to another mortal. And that is why many people are getting deceived today. They have refused to seek God for themselves and are rather pandering to whatever lies some clergymen offer.

In Matthew 12:42, Jesus praised the efforts of Queen of Sheba who travelled for many miles in search of wisdom at the courts of King Solomon. She had heard about the fame of King Solomon, and decided to see for herself if it was indeed true. She paid no attention to the difficulties that her journey would entail especially since she had precious gems and other gifts for King Solomon. So intense was her desire for knowledge that she braved the odds. Her thirst for knowledge was indeed satisfied at King Solomon’s courts.

Another example of people who took out time to confirm what they heard were the Berean Jews in Acts 17:11. They didn’t just believe what Paul and Silas said about Jesus, but consulted their Scriptures daily to confirm if what they said was right or not. As you all know Paul and Silas were mighty men of God, full of wisdom and miracle workers. But were the Berean Jews satisfied with all the stories they had heard about Paul and Silas? No way. They realised their destinies were too great to be ruined by false teaching, so they took out time to make sure that what Paul and Silas preached was in order.

I wonder how many Christians are willing to endure the discipline that is needed to go after wisdom. How many Christians are willing to take the time to search the scriptures for themselves? How many Christians cross-reference what their religious leaders tell them, to make sure their words are in line with God’s word?

The Bible is full of admonitions encouraging people to be careful of deceivers. Deception is not new, it was even rampant in Old Testament times. The only way to avoid it is by applying wisdom and discernment. But many people are hesitant about this because it requires effort and time. Wisdom is a precious gem, it is only found after digging deep. But it is worth the pain and time involved, because without it, you will never accomplish your purpose here on earth. You will fall for every lie and end up destroyed and ruined by every ‘Man of God’.

It is not God’s fault if we allow ourselves to become deceived. He has given us everything we need to avoid that: the Holy Spirit, His Word and our minds to think. If we refuse to use these, then we have no one to blame but ourselves if we fall into the evil schemes of these Wolves in Sheep’s clothing. We are urged to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” - Phillipians 2:12-13. This is not a passive attitude, but one of action. No one will do this work for you.

Your destiny is too great for you to allow anyone deceive you. Don’t let laziness prevent you from achieving all that God has in store for you. Remember on the Judgement Day, you alone will stand before God. He will ask you what you did. He won’t ask your pastor or your spouse or parents, but you. You must take responsibility for your life, no one else will do it for you.

Once again, your destiny is too great for you to allow anyone deceive you.

Peace

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