GOD Morning! September 18 / Lying Preachers

GOD Morning! September 18

Lying Preachers

2 Corinthians 11:1-15 amp

Paul Defends His Apostleship

11 I wish you would bear with me [while I indulge] in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me [as you read this]. ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. ³ But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception]. ⁵ Yet I consider myself in no way inferior to the [so-called] super-apostles. ⁶ But even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am not [untrained] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; but we have made this evident to you in every way, in all things.

⁷ Or did I [perhaps] sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted and honored, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by accepting [more than their share of] financial support for my ministry to you. ⁹ And when I was with you and ran short [financially], I did not burden any of you; for what I needed was fully supplied by the brothers (Silas and Timothy) who came from Macedonia (the church at Philippi). So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As the truth of Christ is in me, my boast [of independence] will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia (southern Greece). ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you [or wish you well, or have regard for your welfare]? God knows [that I do]!

¹² But what I am doing I will keep doing, [for I am determined to keep this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things they brag about. ¹³ For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15 msg

Pseudo-Servants of God

11 ^1-3 Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I’m afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ.

^4-6 It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely. But if you put up with these big-shot “apostles,” why can’t you put up with simple me? I’m as good as they are. It’s true that I don’t have their voice, haven’t mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I’m talking about. We haven’t kept anything back. We let you in on everything.

^7-12 I wonder, did I make a bad mistake in proclaiming God’s Message to you without asking for something in return, serving you free of charge so that you wouldn’t be inconvenienced by me? It turns out that the other churches paid my way so that you could have a free ride. Not once during the time I lived among you did anyone have to lift a finger to help me out. My needs were always supplied by the believers from Macedonia province. I was careful never to be a burden to you, and I never will be, you can count on it. With Christ as my witness, it’s a point of honor with me, and I’m not going to keep it quiet just to protect you from what the neighbors will think. It’s not that I don’t love you; God knows I do. I’m just trying to keep things open and honest between us.

^12-15 And I’m not changing my position on this. I’d die before taking your money. I’m giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing “preachers,” vaunting themselves as something special. They’re a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ’s agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they’re not getting by with anything. They’ll pay for it in the end.

Honestly, I don’t have anything to add to this. Other than, please visit calvarygospelchurch.org and listen to the Wednesday (9/16/2015) sermon by Pastor Roy.

I appreciate having a shepherd who preaches truth.

Be careful, folks! There are many smooth talking, lying preachers out there who tickle your ears but care nothing for your soul.

Personally, I prefer to be stirred and convicted to clean up my life and draw closer to Jesus.

“Thank You, dear God, for a pastor who, like the Apostle Paul, preaches truth. Thank You for a pastor who loves my soul. Thank You for a shepherd who cares nothing about the applause of man but cares everything about rescuing his flock from eternal damnation. Are his sermons pretty? Not usually. But they are delicious food for a starving soul. A soul that will live forever somewhere. My heart is full and my eyes are filling with tears. Please don’t ever let my ears become dull to the preaching of Your word. Please don’t ever allow my heart to become hard. Above ALL ELSE, I must be saved. How I love You, dear Jesus, AMEN.”