Whose Word Will Stand?

 “Watch out that no-one deceives you.  Many will come in my name claiming ‘I am he’ and will deceive many.  False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect – if that were possible.  So be on your guard” (Mark 13:5,6,22). “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that and shudder” (James 2:19).  And no wonder: “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  The end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14,15).

“Each tree is recognised by its own fruit… The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart... For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:44-45).

“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:52), “a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), following Paul’s example as he follows the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) “and all spoke well of him (Christ) and wondered at the gracious words which“proceeded out of his mouth (Luke 4:22), which were always full of grace and seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers” (Matthew 7:21-23).

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time comes when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myth” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know if the message has not been spoken by the Lord’.  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.  The prophet has spoken presumptuously.  Do not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 13:1-4; 18:21,22),  

Bro Joshua Pakali (Beitbridge, Zimbabwe)