Walk with Me

SCRIPTURE:  2 Corinthians 11:1-15         Read the passage

BIO:  I’m Carol Hafer. I joined FPCO in July of 2008 as Director of Mission, providing leadership to our local and global mission outreach. I’m originally from Chicago and went to Wheaton College. I’m a sports fanatic and love watching and attending sporting events, hiking (especially in the mountains), and spending time with friends and my little dog Sammy. I’m hoping that the Cubs will win the World Series in my lifetime.

KEY VERSE:  2 Corinthians 11:13  "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

CENTRAL TRUTH:  We need to be able to recognize and reject false teaching so that we will not be turned away from obedience and trust in Christ alone.

DEVOTIONAL:  Paul is very concerned for the spiritual welfare of the Corinthian Church. Paul is the Corinthian‘s spiritual father. He promised the Corinthians to one husband, Christ (vs. 3). He is now responsible to ensure the faithfulness of the future bride to her future groom. However, other suitors are on the scene – seeking to lure the bride away from the pure devotion to her betrothed.

Paul warned the church at Corinth about false teachers, “suitors,” who preached “another Jesus,” a “different spirit, and a different “gospel.”

Satan has not really changed over the course of human history. He sought to deceive the church at Corinth in much the same way he first sought to deceive Eve, and still tries to deceive us today. He seems to find special delight in bringing about evil through instruments that appear to be good. Because the false apostles look and sound good, some Corinthians accept their message without question. Satan comes to Eve as one who is winsome and wise, whose only goal is to help her. These “messengers of Satan” who prey upon the Corinthians also came to them as “masquerading as apostles of Christ.” Matthew 7:15 says, Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.“

How can we be certain we will not be deceived?

One of the roles I had in my ten years at Walt Disney World was facilitating the “Supervisory Excellence” class for the Support Division. As part of the class each department would share an overview of their work. One of the issues that the Security department would discuss was counterfeit currency; as at that time more counterfeit dollars were passed at WDW than any other single location. We played a game, where we had to distinguish the real currency from the counterfeit currency. It felt like a guessing game to me, but not to our Security investigators. You see, they had spent hours studying the real dollar bills, so that they would notice any small discrepancy. Even a small mark in the wrong place meant the entire bill was worthless, having no value.

Individuals, churches and organizations may call themselves “Christian” but what they believe and teach about Jesus must be based upon what the scriptures says about Jesus…the real Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“ Jesus is not a way – He is the way. He is not just “a” truth, but The Truth.

Bible Commentator William Barclay tells the story of a group of people at a dinner party who agreed that each should recite something after the meal. A well known actor rose and, with all the resources and elocutions and dramatic art, recited the Twenty-Third Psalm. He sat down to tremendous applause. A quiet man followed him with his own recitation of this psalm. At first there were a few snickers. But by the time he had ended, his hearers had fallen into a stillness that was more eloquent than any applause. When he sat down, the actor leaned across the table and said, “Sir, I know the psalm, but you know the Shepherd.” The best way not to be deceived is to be intimately acquainted with Jesus. As Paul stated, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” I Corinthians 2:2.

QUESTION 1:  Which Jesus do you follow? Are you intimately acquainted with the Jesus of the Bible?

QUESTION 2:  Are their any "good" books, teachings, or ideas that have caused you to "stray away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ"?

QUESTION 3:  Are you spending time each day with the Shepherd?