Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. –2 Timothy 2:15

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

“I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me, God!” I suppose we have all heard that oath presented in the court of law. It is a sworn testimony that counts as evidence given by a witness who has made a commitment to telling the truth. If that witness has been found to have lied while bound by the commitment, they can and often are charged with the crime of perjury.

It is a tragedy today that when we turn on our television and radio sets there is a false gospel being preached in the world!

For there are many who distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to please man, gain popularity, and fill up their church pews! Oh, they understand that they ought to go out to the entire world and to preach the gospel. –Mark 16:15

Yet, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. –James 3:1 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.       –Galatians 1:8-10

Where is the message of  the Cross? The whole counsel of God revealing to us God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Where are the messages of Christ’s death and resurrection? His gracious and merciful forgiveness and our salvation for those of us who believe by faith! If Christ is not the center of the message, it is not a sermon!

Paul tells his understudy Timothy in our text not to get hung up on words in controversies or debates with others where the TRUTH of the Gospel is often in danger of being lost but he says to study the Word to show himself approved! Ministers ought to be workmen taking the necessary pains to present the Gospel. And what is their work? It is to rightly divide the word of truth not to invent a new gospel, but rightly to divide the Gospel that is committed to their trust. We ought to listen very CLOSELY to what is being preached! Is it glorifying self or is it glorifying Christ? Too many messages are putting an emphasis on self. It seems like this is the “me” generation. My destiny, my dreams, my goals. Where is Christ in all that?

Are we surrendered completely to him? For a Christian is a follower of Christ and Christ told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” –Matthew 16:24

Oh that we would be like that Church in Berea! For when we receive the Word on Sunday do we go home and check out the scriptures given? For the Bible says, the Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these were so. –Acts 17:11

And we know that the Word the God, that Holy Book the Bible has an imaginary but very real scarlet thread going through the scriptures pointing to Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation! For Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. –John 5:39-40

May we rightly divide the Word of Truth! May we have the courage and the discipline to search the scriptures for Jesus’ sake! Amen.

-Jason

Jason’s vision is for the gospel to continue to spread throughout the world and believes it is Christian’s responsibility to carry out this mission effectively. To learn more about the organization for which Jason volunteers, please visit www.HaitiChristianity.org.

Learn more about Jason M. Alexandre here.