“Where there is no
vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs
28:19 KJV (not
prophesy but clarity of the Lord’s teachings.)
“Thus says the Lord
of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the
mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has
said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according
to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.'
" For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, And has perceived and
heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?” Jeremiah 23:16-18
“"I have not
sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they
prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to
hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from
the evil of their doings? "Am I a God near at hand," says the Lord,
"And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I
shall not see him?" says the Lord; "Do I not fill heaven and
earth?" says the Lord. "I have heard what the prophets have said who
prophesy lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' How long
will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are
prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My
name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot
My name for Baal. "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And
he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the
wheat?" says the Lord. "Is not My word like a fire?" says the
Lord, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? "Therefore
behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who steal My
words everyone from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets," says
the Lord, "who use their tongues and say, 'He says.' Behold, I am against those who prophesy false
dreams," says the Lord, "and tell them, and cause My people to err by
their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them;
therefore they shall not profit this people at all," says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 23:21-32
Obviously the Word of God can speak for
itself, pastors and teachers should especially be wary of speaking “in the Lord’s
name” or saying “thus says the Lord.” As
we proceed forward there are decisions needing to be made which will reach well
into the future. Let us be extra
cautious that the ideas to which we listen, come from the Lord. I have my own vision/dream of how the future
could look concerning the ministry and reach of Rowletts Baptist Church. Anyone else who cares about ministering to
others will also have their own views.
So in the coming days (weeks), let our prayer be to not be described as
these prophets were; but to be people of the Book!
No comments:
Post a Comment