Pitfalls of Bible Believers 1 Ki 19:10 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
There are some pitfalls of Bible believers that we must avoid. We believe that the King James Bible is the word of God and there are many professing Christians who don’t. Therefore, it is not uncommon for us to be proud and elitist in our attitude. We must avoid the pitfall of:
Believing that we are God’s remnant of believers in these last days – 1 Ki 19:10, 18 – as Bible believers we sometimes get the idea that there’s no one else walking as closely to the Lord as we walk or serving the Lord as faithfully as we serve. Elijah thought he was the only one left who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Yet, there were 7,000 just like him. Watch out. There are undoubtedly a number of Christians who love God and whom God loves who are not Bible believers. You and I can never compromise what we believe to accommodate those who don’t. But neither can we be so proud as to think we are the only ones God loves. This is one of our worst pitfalls.
Thinking that God isn’t using anybody else besides us to preach Christ – Phil 1:14-18 – God uses many different people in many different circumstances with many different doctrinal views to bring people to Jesus Christ. You may not like whom he’s using. You may not agree with whom he’s using. And you may believe their converts aren’t getting saved because the people God’s using don’t believe what you believe. Watch out. We should be more like Paul and rejoice that “Christ is preached,” and that souls are being saved. There are many who have come to Christ through the preaching and witness of folks who don’t believe that the King James Bible is the word of God. You don’t have to compromise to rejoice.
Looking down on other preachers because they are different than we are – 2 Cor 10:12 – you may look at other preachers with a condescending eye because they associate with a different crowd than you do. They may have been educated in a different school. They may be invited to different meetings than you or your pastor attend. They may have friends that you don’t like. You may not like the way they preach. Watch out this one among the pitfalls. Paul said it’s not wise to measure “themselves by themselves” or to compare “themselves among themselves.”
Preaching that our convictions and methods are right and others are wrong – Rom 14:2-6 – among Bible believers, our personal convictions and methods of ministering vary moderately. Yet, it’s easy to think that everybody else ought to adhere to our convictions. And if they don’t, they’re wrong. Likewise, the methods that work in one ministry may not work in another ministry. Yet, Bible believers are quick to judge that if others aren’t doing what we’re doing, they have compromised and they’re wrong. Watch out. There are some good men whose convictions and methods don’t match yours. You and I can benefit greatly from friends in the ministry, and they don’t have to be just like us to be good friends.
Getting puffed up because we think we know more Bible than others do – 1 Cor 8:1 – there are some people who know very little Bible compared to the doctrinal knowledge of most Bible believers. But their charity often exceeds that of Bible believers. We can be a coarse bunch. We’d do well to have their charity [1 Cor 13:2] and to quit looking down on others because they don’t know what we know. If we had a little more charity, others might be more inclined to let us teach them some things they ought to know. Watch out. Remember, charity edifieth.
Conclusion: when God has given you the truth about his words (we believe the King James Bible is the word of God, for instance) you can’t compromise. However, neither should you condemn others who are still ignorant of what you know. Have grace and charity with them. Don’t be so puffed up in your knowledge.
When you see a preacher or a church doing something that you wouldn’t do (we’re talking about convictions and methods, not false doctrine), don’t be too quick to condemn them. You be sure that you are doing what the Lord wants you to do. That’s all you need to be concerned about. Preachers and churches are often very proud of their convictions and their methods of ministering. They can easily think they are better than others because of what they believe and what they do. That’s the ditch into which the Pharisees fell. Watch out. Don’t go there.
It’s very important to find out what the Lord wants you to do in your life and in your area and stick to that, without judging others because they’re not doing what you’re doing or they’re doing things differently than you would do them. We have different gifts and callings. Have some grace with those who aren’t quite like you are. And work to avoid these pitfalls.