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Study to Show Thyself Approved

(2 Timothy 2:15)


Have You Ever Asked Yourself These Questions?

  • What exactly happens to me when I die?
  • How can I know if the end of the world is upon us?
  • How can I know for sure if what my pastor tells me is the truth?
  • What are the signs of the end of the world?
  • What must I do to be saved?

 

Something To
Think About

Many of you have been to church before, and you may attend one now. What do you find in those churches? Are you satisfied that you are getting all you need for your spiritual growth? Can you survive spiritually from what you learn in that brief time one day of the week?

Most people who go to church get all their spiritual nourishment from those brief hours in church, one day a week. Can a person survive by eating one meal a week? Surely if we only eat one meal a week we would quickly die of starvation. The same is true if we only get our spiritual nourishment once a week.

If we are going to survive as Christians we must eat spiritual food every day of the week. “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4) Notice it does not say by every word of men. If you are going to church and listening to a man speak to you, and accept his word as the word of God without studying it for yourself, then you are believing man’s word above God’s Word, and there is no way you can live spiritually if your faith is in a man.

Notice also that the verse does not say, “you shall live by some of the words of God.” If you are only taking a part of what God’s Word says you are not getting a well-balanced diet. Suppose a man ate only potatoes for his entire life. Do you think this man would survive for long? Of course not. The same goes for us. If we only take in a small portion of God’s Word, then we will quickly die of malnutrition.

If you want to know what the truth is on any subject, then you must take every verse that applies to that subject to get a proper understanding of what God has to say concerning that issue. You probably have heard it said, “you can prove anything you want from the Bible.” That is one of the most repulsive statements I have ever heard. The only way someone could prove anything he wanted from the Bible, is if the person he is proving it to doesn’t take the time to study it out for himself, and accepts the words of men over the Word of God.

If we expect to find out what the truth is, then we must be like the noble Bereans. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

God has instructed you to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) If we are not doing this, then we will be led into all kinds of errors. How do you know if your pastor is preaching the truth? If you are not studying the Bible to see if what the pastor is telling you is the truth, then you have no way of knowing if it is true or not. You may say, “Well my pastor has been studying for fifty years, he surely knows the truth.” If you say this, then you are trusting a man instead of God, and even if he were telling you the truth, you don’t know for sure.

When the time of testing comes, and Satan comes at you with full force, you will be compelled to admit that maybe you don’t really know what the truth is. A faith that is founded in a man’s word is a faith that is sure to fail in the time of trouble. I plead with you that you will give all diligence to the study of the Scriptures to see what is truth for yourself, for if you do not, you will surely be lost. The Scriptures say “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12) These are some pretty strong words, but they are not my words, they are the words of God.

Notice it said they received not the love of the truth. A person eats a lot of what they love. I personally don’t like cooked carrots, therefore I never prepare them or buy them. I will eat them at someone else’s house, but I wouldn’t eat them at home. Is this how you are with the Word of God? Do you take some of it in one day a week, and never eat it at home? If you love the truth, you will spend a lot of time studying it out for yourself.

How can we be sure of anything if we are just taking the pastor’s word for it? “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you [men] more than unto God, judge ye.” (Acts 4:19) “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Be Prepared For The
Lord’s Soon Return!

Are you ready to meet the Lord when He returns?  Will you be able to stand the day of His coming?  “But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” (Malachi 3:2)

These are sobering thoughts, and definitely something to consider.  Do you know what is required of you to “prepare to meet thy God?” (Amos 4:12)

I want to be ready when the Lord returns, how about you?  I sincerely pray that you will be ready, and I encourage you to do all you can to make the necessary preparations to meet the Lord when He appears.

What Does The Lord
Require Of You?

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”  (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13)

Studying the Bible for ourselves is our only safeguard against error. When someone comes to us and presents a new idea about God or the Bible, it is our duty to examine the Bible for ourselves to see what is truth. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

We are warned not to accept whatever someone may present to us as truth, but rather to examine for ourselves what the Bible says so that we know what is truth. The Bible is the standard by which we are to test any and all doctrines or teachings. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20) Because of the danger of believing a lie, many people have the idea that they will not examine new ideas because they are afraid they might be error. The Bible plainly instructs us to try the spirits to see whether they are of God. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

For this reason I would like to let you know that we produce a monthly publication that deals with present truth, which is vital for us today. I am sure you will not want to pass up this opportunity to receive this Biblical study paper each month. I strongly recommend that you accept only a plain “thus saith the Lord.”

Present Truth is sent free upon request. Contact us today for your free copy of this Biblical study paper.


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If you would like a free book on last day events, or Bible studies, please contact us at:

Present Truth Ministries
PO Box 315
Kansas, Oklahoma 74347
USA

Phone: (304) 633-5411
E-mail: webtracts@presenttruth.info.

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