Not Any Teaching But This Teaching

2 John 1:9-10
(9) Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them.

There are so many Christian churches claiming to be the true church. The Christian church has many divisions that seek to identify one group from the other. We have Catholics who are different from Protestants. Among Protestants, we have Evangelicals who are different from the Charismatic Movement also known as Pentecostals. What differentiates these groups?

These groups are not differentiated by names. A Pentecostal church by any name would still be Pentecostal. What is the key difference? It’s not even the day of worship or Sabbath. Catholics and most Protestants worship on Sunday yet they remain different.

Seventh-day Adventists worship on Saturday but can still be identified with other Evangelicals who worship on Sunday. While the day of worship varies, something else is in common that makes them Evangelicals. What is it that can be used to identify one Christian church from the other?

The divisions show that while they are all Christians, they have differences. These differences cannot allow them to worship together. These differences cannot allow them to share leadership and be one group.

The key factor that differentiates the Christian churches is the teachings. Catholics have teachings that Protestants do not agree to. Among Protestants, Pentecostals have teachings that Evangelicals do not agree to. The difference in teachings places them apart!

Therefore, anyone who says I can worship anywhere because all churches are the same is speaking from an abundance of ignorance. To say that a church is a church and what matters is your heart is to be blind to the key issue that separated these churches.

Therefore, churches should be identified and chosen based on their teachings. Teachings also known as doctrines or fundamental beliefs are based on how they interpret scriptures, the Bible. Not all interpretations of scripture are agreeable to everyone.

All Christians believe that on Pentecost day there was speaking in tongues. However, the Pentecostal Movement or Charismatic Movement interprets that event with importance and significance that Catholics and Evangelicals do not agree to. The issue is in the interpretation that produces this teaching.

All Christian churches believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. They believe that Mary was the mother to Jesus. However, Catholics interpret the role and importance of Mary to the Christian in a manner that other Christians do not agree to. The key issue is the teaching they hold based on how they interpret scriptures.

We must therefore be sensitive to what teachings we subscribe to. When we go for worship with this church or the other one, do we subscribe to the same interpretation of scripture? These teachings make a big difference that cannot be ignored.

Apostle John in his second letter to the church, tells the church to be wary of strange teachings in the church. There were Christians who had come up with new interpretations about who Jesus was. These teachings were different from what the Apostles taught. John told the church to totally avoid people who came with different teachings!

All Apostles in their letters to churches warned the church against accepting any and every teaching. If teachings differ from those of the Apostles, they should be rejected and the proponent of such teachings cast out. Therefore a believer must be careful about what teachings they subscribe to.

It is careless to accept any and every teaching without interrogating if the interpretation is right. God inspired the Apostle John and others to warn us against certain teachings within the Christian church that is contrary to faith. Have you interrogated the teachings of the community you worship with? Have you read for yourself and confirmed if they are the proper interpretations of scripture? If the Apostles warned us and asked us to do this, we cannot prefer ignorance in this matter.

If you pray and study the Bible for yourself, God will guide you to what is true. You will be settled in the right teaching. To follow teachings because they were held by your older family members is to be faithful to those family members and not to God. To follow teachings because they are held by the majority is to be faithful to the majority and not to God. To follow teachings because God says so in scripture is to be faithful to God!

May God help us to interrogate the teachings we have held for so long and establish if we are correctly interpreting the word of God. May the Holy Spirit guide us into the whole truth, in Jesus’s name, Amen!

NEW BOOK ALERT: Click this Link to get details on a new book by Dr. Rei Kesis (For other details send a WhatsApp Message to +254 740 434 683) https://www.amazon.com/Building-Blocks-Life-Compendium-Theological-ebook/dp/B09ZJMSL7X/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3UZYQ8JGMWKVQ&keywords=Rei+Kesis&qid=1659343423&sprefix=rei+kesis%2Caps%2C301&sr=8-2

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on the notification, and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/