Watch Out!

In 2 John 7-11, John warns against allowing false teachers to gain ground. The church should be a place that is inhospitable to false doctrine and false teachers.

Second John 7, compels us to remember that deceivers are lurking about. John is speaking specifically about teachers who teach that Jesus didn't come in the flesh, but his words apply to other false teachers as well. False teachers not only deceive, but they also function as the antichrist. They are empowered and employed by the antichrist. They serve his ends.

For this reason, John compels his readers to keep themselves from being carried away by such doctrine. He points out the danger of doctrine that "runs ahead," or teaching that "does not" continue in the apostolic teaching. False teachers usually have some extra-biblical knowledge that gives them insights into deeper meaning hidden in the texts or opens all new texts to them. John says too much is at stake to be carried away by their false doctrines.

The only practical solution is to ignore unbiblical teaching. In fact, John encourages us to create an inhospitable environment for false teachers. We are not to let them into our homes or churches. He tells us not to even say, "Hello." People might see us speaking kindly to false teachers and assume that we agree with them.

This passage has a lot to say about how the church should respond to false teachers. Some of the implications for us are:

1. We must know the truth. We come to know the True and Living God though Jesus Christ the      Truth as the Spirit of Truth applies the Word of Truth to our hearts.

2. We must walk in the truth. It isn't enough to know it, we have to live it.

3. We must be vigilant. If we ever let our guard down, it could lead to grave consequences.

4. We must despise all false teaching. Although we should oppose all false teaching and false teachers, we must be gentle in our approach toward those who have been caught up in that teaching.

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.  There are varied reasons a person might fear a spider: their fangs, their eight hairy legs, their fangs, or their clusters of eyes.  I think spiders are cool to look at (from a distance).  And though I might be tempted to scream like a schoolgirl if one got on me, I am not afraid of spiders.  However, I do hate them.  Well, not the spider so much as its web. 

I think most spider webs are a work of art—best viewed from a distance. Yet, when I unknowingly walk through a spider web, I come unglued.  I want to pat my body down like it’s on fire to extinguish the life of the million little invisible spiders that go flooding over my body like a tsunami wave.  I thrash about like a man under attack by a swarm of bees. I want to run screaming into a body of water, or throw myself on the ground and roll around like a dog with fleas. My skin is crawling just thinking about it.

I hate those webs, but they’re the only webs I hate.  I hate the webs sin weaves around my life.  Sin is a subtle weaver, working tirelessly in the background, spinning and spinning.  Sin is content to set the trap and wait; because it knows that sooner or later we’ll come stumbling along.  If only we would flee at the first contact with the trap.  But it seems we are content with wrapping ourselves within its sticky confines.

Paul urges, "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2).  We are to be watchful in prayer always anticipating the next trap, and always seeking wisdom from the Lord to escape that trap.  Watchfulness isn't easy, but it is necessary.  If we let our guard down for even a moment, we are headed for trouble.  Let us seek the Lord, who is ever watchful, and who is able to make us to keep watch.