Seducing spirits and doctrines of demons

Whilst preparing for my final teaching class at City Harvest last night, I was struck with a revelation from Scriptures. Let me share this revelation with you.

In 1 Tim 4:1, Paul writes to Timothy saying that the Spirit speaks distinctly, or out-spokenly (Gk, rhetos), that in the latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

Ever wondered what these seducing spirits teach, and what these doctrines of devils are? I always wondered.

As always, the grace of God in revelation is not far away. Whenever we pray and ask God for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of His will, He is generous in giving. APTHN! (All Praise To His Name!)

The doctrine of demons comes straight from the mouth of the master of demons himself. Go to Genesis 3.

The serpent essentially cast doubt on God's express command, drew mankind into 'adding' to God's word (God did not say they could not 'touch' the tree), and then, the moment mankind engaged with the serpent, drew blood by mixing, subtracting and adding to the word.

Have you realized that the Scriptures, OT, Jesus, Paul, and the rest of the NT, always warned believers about the twin dangers facing the gospel of Christ at every turn?

Antimomianism (no lawism, God is good, benevolent, He does not really mean it that He will punish disobedience, judge those without Christ, existence of hell, etc., etc., so live a licentious life-style, go to church but live independently of God's rule, be a lip-Christian, but not dead to self and the world), and Legalism (rules and regulations, the means to save yourself apart from the cross, the church or denomination's rules are more important than God's Word of the gospel of Christ, rules are the way into God's favor, the thousand and one rules which Christians say is crucial to gain His favor, etc., )

Now go to Rev 22:18 & 19. The message has not changed. John the apostle very severely warns about adding and subtracting from Christ's gospel word - the message of justification, the heart of the gospel, the key doctrine of Scriptures, the word within the word! (Ye search the Scriptures...John 5:39).

So when we preach and teach, and when we hear a message, whether it be at prayer meeting, Sunday worship, a wedding, a birth, a funeral, a conference, is Christ the center? His Person, his death on the cross, the blood shed, the price paid, the substitute made, and the resurrection justifying, clearly preached, explained, explicated, exegeted, exposited, illustrated, and made the center-piece of our message? Like how Jesus Himself did, in Luke 24, when He taught the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus, and with His disciples in the room?

So what then are we preaching, o we preachers and teachers of God's word? Our own and our church's agenda? Are we adding and subtracting from Christ alone? Is Christ, His Person and Work the center of our message, or something else? Remember what Paul said in 1 Cor 2:2, "I determined to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified'. Have we become better than Paul, and the rest of the Scriptures?

I leave you with Paul's admonition to Timothy in 1 Tim 4:16, 'Give attention to yourself and to the doctrine; continue in them, for doing this, you will both deliver yourself and those hearing you.'

May God send us, through all you preachers and teachers of God's word, a gospel-initiated, and gospel-sustained revival, where Christ alone is the center-piece, and not a super-star preacher or church, or ministry.

Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus et Christus, Sola Deo Gloria!