"Shining the Light of Jesus"

 "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you." (John 16:14 KJV) 

  "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how you know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here." (1 John 4:1-3 NLT)

 Something I have done, ever since the first day of my salvation, is to test, not only the person teaching the Word, but also the Bible that was being used for the teaching. It really wasn't too long after I was saved, that I was given a Bible, that I noticed did not say: "In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

 It apparently was a popular new Amplified Bible, so they called it, which was meant to speak to the new generation of the believers. Unfortunately, there were some things that had been a little difficult for the Editors to swallow, so they just changed to wording to fit whatever they believed, not what the Original Text actually has to say. It wasn't too long into this journey, when I made it a habit to meet whoever was teaching and try to get a look at the Bible they were using to teach from. 

 The NIV is one that I have referred to, as, 'The Nearly Inspired Version,' because it takes liberty to change certain facts, one in particular, calling Mary a Young Madian, instead of a Virgin! Just a little thing, one which might make hardly any difference; but sometimes, it is the little things that really matter. 

 Anywho, there are quite a few pastors I know who teach out of the NIV, so I won't judge them, too harshly, because it was probably the Bible they grew up reading out of. Seriously, we must be aware of what we are being taught, and pay attention that Jesus is being taught in the message! I don't care what part of the Bible you are in, Jesus Christ is there, being presented in one form or another on almost every page of the Bible. 

 If you don't believe it, then check it out for yourself. Don't just take my word for it, because the Word will speak out to you, if you just open your heart and fix your mind on Him! Besides, Jesus said it Himself, saying, "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!" (John 5:39 NLT)

 I am sorry if I go overboard on some subjects, but this one is pretty near and dear to my heart. Having been raised knowing a different Jesus, I try to pay attention, giving notice to what is said about Christ. If what is being taught does not declare Jesus Christ as Who He is, then I will be very cautious to anything else that I hear, taking note to the spirit I might be dealing with. 

 Don't think for a minute that there is no such thing as an Antichrist, because there is one that will manifest himself, who is already here! This is spiritual warfare that we are dealing with, not just men that think they yield power. Most likely they really have no idea who is actually controlling them; but sooner or later they will.

 The whole point of this message it that Jesus Christ must be presented as Who He is, was, and forever will be: LORD of LORDS...

"All glory to him who loves us and freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 1:5b & 6 NLT)