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One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.
And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus! –– Romans 16:17-20
Warning: Geezer sentimentality straight ahead –– When I was a child, the structure and order of a typical Presbyterian worship service was different, mind you, not better or worse, just different. The Scripture, Sermon, Gloria Patri, Doxology, and Affirmation were always included, but in different places. Communion was typically once a quarter and primarily formal with the elders processing and sitting together in the front row. The liturgy was a bit more subdued, standard, and less responsive. I don’t recall that a Prayer of Confession was always included, but when it was, we would read one the four included in the front of the red Hymnbook.
The advantage of limiting the options was that certain phrases became ingrained in your mind even if you weren’t old enough to know what they meant. One particular phrase that has stuck with me through the years became increasingly meaningful as I grew into an understanding of its truth for me –– We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. Isn’t that the daily struggle? I’d like to want what you want. What I should desire most is what God would want. Yet, I’d prefer to pursue what I want, or to be more honest, I want what I think I want without considering whether what I think I want is actually the product of someone leading, duping, or convincing me to want whatever it is they are selling, whether it be the newest iPhone, a political candidate, a conspiracy theory, or a TikTok trend. God’s intentions –– the world’s need –– my wants –– the influencer’s influence: How do I navigate these often conflicting paths? Or, as Paul phrases it, “Who will rescue me from this body of sin?”
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We are both exploiter and exploited, often when not even knowing it, as we greet each new day. That’s why discernment is such an important work and gift of the Spirit. The Spirit of God working as one with the Word of God enables us to critically examine the devices and desires of our hearts, while also helping us to filter the voices seeking to influence those same devices and desires. Before we act or speak, the Spirit of God, working as one with the Word of God which is Jesus Christ, grants us the courage to ask –– Is this God’s intention, my impulse, or the product of someone’s hustle?
In his final charge to the church in Rome, Paul also challenges us –– “Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth … I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil.” Paul’s advice is particularly relevant for a volatile and voluble time such as this. By the grace of God, may Paul’s prayer for us be fulfilled –– Enjoy the best of Jesus!
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