Build Your Bible Understanding
Share this site
  • Home
  • MP3 Archives
  • Articles
    • Fun Surveys
  • Sunday's Sermon
  • Specialized Material
    • For Preachers >
      • Illustrations and Anecdotes
      • Sermon Outlines
    • For Elders
    • For Deacons
    • For Ladies
    • For Adult Bible Class Teachers >
      • Studies By Book
      • Topical Studies >
        • Christian Relationships
        • Forgiveness
        • Angels
    • For Children's Bible Class Teachers
    • Evangelistic Study Material
  • Vs by Vs
    • Genesis
    • Matthew
  • Bible Study
    • Jesus' Birth Quiz
    • Book by Book Study Questions >
      • Revelation study questions
      • Jude study questions
      • 3 John study questions
      • 2 John study questions
      • 1 John study questions
      • 2Peter study questions
      • John study questions
    • Spiritual Health Regimen
  • Focal Point
    • Focal Point 2009 mp3 Downloads
    • Focal Point 2010 mp3 Downloads
    • Focal Point 2011 mp3 Downloads
    • Focal Point 2012 mp3 Downloads
    • Focal Point 2013 MP3 Downloads
    • FP 12 LARGE
    • FP 13 LARGE
  • Buy

Dangerous ISM's - Charlatanism

8/28/2013

0 Comments

 
CHARLATANISM - THE PRACTICE OF PRETENDING TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OR SKILLS THAT ONE DOES NOT HAVE.
 There are not many things in life that annoy us more than being duped by a charlatan. It happens to people everyday. Someone seems honest and sincere and we trust them and wind up buying something that doesn’t work, something that isn’t what it claims to be, or even get robbed flat out. Scam artists can sell anything to anybody it seems. 

The church is not free from these types of problems. All the way back in the first century there were charlatans who were pretending that they were apostles and slandering the real apostles. Paul warned the Corinthians about them: (2 Cor 11:13) “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” The Corinthian church and possibly others had taken in these pretenders and had listened to them and had been led astray by them. We might think that since we have the word of God we are not so easily deceived. We need to be careful of arrogance in this area or we will be easy prey for charlatanism. Peter warned us that there are some who twist the scriptures to their own destruction. (2 Pet 3:16) “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” So in regards to our being safe from it today let me just point out: (1 Cor 10:12)  “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 

As for ourselves, let us be sure that we are not putting up false fronts and thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. There have always been charlatans and there will be until Christ returns, but we need to protect ourselves from them through study of the Word, and we need to avoid being with them by looking into the mirror of the perfect law of liberty and making corrections as they become apparent. We must realize that we are imperfect and not look down our noses at others for their imperfections with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Remember that it only took one sin in our lives to separate us from God, and whether we only sinned that one or sinned a thousand more before coming to Christ we were no further or closer to him.  The person who told a ‘little white lie’ is just as lost without Christ as the mass murderer. John says being a charlatan is worse than being a sinner.  (1 John 1:8) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We may deceive ourselves, our friends and neighbors, and even the whole world; but we will never deceive God. If we try we will be found out just like Ananias and Sapphira, so let us be honest with ourselves, others and God by acknowledging our weaknesses and limitations. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    James Pasley: Preacher, Minister, and Evangelist.

    Archives

    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    July 2012
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    1 John
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    2 Peter
    Acts
    Addiction
    Adoption
    Advocate
    Alcohol
    Almighty
    Alpha And Omega
    Amen
    Angel
    Angel Of The Lord
    Anger
    Animal Rights
    Anointed
    Answers
    Apostle
    Arm
    Attendance
    Attitudes
    Author
    Authority
    Baptism
    Beginning
    Betrayal
    Bible
    Bible Quiz
    Bible Reading
    Bible Study
    Bible Understanding
    Bishop
    Branch
    Bread Of Life
    Brother
    Builder
    Building
    Captain
    Change
    Character Of God
    Chief Shepherd
    Children
    Choices
    Chosen
    Christianity
    Church
    Coffman
    Colossians
    Comfort
    Compassion
    Concern
    Conflict
    Conquer
    Consequences
    Consistency
    Cornerstone
    Counselor
    Coveteousness
    Creation
    Creator
    Cross
    David Anquish
    Dayspring
    Day Star
    Deity
    Deliverer
    Denominationalism
    Descriptions Of Christ
    Divine
    Door
    Doubt
    Ecclesiastes
    Edification
    End
    Entertainment
    Ephesians
    Eternal Life
    Evil
    Exodus
    Fairness
    Faith
    Falling Away
    False Religion
    False Teaching
    Feeling
    Founder
    Freedom
    Galatians
    Genesis
    Godhead
    Godliness
    Gospel Of John
    Gossip
    Government
    Grammar
    Gratitude
    Greatness
    Greed
    Growth
    Happy
    Head
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    Hell
    Help
    Humility
    Hypocrisy
    Idolatry
    Influence
    Inspiration
    Isaiah
    Isms
    Jeremiah
    Jesus Christ
    John
    John The Immerser
    Judges
    Knowledge
    Larry Pasley
    Law Of Exclusion
    Law Of God
    Laziness
    Leader
    Life
    Light
    Listening
    Lord
    Love
    Luke
    Malachi
    Mark
    Materialism
    Matthew
    Messenger
    Misquoted
    Neal Pollard
    Negativity
    New Testament
    New Year
    Obedience
    Old Testament
    Omnipotent
    One Another
    Overseer
    Pain
    Parenting
    Personal Property Rights
    Politics
    Power
    Pride
    Priorities
    Prophecy
    Psalm
    Psalms
    Questions
    Questions In The Bible
    Reincarnation
    Relationships
    Religion
    Restoration
    Revelation
    Romans
    Sacrifice
    Salvation
    Satan
    Science
    Sensitivity
    Service
    Sex
    Sharing
    Sheep
    Shepherd
    Simeon
    Sin
    Slavery
    Sports
    Teaching
    Truth
    Unity
    Value Of A Soul
    Value Of Life
    Victory
    Will Of God
    Wisdom
    Word Of God
    Works
    Worldliness
    Worship
    Zechariah

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.