Shepherd’s Outpost

By Pastor Ron Gardner

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines…”
Hebrews 13:8-9

I, for one, find it very comforting to know that my Lord and Savior has not, and will not, and never does, change. While verse 8 of the above Scriptures gives us a wonderful declaration, verse 9 is a command we need to embrace as well. For if Jesus never changes, then His written Word doesn’t change either. Nowhere in Scripture do we find man is able to forgive sins, which negates the doctrine of penance. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."   Nor do we find in the Bible that we are required to speak in tongues to be saved.  Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

And while men and women are created equal in the eyes of God and co-heirs to God’s grace, Scripture is very clear that men and women are to hold different postures within the church. “For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?”  1 Timothy 3:5.  
Thus it is no surprise, this sensitive issue will soon be subverted by gender-sensitive Bibles now available to appease those who desire to have their sin accepted by God.  But doesn’t this all seem to be in direct opposition to the original text which commanded we are not be “carried away with various and strange doctrines…”? Hebrews 13:9

If Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, why are we taking His Word and manipulating it to suit our personal beliefs and objectives? Man’s doctrine has flooded the church to the point where even cults appear to be normal to the unsaved, yet this is nothing new, but rather the doctrine of demons Paul warned Timothy would come; 1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons".  Yet when Jesus asked His disciples if they wanted to leave and walk away, Peter replied in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”   See, much of Jesus’ earthly ministry was spent refuting the self-righteous religious heretics who injected their rules and beliefs alongside of God’s Word, often causing misapplication and misinterpretation of God’s Word, to the point where even Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”   John 18:38.  This was shortly after Jesus had prayed to His Father in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your Word is truth.”

You see, there’s religion and there’s relationship. In religion there is a way that "seems right to a man"  this seeks to establish man’s truth above God's truth, and to make it a benchmark for holiness. Yet we find in the abundance of God’s grace and God’s mercy, it is His truth that truly leads to life. And so, may I send out a plae to my fellow pastors, get back to the teaching the Word of God, line-upon-line, precept-upon-precept in the church and nothing more, and by the grace of God, no longer dodging the truth of Gods Word and topics such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality, adultery, trans-gender nonsense, narcissism, greed, bitterness of heart and all the social issues of the day. For if we do not teach God’s truth, unedited, cover to cover, without compromise, who will? And if you and I are not striving to learn to live our lives according to God’s Word, the church will become completely ineffective, compromised with the demonic sensuality that seeks to destroy us.
See, there is only one way to make that a reality, we must truly become students of His Word. 2 Timothy 4:2 , “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Remembering that 

2 Timothy 3:16"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,"