We cannot grow without the Word. There are certain teachings that are detrimental to the hearer. These are teachings that cause us to remain in babyhood; they are utterly hazardous to our growth. Furthermore, these teachings cause us to grow fat on the mercy and blessings of God yet require no change or action from us. In these churches, we are in a perpetual position of reception. These teachings cause us to plateau and never catapult us to soar. They promote an entitled mentality and selfishness in walking with the Lord. We are to move far from them.
These teachings say the following:
- God wants to bless and make you rich
- God is blessing you, receive it
- Name it, claim it, it’s yours now
- God is giving you this and that
- God never wants you to suffer
- God is opening doors for you
- Prophesy and whatever you say has to come to pass because the Bible says you will eat the fruit of your lips. Since you prophesied it, it has to come to pass on this date
- God wants you happy
These types of teachings are a man centered gospel that endorse God serving man. We come to the kingdom to serve, not to be served. Our prime example is our Lord Jesus Christ who came not to be served but to serve. The greatest in the kingdom is the one who serves yet these teachings inflate self when we are told to die to self. Teachings that are life giving to self are not of God. Yes, the Lord desires for us to be happy, to open doors for us and some of the things listed above are true; however, there should exist a balance. These types of teachings do not encourage believers to sow back into the kingdom when the breakthrough has come. It focuses solely on the enrichment of the hearer and their immediate family. They do not inspire any Christlike virtues to be developed in the hearer.
We should desire to grow and advance in the kingdom. Even if the desire is not there, sound teaching can stir us up and set us on the right path; that is the power of sound teaching. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Sound doctrine imparts faith to the hearer. It opens up realms of possibility and understanding. The minister is able to open up dimensions in the spirit that were hidden and inaccessible so that they lay in plain sight. When we are exposed to such calibre of teachings we cannot remain unchanged. The Prophet Jeremiah says your Word is like fire shut up in my bones. Sound doctrine and teaching possess the ability to impart this fire within us where we cannot sit idly, we are compelled to speak as the Prophet Jeremiah or to even minister.
Some murmur and chastise believers for making excuses and not participating in the kingdom however part of the problem is the teaching that exists in the body. No one is left the same after hearing a certain type of teaching. It literally forces one out of their comfort zone onto the field. Yes, Holy Spirit does teach the believer and the church is not entirely to blame. Sometimes when He does, bad teaching has done much damage and the truth is confronted with resistance. Some individuals are hardened to truth as consequence of the lies of bad teaching. The soil of the heart is hard. Our hearts need to be fertile for the seed of the Word to be planted and not be choked by unsound doctrines, teachings and everything posing as a foe.
The Bible tells us that we are to grow in the knowledge of God. Acquiring spiritual knowledge should not be for bragging purposes or to merely quote books but to evoke spiritual hunger, bring understanding so that we are better positioned in our gifting or call and to cause us to walk in dimensions that the author walked or is walking in. God is perpetually calling us higher.
There are certain messages that leave us with sentiments such as “that was such a good message or the pastor was on fire today”. However, that is missing the point. The message is never for excitement or nice sentiments. It is supposed to grow us up into all things in Christ and more.We should ever be growing in Christ. Additionally, unsound doctrine poses the danger of resulting in the hearer becoming religious, rigid regarding spiritual things and deficient in the knowledge of God and His ways. It produces the heart posture the Pharisees possessed. This is why the practice of quoting scripture is prevalent yet the ways of the Spirit of God are still enigmatic and mysterious to us.
In contemporary times, some believers only attend church because the music is good. That is missing the point. Church was never meant to be a feel good place. It is not a massage parlor meant to massage our feelings. We need to ask ourselves: Are we receiving strategies for our lives and those around us? Are we being equipped to take over in our sphere of influence? Are we becoming like Christ? Is our lens getting sharpened to see the Lord clearer as we proceed to attend church?
Elementary teachings are meant for babes. When we are babes in Christ, these teachings are necessary, for, advanced ones will be impossible to grasp or comprehend. However when we find that we have grown, we should pivot and look for more advanced teachings. Thus, as we are maturing, it is significant that our “curriculum” advances lest we remain babes forever.