Smooth Talkers - Romans 16:17-18

Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people.

One of the biggest issues that the Early Church faced was leadership credibility. The Christian faith was just developing its own teachings of Christ, which was difficult because some of the Gospels we know today had still to be written. Innocent people greatly depended on genuine teachers and faithful preachers to share the Gospel Truth, but because the Early Christians did not have ‘Christian scriptures,’ they were sometimes duped by itinerant messengers who brazenly claimed to be called by Christ. So, in the same way that the ancient Hebrews had to deal with false prophets, the new Mediterranean churches had to be able to distinguish between good and evil teachers, true and false gospels, right and wrong beliefs.

Paul’s answer to this dilemma is contained in the above two verses. The signs of false teachers and dishonest leaders could be found in their characteristics and behavior – if they were smooth conceited talkers or deceitful flatterers who caused division, then the faithful would know instinctively that they were being led astray. The trouble was this: even though they knew they were being duped, they doubled-down in their ignorance and nurtured their naivety. Insecure people will often have hasty hearts and end up following the wrong types. Paul’s concern for the young Roman church was that they would be attracted to the wrong leaders and end up damaging their Christian faith, as well as their eternal relationship to Christ.

This is why Paul’s letters became so important to the young Christian churches. He not only gave them sound teaching based on Christ’s ways and words, but he also cautioned them about accepting every missionary, minister, or leader who came to their churches. Paul wanted to ensure that the congregations would grow in the real faith, and not be influenced by some unhealthy hybrid of a gospel that conveniently suited the messenger and ended up damaging Christianity.

Paul may have been writing to a particular congregation in the First Century, but his words are still highly relevant today. If we place our faith in false messengers and leaders, then our own beliefs can be irreparably damaged and our connection to Christ may be broken forever. We are individually responsible for what we believe, whom we follow, and what we do with our faith. Both Paul and Christ would ask us to carefully watch the path we are on.

Point to ponder

Am I guilty of having a hasty heart? Who are the leaders and messengers that I follow? Are they like Paul, or are they similar to what he describes?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have called us to follow You and become Your disciples. This means that we need to be fully aware of our commitment to You. Forgive us for placing our opinions and ideas before and over Your ways and words. Put us back on the right track and enable us to find the right leaders and messengers of Your Gospel. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s Gospel drawings called “Cross Carrier.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Cross.

Gospel devotion - Gospel Readers - 2 Corinthians 9:13

2 Corinthians 9:13     Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 

            Sharing the Gospel these days is very different from how it was done during the Apostle Paul’s time. Usually, we try to encapsulate the whole Gospel into a couple of positive phrases like “love one another” and “do not judge,” making it easy to remember and simple to apply. However, Christ’s Gospel mainly comes to us in four New Testament books, compromising of eighty-nine separate chapters. Condensing the Good News into a couple of words can unintentionally diminish Christ’s life, ministry, and teaching. It may be convenient for us to carry a couple of verses in our hearts and minds, but we could end up with a very superficial understanding of what the Gospel can actually teach us.

In the first couple of centuries of our faith, people laid their lives on the line for the sake of the Gospel. They wouldn’t have done that for just a couple of moralistic mottoes. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection meant everything to them, even if it cost them their livelihood or existence. Those First Christians understood that the Gospel was greater than anything they encountered or experienced; to them, it was infinitely more important than life or death itself.

            Currently, our church’s Confirmation students are reading and studying the Gospel of Mark. By the time their classes are concluded, they will have read all of it, as well as completing homework assignments about each chapter. The young people also have their own questions, ideas, and opinions about Christ’s life, ministry, and death. They are learning that the Gospel has much more depth to it, as well as how it can radically influence their daily decisions and challenge their personal lives.

Perhaps if more church members were to consistently read and re-read the Gospels, they would also embrace and understand the real message of the New Testament narratives. Having only a couple of biblical verses in our hearts and minds is not enough to sustain our spirits or grow our faith. If we truly want to become committed Christians, then surely we need to know what the entire Gospel is about, so that we can positively apply and generously share Christ’s teachings.

Questions for reflection

What was the last Gospel that I fully read? How can I organize reading the Gospels on a regular basis?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, all that we know about You comes mainly from the Gospels. Without them, we would not know what You said or did. Help us to read and re-read the Gospels on a regular basis, so that we can learn to understand and know what You want us to do with the remainder of our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s devotion, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Gospel drawings called “A New Earth.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: Gospel.