We’ve been talking about thinking and how dangerous that can be when we are given clear instruction from the Bible for a specific situation.  But what if we hear something or have a thought and we just don’t know immediately if it’s true or false or whatever?  The Scripture in the picture above teaches us what to do in these situations.  We are not to scoff at prophecies, but rather to test everything, holding onto only that which is good.  

Today, our LifeTeam will be scattered throughout several different churches.  I am sure all the churches we attend are churches with good doctrine or you wouldn’t be going there.  But we must admit that even in a church with good doctrine, there is still the possibility of error in the teaching or preaching.  For example, my pastor and elder believe the KJV is the most accurate of all translations.  They also talk about the incredible find of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.  Well, the Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts are 1300-1500 years older than the documents available when the KJV was compiled. This means these manuscripts are closer, way closer, to the original texts than what the KJV had available to the compilers in the 1500s.  Closer texts means better accuracy. 

These men also don’t realize that we don’t speak English.  I know, we say we speak English.  But we don’t.  We speak American.  Consider this statement: “I left the flat and rode the lift. Then I pushed the trolley with the trainers from my boot.”  Do you have any idea what this means?  In America, we’d say, “I took the elevator from my apartment and put the shoes on I had in the trunk of my car so I could push the shopping cart.”  This might have been a fun little phrase but it does go to show what some things we think we know, we really don’t.  What if an Englishman asked for some chips or a biscuit?  Would you give him fries & a cookie?  What if he asked for a digestive?  Would you give him a laxative?  (Reminds me of this story)  Words matter.  This will go to show that we might be thinking we know what someone is saying when we really don’t.  Not only is it a foreign language, it’s also antique!  Some of the words used today in England may have different meanings than they did back around 500 years ago!  So the KJV is a book written in an antique foreign language. 

So the point here isn’t to knock the King James.  It’s a wonderful book and sometimes I like to listen to it with someone with an English accent.  It’s beautiful!  But, the point is that these men in our church say it’s more accurate and they are meaning that for us, here today, in America, while they also admit the Dead Sea Scrolls are older.  So, the newer translations are more accurate because they are based on older and more accurate manuscripts!  But, see, I still have a high respect for these men.  These Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 but it took decades for them to be realized, dated, translated, catalogued, etc. and by the time this was done, these men had been reading the KJV for a long time.  So, I test everything and hold on to what’s good.  Am I going to have a discussion with them about all of this?  No!  There are so many more important things to discuss than which Bible translation someone prefers.  However, I am not going to agree with them, ‘because then we’d both be wrong’ (thanks, Andrew!) but I am still going to listen and learn from them.

Do you remember the Bereans?  They tested Paul even what Paul preached to ensure it lined up with the Word!  If people were testing what Paul said, we should then, test everything and hold onto only what’s good!  With that said, don’t let thinking and learning and searching get in the way of what we were called to do:

PS – In light of what I’m sharing, we need to realized that these promises ARE to us and for us!  These are not just commands and promises to the men of old.  As we go through this Daily Word together, lets remember what Jesus said in Matthew 22:31 (“have you not read what was spoken to you by God”) and echoed in Hebrews 12;5 (“the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children”) and then again in 2 Peter 1:5 (“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises”).