Spiritual Junk Food

"There will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food". Image credit

For me, it’s appalling how people who claim to be Bible believers fell for the “prophecy” of the self-titled Prophet Sadhu Sendar Selvaraj of the Voice of Jesus Ministries. They may be sincere but they were sincerely wrong. In their desire to hear a “fresh word” from God, they glossed over glaring inaccuracies in his predictions. 
Sadhu Sendar Selvaraj. Image credit

For example, Selvaraj declared that, “There is a place called Mindanao, and below that strait is a place called Compostela. The Lord said that there is an appointed typhoon to come upon that area. …many people will die.” (Source: Local Pulse) But, as my friend Rev. Dr. Doy Castillo wrote on his Facebook page, “It is important to note that Compostela is in Mindanao not below Mindanao or below some strait. Since prophecy is God’s message, wouldn’t it be reasonable to believe that the prophecy would include geographic accuracy?” (Nabuenyo) Some would accuse us of nitpicking. But, if the God of truth really spoke to Selvaraj, we should expect that our Lord won’t make mistakes in such a small detail as geography. 
Image credit

The Apostle Paul already warned us about such things: “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, The Message) I’m afraid that, in their pursuit of the sensational, they settled for empty spiritual calories. 
"I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12, NKJV. Image credit
Despite the sad spiritual condition of those so-called believers, Paul commanded Timothy to remain faithful in proclaiming the Word of God, that is, the Bible. “Proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.… keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (vv. 2, 5b) Instead of chasing after modern-day prophecies, we are to seek the timeless and timely Word. We are to feed on real spiritual food. 

 Brethren, flee from error and focus on the truth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m
Read more

“Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!”

Image
Forty years ago, this expression became known as a description of blind obedience.   Source: Los Angeles Times On November 18, 1978, members of Peoples Temple, a cult group in Guyana, drank Kool-Aid drink laced with cyanide to commit a mass suicide “at the behest of their charismatic but paranoid leader, Jim Jones”. [1] According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica , “The death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 age 17 and under, making the incident one of the largest mass deaths in American history. ”  [2]  What made those people submit to such atrocity? According to Stella Morabito, a senior contributor to The Federalist online magazine, Peoples Temple is “Exhibit A… [of]  the dangers of the cult mindset or how vulnerable all people are to cult tactics.”  [3] She pointed out that, Coercive persuasion has immense power to shape and twist the human mind.  …[Jones’] utopian preaching of a humane world in which all lived happily in harmony resonated with the
Read more