Avoiding Manholes

     Long ago before cataract surgery was streamlined, my grandmother underwent this operation.  There were no implantable lenses at the time so she needed a very thick pair of glasses to help her see.  In addition, she had very low vision in her right eye due to a growth on the optic nerve which could not be remedied.  As a result, her overall vision was not the best, but she still insisted on driving her big Lincoln Continental to do errands around town.
     One day as she was driving in town, she ran one of her wheels into an open manhole.  No one was injured as she was going slow at the time but it did do some damage to her car.  After this scary incident, my father pulled a few wires on the engine and claimed that the car could not be fixed.  It was the only way to prevent her from driving.  Family members volunteered to take her shopping or to get her hair done, but she never drove again.  We all breathed a sigh of relief because she was a danger to herself and others on the road.
      Christians also face some open manholes, and we need to be ready for them.  We need the clear eyesight provided by the Holy Spirit to guide us around these traps that can make a shipwreck of our faith.  One of the biggest manholes is false teaching.  The Apostle Paul warned the Galatians about this very thing.  Judaizers had come into the church confusing the Gentile believers by demanding they be circumcised and  follow the Law.   Paul rebuked the believers by saying in Galatians 1:6-9:  "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."  Lest we think that this was just a thing from the ancient past, let me share with you an incident that happened to me a number of years ago.
     On a lunch break from my job, a friend and I went to a local restaurant nearby.  A certain waiter there noticed the cross I was wearing around my neck.  He asked if I was a Christian and I replied that I was.  At the time, I was new in the faith; so when he started asking me if I kept Kosher and followed the Law, I was shocked.  He was part of a "church" led by a certain Rabbi/pastor who had proclaimed that you could not be a Christian unless you followed all the Jewish Law and ritual.  It was not a Messianic congregation as the leader was not Jewish.  Needless to say, I tried to convince this waiter that it was not necessary to do this in order to be saved.  The conversation did not result in any positive outcome.
     In today's culture, there are many teachers out there that proclaim to be Christians.  They write books, lead conferences and can often be found in church leadership.  Yet, Scripture tells us to be wise about what we listen to and read.  Paul's letter to Timothy carries two different verses that provide warning to us.  I Timothy 4:1-2 says:  "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared."  Then in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul reiterates this warning:  "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."  This has been true throughout the history of the church.  There have always been those who have wanted "something more" or who consume a lot of "fluff" in place of sound doctrine.  So how do we guard against falling into this "manhole"?
     One of the best ways to keep on track is to study our Bible.  Paul commended the Bereans who went home and searched the Scriptures to make certain that what he taught was true (Acts 17:11).  They did not just take Paul's word at face value.  This is how we need to respond when anyone teaches the Bible.  We need to know what God has to say based upon His Word which is the foundation of our faith.  Keep in mind that we are all sinners, and while we are forgiven, we can still
speak inaccurately when it comes to the Word of God.  No man or woman is infallible, so we must test what is said by God's Word.
     Secondly, we need to pray before we hear a sermon, lesson or other teaching that the Lord will show us what we need to apply to our hearts and that anything which is not from Him would be put aside.  His Holy Spirit living within us will guide us into all truth.  We can depend on that when we actively ask the Lord's guidance.
     Most importantly, if we discover that we are reading a book or listening to a message which departs from God's Word, we need to put it down, walk away or whatever is necessary to avoid getting entangled in false teaching.  God wants us to grow to maturity.  He doesn't want us getting "fat" on empty calories ("teaching lite" to make us feel good) nor does He want us to fall into a manhole that shipwrecks our faith.  He wants us to be serious students of the Bible seeking out His wisdom and knowledge.  Therefore, we need to choose wisely when it comes to reading books or listening to presentations.  People can miss the mark, but God will always provide the truth.  May we be wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove when it comes to avoiding manholes.  Selah!