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“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.” Romans 16:17-18

Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb? With a couple of exceptions, our experiences have been great. The places are typically very well kept, beautifully decorated, and completely void of anything that may reflect the personal characteristics of the owner (other than their sense of style). We recently spent a long weekend out of town, making someone’s Airbnb home our base for the trip. Interestingly, the walls, bookshelves, and even kitchen mugs revealed quite a bit about our host.

As I perused the place upon our arrival, I was excited to see decorative Bible verses hung in several rooms. I said to my husband, “Oh! A fellow believer lives here!” And then I noticed a small bookshelf in the living area holding about 25 books, the spines neatly lined up as if awaiting appraisal. There was C.S. Lewis (a solid theologian) and Lee Strobel (a stellar apologist). Yay! But as my eyes moved to other titles and authors, my soul deflated. There were several books with teaching that is antithetical to the Bible

Without going into the theological details (because you can—and should—do your own deep-dive into current popular teachers), I will use this bookshelf discovery to underscore that there are waves of deception flooding the current Christian culture. Today, as in the First-Century Church, people are turning away from sound doctrine. They are gathering teachers around them to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3-4).

You see, now—like back in the Apostle Paul’s day—the enemy’s goal is to either (1) keep people from turning to God or (2) keep believers lukewarm in their faith. The first goal is probably pretty easy right now, considering how humanistic and idolatrous people are (just watch the news for five minutes…or spend two minutes on TikToc or Instagram). But what about creating and maintaining “lukewarm” Christians? Seems fairly doable too. When a Christian doesn’t look any different than the world, he or she simply isn’t a threat to Satan. Think about those small group “fellowships” that include drinking games, or the woke churches flaunting pride flags and BLM signs. Believers are meant to shine as a light in the darkness (Phil 2:15) and not conformed to what’s happening around us (Rom 12:2). We are not to be of this world—and, because of that, we’ll be hated by the world (John 15:19). If we are loved by the world, something is amiss (and Satan is a happy camper).

Moreover, the enemy can keep Christians from getting in his way if they are misled by false teachers and twisted doctrine. Remember, Satan’s first lie ever to humans was, “Did God really say…?” He’s still at it today, and he takes great advantage of the fact that many Christians don’t know God’s Word well enough to answer back with confidence. Sister, we must know the Truth of the Bible so we can recognize the lies. Otherwise, when that cultural wave rolls in, we’ll simply be swept away.

“Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. May I grow in knowledge and understanding, able to stand firm on the Truth in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life