Jesus warned of false prophets. Paul wrote that a time would come when men would not endure sound doctrine.
I heard of a great sermon called, "Error By Overemphasis."
The title of that sermon, itself, teaches us that many beliefs may not be false in themselves - but they can become false by over emphasis. Think of an old wagon wheel. It has a hub, an outer circle and spokes which connect the hub to the outer circle.
The hub must be as close as possible to the exact center of the wheel. The farther off from center it is, the more wobbly the wheel will be. If it is very far off center, the wheel can merely clunk along clumsily and may even break at the worst time.
Jesus must always be the hub in the exact center. There may be many accurate doctrines that make up the spokes, but if they become the center, or hub, instead of taking their place as mere spokes, they immediately become erroneous. At their worst, these alternative hubs can cause the wheel to fall apart to the harm of many!
A couple of examples to illustrate my point:
1. Money!
When a church constantly communicates messages about money, prosperity and blessing, they have gone off track. The blessings of God are certainly in the Bible - but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, the center. Thus a person may be communicating some truth - yet it becomes a lie by making it the hub or the center.
Remember Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection and Godhead are ALWAYS the center of the gospel message - never money!
The Bible certainly seems to have many more warnings about covetousness, the desire to be rich and making money or things into our treasures, than it does encouragement to accumulate wealth.
There are times when money can be used properly. But there is a also great danger of being pulled away from putting Christ first, center and the hub of our beliefs!
2. Being "connected."
There is also a great emphasis in modern churches on "being connected." Again, the Bible clearly teaches that we should be connected with our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, exalting "connectedness" above all else, again transforms a Bible truth into a lie by overemphasis!
We are to be connected. Yet there often seems to be almost no communication, today, that Bible strongly emphasizes our personal walk and solitude with God. This consists of a walk in solitude with God apart from others - apart from community.
Most church events center around community events. (Remember the hub!) The personal part we play is not greatly emphasized in many churches!
To truly excel as a Christian, we must have our own personal walk with God. We are to study and mediate on the Bible diligently. We are to have strong, individual pray times. We are to press to know God intimately so we can know His will for our lives and discern our individual callings.
This allows the fruit of God's spirit to grow within us, and receive his strength and wisdom to guide us.
When we stress only for connection, and leave out personal growth in Christ, we are eliminating some of the spokes from the wheel. Again, if not corrected, this will lead to a wheel that breaks - resulting in severely diminished Christian lives or a dangerous crash!
Remember to keep Jesus first and in the center:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
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