GET YOUR MIND INTO GEAR!

 ‘From Paul’s own words in Galatians 3:1, we know that seducing spirits had infiltrated the church in Galatia.  In this verse Paul says, “O, foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you…”

 Notice, first of all, that Paul calls them “O, foolish Galatians.”  The word “foolish” is the Greek word anoetos (ano-e-tos) and it describes “a person who acts without thinking, reasoning” or “using his mind.”

 This word indicates that the problem isn’t that this person doesn’t have a mind, but that he or she refuses to use their mind.  This is a person mentally impotent by choice. He or she has refused to use their mind in a logical way.

 It appears that a false sense of spirituality was in operation in the Galatian Church.  This false sense of spirituality wrongly told them that using their mind was carnal and unspiritual.

 Fraudulent ministries will always tell you to “get out of your natural man,”  “Don’t question what you see,”  “Don’t try to understand the mysteries which we are giving you,”  “These supernatural manifestations are beyond your understanding,”  “Your mind is trying to rob you of supernatural possibilities…”

 God gave you your brain and did not intend for your spirit and mind to be in conflict with each other. Before you were saved, it is true that your mind was [at] “enmity with God.”  However, now that you are regenerated by the Spirit of God, there is no reason that your mind and spirit cannot cooperate together.  This is God’s best!

However, if a fraudulent minister can convince a crowd to shelve their minds, then he can easily coax them into believing almost anything.  People who refuse to use their minds are the easiest people to “trick” and to “bewitch.”’

 (Rick Renner in his book: Merchandising The Anointing – Developing Discernment For These Last Days, Rick Renner Ministries:Oklahoma 1990, pp.89-90.) 

 Rick Renner is an American Pentecostal Pastor with a ministry in Moscow, Russia. He studied Greek and journalism before becoming a pastor.  His book exposes both the gullibility and lack of thought on the part of most church members and attendees, and also the deceptive manipulations of many ‘preachers’. 

 He strongly opposes religious leaders who encourage people to ‘shelve their minds’, and challenges Christians, especially, to get their minds into gear and think things through thoroughly – not to get carried away by emotions raised through apparent or supposed miracles!  His challenge continues to be timely.

 Fewer and fewer churches, and church leaders, are encouraging people to come to grips with sound, carefully and prayerfully thought-through Biblical teachings.  Fewer and fewer preachers are using expository preaching that challenges thinking.  Across the denominations there is a growing trend to make sermons basically a collection of nice, listener-friendly stories that touch people emotionally but will rarely stimulate deep thought.

 Today many Christians only read the Bible ‘devotionally’ so that they get some ‘inspiration’ for the day – ‘nice thoughts and feelings’ to encourage them through the day.

 There is absolutely nothing wrong with gaining encouragement from Scripture – but that is not the main reason for which Scripture came into being.

 The Bible contains information to be:

• carefully considered;

• examined;

• checked;

• compared;

• thought through;

• reasoned out;

• applied;

• acted on.

 When the Apostle Paul preached in the Jewish synagogue in Berea, (Acts 17) those who heard him:

• listened eagerly and carefully;

• thought through what he was saying;

• examined and checked out the Scriptures to evaluate and validate Paul’s teaching;

• many of them then applied the message and Scriptures to their lives and believed as a result. 

In writing to Timothy, Paul instructed him to consider and contemplate his words very carefully.  Examine Paul’s comments in 2 Timothy 2:7 in context for yourself – in the meantime notice how various translations/translators have tried to present the best meaning from the Greek into English for the first and second parts of this verse:

• Consider what I say (KJV) (NASB)

• Keep on thinking about what I am saying (CBWilliams)

• Reflect on what I am telling you (HB Montgomery)

• Grasp the sense of what I am saying (Knox)

• Reflect on what I am saying (NIV)

• Think over what I have said (JER)

• Reflect on what I say (NEB)

• and the Lord give thee understanding in all things (KJV)

• for the Lord will give you understanding in everything (NASB)

• for the Lord will give you insight into all this (NIV)

• and the Lord will show you how to understand it all (JER)

• for the Lord will help you to full understanding (NEB)

 Paul’s instruction and advice to Timothy still holds true for all who read his words today.

 Christians cannot afford to put their brains into neutral. 

The Biblical message is quite clear – if we don’t think things through carefully we will not gain understanding.  God (or the Holy Spirit) will NOT do the thinking for us.  Careful thought will result in God bringing understanding – thoughtlessness leads to gullibility, confusion and lack of understanding, and the real danger of being deceived and manipulated.

 Be a thoughtful Christian, get (and keep) your mind into gear.