Walk with Paul and the Philippians and watch Paul encouraging them to focus on the Lord and challenging them to walk worthy of God's call on their life. At the risk of repeating myself, I tell you, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and truth" (John 4:24). This is a warning that we should not place our confidence in the flesh. Paul knew from his experience at Philippi and other churches that we would need to watch for deceivers who would make every effort to mislead people and teach false doctrine. There is an old saying: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The Word of God warns us about evildoers, allowing us to change our path before we encounter the dogs who will not hesitate to devour us. Philippians 3:2 illustrates Paul's zealousness about the situation, as he uses strong language to make his point. He says: "Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh" (Philippians 3:2). We need to understand that dogs are not always pets, and a pack of dogs is an enemy of the people.
Teachers with a spirit of discernment recognize enemies of God's people and the gospel word. We must sound the alarm when we encounter false teaching. In Ezekiel 33, the preachers received a warning that if they failed to warn the people and they turned from God, they would have blood on their hands. Paul went out of his way to challenge false doctrine, and we must not hesitate to do the same. We must warn the people about those who pervert the gospel for personal gain, money, and power. Their minds are on earthly things, and their end is destruction (Philippians 3:19).
Back then, the people needed to beware of those who wanted to impose laws concerning the Sabbath, feasts, kosher dietary laws, and the like. Today, we need to beware of people who pervert the gospel by implying or openly declaring that it is okay with God to continue to sin because grace abounds. Should we continue to sin so grace will abound? People asked that question, and the answer given was a resounding NO! There are people who say the blood of Jesus covers sins (past, present, and future). Scripture says if you never heard the Gospel of Christ, you would not be guilty of sin. Now, according to the words of our Lord and Savior, since you heard, you have no excuse for sin (John 15:22). "Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin" (James 4:17).
Do not allow spiritually blind watchers who use a false gospel to cloak their sins to lead you. We must be aware of teaching not congruent with God's Word. Know this, God calls us to repentance and obedience.
Minister Nettie Pennington, Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church
