HOLD ON TO SOUND TEACHING OF THE WORD - PART 3

WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH 2023

Colossians 1:23 reveals one of the effective ways to continually hold on to sound teachings of the Word. The (NLT) reads, "But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News." Beloved, if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, you'll not stray from the assurance you receive from sound teachings. Simply put, wholesome teachings position us in such a way that we'll not wander away from the hope of the glorious gospel, which is the confident hope God has given to those He called.

Reference: 2 Timothy 1:14-15 New Living Translation (NLT) "Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you."

As a Christian, when you are out there, always remember the Word of God that you hear in church assembly and during Bible study times. Retain them as the model for healthy and sound teaching in the faith. The precious truth you receive at such times, has been entrusted to you. Therefore, protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.

This brings us to the second verse we are discussing today: "Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you." Guarding the precious truth that has been entrusted to us guarantees the results of being properly grounded in faith. If you don't guard the precious truth by the help of the Spirit, it will definitely slip away from you, and you may be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

How do we guard the truth by the Holy Spirit? Firstly, by getting to know Him on a personal level because He is the Spirit behind the very truth you've been instructed or enjoined to guard. Secondly, by spending quality time with Him through constant fellowship and effective prayer. As you do so, He will continually guide you into all eternal truth, such that you'll not be carried away by any kind of strange teaching.

When you observe what the Bible says in Hebrews 13:9 (ESV) which reads, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them", you'll notice that the focus here is for "the heart to be strengthened by grace", which is part of the networking of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When the heart is invigorated or energised by His enabling influence, you'll carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

Considering the excellency and fruit of the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit produces in our lives, the summary of this topic is this: We must form the habit of listening to the sound teachings of Word of God most carefully and diligently, seeing it as the seed, through which God, by His unconditional love and favour, has begotten us to Himself, thereby picking us out of the vastness of His creations, that we should be a kind of firstfruits among all creatures (see James 1:18 NLT). Shalom!

Scripture Reading - 1 Timothy 1:3,10; 1 Timothy 4:6-7; Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:2-5.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for your wholesome truths which serve as a great encouragement to my faith and spiritual growth under the present dispensation of the Holy Spirit. As I yield myself to Him and often spend time with the Word and in fellowship with Him, I'm hugely fortified with the truth and by grace, against all false doctrines, deceptive philosophies and high-sounding conceptions which emanate from human traditions and from the spiritual forces of this present world. May your precious truths continue to mould my character and shape my glorious destiny in Christ, as you prepare me for your greater glory and uncommon results, in Jesus' Name, Amen!