Man first encountered the devil in the garden of Eden (Genesis Chapters 2 and 3). God forbade Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He warned that if they did so, they would surely die. The devil said quite the opposite, stating that they would not surely die, but be as gods. When Eve saw that the fruit was good and pleasing to the eye, she did eat and gave to her husband also. The devil denied the word of God and appealed to the pride of man and lastly left it to man’s reasoning.

We find the same situation in I Sam Chapter 15, when God told king Saul to kill all the Amalekites and also to kill all their animals. A pretty straight forward command, no way to misunderstand God here, right? But Saul spared the king’s life and brought back the best animals for a sacrifice to God. First of all Saul denied what God had said and his pride let the king live. Then he reasoned God would like a sacrifice, right? Guess what, God said it was better to obey him than to sacrifice and rejected Saul as king of his people. Sounds to me like the devil was right there doing what he does, deceiving the people.

Jesus tells us in Matt 16:18, I will build my church, that is his one church. God says there is one hope, one body, one faith, and one baptism (Eph 4:4-5). The Lord says, he who believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16). God adds to his church those who are being saved (Acts 2:47). God says, let there be no divisions among you (I Cor 1:10). Pretty straight forward commandments, no way to misunderstand God here, right? Yet man has created hundreds of different churches, teaching hundreds of different doctrines. Man says, he that believes and is not baptized shall be saved. Now where have we heard something like that before? Almost an exact parallel to what the devil said to Eve in the garden. Man appeals to man’s pride, you don’t have to be baptized, and then to man’s reasoning, God saves us not baptism. It would be the same as Noah saying that God saved him, not the ark. God did save Noah, but he ordained and required the ark for his salvation, just as he ordained and requires baptism, for our salvation. Man says join the church of your choice, when God has said there is but one church and he will add the saved to it. Sounds like the devil is alive and well in the here and now, doing exactly what he always has, deceiving the people.

Jesus says, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Man says, it really doesn’t matter how we worship God as long as we are sincere. Nadab and Abihu in Lev. 10:1-7, took the same approach and look how well that turned out for them. God commands us to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). No matter how much spirit we have, if we don’t worship him in truth, that is according to his word, our worship is vain (Matt 15:09) Where is the devil right now? God tells us the devil walks among us as a roaring lion seeking to devour us (I Peter 5:8). Do you think maybe we should just listen to God when he tells us to prove all things and hold fast that which is good ?(I Thes 5:21)

We invite all who would, to come together with us each Sunday morning at Kedron on the Coopertown Road, Russellville, Kentucky, to worship God in spirit and in truth. We neither add to God’s word or take from it. Bible study at 10:00 and Worship at 11:00.