Not long back I had a retired Pastor reprove me very sharply, for making some interesting points while preaching on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He was very old school, and he referred to 1 Tim 1.4 “nor to be taken up with with myths and never ending genealogies.. ”

I quietly and respectfully asked him if I had said anything that was heretical or inappropriate to which he answered. “No”. I explained that this Scripture was never meant to exclude genuine enquiry into the Bible, but rather it was targeting the false philosophy of Gnosticism. But he would not have it.

This was a pastor who had laboured in the gospel of 40 years and yet he did not understand about Gnosticism and the problems that Paul spoke of in this passage. A congregation is not going to have much hope of understanding these things if the Pastor does not.

It is unfortunate that so many pastors in our churches will preach shallow and light weight messages, and the result is that their people will hardly grow in and Scripture and interpretation. Preachers love to give to us ‘moral essays’ and ‘warming affirmations’ because, supposedly, if we truly ‘love’ others this is what we will do.

Well, who cares if God’s people are falling through the cracks ‘for a lack of knowledge’ (oracle), what’s really important, is if we are very positive and ‘nice’ to everybody.

Let’s face it, the more ‘relevant’ we become, to the world, the less relevant we Christians are in point of fact, to the world. (

Our staple diet from pastors seems to be favorite topics and ‘feel good’ messages. Ministers preach on a verse from 1 Peter as well as a passage about a hero from 1 Kings; topical sermon from Hosea and then the belief in God of Aaron or the humanity of King David.

Bits from here and there, but we don’t put it all together, in a clear understandable, easy to remember perspective with a good Bible TimeLine including Church History.

These days a flood of new ideas and publications come under various names that have a liberal bent. If we were to be taught the basics of Church history, we then would not be so doomed to repeat it.

Our role as teachers of the flock is to take the fragments of God’s Word and plan certain together in a beautiful tapestry that the Church can draw on, helping them to understand God, the Bible and the Church.

This is not difficult to attain, if we put in some good prayer and study.

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (NIV)

Need a straightforward yet complete Bible timeline? consider our webpage and discover a great teaching chart and personal Biblical events timeline resource.

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