Be Careful How You Listen

Take heed what ye hear; with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you; and unto you that hear more shall be given. For he that hath, more shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. Mark 4:24-25

In today’s world there are many false doctrines, multiple Bible translations and ministries filled with secular humanism. Jesus warned His followers to seek after God’s truth amid all the false teachings which are the inclinations of men. Entrapment in sin comes when God’s word is used to promote a false doctrine, a particular group, or to give credence to a false ministry.

Take heed - This is a Greek verb meaning a command to be done in the present and future; a continuous action. Jesus said this to His disciples. He says it to those who follow Him in this generation.

To what ye hear – Another repeated continuous action. Be on guard to what and to whom one listens. Don’t be caught unaware or deceived with teaching which is not Biblical. Check the Scriptures when you are taught something that does not settle with your spirit; seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He will guide in all truth. John 16:13 A true minister will draw people to Christ. He will reflect Christ in his personal life and teach others how to draw near to the Savior.

With what measure ye meet it shall be measured unto you – The time given to learning God’s truths, studying His word, and worshipping is never lost. God will give back in knowledge and wisdom. The more God’s word is appropriated the greater the spiritual growth. Give little, receive little; the result is a slower spiritual growth. To those who hear, and thirst for a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ, more will be given until Scriptures flow. Proverbs 18:4; John 7:38

From him shall be taken even what he hath – To those use God’s word for personal gain, to promote their agendas, to prey upon the weak in faith, to name a few, will lose God’s words because their motive is impure. The “religious” person who knows verse upon verse, but lives like the devil, in reality is mocking God Galatians 6:7. These types of people, and there are many more, will have God’s words taken from them because they exploit the sacred Holy Writ.

Unto you that hear – For the sincere heart who desires to know and understand God more divine truths will be given. God is acquainted with the humble heart. He knows how I struggle to learn what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. God’s patience is boundless as He waits for me to understand what He is teaching me. The Holy Spirit will return me to a verse I thought I learned from only to find as I re-read it and contemplate what God is requiring of me; my understanding is broadened. I gain knowledge of God that carries me for days thinking on what I have learned until the next time when again I am brought to the same verse to learn something new. God’s word will never be exhausted of lessons to learn! It is a joy to the Father heart of God when His children read His words; to know more of Him, to be more like Christ Jeremiah 33:3. It gladdens His heart to see one who is willing to obey His words and live life according to His commands.

The disciples weren’t hearing Christ’s words for their own benefit. They were listening and understanding which enabled them to bring the Lord’s words to others. Just as Mark brought Christ’s words to me, I must speak the Lord’s words to others.
2 Timothy 2:24-26

God’s truth leads me away from the error of men. Many translators need to be scrutinized. Although the intents of the translators may be admirable, they do harm to the word of God; making the Scriptures compatible with today’s culture lessening the intensity of meaning God intended for His word to project. There is no fear of God when His words lose their intensity; His words are compromised in respect and obedience. Translators, by attempting to make Scripture easy to understand have brought God down to the “human” level, obliterating the sovereignty of God and His holiness. Isaiah 55:8 In their zeal to make the Bible “easier” to understand they have made it more palatable; distorting the words, and the intent of God’s commands. A palatable Gospel leads some Christians on a walk which becomes one of compromise rather than progressive sanctification. 2 Timothy 2:21

An example of the distortion can be seen in the verse I quoted in the beginning from Mark 4:24. The phrase, “Unto you that hear,” does not appear in some translations of the Bible. Another verse is Colossians 1:20 Speaking of the sacrifice of Jesus, “And having made peace through the blood of HIS cross….” Most translations read, “the cross”, when in reality the cross of Christ was His cross, given by the Father John 19:17. Each disciple of Christ has been given a cross to bear. The cross every committed Christian bears is doing the will of God every day. Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:27

Some translations change the verb tense. They choose an alternative description. For instance, Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith…” Translations read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith..” Looking at this, one might think there is nothing wrong with the translation. Yet to me, there is a large difference between ‘ye are saved” and “you have been saved.” Yes, I am saved by grace through faith everyday. The verb “have been” puts being saved by grace through faith as a single past action.

Many will think I am “nit-picking” and everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, when I read God’s word I want to know exactly what He desires to impart to me; not what a translator decides I should know. It is said that the King James Version of the Bible is outdated; it cannot be understood. When I first started working with computers I had no understanding of how they worked. I had to learn by experience, be instructed, and patiently take my time to gain the knowledge I needed to enable me to operate my computer easily and efficiently. The knowledge I needed was accomplished through a process. A process which at times was slow, but I never gave up. I can liken this to reading the KJV. The Holy Spirit has a unique way of making this version understandable. I am not saying all translations are erroneous but one needs to be attuned to the Spirit and pay attention to Him when He enlightens an error of translation.

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught (anything) from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God…” Deuteronomy 4:2; Joshua 1:7 God’s word is to be kept pure, free from continual hindrance of men. It is to be kept in its entirety, nothing added or taken away from it Proverbs 30:6;
Revelation 22:18, 19. Changing God’s words to be “politically correct” is adding to and taking away from the original Scriptures.

Christians are to know the Bible; for God’s word protects from being deceived. God’s truth enlightens the eyes turning people from darkness to light; from the power of Satan to the power of God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in Jesus. Acts 26:18

Listening, studying, and reading the Bible gives confidence to proclaim the truth in the name of Jesus. One of the reasons Jesus spoke in parables was to encourage those who believed to want to know more. Those who did not believe in Him would not want to know what the parable meant. This is one of the reasons Christ repeated the phrase, “If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Desire precedes how one hears. Jesus knew the hearts of all men. John 2:24, 25 When He was alone with His disciples he explained all things to them. And that’s the secret, getting alone with Jesus. He will explain all that needs to be known. Ephesians 1:17

In this day and age it is imperative for me to be careful not to listen to false words, but to walk straight in God’s words that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 30:21

Author ~ Joyce Andrews Bickel
www.mycalvaryslove.com