~ Do You Know the Difference? ~
Differences
can be very subtle!
The following is an
excerpt from a book.
Today ~ In our day the value of true natural pearls
is obscured. Large-scale farming of cultured pearls, mass-produced fake pearls,
and the merchandising of freshwater pearls have made “pearls” commonplace. The
average person viewing a strand of pearls does not usually know or care about
the strand’s composition. In fact it is very difficult for even a gemologist to
differentiate between natural pearls and some of the high-quality imitations.
An x-ray is generally considered the best way to reveal the true nature of a
pearl. We read in Scripture that God uses His own unique way to reveal the
truth of the character of a human being, and it is reasonable to believe He can
similarly determine the genuineness of a local church.
God has the ability to
look beyond the surface. “The Lord does
not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks at the heart” (1
Samuel 16:7).
There is another parallel here;
religions and cults are currently abundant, and at first glance many look like
reality. It takes skill and attention to detail to differentiate many of them
from true Christianity with its one and only Creator and living God. In pearls
and in truth, it is the very center that confirms reality. At the center of
truth are the core doctrines concerning God, and in particular the second
member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. There is only
one way to heaven. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would
know My Father as well. From now on,
you do know Him and have seen Him’” (John 14:6-7).
~
from “ONE PRECIOUS PEARL: God’s Design
for His Church, pgs 93-94 (ISBN: 9780741462329)
Learn more about this important book at Amazon,
the Publisher,
or the Author’s
website.
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
