“Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free'” (John 8:31-32).

Mr or Mrs Know it all…

Ever know someone like that? They are so fun and pleasant to be with. NOPE.

Not only are they not very fun to be around, they are wrong. Worse yet, not only are they wrong, but they do not make very good disciples. One of the first marks of a follower of Jesus is teachability. Jesus knows all things. We do not. So, one of the first marks of a discipleship is teachability.

When we are convinced we already know the truth, we become unteachable.

On the night of November 27, 1983, Avianca flight 011, en route from Paris to Bogota via Madrid, approached Madrid’s Barajas airport. The weather was good, and there were no mechanical problems with the 747 jet. The crew was experienced; the pilot had more than 20,000 of flying time and had made this same approach twenty-five times before. Yet, with its flaps extended and its landing gear down, the jumbo jet smashed into a series of low hills about seven miles short of the runway. The plane cartwheeled, broke into pieces, and came to rest upside down.

Tragically, 181 of the 192 people one board lost their lives. investigators determined that a series of errors by the crew caused the crash. The crew misunderstood the reality of their location. They thought they knew the truth about the plane’s position, but they did not. Shockingly, the final and fatal error came when the pilot, so sure he knew where he was heading, ignored the computerized voice of the plane’s Group Proximity Warning System, which repeatedly warned him, “Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!” The cockpit recorder had his strange reply to the warning. He said, “Shut up, gringo” and switched off the warning device. The next moment he was dead with the rest of the victims.

Teachability. It might just save your life.

Thank you all for your prayers for Helen and Esther, Helen’s mom.

As of the writing of this post, it has been exactly a week since Esther’s stroke. Esther has been making progress and has been transferred to an intensive inpatient rehab department as of Thursday. She is making progress every single day. She still doesn’t know who she is nor who Helen is. But she knows Helen has been taking good care of her.

Helen will be in LA for at least a few more weeks until we can figure out what will happen with Esther.

In the meantime, please keep the prayers coming. We need prayers for healing and prayers for wisdom. Regardless of what happens, we know God is in control. Regardless of the outcome, we know God is good. No matter what happens, stroke doesn’t win, death doesn’t win, loss doesn’t win. Jesus is Esther’s Lord and Savior and there is nothing a stroke nor death can do to claim Esther.

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).

Those of us who grew up in church circles will be familiar with the first of these verses – Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. However, we may not be as familiar with the second verse.

There are two things:

1. We are called to preach the word. Not our opinions, not our thoughts, not what we think is right. We are called to preach God’s word. God’s word dictates what is true and what is wrong, what is good and what is sin.
2. There will be a time when people will reject God’s word and surround themselves with “teachers” who will say just what people want to hear.

Paul wrote these words two thousand years ago. Yet, these words are absolutely relevant today.

Our society has a hard time accepting the truth because the lies being uttered from some pulpits is exactly what they want to hear.

Friends, the word of God comforts and strengthens. AND if the word of God does not correct, rebuke, it’s probably not the word of God. If the word of God never corrects and rebukes, it would mean we are perfect just the way we are. And we all know that ain’t right.

The word of God absolutely comforts and strengths. AND it corrects and rebukes. And that’s a good thing.