A Lying Life Series

A man had a fine canary whose song was unusually beautiful. During the summer, it seemed a shame to keep the bird inside the house all the time. So the owner placed the cage in a nearby tree for the bird to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air.

Many sparrows frequented the tree and were attracted to the cage. At first the canary was frightened, but soon enjoyed his companions. But gradually and almost imperceptibly he lost the sweetness of the song. By the end of the summer his "singing" was little more than the twitter of the sparrows. Spending his summer in the wrong environment caused the canary to lose his finest song (Jerry Lock, “Church Music World,” Nov./Dec. 1985, Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 4; www.PreachingToday.com).

That’s what happens to believers if they spend too much time in the wrong environment. They lose their song. They lose the joy of their salvation.

So, how do you keep from losing your song? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 2 Corinthians 6, 2 Corinthians 6, where the Apostle Paul addresses a group of believers in danger of losing their song.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

That is, do not attempt to work together in ministry with those who are unbelievers. Or do not become partners with those who do not believe (Louw & Nida).

Deuteronomy 22:10 says, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” And that’s the picture Paul paints here when he talks about being unequally yoked. A large ox and a smaller donkey cannot work together in the same yoke. It would make both of them miserable.

So, if you want to keep from losing your song, then keep from forming partnerships with people who do not love Jesus like you do. Now, you can apply this to marriage or to business partnerships, but specifically, in the context of 2 Corinthians 6, God is saying…

SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM FALSE TEACHERS.

Detach yourself from any association with preachers who don’t believe the Bible. Distance yourself from those whose teaching differs from what the Bible teaches.

The Corinthian believers were turning their hearts away from Paul, who had led them to Christ, to teachers with a different gospel (vs.13).

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gets very explicit. There he says, “I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

The Corinthians believers were rejecting the gospel for another gospel, which was no gospel at all. They were tuning from the gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. They were turning from that to a works-based gospel, which condemns all who believe it (Galatians 1:6-9), because no one can ever do enough to earn acceptance with God.

Please, don’t you do the same thing. Continue to live your life in dependence upon Christ, trusting Him alone for a right standing with God, and distance yourself from anyone who teaches you otherwise.

Benny Hinn’s nephew, Costi Hinn, was confident of his relationship with the Lord. He traveled the world in a private jet and enjoyed all the luxuries that money could buy. He believed he was serving Jesus Christ and as a result was enjoying the abundant life He promised. The only problem—he wasn’t preaching the true Gospel. Costi Hinn writes:

Growing up in the Hinn family our lifestyle was lavish and our version of the gospel was big business. God’s goal was not to set us free from sin but to make us rich. We lived in a 10,000-square-foot mansion, drove two Mercedes Benz vehicles, vacationed in exotic destinations, and shopped at the most expensive stores. We were abundantly blessed.

Doubts would surface. What about unsuccessful healing attempts? I learned that it was the sick person’s fault for doubting God. Why did many of our prophecies contradict the Bible? Despite the questions, I trusted my family because we were so successful. Millions packed stadiums annually to hear my uncle. We healed the sick, performed miracles, rubbed elbows with celebrities, and got incredibly wealthy. God must be on our side!

After graduating college, I met my wife, Christyne. I had no idea that God would use her in bringing about my salvation. In fact, my family and I were nervous because she didn’t speak in tongues. We set out to fix that problem by having her attend one of Benny’s crusades, but nothing happened.