Beware Of Dogs

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
Philippians 3:1-3

The church at Philippi had been established by Paul, and after he had left, some false teachers had come in behind him, and began teaching these young believers, that Jesus was good, but you needed Jesus and something else for salvation. In this case, it was circumcision, or, the Law of Moses. These people would come into the fellowship, begin attending on a regular basis, get involved in the ministry, make friends, and then slowly lead them astray. Oh, it may not have been something really blatant. It may have been that they just called people on the phone, and said, "Can you believe that he really teaches that? What we really need is to do this...." They didn't really call people on the phone back then. But that is what happens now. Gossip is rampant within the church, which I am sure breaks the heart of Jesus. Nothing can kill a church more than gossip. And the Lord does not like gossipers, and they will have no place in the kingdom. And it promotes negativity and is the breeding ground of all kinds of things that are of the devil. And here at Philippi, the false teachers have come along behind Paul, and said that they need something more than Jesus. Just remember beloved, Jesus is all you need.

There are all kinds of winds that are blowing through the church these days. There is one sure way to keep from getting blown around, to and fro, by the winds of fads and false ideas that come through the church. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, and as Paul says here, to rejoice in Him, and stay focused on Him, then we won't be blown off course. The trouble comes when we take our eyes off of Jesus and His Word, and start focusing on why we are this, or why we aren't that. It doesn't matter, as long as we are doing what we have been called to do.

Beloved, we are called to worship God in the Spirit. We are believers first, as were the apostles, and then we are baptized in the Spirit, so that we walk according to the Spirit, and not walk according to the flesh. Paul says here to have no confidence in the flesh. Let us walk according to the Spirit. Let us worship Him in the Spirit. Let us rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk worthy of the calling that each believer has on his or her life.

Beloved, we are the sons (and daughters) of God. Let us beware of the dogs, the evil workers, and everyone who says we need something more than Jesus. Amen.