Jim Jones promised his followers paradise. He could never follow through on this promise. Still, he placed himself above others by taking on the mantle of godly authority. What a tragedy!
In Acts 12:22, Herod (an evil, self-serving king) accepted praise as a god rather than a man. God punished Herod with a horrible death. No one on this earth should take the mantle of godly authority on themselves – either in Bible times or the modern-day.
You might ask, “don’t preachers do this every Sunday?” Hopefully not! Religious teaching is only as authoritative as the Scripture supporting it. Does that stop people from putting themselves forward as an authority in religion? Sadly, no.
How do we navigate a world when honest preachers compete with the Jim Jones’ of the world? We must look beyond fancy, well-heeled words and compare those words to Scripture. Anyone who says, “That is what the Bible says, but listen to me,” is as guilty as Herod was two thousand years ago or Jim Jones four decades ago. The mantle of godly authority belongs to God, and God only. Don’t fall for a fast talker; insist on staying in Scripture.How can you distinguish between the silver-tongued devils and those who give only God the glory? Sit down over an open Bible and see for yourself that 1) God is the only proper authority in religion, and 2) see what He promises for those who follow Him.
Photo by Jaime Lopes on Unsplash
