The Scripture says, in 1 Timothy 6:3, “We need to hold on to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness” (verse 3).  And he goes on and says, “The people that reject this doctrine,”—look down at verse 4, if you would— “these people who are proud, knowing nothing, who are involved in questions and strifes of words, the origin is envy, strife, railings, and evil surmisings.”  We’re more familiar with the rest of this list as we go on.  Who are involved in “perverse disputings of men, corrupt minds, destitute of the truth” (verse 5).  Let me show you this false doctrine.  “Supposing that, gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”  Now, we know there’s a whole segment, in our country especially, but actually it’s taking over the world.  When we go to Kenya, it has absolutely engulfed the church in Kenya and in Africa as a whole, this prosperity, this Word movement, prosperity doctrine.  And they draw back on that pagan mentality that we’ve talked about so many times.  When you and I are not walking in the Spirit, we have the same tendency with all our knowledge and with all our spirit, life in the Spirit, to fall back into it.  Things get bad and we think, “Am I out of order?  Have I done something wrong?  Why is this on me?  What have I done wrong?”  That’s pagan!  This is the wrong concept.  It’s ungodly thinking.

Your heavenly Father doesn’t bring wrath and judgment and adversity on you because you made a mistake!  Amen?  That’s ungodly.  “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give” the Spirit to those “that ask Him” (Matthew 7:11); amen?  You have to believe the love that God has for you!  I think that’s one of the things today that so many of us wrestle with, and it hinders us from walking in the full power of God and in the grace of God.  We just don’t yet believe how much God loves us!  He will not leave you.  He will not forsake you.  If this relationship is ever broken, it’s because you walked away.  So, he brings them back to remembrance, that this is a pagan thought process, supposing that gain is godliness.  The more I have in the natural proves that the favor of God is on me.  Now, the point I’m wanting to make is this: what does he say, how to we respond to that?  How do we respond to that kind of a doctrine, to those people that are promoting that in our midst and in the church?  What does it say? “From such withdraw thyself.”  If we’re going to stand in this last hour, we need to separate ourselves from this leaven, from this false doctrine.  Beloved, take heed what you hear.

It’s something that we’re going to have to get practically working in our lives, and many of us, frankly, have a lot of trouble doing this.  Because we have much of the church today, in the spirit of tolerance, that will look at people who are contending for the faith and say, “Who are you?  Judge not!  You shouldn’t be judging other people,” when the Bible says just the opposite.  “What’s wrong that there’s not enough mature people among you to bring righteous judgment” (John 7:24); amen?  There’s a responsibility to keep the church pure and holy.  To make sure that sound doctrine is championed in our midst, and that false doctrine is reproved, instead of withdrawing ourselves.  So much of the church today not only is not withdrawing themselves, but they’re still sending offerings to these people, and buying their books.  Well, John says that his heart’s desire for the church is that they would “prosper and be in health” as their soul prospers (3 John 1:2).