Minister’s Corner - 230 Have You Been Cheated?

Loved ones, most of us have heard the words, "You cheater!” Whether they are heard on an elementary school playground or in a boardroom of some large corporation, they are usually spoken (yelled) in anger. We've probably all seen an old western movie where a fight (maybe even a gunfight) broke out, when somebody thought he had been cheated in a card game. We don't usually "take kindly" to being cheated.

Did you know that the Bible warns us about being cheated? Consider the New King James translation of Colossians 2:8: "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. How about that? We can be cheated in the most important aspect of our lives — our relationship with God!

Interestingly enough, this “cheating" can be accomplished by what we are or are not taught. Surely that must be why Paul made the following statements about his teaching to the elders from Ephesus: “...I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you..." (Acts 20:20), “...I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Paul's claim in Acts 20:26 that he was "...pure from the blood of all men," is another way of saying that he could not be successfully charged with cheating people out of anything they needed to know in order to please God.

Those of us who teach need to be aware of the terrific responsibility that is ours. It most certainly would not be good to be seen as a cheater in this area of our lives. However, the responsibility is a "two-way street." Look at Colossians 2:8 again. Those who are receiving the teaching are being alerted to the danger of being cheated. Are you being cheated? Are you sure? God is so good. Love you. Samuel – 11 October 2026