Here's Your Sign....?

 

Here’s Your Sign?

Thamsanqa Jantjie did not describe his qualifications for being a sign language interpreter to those that hired him.   A South African deputy cabinet minister said "a mistake happened" when Jantjie was hired for the event.  Ingrid Parkin, principal of the St. Vincent School for the Deaf in Johannesburg, said:  “Bogus sign language interpreters are a problem in South Africa, because people who know a few signs try to pass themselves off as interpreters.  And those hiring them usually don't sign, so they have no idea that the people they are hiring cannot do the job.” (Emphasis TLB)

Sound familiar? If it doesn’t, it should.  Friends, the same thing is happening in churches throughout the world.  Preachers of all sorts stand before masses of vulnerable listeners and proclaim false doctrine to those that will hear.  For instance, “you do not have to be baptized to be saved” (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Pet. 3:21; Gal. 3:26-27; Mk. 16:15-16). Or, “once you are saved, you can never be lost” (Acts 8:9-24; 1 Cor. 10:12; 2 Pet. 3:17).  And because “they have no idea”, church goers nod their heads in approval.  I mean, the preacher is trained, right? He knows what he is talking about, right?

Jantjie told the Associated Press that he received one year of sign language interpretation at a school in Cape Town. He said he has previously interpreted at many events without anyone complaining, and insisted he was doing proper sign-language.  But, according to Delphin Hlungwane, an official South African sign language interpreter, "He didn't follow any of the grammatical rules and structure of the language. He just invented his signs as he went along".  (Emphasis TLB)

Paul warned Timothy (and therefore, us) of this (1 Tim. 4).  Peter also gave warnings not to heed those who gave false information (2 Peter 2:1).  To say that it does not exist is to call the apostles liars, and to lie to yourself as well.  So, what are we to do?

Consider the Christians at Berea, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11 KJV).  We learn also in the following verse that this searching produced belief, and therefore salvation!  It is simple.  Compare what is being taught by your preacher to what the Bible really says...or as Ronald Reagan once said, "trust, but verify".

Friends, let us never be guilty of “inventing as we go along”.  The Gospel Message is too important not to teach truthfully.  - preachertombowling@gmail.com