In the March 2006 issue of the OBF Visitor, Pastor Dan Greenfield contributed the feature article, “Apostasy.” That’s not one of my favorite topics to discuss, but the article was a necessary reminder to all of us that apostasy can easily creep into a church. Toward the end of the article, the author explains how apostasy can be prevented.

Pastors must be specific in pointing out apostasy, and showing biblically why it is wrong. Every believer must be taught fundamental Christian doctrine and living, for wrong doctrine and living go hand in hand. We can’t assume that new members in our churches have the kind of commitment to biblical doctrine and living essential for a Christ-honoring testimony.

What caught my attention was the last sentence of that paragraph. It is easy to assume that people understand what is right. But not all who attend our services have a good understanding of what the Bible says about these issues. Some who attend our church have come out of compromising ministries, but they have yet to learn why they were right in doing so. Those who are mature believers also need to be reminded of these principles. If this type of teaching is not being done, we may wrongly assume that the flock understands, when in fact they are ignorant or, even worse, opposed to what we stand for.