Beware of the Scribes: Guarding Your Heart from the Leaven of Modern Media

 

Beware the Leaven

If you are new here, our goal is simple: we want to hit the bullseye of our best possible relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and we must keep our eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith.

I want you to travel back in time with me for a moment. Picture a small, brightly lit room in a church basement around the year 2000. The air smelled of that specific mixture of old hymnals and lukewarm coffee. I was sitting in a new member discipleship class, eager to learn, surrounded by people who truly loved the Lord. At the front of the room was a woman—a dear, sold-out sister in Christ—who was teaching us with all the passion in the world.

As she reached a pivotal point in the scripture, she paused to define a word. She reached down, picked up a thick, heavy book, and began reading the definition. But it wasn't a Greek lexicon or a Hebrew concordance. It was a standard Webster’s Dictionary.

In that moment, a cold realization washed over me. I sat there looking at the contemporary dictionary in her hands, then down at the Bible on my lap. I thought about how the Old Testament was breathed out in Hebrew, translated into Greek, then Latin, and finally into the English versions we hold today. How could we use a modern, secular dictionary to define the "God-breathed" autographs from thousands of years ago?

This seemingly small moment sparked a fire in my spirit. It made me realize that we are often being pulled away from the spiritual reality of the Word by the subtle "leaven" of our culture. We are facing a crisis of interpretation where worldly paradigms are being forced onto the supernatural text of scripture. If we aren't careful, we aren't just reading the Bible; we are reading the world’s version of the Bible. Today, I want to talk to you about why we must beware of the scribes and how to protect your heart gate from the "stinking thinking" of this world.

When we take our eyes off Jesus, we don't just drift; we get sucked into the vacuum of worldly media. This is something I have been vocal about for decades. Back in the 90s, I made a radical decision to throw my television out. I wanted to clear the air, so to speak. Yet, even now, over twenty years later, I am still shocked by how much that worldly influence impacts my thinking.

I can be standing in a checkout line at the grocery store, just trying to buy some eggs, and my eyes will wander to the magazine racks. You know the ones—the bright, glossy covers with celebrities whose names I shouldn't even know. And yet, I’ll see a face and realize, "I know who that is." How do I know? I haven't watched TV in years, yet the world’s "evangelism" is so pervasive that it finds its way into our minds through social media, through Facebook posts, and through the very atmosphere of our culture. It is a constant funnel of worldly propaganda being shoved down our throats.

This is the "leaven" Jesus warned us about. In the spirit, I heard the Lord say to me, "Beware of the leaven." He didn't finish the sentence, and at first, I wondered why. But as I prayed and mused on it, I realized that the leaven isn't just one thing. In Matthew 16, Jesus warned about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which the disciples eventually understood was their doctrine.

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:6 KJV).

The Lord stopped at "Beware of the leaven" because, in our day, the leaven is everywhere. It’s in the movies we watch, the news we consume, and even—and this might sting a little—in the "Christian" media and sermons we digest. We have thousands of denominations, each with its own "spin" or "leaven" added to the pure Word of God.

If one Bible translation says one thing and another says something entirely different, they cannot both be the same thing. That is just basic common sense, or what I like to call "using your noggin." If they are different, they aren't in agreement. And if it isn't the pure Word of God, it is leaven. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to him: but his heart is not with thee. (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).

Think about your heart as a garden. Everything you see through your eye gate and hear through your ear gate is a seed. These seeds bounce around in your mind like a pinball, but eventually, they drop down into the soil of your heart. If you are feeding on the garbage of the world, you are going to produce the fruit of the world. You cannot speak the things of the Spirit if your heart is full of the world’s "stinking thinking."

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34 KJV).

Consider the great men of God from revivals past. Smith Wigglesworth, a man who walked in such a high level of the supernatural that he raised the dead and healed the sick, refused to have a secular newspaper in his home. He understood that the "leaven" of the world’s report would fight against the "report of the Lord." He wanted the signs of a believer mentioned in Mark 16 to be his daily reality, and that required a heart completely saturated in the Word.

Then there was George Müller, a man known for his incredible supernatural provision. Later in his life, Müller realized that if he read even a single page of a secular book, he felt he had to read ten pages of the Bible just to offset the leaven that had been sown into his spirit. He knew that the world was constantly trying to knock him off the bullseye of faith.

Personal Reflections

I’ve had to ask myself: Conrad, are you letting the "scribes" of this modern age dictate your definitions? When I look back at that lady in the discipleship class using Webster's Dictionary, I realize she was well-intentioned, but she was accidentally teaching us to interpret the infinite through the lens of the finite.

There have been times where I’ve missed it. I’ve caught myself regurgitating a "Christian" cliché or a denominational spin instead of seeking what the Holy Spirit was actually breathing through the text. Jesus corrected me by showing me that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4 KJV).

This isn't just about being a "language expert." I’m not a scholar; I’m just a guy sitting here with you, having coffee, and sharing what I see from the pews and the prayer closet. But I know that when the Holy Spirit—the Author—is with us as we read, He wants to give us the original "God-breathed" meaning. He doesn't want us using a remote, watered-down translation of His intent.

We have to be careful about our "stinking thinking." Our intellect often gets in the way of the Spirit. This is why Jesus told His disciples not to even think about what they would say when they were brought before kings and governors.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. (Matthew 10:19 KJV).

If they had been filling their hearts with the "leaven" of the Pharisees or the worries of the world, they would have spoken from their own anxiety. But because they were to be vessels of the Spirit, God could speak through them. We need to get our minds out of the way so the Holy Spirit of Truth can have His way.

Biblical References

The Bible is very clear about the connection between what we allow in through our senses and what becomes of our lives. We are commanded to guard our hearts with more than just a casual effort; we are to do it with diligence.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 KJV).

Think about that word "issues." It’s like a fountain. Whatever is in the well of your heart is what is going to come bubbling up into your life. If the well is poisoned with worldly media, your "issues of life" will be worldly. If the well is pure Word, your life will reflect the supernatural power of Jesus.

The "leaven" is so subtle because it is designed to look normal. The scribes were the experts of their day. They were the ones who held the pens and the scrolls. Today, the "scribes" are the media moguls, the screenwriters, and even the translators who might be softening the edges of the Truth to make it more "culturally relevant." But Peter reminds us that true prophecy doesn't come from the will of man.

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21 KJV).

If it didn't come from the Holy Ghost, it's just human opinion. And human opinion is leaven. We must seek the original heart of God in every verse, looking past the modern definitions and denominational "spins" to find the Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Key Takeaways

• The Leaven is Everywhere: It’s not just ancient religious doctrine; it’s modern media, movies, social media, and even "Christian" spin that adds a worldly flavor to the Word.
• Guard the Gates: Your eyes and ears are the entry points for the "pinballs" of thought that eventually settle in your heart.
• Consistency Matters: If two versions of "truth" or two translations of the Bible disagree, they aren't the same. Seek the original, God-breathed intent.
• Abundance of the Heart: You will eventually speak and act out whatever you have been "marinating" in. Garbage in, garbage out.
• The Holy Spirit is the Interpreter: You don't need a secular dictionary to understand God; you need the Author of the Book to sit with you while you read.

Conclusion and Call to Action

My friends, we are living in a time where the world is louder than ever. The "scribes" of our age are working overtime to redefine your faith, your values, and your very identity in Christ. But you don't have to be a victim of that leaven. You can choose to be like Wigglesworth or Muller. You can choose to prioritize the Word of God above the noise of the world.

I want to challenge you to "muse" on these things. Let these truths bounce around in your head like a pinball of righteousness. Don't just take my word for it—dig into the scriptures yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where the leaven has crept into your own thinking.

Action Items

• Audit Your Media Consumption: Take an honest look at what you watch and listen to this week. If it isn't the Word or building your faith, it might be leaven.
• Read the Word First: Before you check your phone, your email, or the news in the morning, spend at least 15 minutes in the Bible. Let the "God-breathed" Word be your first input.
• Identify Your "Webster moments": Notice when you are using worldly logic or secular definitions to understand a spiritual command. Stop and ask the Holy Spirit for His definition.
• Practice "The Müller Offset": If you have to consume secular information for work or school, offset it by reading or listening to the Word for twice as long.