(Deuteronomy 32:2) Doctrine is not for professional theologians and academic minds. It is simply our beliefs and teachings, taken directly from the Word of God. Study the Scriptures and settle what you believe from the Bible. (0939250212) ----more----  God's Doctrine and Our Opinions Libraries and bookstores are absolutely filled with men's opinions. Radio, television, talk news, all of it, totally filled with everybody's ideas about what they think is right. But I wonder How often we stop to say, what does God think? Did you know that God's thoughts are revealed in His Word? And if you want to know what God thinks about something, then ask yourself this question, what does the Bible say? The Importance of Doctrine We're beginning this series of what the Bible says. And I've started here by just laying a little foundation about the importance of what we call doctrine. That's a word that some people stay away from today. Let me just tell you, doctrine is not a dirty word. Not at all. In fact, it's God's word. Biblical References to Doctrine Did you know that the word doctrine is found 51 times in 50 verses of your Bible? Let me show you a couple of them today. You may want to get a good concordance and look them all up for yourself and walk through them and meditate on them. I've done that. And it's a rich, refreshing way to study that Bible word. But let me show you the first one. The first one is Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse number 2. Now remember, the first time a word is used in the Word of God, it has great significance. It's the law of first mention. Because the first time it's given, it really gives a pattern to follow. It gives an opening truth, if you will, that the Lord will consistently go back to. Doctrine as Refreshing Rain In Deuteronomy 32, we read these words, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain. My speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." There are two or three things that really strike me even as I read that verse. One is, that God connects doctrine to rain. We think of doctrine as being some really heavy thing. But I want to say to you, really, God says, my doctrine is refreshing. My doctrine is a blessing to you. It drops down as the rain, it distills as the dew. Think of the gentleness of dew and then not only what it is as it comes down, but what it produces, it brings about the tender herb. It brings showers upon the grass. I believe that every good thing that grows in our life grows out of the truth. And until we understand the importance of doctrine, we will never become the people that God wants us to be. Now that's Deuteronomy 32 too. Let me read the verse before it and the verse after it. Verse 1 of Deuteronomy 32 says, "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak. And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distill as the dew, As the small rain upon the tender herb, And as the showers upon the grass, Because I will publish the name of the Lord. Ascribe ye greatness unto our God."  Doctrine and Worship The very first time the word doctrine is used in scripture, it is connected to worship. We don't study to know. We study to worship. We don't study to simply have facts. We study to know the God of truth. We come to Bible doctrine and we say, Dear Lord, we want to know you better. We want to know what you have to say to us. Oh God, speak to us and show us yourself. That's the great message of Deuteronomy chapter 32, and that's the great purpose of doctrine.  False Teachings and Doctrines The last mention of the word doctrine is found in Revelation 2, in the church age, in the letters to the seven churches, and it says in Revelation 2 24, But I say unto you and unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden. So here we have the exact opposite. Here we have. A refe