For The Time Will Come....

I spend a portion of my time listening to or reading 'the other side,' as it were. I think it's necessary to keep somewhat current on what's going on in the "church" today. I use quotes because in reality, what's occurring out there in the Name of Christ little resembles His true Church.

I used to get extremely mad at the multitude of hirelings and false teachers who seemingly make up the majority of what's in the forefront of Christendom. You've got your Joel Osteen, your Ed Young, your T.D. Jakes, Perry Noble and others of their ilk. Then you've got your really sensational TV stars with the likes of Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch and Kenneth Copeland. Betwixt the two groups are thousands of smaller congregations with unknown 'pastors' who are nonetheless leading their flocks astray. I still do get mad at them, as well as fear for them, considering that as teachers they are in line for a stricter judgment. (James 3:1)

But along with my contempt for their antics and false doctrines come some mixed feelings of anger, perplexity and dread for their followers and congregants. Many times I see or hear only a paraphrased snippet from 2 Timothy 4:3 when I hear of these type of teachers being referred to as 'ear ticklers.' And indeed they are. But the rest of that passage is equally disturbing:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled , they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

They want their ears tickled; they will accumulate for themselves these kinds of teachers. They will turn away their own ears from the truth and will turn to myths. So who are "they" in this this passage? Chapter 3, verses 1-5 spell it out quite clearly: "They" are those who are lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Verses 6 -7 continue: among them are those who enter households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. People will do this to themselves, and THAT is a frightening prospect.

Charlatans, hucksters, false teachers and liars have been around since dirt, but they cannot attain to and keep their positions without the masses. They must have supporters to do what they do. Unfortunately, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the men listed above (and countless others) have amassed enormous followings.

It cannot be overly stressed how vital it is to learn, know, embrace and DEFEND sound biblical doctrine. I've heard it said that 'doctrine divides,' as if that's a bad thing. You bet doctrine divides; it separates the wheat from the chaff and those with itching ears from those who long to feast on the true meat of the inspired Word of God. In the Greek, doctrine simply means teaching or instruction. The teaching about God and the instruction on the Christian life is found in one place, and one place only: The Bible. If you are in Christ, you would do well to study God's Word for yourself and to sit under teachers/pastors who are obedient to their calling to equip the saints - SO that you will not be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. ( See Eph 4:1-14 )

There is so much more that could be said, but I will close and leave you with links to biblicaly sound sermons by men who accurately handle the word of truth and who have greatly influenced my thinking and perspectives:

Tom Pennington (my pastor) of Countryside Bible Church

Jim McClarty (my pastor if I ever move to TN) of Grace Christian Assembly

Matt Chandler (my former pastor) of The Village Church

Phil Johnson of Grace Life Pulpit