Sound Teaching
Scripture:
2 Timothy 4:3-5 (NLT)
3 For a time is coming when people
will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their
own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their
itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and
chase after myths.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in
every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling
others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
Devotion
What
Paul claims as a future event “for a time is coming.” I declare to you is a
present situation. Our world is going after false teachers and false ideas at
an ever-increasing rate. Examples abound all around us. What I am saying here
is not a complaint against the world in which we live. For we should expect
them to go into deeper and deeper delusions as time goes by because they have
no standard of truth to guide them in the right way.
No,
I am unfortunately talking about those who claim the title, Christian. In our
21st century environment those who claim to follow Jesus are falling
for the lies our culture is spewing out daily. We as a church have neglected
teaching the true doctrine of God leaving our folks to fall prey to all kinds
of false religions. When Christians are polled by Gallup or Barna or some other
reputable polling agency they find very little difference between Christians
and non-Christians on a whole host of issues.
The
issues that trip these “Christians” up starkly shows how we have failed at
discipleship in the modern church. Not only do they give wrong answers on
matters of cultural contention, for example: sex and gender issues, abortion,
and life issues. Over two thirds believe that Jesus was not God but just a good
moral teacher, high percentages express doubts on such main teachings as the
resurrection of Jesus, and salvation by faith alone.
What
to do about such deficiencies? First, we must begin with cleaning our own
house. Christian Pastors and teachers must follow Paul’s teaching in these
verses and offer sound teaching on the main tenants of the Christian faith. The
leaders of the church must be living examples of solid Biblical living.
(Believing the right things is a start but not the full answer.) In matters of
cultural importance leaders must show courage to speak and to live according to
the teaching of the Bible and not be drawn into the culture’s lies. Most
importantly, the church must be compassionate toward a world that does not know
right from wrong anymore. We must teach and live in such a way that Christ is honored,
and people are offered Christ as their savior from this culture’s depravity.
Prayer:
Lord
lead us in your ways. May our speech and actions be full of love for you and for
our neighbor. Help us to have our walk match our talk on issues vital to our
communities. Speaking truth to power. Acting in love toward our neighbor.
Living as Christ would have us live in the world. False and deceptive teaching
will not go away on its own, we must evict it by the power of the most high God
wherever we find it. Amen
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