By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." - NIV
Paul, an old man and prisoner for the gospel, is soon dying. These words are among his last to his son Timothy. He charged him to preach the WORD in all seasons, using it to correct, rebuke and encourage. He prophetically sees a time in which men will not endure sound doctrine of the word, but will gather for themselves teachers who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear and not what they need to hear. Such is the way out of the truth into error. All such actions are driven by their own desires, no longer seeking the will of God even though they use His name.
How true this is in our day! To many professing God’s name, the issue is no longer about what the truth of God’s word is, but what they can get out of it to suit their desires. The gathering of teachers follows what they want to hear. And the teachers also know what their listeners want to hear, and will give it, to their gain. This has led to gross misappropriation of God’s word to portray what it was never meant to mean. Unfortunately, Scripture is used to justify anything ill intentioned false gospel ministers want to give their eager listeners!
The purpose of sound doctrine is to keep us on track in God, transforming us into Christ’s image. It will rebuke and correct, directing us to the narrow, sometimes long path of God’s will. This will antagonize our pleasure seeking and easy life of the flesh. And Satan can’t fail to give those shortcuts to easy life, but at a cost to ones soul! It is incumbent upon each one who truly wants to live God’s way, to sieve what they hear, rightly preach and live by the word, sharp as it can be. Therein is our safety in these perilous times.
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Shalom children of God.