2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NIV)
For the time will come when people 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.
The bible says a time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine and I believe the times spoken of are the times we are living in now. We live in the information age, an age where you can find any information you want at the click of a button and because of this, people are spoilt for choice. Many no longer want to hear sound doctrine especially if it touches on areas of their life that they would rather not deal with. Instead they would rather look for teachers who suit their own passions. The bible says they have itching ears. They do not want to hear the full council of God through His undiluted word instead they want a message that will sooth their ego, a message that will tell them that all is ok no matter what they do, after all God is a God of grace right?
We see a lot of people taken advantage of especially financially by men and women who have become masters at deception because they have realized that people do not read the word of God for themselves, many will depend on what the pastor will say and they will take that to be the gospel truth. This attitude has caused many to come up with their own doctrines that promise prosperity and peace and many have lost their hard earned cash for this.
Do you have itchy ears? Do you always look for teachers who will preach the kind of message that you want to hear?
Reflections
How would you determine if a message you hear is wholesome and healthy for your spiritual life? Do you have a “measuring stick?”
What is an example of a questionable teaching you have heard recently, what makes it questionable?
What must you do to ensure that you stay on the straight and narrow road that leads to life?
