Do You Have Blinders On?

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV)

Do you believe in God? I mean, really believe in God. I pray you do. I pray that you are not just doing what someone else does because it seems cool or sounds like something “you could believe in.” Maybe you believe in this god because your parents raised you in a certain kind of denomination, but is that god really THE God of the Bible? Maybe your family members are Buddhists, Jewish, or Muslim. Is your salvation brought on by what the Bible tells us, faith in Christ, or is your salvation based on faith in Christ plus something else?

Do you unquestioningly believe what teachers of the Word tell you, or do you seek out the truth? When you see someone preach, do you read along in the Bible with them when they quote scripture? When I preach, I ensure people follow along and do not blindly trust me. When I write something on this page, do you think, “Let me see if that is true?” I hope you do. Do you seek out the truth in the Words of God? I am thankful for Brother Jerry; he keeps me honest and confirms my thoughts and writings. He questions me if something is not clear or sounds off. We who speak the Word of God are held responsible before God for what we teach. A severe prospect not to be taken lightly.

Understanding God is serious. I do not write on this page because I like to write. Brother Jimmy does not write on this page, so he sees his name online. We do it because people’s eternities are at stake if they do not know Christ. You must know where you are going. People take this too lightly. Many do not want to listen to something other than what they know. Some want to hear what they believe in their minds, what they made up, or what society says they should believe.

If you are not familiar with the Bible, you will have no idea what destinations are possible when you die. Two places exist, one you want to be in and the other in which you will suffer forever. When you stand before God, and all of us will, will it be with love in your eyes or terror? “Will you think, "My God, you are more majestic than I imagined I am your servant," or will it be, oh no, they were all right, and I did not listen.” I do not want that for anyone. It breaks my heart to think that some will go to hell, plain and simple. I wake in the middle of the night and think about this. Sometimes, I am up and cannot stop thinking about it; no more sleep that night, only prayer and the Word.

There are so many lies being told today by so many false teachers. You cannot help but stare at 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and see the world around you. Knowing God is so important, and necessary for each of us. Do you want your best life now, or do you want your best life for eternity? You have to be sure. I hate the lies and the shams, the workers of Satan leading people away from God. These false teachers exist as foretold in scripture.

I know people like the ones I described at the beginning of this post. I am sure you do as well. You, like me, have probably experienced the wall they have put up that blocks the Gospel. If they are close to you, you may have tried everything you can to make them see the truth. Do not give up. It is too important. Stop talking; words can often fall on deaf ears. Be the example, the salt, the light, the reflection of Christ they need to see to start dismantling that wall.

The more we grow in Christ, the more we read scripture, the more we reflect God to others, the more God sees the fruit of our salvation. This Christian life is not easy; although there are lies out there that say it is easy, it is not. But no matter what we face here, our eternity is more important. That eternity can start at any moment. Make sure you know the truth of the Gospel. Make sure those who lead you preach the true Gospel. If you have made a mistake in what you believe, repent and accept the true Gospel, accept Christ.

Lastly, if you do not know Christ, reach out to us, and we can try to help you find a church where the Gospel is preached in your area.

Peace and Grace!