I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV
Look around you. There is an evangelist out there that will tell you whatever you want to hear. If you want to drink and get drunk, they will tell you that’s okay. If you want to be homosexual, they will tell you that’s okay. If you want to dance naked in the streets, they will tell you that’s okay. Whatever you want to hear, you can find it out there. But therein lies the problem. You see, it’s not about what we want to hear. It’s about what God tells us. When we fail to adhere to God’s words and fail to seek to obey God’s commands, we set ourselves up for failure.
Many people today are out there church shopping. They want to find a church that can work with their sin and their schedules so they are in no way inconvenienced. They want to go to church so we can pat themselves on the back and feel good about the fact that we devoted 45 minutes to the Lord this week. Woo Hoo! I know this because I used to be one of those people. I have often heard it said that if you find the perfect church, don’t join it. You will just mess it up.
If you are church shopping, these are some things you need to consider before choosing your church home and family. The most important thing is to get in there and find out who’s running the church. Is it being run by the Holy Spirit and being guided by Jesus? Or, are one or two people trying to run everything. What is being taught there? Do the teachings in the classrooms line up with God’s word? What is being preached there? Does the preacher try to tickle everyone’s ears and tell them what they want to hear or does his preaching line up with God’s Holy Word? Check the teaching and preaching with scripture to be sure that it lines up and that there is no addition or deletion going on (Deuteronomy 4:2). Is there a focus on keeping God’s commands and pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly?
If you are looking to get your ears tickled, you can certainly achieve that in many churches today. Many churches don’t want to offend anyone because they want those tithes and offerings to keep flowing in. But if your toes aren’t getting stepped on from time and time, if you never leave with any conviction in your heart, you might want to be concerned. You might want to shop for a church where the pastor steps on your toes from time to time. You might want to get to some place where you sometimes squirm in your seat. You see, it’s not good to have sugary treats all the time. We have to have regular servings of vegetables.
Our pastor often encourages us to check his preaching to be sure that it lines up with the Bible. He is not afraid to offend us with the truth found in God’s word. He’s not concerned with tickling our ears and I thank God for that and for him. I thank God that I get a good dose of truth three times a week. I thank God for preachers that are still willing to preach His word even if it makes some of us uncomfortable. Our pastor often tells us that the acronym JOY is also the way to joy and it is by putting Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.
This is what our church attendance should be about, putting Jesus first and serving Him through serving the needs of others. We should be putting ourselves last. If we are in a good Bible teaching church, our lives will reflect this. If you are not in church at all, then I beg of you to find one that preaches the truth and join right in. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord (Psalm 122:1).
If you are hungry for God’s word and thirsting for the truth, get involved with a church that challenges you to abide by the commandments that God has set forth in His word. You will be so glad you did.
Have a great day!