Paul the apostle was probably the greatest missionary evangelist who ever walked this earth, other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Timothy 4:2-5, he sums up his life’s story and encourages a young preacher in these four verses. He starts in verse 5 with a warning to Timothy concerning all the things that will face him in the ministry; “Watch thou in all things.” Simply said, is, Timothy, keep your guard up, don’t get careless, but be aware of what’s going on around you as it relates to the gospel of Christ.
He challenged Timothy in verse 2, to preach the word at a moment’s notice, whether popular or not (in season, out of season), and to be constant, consistent and doctrinal. Then, in verse 3, 4; he is told why to keep faithfully at it: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; (sound doctrine is Biblical knowledge designed to produce knowledgeable believers, who understand their purpose, authority and freedom in Christ, and to identify those who don’t.) Sound Biblical truth is hard to swallow if you’re not right with God. So, what will they do? Paul gives the answer in the last part of verse 3 and 4: “but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” They’ll want someone to tickle their ears, tell them what they want to hear, and make them feel goodaboutthemselves,whensound biblical doctrine teaches exactly the opposite. Only solid scriptural truth, accepted, can keep someone on the right track.
In verse 4, Paul continues his warning. He basically said, unless the word is preached consistently with conviction and biblical correctness, here’s what will happen, and I feel it is already prevalent in America: “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” The word of God has been so watered down in our society that nothing is a sin anymore. There are over 100 different Bible versions, and they all say something different. (If it’s not the same, it’s different) This causes confusion, and God is not the author of that. There’s not much hell fire and brimstone preaching in our Churches today; therefore there is no conviction of sin. God, prayer and the 10 commandments have been expelled from most public school systems, government institutions, and is absent from many homes, and Churches.
Paul warned Timothy at the beginning of verse three the very thing we’re dealing with today; “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” I’ll conclude this article where I started in verse 5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions.” The Christian life has always been and always will be a life of sacrifice and suffering for the true saint of God. Jesus set the example, and we are to follow his steps. There will be afflictions.
C.T. Studd, missionary to China in the mid 1880’s while challenging men to surrender to God’s call to the mission field said, “The romance of a missionary is often made up of monotony and drudgery; there often is no glamour in it; it doesn’t stir a man’s spirit or blood. So don’t come out to be a missionary as an experiment; it is useless and dangerous. Only come out if you feel you would rather die than not come. Don’t come if you want to make a great name or want to live long. Come if you feel there is no greater honor, after living for Christ, than to die for him.”