Recently, a woman who passed in front of our building came in to inquire about the church. She seemed sincere, telling me, “I saw this church, and, being a Christian, figured it would be better to attend a church close to home. So I just decided to come in and see if your doctrine matches what I believe.”
So, I explained who we are, but, she didn’t look satisfied. I offered that she could ask questions, and I could answer them, and then we could have a brief study. She seemed satisfied with that, but will she return?
Afterward, I thought about what she said: “I decided to come in and see if your doctrine matches what I believe.” Perhaps she meant it differently, but yet she never mentioned anything about the Bible. She wanted to see if we conformed to her beliefs, and if not, she would go elsewhere. We had to pass the ultimate test, but what was this test? What the Bible or Jesus taught? No, not necessarily. Our beliefs had to match hers, as though hers were final. She wasn’t intending to come to be taught about God. She wanted to hear what she desired to hear.
2 Timothy 4:1-4: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 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.”