Hello everyone and welcome back! Last year we had so many awesome things going on with this podcast and my numbers keep growing thanks to all of you! This year, I have some big things to work out to bring even more awesome episodes for this year. 

Today, we will again address a problem that we as children of God need to fix in the church. You may be wondering "Why did you name this "One Weak link..." Well, I recently watched a new musical called "The Prince of Egypt" based on the movie. While the movie was not completely biblically accurate, it maintained some truths that the original movie did preserve. The musical, however, seemed to be getting almost everything that the movie covered until the end... Rameses did go after the Israelites but after talking with Moses, He changed his mind to let the Israelites pass through the Red Sea without pursuit,  but as we know based on Exodus, Rameses and the Egyptian armies died because the sea closed! This is just a minor example of what happens when we are not paying attention to things that are going on inside the church. While I know Musical Theater isn't the church, it does show that, as one of the musical's songs put it "One weak link can break the strongest chain."  

Let's look at the warning Timothy gives us in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 

"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." That hits hard! We live in a culture where anything that makes one uncomfortable, or we don't agree with, is offensive, and the one who made that person uncomfortable should be shamed. I believe we are living in the times Paul describes in these verses to Timothy. One of the best examples is the split that many churches are going through over the LGBTQIA+ movement. Some churches are ready to scratch the ears of this generation and twist the Word of God to make that movement acceptable to God. Some even go as far as to have a "preacher" who is actively participating in an LGBTQIA+ lifestyle. Sounds a lot like what these verses describe...doesn't it? How about some TV and internet preachers? Some of them are scratching their viewer's ears by saying things like "God wants you to be happy, healthy, and wealthy...and that is according to the world's standards...not God's. As a person with no job at the moment, where is my wealth? I mean, anyone who wants to have joy, wealth, and health is going to accept Jesus but not repent which is required for salvation. Even in a relationship with Jesus, there is no guarantee of having this world's idea of wealth and happiness.   What about ''church hoppers" who start attending one church but if something makes them uncomfortable, or they simply don't like it,  they hop on over to a new church? I could go on and on but the biggest problem is that we are turning from solid, Biblical theology because it makes us uncomfortable or we don't like how it makes us feel. But I would question why we would need the Bible if it only said to do what you are comfortable doing! It's not always comfortable doing the right thing. Why? Because it goes against our human nature. As Christians, we aren't supposed to look or act like the world! Do you think that's comfortable? No! But it's what we are supposed to do! 

Now we know that lies that itch our ears are sneaking into churches, but how do we find where and what the lies are? Well, Proverbs 18:15 says: "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out." Don't you just love it when scripture is that clear? The fun thing is I normally ask the question and then I find a verse that answers it! It's so cool because it feels like having a conversation with God! Getting back to the verse, part of the problem here is as Charles Spurgeon puts it, "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”  (At this point in the video version, I will use an illustration to demonstrate Charles Spurgeon's quote. Don't forget to watch it!😉📺) 

The real way to grow in our knowledge of Truth is to read the only truth we can fully rely on, The Bible! If churches fully rely on the Bible and seek God's Truth and not just what looks like the truth, they will be teaching what they are supposed to be teaching. The biggest problem is when we use a verse without using the context! I almost put the verse I just used in without looking at the context, but I felt uneasy about using it until I knew where it came from, and where it was going. While the verse was in context and the fact remains, It could have been discussing something else, something that was important to know, and I could have missed it. Looking at the full chapter, I better know that it talks a lot about the things that fools do and the things that the wise do. Context is everything because not only does it help you understand the verse or passage better, but it helps you get more out of the verse! 

To wrap up, Let's look at one more verse in Proverbs: Proverbs 25:12 "Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold, is a wise reprover to a listening ear." Amen! This is saying when someone is wise or when the Word of God corrects you, when you are ready to listen it is so rich. When you aren't receptive, wisdom is worth nothing... like trash. It becomes like throwing diamonds away in the garbage, just because you didn't see them. Let me put it this way, Wisdom when you are ready to receive it, is like honey to a hoarse voice but, when you aren't, it's like giving it to a baby which as we know, is a no-go.

Thank you so much for reading the first episode of the year! Don't forget to share it with someone you think will give a read or a listen, and we will see you next month, See you then!