Me:  Haley, Prodigal is on your head…

 

Prodigal:  Shhh, she didn’t know I was there and I was going to see how long it would take before she found me.

 

Me:  I think the secret is out now.  You can both stay though and I will share with you some thoughts today.

 

Prodigal:  Sure just let me climb down and then we can begin.

 

I will be quoting from R.C. Sproul today from the book 5 things Every Christian Needs to Grow.

 

Paul wrote, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived”  (2 Timothy 3:12-13).  Because Paul was suffering for the gospel, it was only natural for him to speak of persecution.  He told Timothy that persecution is the lot of every Christian and the Christian community.  Believers must expect it.  And what is more, he said, it was not going to get better.  Paul was saying to Timothy:  “Things are going to get worse and worse, and people are going to come along who are imposters, who will seek to defraud you, to lead you into falsehood, people who will deceive the people of God.  But they themselves are deceived.”

Deception through distortion of the truth of God is a major problem that confronts every generation and every Christian community.  For this reason, the apostle, following after Jesus, was profoundly concerned that Christian people be solidly rooted and grounded in truth, so that they might not be deceived and led astray by false teaching.  He wanted Timothy to be fully equipped in the things of God and in the teachings of Scripture so he would be able to resist such deceptions.

 

We do not follow people, we follow the word of God.  People can be led a stray by sin.  That is why we always follow the word of God which is consistent.

 

2 Timothy 4

3:  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4:  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

 

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org