Observations:
I asked myself what 3 warnings do we need to be aware of from God's Word?

I love how God's Word gives us 3 warnings for our time in the 21st century:
1. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
2. For the time will come when people will do things to suit their own desires.
3. For the time will come when people will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Today, I decided to look at warning 3.

I asked myself what is the significance of reading 'they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear?'

When people gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear, there is a great danger of deception because to suit their own desires, they will not put up with sound doctrine.

I saw important implications for my own life here. I should not ever desire to be part of a church where I get a feel good message that goes against sound doctrine of Scripture. For when a message a pastor or elder gives goes against sound doctrine of Scripture, deception has already entered the church congregation. I need to remember that anyone that desires to stay in that congregation is not staying to receive the infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God but are probably staying to involve their itching ears for selfish reasons. When that happens desires will be taken over by deception, defying doctrine. I don't want that and neither should you.

When I go to church, I should go to hear what the Word of God says regardless of how it will make me feel. If I am uneasy what I hear from God's Word, that means the Lord is working in me to bring about change. I should not resist it. I need the Lord's help to make change a reality. God's servants who exposite God's Word are not chosen so they can always give what congregation members WANT but what they NEED. The need needs to be based on God's Word.

When preaching of God's Word takes paramount, no topic is off limits if it is mentioned in God's Word. We have to receive it and make application in our lives. The Lord knows what we are going through and He sends messengers our way to speak to us from His Word. It is not only important to hear the Word but put the Word to practice.

When was the most recent time you can remember that your pastor gave a sermon on ABORTION,  ABUSE, ADULTERY, ANGER, ATHIESM?

What about ETHNOCENTRISM, EVIL, EUTHANASIA, EVOLUTION?

What about FOES, FORNICATION?

What about GAMBLING?

What about HEDONISM, HELL, HOMOSEXUALITY?

What about IDOLATRY?

What about MULTIETHNICITY?

What about  PORNOGRAPHY, PREJUDICE, PROSTITUTION? 

What about RACISM, RACIAL RECONCILIATION?

What about SEXISM?

There are so many more topics that the Bible talks about and we need to hear those topics exposited from Scripture.

If I have been part of a church for a long time and I never hear these topics preached about from the pulpit using God's Word, I need to wonder why?

If I sense it is because a pastor is giving what his congregation members want to hear instead of what they need to hear from God's Word, it is time that I move on. Thankfully, I do not have to do that because through the years, different pastors have addressed some of these issues if it comes up in the book of the Bible they are preaching from. I want to stay at a church where the pastor preaches a sermon from God's Word that makes me uncomfortable if I am deviating from God's Word. If I am in the wrong according to God's Word, no pastor should be telling me, 'It's okay to deviate'. On the contrary, whether I like it or not, I need to be told, if I am deviating from God's Word.

Recently, I was blessed to teach a Sunday School lesson from God's Word on 'Rejecting Favoritism and Embracing Multiethnicity'.

 I was really convicted of my wrong doing that happened two years ago when I saw junior pastor Paul rebuke senior pastor Peter and assistant pastor Barnabas publicly in front of the congregation members in Galatians 2:11-14. What touched me is how Peter took the rebuke in humility. No where does it say senior pastor Peter separated ways after junior pastor Paul rebuked them.

Senior Pastor Peter could have thought to himself that he spent 3 years walking with Jesus while junior pastor Paul was actually a persecutor of Christians and never personally walked with Jesus except having an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus but was responsible for Stephens death when he was Saul of Tarsus.

Senior Pastor Peter could have easily let the deception of pride and itching ears get to him and say, 'How dare you come into my church and criticize me?' But Senior Pastor Peter did no such thing. Instead, he listened to the Truth of the Gospel.

Two years ago, when we moved into a new place, the Lord sent two people to speak to me about issues that needed to be corrected. Sadly, I was very angry and bitter about the meeting because one of them did not tell me anything my itching years wanted to hear. On the contrary, they came into our house and rebuked me in front of my wife. They told me what I needed to hear but I was not willing to listen. So, I became very defensive. 

I share this with you because if I had in humility listened and acted upon the rebuke, things may have looked a lot different in our lives today. Instead, I was deceived by the enemy falling into his trap of deception.

This is what happens when we let our desires control us over the doctrine of God's Word. When I say doctrine, I don't mean religiosity but following God's Word diligently so I don't fall into deception.

I ask you now dear friend, how can you fight D.E.C.E.P.T.I.O.N in your life?
Dear friend, there is a lot of deception in this world. This deception can be made to look like truth that our itching ears want to hear. But, we need to beware of that. What we need is not to look for many great teachers who will say what our itching ears want to hear. But, what we need is preachers and teachers of God's Word who will give us the Truth of the Gospel. What we need is believing the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God that addresses every facet of life. This is how we can fight deception in our lives.

When I used to meet with Pastor Ed, Pastor Hugo, Pastor Bucknell, Pastor Josh, Pastor Mike, and Edwin, I am so thankful as I reflect on those meetings that they rarely ever told me what my itching years wanted to hear but they always pointed me to what the Gospel says and the Truth of God's Word. If I even had put some of those things into practice, I feel that life would have been totally different these days but the Lord is merciful and gracious even in our sufferings.

When I go to church, I need to remember that I am part of the body of Christ. There could be a message from Scripture that I hear that could be used to help me or help someone else.

Of what our family is going through right now, I was so blessed to hear Elder Calvin's sermon knowing God can even use our mistakes and shortcomings and still accomplish His purposes in our life. Right now after writing this sentence, the song, 'God will make a way when there seems to be no way, God will make a way for me' came. Thank you Jesus! 

I am reminded of Psalm 138:8 where it says, "The Lord will work out His plans for my life--for your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. Don't abandon me--for you made me." Thank you Jesus! 

Friend, we fight deception with God's Word, for it is so powerful given for you and me. It is His Word that can direct us and lead us. It is His Word that can empower, enable, encourage, equip, and exhort  us to move to higher ground. This means His Word can make us feel good too, so there is nothing wrong with feel good sermons in line with God's Word. But, let us not forget we need sermons that challenge us and move us to action too. We need sermons that don't agree with us when we are wrong.

I have been blessed to have heard sermons from Pastor Ed, Pastor Hugo, Pastor Mike, Pastor Bucknell, and Pastor Josh that have stuck to the Words of Scripture whether I liked to hear them or not. They did not just give sermons that my itching ears wanted to hear but what I needed to hear many times. Now, I am blessed to be hearing sermons from Pastor Terence, Pastor Jesse, Pastor Lake, Pastor Ridge and Elder Calvin.

Friend, let the Word of the Lord guide you and lead you for it is the Pittsburgh Standard for Living and beyond.  

"How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. I have tried my best to find you--don't let me wander off from your instructions. I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin." (Psalm 119:9-11, TLB)

"For whatever God says to us is full of living power, it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are. He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done." (Hebrews 4:12-13, TLB)

"The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God's way of making us well prepared at every point fully equipped to do good to everyone." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, TLB)

"I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress." (Psalm 32:8, TLB)

May you know with Jesus, you can deception escape carefully everyday, prayerfully trusting Immanuel's omnipotent nurture!

"Deception Escape Carefully Everyday, Prayerfully Trusting Immanuel's Omnipotent Nurture! (D.E.C.E.P.T.I.O.N)/"How can you fight D.E.C.E.P.T.I.O.N in your life?"

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word. Please Oh Lord continue to raise churches in the Pittsburgh area and beyond that will faithfully preach your Word without any topic being off limits. Let us hear Your Word faithfully insteading of wanting to hear what our itching ears want to hear. We need to hear from you Lord. Please help us Lord!  Thank you for your Word for it is the Pittsburgh Standard for Living and beyond! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!