When my girls were young they loved to go to Canal Street in New York and get the knock off purses. As they got older they realized that while the shell looked similar to the "real" thing it was not alike. The stitching was not always straight, the leather was not soft, the zipper did not move with ease, etc. If we can tell a real purse from a fake purse should we not know sound doctrine from selfish desires?
There are many scary things out there right now from churches saying "we have misinterpreted scripture all these years" to some even saying that Jesus may not have been resurrected. Personal agendas are the priority. It is OUR responsibility to know what is going on! Whether you are reading my blog, listening to your Sunday School teacher or your pastor, it is our responsibility for our interpretation of Scripture. I trust my pastor and believe that our beliefs align but I cannot do that without knowing God’s Word.
The following Scripture was written so many years ago and it speaks of a time such as this. 2 Timothy 4: 3-5, "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. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."
We were told to keep our heads in all situations. We do not want to be a stumbling block to others or to future generations. Are we listening to sound doctrine? We want to be able to say the same thing Paul said at the end of his life. 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."