Scripture
2Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4:2-4
Observation
Preaching the word of God to people who don’t want to hear it is a great way to get cancelled these days. If the goal is to make fans of yourself then it’s easy for a minister to pick and choose what they speak on to scratch the “itching ears.’ If the goal is to make followers of Jesus through discipleship then it requires the whole word of God. It requires teaching through the passages that bring correction and rebuking as well as encouragement and that is, by and large, being rejected these days. Biblical scholar Clark defines “itching ears” as “Endless curiosity, an insatiable desire of variety; and they get their ears tickled with the language and accent of the person, abandoning the good and faithful preacher for the fine speaker.” Today, most people, including many Christians, prefer their fantasies and fables to be left intact. There’s no room for correction or conviction in a cancel culture. There’s no room for absolute truth in a culture driven by subjective narratives that feed the ego. The thinking is that if what God’s Word says doesn’t line up with my personal mantra, my chosen identity, “my truth”, then it’s God’s Word that must change, not me.
Application
Speaking of fantasy, many people love Disneyland because they do such an incredible job at fulfilling the fantasy, mastering the myth, and fulfilling the fables that we have all grown up loving. In fact, they do such a good job at it that we are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars per person to keep that bubble from bursting. One of the ways they do this is through the use of paint. They will paint bright colors on what they want their park guests to notice and muted colors on what they want them to ignore. For instance, “Go away green”, as it’s been coined, is used on items like fencing, fire hydrants, pipes and trash cans. It can also be seen on the buildings that keep the “fun” places running. “It’s a grayish green that is designed to blend into its surroundings,” explains one of the hosts of Lifetime’s Design Spaces channel. “The goal of this color is to cause objects to fade into your color spectrum so that your eye misses it completely.” I read this and realized this is exactly how people would prefer the Word of God. Let it fade into the background and be available if and when we need it. We don’t want to know how everything is meant to run and operate because those details cramp our personal liberties and burst our fantasy bubbles, right? Weren’t we told in the Pandemic that gathering as a Church wasn’t essential? Well, 50% of those who used to attend never came back because that line of thinking worked well to preserve the fantasy that we are the masters of our fate and the captains of our soul and the kings of our Magic Kingdoms. Lord knows, we don’t need Lord Jesus coming in and shining His light of truth through His Word on our well crafted and meticulously designed fantasies. Meanwhile, as many choose to paint The Gospel in “Go Away Green” Paul writes, “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” (2 Tim. 4:5). In other words, our job is to continue to paint God’s Word in the bold red of His blood so that all who see it must choose how they will respond. What’s the best way to do this? Actually practice what we preach, live what we say we believe, and continue to abide in God’s Word every day! Speaking of that, if you’d like to embark on a summer of scripture, start this Saturday, July 1st, as it marks the official halfway point of 2023. Here’s the Life Journal Reading program we use at TFH.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for where I have been led by itching ears rather than a heart hungry for Your truth and presence above all else. Forgive me for the times where I, as a minister of Your Gospel, have truncated the truth to be more pleasing to those who were listening. Forgive me for the times where I worked to preserve my myths of control rather than submitting to You as the Master and Lord of my life. I give you everything of insecurity and pride in me that just wants everyone to like me. You haven’t called me to make fans of me, but to make disciples of You.
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