3 For the time will come when men 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.
I have to admit that there have been times when I have sought certain kinds of teaching to meet my current need. But I must also admit that the teaching I sought was not a trendy, new teaching. I looked for solid, verse by verse, expository preaching, preaching where the preacher read the Scriptures, explained what it meant to the first hearers and then applied that teaching to our lives. I wanted and needed a full meal, not just a quick appetizer or a fluffy dessert. My soul needed everything a full meal could provide. I needed the Word preached by a real person who knew me and cared about me. I needed a group of people who were fellow travelers on this walk of faith, who were also struggling and overcoming. I needed more than a spiritual chat room experience. I needed someone to look me in the eye, ask how they could pray for me, and then pray for me as they put their hand on my shoulder. I needed someone to be there the next week to check up on me and see how I was doing. I needed more than a screen name to ask the question. I needed a full human being. It is too easy to ‘sign off’ when we don’t like what someone IMs us. In order to grow, we must hear some unpleasant and uncomfortable things about ourselves from time to time, usually more often than we actually do. The Truth does confront our self-proclaimed truths, the lies we tell ourselves and each other so that we feel more comfortable about ourselves. We need to be uncomfortable with our sin. And a screen name is not going to be able to ‘get to you’ the way someone with skin and blue eyes is going to be able to address you. I know that I am old, that many younger people thrive on their high-tech ‘friendships’, but I want to present the challenge of full and deep friendships, not mere acquaintances. Go for depth of friendship, not simply breadth.
The Arnold Journey 