"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
This was a timely reading--just yesterday at a bridal shower I was talking to one of the guests. She wanted to know a bit more about the denomination of the church I currently attend. It belongs to the PCA, Presbyterian Church in America. We started talking about Wheaton, how I appreciated the diversity of Christian practices among the students there, the difference between the PCA and the Southern Baptist Church I grew up in, etc. She was a former history major and talked about how it was interesting to see how different Christian groups split over theological issues and if you follow each branch how much they diverge over time. She thought one of the major issues was whether you still believed in "the supernatural"--that Jesus really did heal people and that it's not just a metaphor for helping others and an example that we should also help others. I talked a bit about a speaker who emphasized that we are saved through Jesus period, not Jesus plus works, right theology, nothing. I'm sure I will see people of many backgrounds in heaven. But this is because of God's grace and mercy and perhaps because we have accepted and live by some essential truth, but not because we have everything right. But it's certainly important to seek the truth as highlighted in these verses and to encourage others to also live by it.
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