THE SUNDAY SERMON

Scratching Those Itchy Ears
by OneVike

Whenever I grab a book to read and sit on the couch, I can always count on my dog to come over and jump up and settle next to me. Just about the time I kick back to relax she lays her head on my lap and gives me that look. Oh how good she is at letting me know what she wants. It is something that will inevitably lull her into a calm relaxed state of mind until I think she has fallen asleep, that is, until I stop pampering her and pick my book to start reading. That’s when she pushes her head towards me as she attempts to take my mind off my reading again. Oh, I’ll usually indulge her for a bit longer, but if I really want to read my book, I just have to ignore her until she gets bored. Eventually she gets the message and gets down off the couch to go find someone else to scratch those itchy ears.

Now this article is not really about dogs, and it is not about the dermatological problems with their ears. What it is about, is the way humans, like dogs, are always looking for someone to satisfy their needs.

The world is replete with motivational speakers like Tony Robbins who can convince others to go out and grasp the bull by the horns and accomplish things they themselves do not believe they can do. In the secular world, some of these motivational speakers can command upwards to a million dollars for a short seminar. People also buy their books adding more to their millions.

Christians also have their version of motivational speakers who offer Biblical truths as they guide their congregations in the way Christ taught. Of course we don’t call them motivational speakers we call them pastors. In addition to motivating his congregation, a pastor has other jobs he is required to do. Some of the many hats he wears are those of a spiritual leader, an administrator, a marriage councilor, a babysitter, a teacher, and many other important hats that he needs to wear depending upon the needs of his flock. However, there is no hat more important to his job then that of a teacher. In listing the gifts of grace according to the measure of Christ, Paul told the Ephesians that one of these gifts is to be a pastor/teacher. (Ephesians 4:11) A pastors most important mission is to teach, and a good pastor teaches as Christ would, regardless of what other hat he is wearing at the time. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul tells him to “Preach the Word!” He goes on to tell him that a time is coming when men will grow weary of the old plain gospel of Christ, and that they will be more inclined to listen to teachers who will tell them what they want to hear.(2Timothy 4:1-4)

The days we live in now, are the times Paul warned Timothy about almost 2000 years ago. Like the secular motivational speakers who sell what the audience wants to buy, there are pastors who bring in millions of dollars a year selling their audience what it is they want to hear. The modern day American church has a wide range of teachers who fill their churches with very diverse crowds. Depending upon what the church goer is looking for, they can find any of a number of churches with a pastor who can make them feel comfortable with their understanding or misunderstanding of the Scriptures. The pastors who feed their congregations what it is they want to hear, while fleecing them for millions of dollars a year are the very teachers Paul wrote about in his epistle.

These charismatic pastors have tens of thousands of members in their multimillion dollar cathedrals, and while most pastors across America make a meager living depending on what the church can afford to pay them, many of these false teachers Paul warned us about can make more money then the best secular motivational speakers around. One would expect these well paid preachers to be highly educated theologically, and that their congregations would be some of the best-fed sheep in the world. Unfortunately that is not the case, because when you look at what they are teaching, you would be hard pressed to find Scripture that agrees with their teachings. Fact is, many big money pastors are only telling their congregation what their itchy ears want to hear, not what they need to hear.

One of these teachers who likes to scratch itchy ears is (Tony Campolo). Mr. Campolo is one of Christianity’s most well-known evangelists who is doing the Gospel of Jesus Gospel of Jesus Christ a grave disservice with his twisted belief of the Scriptures, socialist political analysis, and poisenous theology. There are many teachings by Mr. Campolo that make him a heretic when it comes to teaching God’s word. One of these herecy’s that he believes and teaches, is (Universalism). The idea that there are many ways to gain salvation. In his 1994 book, “Partly Right”, Campolo writes, “In each of us is a divine nature of such, that God sacrificed His own Son so that our divine potentialities might be realized” What? Campolo believes and teaches the oldest lie in the book, that man is divine, thus equal to God. This is the same lie Satan told Eve to deceive her into eating the forbidden fruit from the “Tree of Knowledge of good and evil”(Genesis 2:15-17). Satan told Eve that the moment she eats the fruit her eyes would be open and she would be like God. (Genesis 3:1-6)As Jesus told the Pharisees, Mr. Campolo embodies the very nature of his own father Satan himself. (John8:44) There is a reason the MSM loves to interview and use Mr. Camplo as an authority on Christianity, it’s because he scratches their itchy ears also. You will never see the MSM asking for my opinion on God’s word, because I’m not going to scratch their ears by telling them what they want to hear.

Keneth Copeland is another multimillionaire preacher who is very influential in his speaking, and has the ability to get people excited. If you listen to Kenneth Copeland with any amount of discernment and biblical knowledge, it will take a very short amount of time to be shocked and disgusted by some of the outrageous statements he makes in order to excite the listener into sending him their money. Copeland is one of the many charismatic“Word of Faith” teachers. The Word of Faith is a blend of mysticism, dualism, and gnosticism that borrows generously from the teachings of the metaphysical cults. The Word of Faith movement may be the most dangerous false system that has grown out of the charismatic movement so far. Copeland has a long history of making heretical statements like, “You don’t have a God in you. You are one!” (The Force of Love audiotape) & “God spoke Adam into existence in authority with words. These words struck Adam’s body in the face. His body and God were exactly the same size.”(Holy Bible, Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition 1991, 45, emphasis in original)

Another great modern day preacher is Joel Osteen. Mr. Osteen is the senior pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston Texas, which boasts a staggering 35,000 members in attendance each week along with a weekly television program that is viewed by millions around the world. Mr. Osteen is another one of the ‘Word of faith” teachers along with the likes of Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyers, Robert Schuller , Kenneth Hagin, and many others. Next time you hear someone preaching the gospel of prosperity, remember that Paul told the Galatians, that even if an angel or himself comes and preaches any other gospel to them let those who would, be accursed.(Galatians 1:8-9) I have many problems with Osteen’s messages, but limited space to write about them. So let’s just look at the transcripts of an interview he had with Larry King. You will notice that Joel uses the phrase “I don’t know” 8 times when pressed about his knowledge of very clear Biblical teachings. When asked if Muslim’s, atheist, or homosexuals will make it to heaven he just said I don’t think about that. Excuse me? God clearly states that we should not only think about it, but that we should warn them that their behavior is will not allow for them to inhert the kingdom of God. In (1 Corinthians 16:9-10), Paul wrote about those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, and they are the very ones whom Osteen would rather not think about. The difference in Christ and these false prophets of Universalism is that the Son of God told us that without repentance and the receiving of Him as LORD and savior, we can expect hell to be our eternal abode for ever with all the rebels of God. (Matthew 4:17), (Luke 13:3-5), (Revelations 20:15) etc. Christ is the one and only way to Heaven and the name of “Jesus” is the only name under Heaven whereby “we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus said in (John 14:16), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

When pastors and teachers change the message so that it is no longer a stumbling block to the Jews or foolishness to the gentiles, then they are no longer teaching the Gospel of Christ. We must not change the message to gain followers, because what we will end up having, is a church full of people who are followers of a new message. We must stick to the same message that has been presented for 2000 years and then we will gain followers of Christ. So all of you who are going to the quacks just to get your itchy ears scratched, need to see the Great Physician who will permanently cure you of that itch.