✝ Daily Encouragement (2/16/24) "The Pattern Of Sound Doctrine"

Published: Fri, 02/16/24

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Friday, February 16, 2024

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"The Pattern Of Sound Doctrine"

Message summary: Today the Church is in dire need of faithful proclaimers of sound doctrine, unswayed by emotional hype or by the patterns of this world and its passing fancies.

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"Hold on to the pattern of sound doctrine that you have heard from me" (2 Timothy 1:13). "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:3). "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine" (The apostle Paul to Titus in Titus 2:1)

This Sunday I will be teaching our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) a lesson on the importance of sound doctrine. I share teaching duties with several others and we are beginning a series studying our church's Statement of Faith.

As a young man of 21 right out of Bible college I got my "license to preach" as a minister in Southern Missouri and began my first pastorate in a little Ozark town named Fair Grove, MO about 18 miles north of Springfield. After our move to the northeast I was ordained to ministry on May 8, 1979 which was also our 3rd wedding anniversary.

At the service Phillip Bongiorno, our District Superintendent (seen left with us in photo at a minister's fellowship picnic about 6 years ago), read a solemn passage of Scripture verses from 2 Timothy. Pastor Bongiorno, who is still living, is a short Italian man who, prior to his conversion to Christ, had some mafia associations. He would often begin any message he preached with a brief testimony and inevitably wept as he shared it.

Standing in a long line with other ordinands I held my Bible and faced the congregation. It has become a lasting, memorable experience. Pastor Bongiorno didn't rush through the Scripture reading but slowly enunciated each phrase and sometimes a single word, pausing at times to let them sink in.

"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" (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

What a powerful Scripture selection; then, now and for all time! Today I especially consider the phrase, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine". I suppose to some extent that has always been true but it seems, in my nearly forty-five years of ministry as an ordained minister, that the ability to "endure sound doctrine" has diminished greatly.

What does that phrase mean, "endure sound doctrine (teaching)"?

Sound doctrine is established in Scripture. This pattern is fundamentally found in the changeless Word of God and has been expressed by the Church down through the centuries in creeds, catechisms and doctrinal statements. It is a declaration of what we believe.

We must endure due to the constant pull of the world to conform us to this world's pattern Romans 12:2. It takes great endurance to resist this pull to worldly conformity and stay faithful. The mission of the faithful minister of the Gospel in each generation is to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3). That is, obeying from our hearts, the pattern of sound teaching.

The Greek word for "sound" is "hugiaino" which gives us our English word "hygiene" which of course refers to "clean or healthy practices". It connotes healthy, sound, wholesome, free from flaw, defect or error and emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction.

Bible commentator Albert Barnes describes sound teaching as "words conducive to a due observance of the proprieties of life; doctrines leading to contentment, and sober industry, and the patient endurance of evils (trials)."

Today the Church is in dire need offaithful proclaimers of sound doctrine, not swayed by emotional hype or by the patterns of this world and its passing fancies. "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17).

A.W. Tozer, who died over 50 years ago, had such insight in the condition of the church (in his own time and looking to the future). He wrote, "Increasing numbers of [Christians] are becoming ashamed to be found unequivocally on the side of truth. They say they believe, but their beliefs have been so diluted as to be impossible of clear definition."

Let us resolve to faithfully follow and proclaim the pattern of sound doctrine as established in the Holy Scriptures! Paul challenged believers in Romans 6:17, "Obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed our allegiance". Let us do so today and all the days ahead that lead us to our future eternal home in heaven.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we as followers of Christ, must be careful to follow the Bible's pattern of sound teaching. At times we find ourselves arguing with Your truths and teaching from Scripture, our thoughts being at odds with Bible teaching that doesn't fit in with the views and lifestyles we're drawn to which are patterned after the world's thinking. Yet You are the Author of truth, You know that which will bring us good and that which will bring us harm. Help us not to read and interpret Scripture so that it aligns with our view point, instead we want to align our view point in accordance with the Scriptures. We want to love You with all our heart so that we will follow the pattern of sound doctrine and walk in accordance with the Scripture. Help us to do so through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Why is sound doctrine so important? from the gotquestions teaching site

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts" (Colossians 3:16).

We have attended a variety of churches throughout our lives. As chaplains we have had opportunities to minister in a variety of settings; I (Stephen) as a pastor and guest preacher, Brooksyne leading programs to women, as well as her Pilgrim presentation.

Churches vary a lot, worship and music styles, dress, some more, some less formal, etc. But the main criteria is in regard holding to sound doctrine, fidelity to the essentials. That's why we believe doctrinal statements are so important.

Doctrinal statements or statements of faith are similar among Bible-faithful churches although there may be differences in secondary doctrines. Here is a representative statement expressing the essentials:

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"I Believe " Watch on YouTube Phil Wickham

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.

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