“Don’t Go There!” by Sam Polson
It has been a long time since my “glory days’ as an athlete … not that there was ever that much glory in any of my days in athletics! But one thing I did learn from those days that has helped me many times over the years is that it is the lines on the field or on the court that make the game understandable, measurable and enjoyable. Playing within the lines kept the competition from turning into chaos. The Bible is very clear that as we draw closer to the end of the age the chaos in the culture will increase. Paul said, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (II Timothy 3:1) In the verses that follow, Paul describes those days as filled with a spirit of self-indulgence and that this self-focused and self-absorbed philosophy of life will contaminate the church with teachings that are devoid of a focus on the gospel and on godly living. In fact, the greatest danger to the church will be a drift from the essential and timeless principles that are Savior-focused and Scripture-focused to man-centered and meaningless discussions that not only do not promote “sound teaching,” (v.3) but also cause believers to “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (v.4).
What was the essence of Paul’s challenge to Timothy and faithful believers in such a culture of chaos? To summarize, in effect he said, “Don’t go there!” His warning was a personal one, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…” (II Timothy 3:14). He directed Timothy, those early believers, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is directing us today back to the fundamental principles (the lines on the field and on the court) of gospel living. My friends, there exists right now a media-driven, social networking pandemic of unhelpful, unedifying and unbiblical discussions that do nothing to promote the cause of Christ. At best, they waste our time and at worst, they weaken our testimony. “Don’t go there!” Let’s resolve to spend much less time on Facebook and much more time with our faces in the Book. When we do participate in social networking, let’s make sure it is a spiritual discerning networking that is not a waste of our precious time and is also worthy of our precious Savior.
