There is a hearing loss that is widespread in our country. The air waves are full of words that never reach the control center of our mind. The ear runway was limited by our mentality. The only words that seem to get through are based on what the listener has determined to be true. If someone expresses an opinion that threatens their belief, they immediately become defensive and oppose the speaker. This is never more obvious than the rhetoric that revolves around our politically divided nation. It became a war of words that even turned into physical arguments. The intention of these words is not to enlighten, but to hurt and destroy each other. People’s opinions are based on what they have read, heard and seen on social media, print and radio. America has become a society to be believed in. This is not because it rests on our “recipients”. People run to their pre-programmed media and then adopt their rhetoric based on what they hear. There must be a desire to hear both sides of a problem and then decide what to live with.
You might think that the hearing problem in our country is limited to the worldly, but it also includes believers from all aspects of the Christian movement. Asking someone to validate their beliefs with a Bible check may destroy friendships. Why do people get offended when someone wants to understand what or why they believe in a certain way? If someone cannot support their beliefs biblically, shouldn’t they go back to the scriptures and rethink how they came to believe them? The problem with many believers is that their traditional beliefs adopted have been raised to a “holy grail” status that cannot be questioned. Not all traditions are bad, but if a tradition is the result of contextual theft through misinterpretation, it has a fragile foundation. Some believers believe that raising questions about their beliefs will open the door for Satan to gain access to their “Blessed Sacrament.” Shouldn’t we fear that he is already active in the teachings we have prescribed?
A few years ago I was invited to Seoul, Korea to attend a seminar sponsored by Sung Yung Moon and Unification Church. My deputy district manager said I should forward the invitation. He thought their movement was a cult that could have a negative impact on my life. After a long discussion, he nodded and said he would pray for me. I replied with a laugh and said, “You are the one who needs prayer.” Over the years, I have spent a lot of time confirming through the scriptures what I have built my faith on. There were times when I realized how I misinterpreted certain fonts. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who opened my eyes. Sometimes we let our zeal override the truth. (Romans 10: 2) With regard to Korea, I knew what I believed in, and with the Word of God anchored in me, I was ready to attack the “Gates of Hell”. (Matthew 16:18) I heard what the Holy Spirit said to me and was ready to answer no matter what others said. There are too many Christians who are unwilling to hear traditional teachings beyond their own walls and who are rooted in unbiblical teachings