“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”
My first job was working for my grandfather installing hardwood floors. The one thing I remember the most is the early morning drives to the job in the old, rusting blue van. As the youngest guy on the team, I had the worst seat – the upside-down bucket between the table saw and the nailing guns. I especially remember one day when we were trying to find a job. We stopped to ask for directions from a guy at a gas station. I remember that as we drove away, I looked out the back window of the van, and I saw the guy laughing. It didn’t surprise me when his directions took us the wrong direction.
Throughout the entire letter, Paul has been emphasizing a single theme with Timothy: the importance of teaching the truth. He said that Timothy needed to guard the truth. He encouraged Timothy to be careful who he appointed as leaders, since they would bear the vital role of teaching the truth as well. Now we find out why Paul thinks this is so important. Some people will hear and know the truth, but they will eventually reject it in their lives. They will become “hypocrites and liars” with “dead” consciences. What a disturbing thought! Apparently, the entire purpose of building up Timothy and other leaders in the church is to protect people from turning away to false truths.
Here’s your freedom for today: godly leadership protects you from deceptive lies. Paul tells us that their are evil spirits actively seeking to deceive us, to tempt us away from the truth. No one should think they can stand up against that kind of trickery alone. The local church was given as a gift to each of us as a means of protection against the pleasant-sounding lies of the enemy. The local church and its leaders were called to be teachers of the truth in Paul’s day, and that calling hasn’t changed. As long as truth matters (and it always will), the local church is called by God to loving represent that truth to a world that desperately needs it.