Why Am I Even Surprised That Quack Preachers Are More Popular?
I remembered when I was newly saved there were some things I didn't understand. One of them was the popularity of false teachers. I started to ask myself why these quack preachers are popular. It wasn't until I encountered a series of lessons on false preachers. I remembered the lessons on Isaiah and Jeremiah. I saw the false prophets have become more popular for one reason: they preach what people only want to hear (Isaiah 30:10, Jeremiah 5:31). You can't deny how 2 Timothy 4:2-4 is coming true at a rapid pace. People today are giving in to unsound doctrine. It's becoming more and more popular to speak according to a worldly viewpoint than a godly viewpoint.
It does get my mind to boggle why a holy God would allow these things. But there's one comfort in that: God doesn't allow bad things if He didn't have a good reason for His elect. Remember Job? He was allowed to encounter all bad things to reveal to Job that he had some degree of self-righteousness and to let him see some error. Job was also tested so he could reveal how much he loves God and to prove Satan (who isn't omniscient) wrong. I would believe that quack preachers aren't only there as judgment towards people who hate the truth but a testing ground for people who love it. He wants them to see that only His grace helps them endure even when they're singled out in a world gone wrong.
In truth, I would be foolish to think I could be faithful and popular at the same time. The sinful world is at war with God (John 15:18-19, James 4:4). The Christian is at peace with God and therefore they are at war with the world. Quack preachers' popularity is but momentary. Most people don't even realize that fame and fortune are vanity. While it's not wrong to get some fortune and to get some fame but to make them one's priorities in life is vanity.
It does get my mind to boggle why a holy God would allow these things. But there's one comfort in that: God doesn't allow bad things if He didn't have a good reason for His elect. Remember Job? He was allowed to encounter all bad things to reveal to Job that he had some degree of self-righteousness and to let him see some error. Job was also tested so he could reveal how much he loves God and to prove Satan (who isn't omniscient) wrong. I would believe that quack preachers aren't only there as judgment towards people who hate the truth but a testing ground for people who love it. He wants them to see that only His grace helps them endure even when they're singled out in a world gone wrong.
In truth, I would be foolish to think I could be faithful and popular at the same time. The sinful world is at war with God (John 15:18-19, James 4:4). The Christian is at peace with God and therefore they are at war with the world. Quack preachers' popularity is but momentary. Most people don't even realize that fame and fortune are vanity. While it's not wrong to get some fortune and to get some fame but to make them one's priorities in life is vanity.