Dr Paul Allen

The devil is desperate. His kingdom has been raided by Christ, and he delights in whatever way he can derail us. He doesn't care how we run amok so long as we run amok. He doesn't care whether you're an atheist or whether you embrace some false religion. He's out there promoting falsehood all the time. Regrettably, those in sin, who have not been regenerated by the Spirit of God, are prone to all sorts of errors and confusion. Sometimes the people who are proudest of being post-Christian, who take pride in being modern, scientific, and growing beyond old-fashioned Christianity, are the ones most prone to all sorts of strange, bewildering, and irrational kinds of intellectual commitments. We really shouldn't be surprised by these things. We should be saddened, but we should also be energized to try to hold up the light of the truth in the world. It is educating Christians to be able to respond to the false ideas that surround us on every side.

Imagine a door. A door that only opens once or maybe twice in a lifetime. The door has incredible powers. It has the ability to cleanse you. It has the ability to pardon and cast your sin as far as the east is from the west. In fact, there isn’t just one of them, there are four, and they are opened only once every 25 years in the city of Rome . Since you were a kid you were told that these doors had the ability to cleanse you from every sin you have ever committed, as long as you walked through them. I wish this were a fairytale. Millions of Roman Catholic around the world will be heading to Rome this year, thinking that there they will be able to be absolved of all their sins. That by getting on a plane, and by saying a few prayers that their actions will assuage the wrath of God. Have you ever seen a desperate person lost in false religion? Desperately trying to earn their way to heaven? I can still picture the crying lady, crawling on her knees as it was yesterday. Tears filled my

As he approached the final days of his ministry, the Apostle Paul set his thoughts on the future well-being of Timothy, his "beloved child" in the faith (2 Tim. 1:2). He wrote to him about the things that matter most for life and ministry. Not only did Paul commend to his young protégé the glorious gospel of God (vv. 8–10) and the divinely inspired Scriptures (3:16–17), but he also instructed Timothy regarding the importance of sound doctrine: "Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you" (1:13– 14). According to Paul, doctrine is among the things that matter most for the well-being of the Christian and the church. Sound, or "healthy," doctrine provides a pattern that, when followed, promotes healthy faith and love. Sound doctrine is a valuable heritage that is to be treasured in this generation and