More on Perilous Times
or….
Dangerous Times, the Last Days!

 

Christ will return soon. There is something in the air, you can sense it, feel it. Events are unfolding quickly.

Our lack of embracing full ministry in the Church has allowed us to ignore scripture that included us.

Rather than being warned and corrected for our slackness in our love for others, we have been fooled into thinking we have no fault.

The first sign listed under perilous times is this:

“Men shall be lovers of their own selves.” 2 Timothy 3:2a.

If we were as skilled in the Word as we proclaim, we would come to an abrupt halt at this statement . It’s a simple statement.

Haven’t many people always loved themselves more than they should?

Why does this remark have more power in it then we have given it?

For a moment, examine this statement in the Amplified Bible. (If the Spirit has given you true understanding of his Word, you can get this without another translation etc but let’s use it for reference.)

“People will be lovers of self and utterly self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth,” 2 Timothy 3:2a.

One can in no means deny that this is an exact description of our world today, very much including this country.

It is simply unreal how much people are out only for themselves and what they will do to obtain money. It is dangerous to live in this time. Most people don’t care about you, it’s all about them.

They’ll run over you even physically to get what they want and to be first, more than I have ever seen in my life time.

The state of our economy, the collapsed housing market and the true value and stability of our money all represent what self has brought us to. Everything we have could collapse in a day. You’re uninformed if you do not realize that.

But why is all of these things dangerous for the Church?

It would be a relief to know Paul was only talking about the world, but we absolutely know today that this is not true.

There’s always been hypocrites among us. There’s always been false brethren and false teachers among us even though we have failed to point them out and expose them.

We’ve always had people and ministers in this for money, so what’s different now?

It’s the intensity and volume that’s at note here. It’s the severity of the other signs proclaimed in this passage that indeed do apply to us and the very idea that we refuse to consider that we have become like this is proof the writer was talking to us in this day.

Greed in the church, in the music department, in the leadership. We have become “heady and high-minded.”

The world sees it, even if we don’t. We were so certain that none of this applied to we Pentecostals (whatever your group).

We were certain we could not become cold, uncaring and unloving, unforgiving and stepping on those who fell.

But we have. It’s being proclaimed. We refuse correction, no one dares rebuke our power base and most of us are more powerless than ever.

The Spirit admonishes me to make this short so I will conclude with the end of this passage, continuing with the Amplified:

“Although they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].” 2 Timothy 2:5.

It is my duty to examine myself. I’ve learned there is more of this in me than I thought.

It would be a disaster for me to come up against the power of the enemy, the power of wicked humans and find I do not have the Power in me I thought I had, because I refused to listen, I refused to see that I have become arrogant and am guilty of the same things of which I accuse others!

Without the total power of The Spirit, we will be swallowed up by the opposing forces, including those in the Church.

I must cleanse myself every day. If not, these things have come to pass in my life.

First published: February 5, 2011.

~ Robert Blackburn

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Robert Blackburn

 

 

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