Day 2940 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

2 Timothy 4:3 NIV

I think it’s fairly safe to say that we’re past the whole “will come” part. The time has come.

This time has come. This foretold period of intense idiocy. This time of fellowship based on foolishness. This time of friendship built upon frivolity and fear of feelings. This time of ego only entertaining the erroneous expressions of errant emissaries. This time we've been warned about in which people will no longer put up with sound doctrine has reared its extremely ugly head, and the ability to simply shrug it off or pretend it isn't all that bad has ended.

I was rethinking the past few posts last night trying to think of what needed to be discussed next and this one hit me like a haymaker. The fear of man, the attitudes with which we'll unfortunately be faced in our efforts to try and help those around us learn of a love that exists to accomplish more than mere happiness and comfort, and the warnings of persecution that we’re beginning to see the birth pangs of in our time are a few of the things we've been discussing.

The whole point is that now is the time to stop pretending things will get better and simply come to terms with the fact that we are in fact living in these times that we were warned would one day come.

So what do we do about it?

What do we do with this fire inside of us that is so clearly unwelcome in a world that has grown intensely cold? What do we do with the truth of God's Word in a world that despises anything that isn't a lie? What do we do with this mission we've been asked to undertake wherein we're to be fishers of men when those we're called to reach are already happily caught up in the nets of sinful enslavement? What do we do with the light of Christ in a world lost in the darkness of deceptive depravity?

Well, in short, we do exactly as we're called to do without stopping to fear what may happen in return for our efforts to try and love the world with a love they don't like.

I think one thing that has made all of this so confounded is that in our world today it's easier than ever to find someone who will lie to you. In this social media age where everyone is posting every aspect of their lives in search of validation and acceptance, people have grown disinterested in hearing anything that doesn't add to this illusion of grandeur that they're living to chase.

Everyone lives seeking likes, approval, justification, a comment section laden with messages massaging the ego that drives their every action and every moment. And in this land of hollow facades, everyone completely ignores any and all who dare speak a word that doesn't bring comfort, appeasement, approval, and that don't feed into the vanity that they've been told is completely acceptable.

People have bought this lie that life is meant to be lived seeking only that which makes us feel good about ourselves without ever having to put any effort into actually growing or improving or addressing the flaws and failures that are largely swept under the rug and out of sight. Nowadays, folks are so focused on the good that they're having to resort to lies to keep those feel-good feelings flowing.

All because we've been told that the truth hurts and in turn society has grown too weak and insecure to deal with the pain that has a more profound purpose than simply seeking our comfort. So instead, people only tune their ears and hitch their hearts and mold their minds to those messages which allow for only appeasement and complacency so that they don't have to have their feelings hurt.

We've actually arrived at the time when feelings and opinions are given more consideration and importance than self-improvement and moral responsibility.

Woe to us for what we've become. And woe to any who allow themselves to accept it as perfectly okay and entirely harmless.

There is absolutely nothing about the current state of society that is okay. The hatred, the violence, the viciousness, the darkened demeanor that's driving the daily downfall into deepened despair and distress. Nothing about this is okay or harmless. The way we treat one another, the words hurled like grenades hoping to wound those on the hearing end, the attitudes aimed at unleashing the full fury founded upon the foolishness locked inside; it's all doing so much damage to the lost souls who are already hurting.

For us to pretend it is all okay is a farce. It's a lie. It's an excuse learned and leaned upon to allow us the ease of forgoing the mission we've been asked to undertake. Simply living to get along is no longer good enough. As we've been talking about for a couple of days now, we're going to make enemies along this path of following Christ and sharing His Gospel as it's simply not welcome nor appreciated.

Because it is not what itching ears want to hear. People who are used to being told that they're little angels don't want to hear reminders of the monstrous way of life they're living under the glossy veneer. Those who are accustomed to the praise and applause do not have time to listen to those who teach a truth that points to the fact that none of us have lived lives with anything in which to celebrate or boast.

To a world lost in this idea that tells everyone they can make their own truth, the true Word of God that calls us all to account for our missteps and mistakes will be seen as a mean and loveless message aimed only at hindering the selfish pursuits that the rest of the world says we should be prioritizing.

And thus, in this land of those lost within a world of lies, this truth we bear will not be put up with. Instead, it will be attacked, mocked, rejected, refused, debated, denied, and held in utter disdain. All because it seeks to make better those who think they've already created the perfect life. Any message that reminds us that we're not only not perfect but dangerously far from it only hurts feelings, and friends, feelings simply matter more to most than the promise that eternity is coming and that it may not be as lovely as this land of lies.

I think it's all a matter of society's hatred of responsibility. Folks don't know how to embrace personal responsibility anymore. Like, I literally don't think some know how to do it! I think the times have gone of teaching people about things like consequences and punishments and the requirement that we each have to embrace the costs that our choices carry. Those valuable life lessons have been replaced by messages telling folks to 'live your best life', 'look out for number one', 'follow your heart' and 'live your own truth'.

It's all simply crumbling, and if we're to believe the Word of God, which we undoubtedly should because messages like this are clearly unfolding as we speak, then we should know that the downfall is only going to both quicken and intensify.

So much of what society is seeking to accomplish (undermine) is so disgusting and distasteful and disturbing that people literally have to fight against the truth in order to make is seem perfectly acceptable. Drag shows, demonic performances, the alphabet gang, the flags and parades and songs and movies and billboards and award shows and the ongoing glorification of self and the idolatry of others and the clear refusal to consider the imprudent immorality of it all is sadly probably just a taste of what's still lurking in the hearts and minds of those lost in this nonsense.

And our words that we speak in love trying to call attention to the undeniable danger found in living a lie will likely fall on ears that know only selective hearing. We walk through this world speaking a truth that simply won't be heard by many. We follow Christ's lead and go into the world trying to tell those who are sick where they can find healing. We offer the Bread of Life to those who are starving. We share the testimonies of our transformations in hopes that they spark an idea in the hearts of those who need that same salvation.

But through it all, we must understand that all we can do is stand and deliver this message of Christ crucified. All we can do is present the promise of His presence. All we can do is stand firmly upon the Word and pray that somewhere someone in this rapidly declining world will hear and be healed by it.

The rest is out of our hands. The hatred we face isn't hatred of us but of the message we share. The persecution we endure isn't aimed at hurting us but trying to defeat the One we serve. The trials and tribulations and turmoil that await us just ahead are not a reflection that we're not doing good enough but that the world we're trying to do good in isn't willing to be any better.

It's all an unfortunate set of circumstances set forth not by our doing nor caused by our inadequacies but by the world's penchant for only listening with ears that want to hear only the good without anything else.

Oddly enough, there is good in this story. It is called the Good News after all. There is more good in this message we carry and the One we serve than in all the lies and deception and selfish foolishness that this world thinks is as good as it gets. It's not all sorrow and repentance and death to self. But, to the selfish and nonrepentant and sorrowless, it seems as if that's all to be found in the Gospel. Oh, the tragedy of ears unwilling to hear!

In a world that lives jumping to conclusions and accepting assumptions as truth, the real truth has little chance of being heard long enough to make the difference it’s meant to make. Instead, the real truth seems only confrontational as it doesn’t offer the same immediate comfort due to the lack of that soothing sounding symphony of self-serving noise that pleases the ears and allows hearts to remain unchanged. The real truth demands both attention and action. And in a world gone lazily distracted, the truth is only unnecessary.

As I said yesterday though, our mission remains the same: To go into all the world and make disciples. Not friends. Not fame. Not wealth. Not anything other than fellow followers of Christ. Because when all is said and done, there will only be two groups and two destinations: Those who follow Christ and find Heaven, and those who do neither.

Our words may not please itching ears, but maybe they'll help the hopeless hearts that are humble enough to hear them. We may not satisfy the social expectations of the senseless, but maybe we can help save the starving souls of a few. We will likely be hated by the hearts that have grown cold, but maybe we can ignite a fire that encourages some to find eternal life in Christ and a new heart of flesh that makes that new life possible.

The harvest has been planted. The crop is ready and God knows those who are His. You and I are just here to help gather them in. We can't lose heart over those who refuse to find life. We can't lose time worrying about the ones who simply aren't willing to listen to anything but lies. We can't get caught up fighting against those who have already chosen their path. We can only speak the Word and pray it takes root.

It won't in most. That's just a fact made reality in the minds that will die unwilling to let go of the death they’ve chosen to live. We're here to try and bring life to a dying world before the death is final. But in the end, it's up to every single person as to whether or not they hear, whether or not the listen, whether or not they accept, whether or not they believe, and whether or not they are saved.

We're just the messengers. And while we may not be the messengers that the world wants to hear from, we are the ones carrying the message that the world needs to hear. Do not stop speaking the full truth of God's Word. Do not stop speaking the necessity of repentance. Do not stop speaking the reality of our fallen condition. Do not stop speaking the Name of Jesus.

Because one day, be it now or later, every ear will hear His Name, even if they don't want to right now. We're just here to try and help the world hear His Name so it can save before salvation is no longer an option.

And just as the time told in this verse has come, so too will come the time when the clouds part, the Son returns, and the eternal fate of every human will be decided. Forever. That is not a warning, it is a promise. And while many will think us mean and inconsiderate for pointing to that promise, salvation is only possible if we take seriously the warnings given about what comes next.

None of us have to like it, but we will all accept it. Best to kill off the arrogance and do so now, because time is running out to start listening.

Let us now grow weary in speaking to ears that do not hear. It's not that people can't hear, just that they choose not to listen. And while that's everyone's choice, one day every ear will hear, and every knee will bow before Christ. We’re just trying to point out that it’s best to do it while that can be a friendly experience.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold