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Too Many Distractions

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During a recent prayer meeting at church, I overheard one of the members stating how difficult life is these days. They suggested that it is much harder for Christians today because of all of the distractions the world offers. It got me thinking: Is this really true? Do we really have more distractions today than others throughout history? Are these distractions the greatest obstacle modern Christians face today? Or is there a bigger problem?

Distractions have existed ever since the beginning. While the things that might distract are different, our ability to be distracted remains the same. We don’t even have to go past the Garden of Eden to find distractions. The serpent distracted Eve with deception, flattery and doubts. But the distractions didn’t end there.

The Children of Israel were easily distracted by the gods of the Canaanites. King David was distracted by a bathing beauty. Nebuchadnezzar was distracted by his success. Jonah was distracted by his hate for a group of people. The Pharisees were distracted by their laws. I think you get the point: people of God, throughout the Scriptures, have regularly faced distractions.

However, a very powerful story about distraction is found in Matthew 14:22–32. It takes place just after Jesus fed the 5,000. He had instructed His disciples to go across the Sea of Galilee in their boat ahead of Him. Later that evening, when the boat was pretty far off shore, Jesus came out to them.

Now, the disciples were already on edge due to the strong winds and waves they had been fighting, so they were not prepared for what they were about to see: Jesus, walking on water. They did not recognize Him (walking on water is not a common occurrence) and were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m not sure of what I’m seeing, or if what I’m seeing is scary, my eyes are glued to it. Of course, I know there are people who will stare at a wall, afraid to move their eyes lest that tiny spider disappear (and suddenly appear on them)! In such moments, we will allow very little to distract us. It would have to be something major to make us take our eyes away. Likewise, I believe that, at that moment, the eyes of every disciple were glued on Jesus.

Jesus assured them that it was Him, and that they did not need to be afraid. While this may have calmed their fears some, I think Jesus had their undivided attention even more! In typical fashion, Peter spoke before thinking (I can’t imagine he thought his response through), “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come out on the water with you.” To which Jesus replied, “Come.”

It is amazing to me that Peter did not hesitate. He got out of the boat and walked on the water. We don’t know how far out Jesus was, but verse 29 says that Peter came to Jesus. He walked all the way to Him, but when he got to Jesus something happened. Verse 30 says that Peter saw the strong wind, became afraid, and started to sink. He became distracted. The interesting thing, though, is that the thing that distracted him had been occurring for a while—the winds were battering him throughout the evening, and were gusting throughout his walk to Jesus. So why would they distract him when he got to Jesus?

Peter wasn’t distracted because there was too much wind, he was distracted because he took his eyes off Jesus. As long as Peter had his eyes on Jesus he didn’t notice the wind. Sadly, according to the story, he took his eyes off Jesus when he got to Jesus. Did he become too confident, or maybe too comfortable? It can be easy for us to be distracted when we feel comfortable (or lukewarm—like Laodicea). Regardless, he only noticed the wind when he was standing next to Jesus because he wasn’t looking at Jesus.

You see, there are many distractions these days—there always has been and always will be—but they are not any worse than at any other time in history. We cannot blame them for our struggles. Because, when we are completely focused on something, it has our undivided attention. Which means, distractions are not our biggest problem, our lack of focus is. Maybe we think there are so many distractions today because our focus is no longer on Jesus. It doesn’t matter what took our focus away—deception, beauty, success, hate, self-righteousness, or even comfort—if we do not fix our eyes on Jesus, even the smallest thing will distract us. Therefore, as the beautiful hymn says,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”

All Design and No Flavor

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It has been a while since I was last able to write to my blog. Life, family, and church has kept me pretty busy the last couple of months. I have had the privilege over the last few weeks to participate in a training session for newly graduated Theology students (soon to be pastors) from my Alma Mater, Southwestern Adventist University. My church hosted them as they learned, hands on, to do evangelism. It has been a wonderful experience for me and my church. While I’m sure they have learned a lot in their field school classes, I continue to learn as well. As I sat in some of their training classes, accompanied them as they visited with people, or listened to them preach, I remembered when I was in their position and felt the excitement, and the apprehension, of entering ministry.

One day, a couple of weeks ago, I was out with one of the students doing visitations when we stopped briefly to get rehydrated. As we considered the moderate offerings of the gas station, a bottle grabbed the attention of the student. It was a unique bottling concept for ice tea. It had a small separate container at the top which contained the tea. The idea was that after opening the bottle you twist the container which would dispense the concentrated tea into the purified water below. After a good shake, the tea was ready to drink. The uniqueness of the tea and its delivery system intrigued him, so he bought it.

He was excited by the potential of this novel drink. The design of the tea’s packaging, as well as the writing on it, promised a fresh, distinctive tea experience. He followed the instructions and watched with a smile as the caramel color of the tea mixed with the water. So far it was just as great as the bottle advertised. Then he drank some. I asked him how it was. “Eh.” It wasn’t anything special. In fact, according to him, at best it tasted like watered down tea. Definitely not what he was expecting.

We marveled at how much thought had gone into the design, while seeming little had gone into the taste. While the bottle and the concept looked great, there was no flavor.

As we talked about it more, we soon wondered how much this product could parallel our Christian experience. Could it be possible that we could put more thought into our presentation than we do for its content? Could we work hard to present beautiful churches, exciting music, and unique ministries, yet have no substance—no flavor? Not only is this possible, it was prophesied by Paul:

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1–5, emphasis mine).

Sadly, this passage is not describing the moral decay of society in general, since it describes people who have a “form of godliness.” It is speaking of those claiming to be God’s people—this is about Christians. In other words, Paul warns that in end times there will be Christians who work hard to advertise godliness, while in reality, they have no spiritual substance. He warns that, in these last days, some Christians will become all design and no flavor.

How does this happen? In Romans 1, Paul gives a similar description of people and says they become this way because “they did not see fit to acknowledge God” (Romans 1:28). Another way of saying this, is that they didn’t think it was worth it to to have God in their knowledge. (The Greek word for “knowledge” in this passage refers a knowledge through experience. Therefore, they didn’t want God in their experiences.) A few verses earlier, he describes the actions of these people: “they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

I mention this passage because I believe that we will become the people described in Romans 1 and 2 Timothy 3 when we stop having a relationship with God. If we put the appearance of our ministries, our churches, or our “Christianity” ahead of truly knowing our God, we might present “a form of godliness” but we are rejecting its power. Because all of our beautiful buildings, trendy ministries, and beloved doctrines are worthless outside of a relationship with Christ. Honestly, claiming to be a Christian without having a personal relationship with God is false advertising.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want these passages to be a reflection of my life. So I want to worry less about having the most unique “packaging” in Christianity and to be the most original in my ideas, and focus more on truly knowing my God. I want God to be in my experiences; I want to know Him. Because it is our experiences of, and with, Jesus that puts the substance—the flavor—into our church services, our ministries, and our witness. It is our experience of Jesus that adds power and hope to our lives.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3, emphasis mine).

The Great Conflict: Knowing the Enemy’s Schemes

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It has been a few weeks since I’ve been able to write on my blog. While I could suggest several different reasons why, one of the main reasons is because I’ve been under attack—not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, while I was talking with my sister on the phone, she mentioned something that encompassed the struggle I had been going through. She said that she felt like Satan had been working harder lately. My mind immediately went to Revelation 12:12, which says, “But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

I can’t help but agree with my sister’s observations. I can see it in the pain and struggles of my friends and family. I can see it in the bitterness and lukewarmness in too many churches (mine included). And I can feel it personally almost on a daily basis. It makes sense though. If Satan is filled with fury because he knows he doesn’t have much time left, how much more fury must he have today since we are closer to the end than ever before?

I’ve already mentioned that our dedication to God automatically places us in opposition to Satan—this is the reason for the spiritual struggles we face. I’ve also pointed out God’s plan for victory. However, if we want to survive this war and remain standing at the end, we must not be ignorant to our enemy’s schemes either. This is vital, because we are warned that Satan is like a roaring lion, prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)!

The Bible makes it very clear that our adversary has a game plan (Ephesians 6:11). Paul warns us not to be “outwitted by Satan,” nor “ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). He even counsels Timothy to preach and teach in a way that his listeners (or opposers) can see the truth and “escape from the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26). Fortunately for us, though, his snares have been revealed. We do not need to be ignorant of what Satan is trying to do in our lives.

Believe it or not, Satan has one trick—he may use it in different ways, but he is nothing if not predictable. We can see the single concept that is the foundation of his schemes in his own character: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Deception is the premise on which every trap is set. Therefore, the best way to recognize his traps is to know the truth. For everything that is truth, he has a lie. Even when it comes to himself—Paul says that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” and his servants “disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15). Deception: it’s what he does best. Actually, it’s all he does.

Using this disguise, he often promotes his own ideas as truth, placing suggestions, doubts, and temptations in our minds. He’s crafty too: he was able to deceive Eve with his cunningness (Genesis 3:4, 2 Corinthians 11:3), he convinced Judas to betray Jesus (John 13:2), and Ananias to lie to the Apostles (Acts 5:3). He doesn’t stop there either. He is quick to offer an alternative to the Words of God. He began his lies in the Garden of Eden and continues to lie and deceive about salvation to this day. Paul warned against the lie of a different gospel and those who would “want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6, 7). Sometimes Satan will attempt to distract us, and even blind us, so we cannot see the light and beauty of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Another lie he’ll tell us is about ourselves. He may tell us that we are un-savable or, perhaps, that we are God’s gift to the church and society. Such snares will keep us from looking for a Savior. They will also make us more selfish, judgmental, and critical of others. James warns that these things are not from God: “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:14, 15).

We must also not forget that our enemy is called the “accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:10). Hatred in our hearts for another person is not from God, it is another trap set by our enemy. Satan knows that we cannot work for the Kingdom of Heaven if we hate others or are too focused on ourselves. So he encourages us to cover the truth of our selfishness and jealousy with self-righteous ideals. Ah, but Satan also knows that as long as we are fighting amongst each other, we will not fight the real battle against him (Ephesians 6:12)!

While all of these deceptions are bad, none are worse than what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 11:3—“but I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Satan’s greatest trap is to somehow distract, discourage, or seduce us away from a relationship with Christ. The primary web he uses for this is the desires of this world (1 John 2:15, 16). I don’t think Satan cares what it takes as long as we leave Jesus behind. In fact, this is the result of every one of his snares.

We cannot let Satan succeed! God says in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Earlier in that passage, in verse 1, it is explained that what was lacking was a knowledge of God. This isn’t about lacking book knowledge—in the Hebrew language, they didn’t have that concept—this is about experiential knowledge. In other words, we are destroyed because of a lack of an experience with God. No wonder Satan works so hard to keep us from have any experiences!

Now that we know his plans, we must watch and pray so we do not fall into any of his traps. Because he is filled with fury and is fighting stronger than ever before, we must not let our guard down. So we hold on to Jesus more tightly. We humbly submit ourselves to God (James 4:7), stand firm in our faith in Him (1 Peter 5:9, 10), and put on God’s armor (Ephesians 6:13). Then, when we recognize the devil’s schemes, we will be able to resist “and he will flee” (James 4:7)!

 

The Great Conflict: God’s Plan for Victory

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In my last post, I talked about why we seem to have so much trouble on our journey with God: we are in the middle of a spiritual war. Sides have been drawn and battles fought. It is possible, though, that most days you feel like you’re on the edge of defeat. I have learned, in my own struggle, that the only source of spiritual victories in my life is to follow God’s plan for victory, not my own.

God spells out His battle plan in Exodus 14. It came at an intense moment in Israel’s beginning. They had recently been freed from slavery in Egypt, but were suddenly trapped by the Red Sea. This was their first confrontation as followers of God; the first time they felt like trouble was their reward for following God. Pharaoh and his army were charging in upon them and the sight of the army causes them to wish they had never left Egypt (ever notice that almost every trial they face resulted in them wishing to return to slavery?). It is at this pivotal moment that God reveals His plan for victory to His newly formed army. It is the core of every battle plan God uses.

The first thing outlined in God’s battle plan for us: “Do not be afraid” (Exodus 14:13). Can you imagine being in the heat of battle and someone next to you is screaming over and over, “We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!” Fear can spread quickly. Due to this, before any battle, if an Israelite soldier was afraid, they would be sent home (Deuteronomy 20:8). God knows that fear is contagious, and many victories have been forfeited because of fear. Sadly, we can be so afraid of defeat and failure that many times we won’t even try.

We struggle with this fear even though God promises over and over that He will be with us. Actually, He does more than simply “be” with us, He fights for us! Deuteronomy 3:22 says, “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you” (emphasis mine). This is the same reason He puts in His battle plan: “…you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you. …The Lord will fight for you” (Ex 14:14). This is no doubt why David says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). And why Paul can say, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). With God as our light and salvation, and our fortress, who should we fear? We don’t have to fear because God is with us, and is fighting for us! Victorious spiritual soldiers are courageous—not because of their strength, but because they trust in the power of their God.

Next, God’s plan says that we must stand firm. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today” (Exodus 14:13). God’s battle plan requires that each of his soldiers take their stand. They must hold their ground—be committed. This isn’t about being committed to an idea, it is being committed to God and His plan. When you join the battle, you cannot be on the fence about Whom you stand for. You must understand and be committed to His cause. It means that you will be ready and willing to obey any order at any given time. Too often, we find ourselves running ahead and asking God later if it was something He wanted us to do. To be victorious you must not move until told to move. You will rest when you are told to rest, and fight when you are told to fight. It means you are focused—focused on Him. By standing firm, nothing else in our lives come before serving our Master and His plan.

Finally, the last part of God’s plan: be still. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex 14:14). It may sound like it is saying the same thing as before, but the Hebrew word here literally means “be silent.” What had the Israelites been doing? Complaining. For God’s battle plan to work, we must stop our mouths too—stop complaining. Complaining causes us to look at the problem rather than the solution. When we complain, we are questioning the battle plan. When we complain we can’t hear the battle plan. What reason would we have for talking over God anyway? We don’t need to point out the problem—it’s obvious. We can’t add to the strategy of His plan—it is already perfect. So what could we have to say? Nothing. Therefore, we are to be silent. Silently listening for God’s next instruction. If we read further in the chapter, we’ll find that once Israel stopped complaining they were able to see the Red Sea part.

Friends, we are in the middle of a tremendous war. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we proclaim satan our enemy. Therefore, as long as sin exists, we will have trouble in this world. So what is God’s plan for victory? Be silent, trust Him, and take a stand.

You see, God doesn’t need Super-Soldiers or mighty fighting machines—He’s got angels. What He needs in us are soldiers that will stand for Him. He’s not asking us to have faith in our strength. He doesn’t ask us to be the best fighters. He’s not even asking us to fight. He just asks us to stand.

Are there trials in your life? Stand firm—God is your refuge! Are temptations attacking more than ever? Stand firm—God is your strength! Are there more losses than victories in your spiritual life? Stand firm—God is your salvation! In other words, when Satan tries to advance in your life, you stand your ground with Christ.

We must remember, though, that victory is not winning every battle, it is about winning the war. There will be losses. There will be struggles and pain. You may feel like giving up. You may think that God has abandoned you. But do not give up! He will not abandon you! Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, emphasis mine).

The Testimony of Jesus

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Earlier this week, someone asked me what exactly is meant by the phrase “the testimony of Jesus”? Here is the results of my study of it.

The phrase is found in Revelation 12:17 in its description of the people with whom the “dragon” went out to make war against: “those who obey God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (emphasis mine). This phrase is found only in Revelation (and only three times). However, the idea within this phrase can be understood throughout the New Testament.

First, we should look at the passages that contain the phase. We’ve already seen one, Revelation 12:17—it is part of the identifying characteristic of an obedient group of God’s people whom the dragon [Satan] makes war against. It is also found in the beginning of the book of Revelation, Revelation 1:9. In this verse, John says, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (emphasis mine). So part of the reason for John’s imprisonment on Patmos was this “testimony of Jesus.” However, this verse does not explain what it is, only that it was understood and available in John’s day.

The only other passage in which the phrase is found, Revelation 19:10, says this: “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him [an angel], but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This passage reiterates that John, and the other disciples, held on to the testimony of Jesus. Then it ends with what many use as a definition: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” If this is a definition, however, we are left with a greater mystery: what is this “spirit of prophecy”? (The phrase is only found in this verse.)

We must be careful to not make it overly complicated. First of all, the word “is” does not necessarily mean “equal to.” If we said “the sky is blue,” we understand that blue is a description of the sky, not that everything blue is sky or that blue is the definition of sky. I suggest that we can understand it best as a description rather than a definition. Why? The spirit of prophecy is not a proper noun, as in referring to a specific thing, but rather it expands what the testimony of Jesus is about. As a descriptive phrase, we could understand it as describing the testimony of Jesus as being the spirit, or breath or essence, of prophecy—it is what prophecy is all about.

We need to also understand the phrase itself. It is not cryptic. It is straight forward: the testimony of Jesus. What is a testimony? The Greek word it is translated from means “to provide information [or, if a noun, simply the information itself] about a person or an event concerning which the speaker has direct knowledge.” It is most often translated “testimony” or “witness” (and sometimes even “martyr”—we get our English word martyr from this word). In addition, the grammar of the Greek shows this to be a “possessive” phrase. In other words, it is not a testimony about Jesus, but is His testimony. Therefore, what John, the disciples, and the people in Revelation 12 are holding onto is “information about a person or an event concerning which Jesus has direct knowledge.”

When Jesus walked this earth, He testified about the things He knew. In Matthew 5, Jesus used the formula, “you have heard… but I say to you,” to re-teach the truths of Scripture. Throughout His ministry, Jesus revealed the truth of salvation, heaven, and many other subjects. He wasn’t just teaching His opinions either: “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me” (John 7:16), and “I speak of what I have seen with my Father” (John 8:38). On several other occasions, He made it clear that His teachings were coming from God. Part of His witness was in His teachings on the Word of God.

The greatest testimony from Jesus, however, was his testimony about His Father. “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). In His last hours with His disciples, he reminded them of this: “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. … whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:7, 9). Jesus brought a new, clearer understanding of His Father to us. Many have expressed a dislike of God the Father (due to a misunderstanding of actions in the Old Testament), while having a fondness for Jesus (because of grace). Yet, according to Him, if you want to know what the Father is like, watch Him. The character of Jesus in the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament. Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Therefore, Jesus testifies, through His teachings and His character, the true nature of the Father.

This is why Jesus is described as the “faithful and true witness” (Revelation 3:14). Throughout His life and teachings, Jesus testified of the truth of our Father in heaven, who is merciful and loving, and of His word. This is the testimony of Jesus—the testimony that John, the disciples, and the end-time people of Revelation 12 hold on to. For Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples” (John 8:31 NIV).

The Gospel of Love

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It has been exactly one year since I started this blog. I can’t believe time has gone by so fast. I have gone through a lot during this last year (including a move—the reason for a lack of posts in the last couple of months). I have learned a lot and grown a lot as a result. I hope you have been blessed and challenged by my thoughts. I look forward to another great year of growing with you in Christ! 

I met my friend in Kindergarten. At that age practically everyone is your friend. However, he was my first best friend. There was something that just clicked between us. We shared everything. We got excited when the other got a good grade or won an award. We even looked forward to Christmas or birthdays when we would call each other to tell what we each had gotten for gifts. We were great friends. One day, to my surprise, he said that he wanted to come with me to my church. I was excited.

When I arrived to pick him up for church, I met his mother at the door. With a concerned look on her face, she said, “Please don’t hurt my son.” This took me by surprise. He was my best friend. I would never dream of hurting him! Besides, we were going to church—what bad could happen there?

When we arrived at church I needed to take the food to the kitchen for a potluck lunch. I told him to wait for me in the foyer and I’d be right back. When I returned, though, he wasn’t there. After looking for a few minutes and not finding him anywhere, I became worried. I finally asked the lady who stood by the entrance greeting people as they came in if she had seen my friend. “Yes” she said. “I sent him home.” What? Why? Her reason: “He knew better than to wear jeans to church, so I sent him home to change.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. She sent him home because he was wearing jeans? I went to church that day wondering how anyone could get hurt in church. But I found that the Bible actually prophesied that such things would happen near the end. This unfortunate prophecy is found in Matthew 24.

You may be familiar with this chapter. It is Jesus’ description of end-time events. Among these signs would be false prophets, wars, rumors of wars (4–6). Yet, these things should not alarm us—they are not the end, there is more to come. There would also be earthquakes, famines, diseases—these would all be the “beginning of birth pains” (7, 8). Like birth pains, they would start weaker and farther apart, and grow stronger and happening closer together. It is basically what we witness happening today, isn’t it?

In verse 9, though, the picture changes from global issues to people of God issues: persecution and being hated by the world. This also is not a surprise to us. Jesus warned us in John 15:18, 19 that the world will hate those who follow Him because it hated Him first. But there would be more.

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matthew 24:10, 11). Sadly, many will give up believing in the truth of God’s Word and will betray and hate each other. In other words, so-called “Christians” will hate those really following Christ. This hatred results from not wanting to hear the truth of God’s word. As this refusal of Bible truths grows, so will the appearance of false prophets or teachers—and many will be deceived. These prophets will be targeting those who are Christians, not the world. Their lies will invade churches (and not just in the Dark Ages—fresh lies are rising around us today).

Notice the effect of the efforts of the false teachers: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The increase of wickedness is not just in the world; context says it is increasing in the church! This means love is growing cold among Christians. How tragic! Yet, regrettably, we also see this happening today. No longer are most “Christians” seen as loving. Instead, we are far too often seen as a hypocritical, judgmental, and hating people. The reason for this change goes back to the root issue: no longer loving the truth of God. Jesus said this would happen to many.

The love of many will grow cold, but not the love of everyone: “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). This verse is talking about those who still love and do not increase in wickedness; those who are not led astray by false prophets and still love the truth and each other. It is not about standing firm in beliefs or doctrines, but about a people standing firm in their faith in God, His Word, and still living His love. It will be the character of those saved.

Now listen to this: “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). This gospel; a specific gospel. The gospel of John 3:16 says, “For God so loved…” The gospel is all about love and trusting in God. This is the gospel that needs to go to the whole world. This is the same gospel that did not condemn a woman caught in adultery. The same gospel that accepted a condemned thief with a last minute revelation. A gospel of love that eats with sinners and tax-collectors. A gospel of love that seeks to save. It is not a Gospel that would send someone home for wearing jeans.

Of course, even if they are really sinning (and wearing jeans is not a sin) how can they change unless they come to God. How can they come to God if they aren’t drawn by His love. How can they see His love if we don’t show it (1 Corinthians 11)? We are to show the love of God to others. We are called to stand firm when others fall away; we’re called to hold to the truth and continue to love when others grow cold.

Do not forget what Jesus said: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). It will not be in some unique doctrines, or a purity of standard, it will be seen in how we treat each other. Yet, our love can only grow if we are connected to God, the source of love. May you and I stand firm in truth and love, even as others grow cold! May others experience the love of God through us!