Serving God in The Modern World

In I Timothy 3:1-4, Paul warned, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

 Literally, he is saying that in the last days, people will make a big show of being religious, but have no understanding or concern with God’s power.  They will be self-absorbed, greedy, taking credit for other people’s work, and proud.  They will slander people, have no respect for their parents, and have no appreciation for what they receive.  They will have very low moral standards, and not show natural affection, even killing their own parents or children.  They cannot be trusted, and will not hesitate to make false accusations against people.  They will lack self-control, and be cruel.  They will hate and try to destroy those who stand for what is right, thinking they are above the law, and better than other people.  They will be more concerned with entertainment than with God or his teachings. 

As we look at what is happening today, we see all those things in abundance.  The news media does not hesitate to slander political figures and deliberately make up lies about them.    Road rage and school or workplace shooting demonstrate a lack of self-control, while abortion and murder of parents and domestic abuse show the lack of natural affection.   Children are encouraged to ignore their parents, and people would rather go to a sporting event than to a church.  Unfortunately, churches have adapted by becoming more focused on entertainment and emotional pleasure than on spiritual development.  As a result, I Timothy 3:12-13 warns, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 

As these attitudes and behaviors become accepted, they spread and become increasingly common in our world.   Christians find themselves increasingly being accused of racism and intolerance, being forced to remove Christian symbols or customs, facing lawsuits and having their children taken away.  Churches and religious centers are attacked and burned. 

I Timothy 4:1-4 instructs how we should respond to such conditions.  “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 

We need to remember that God and Christ will judge everything that is done on earth, and that their standards have not and will not change, regardless of society’s changes.  We are to preach the word.  Several words are translated preach, but they are nearly all derivatives of either a word meaning ‘to teach,’ or a word meaning ‘to proclaim as a herald.’  Under the laws of heraldry, any change to message was punishable by death, whether it was proclaimed publically or privately.  To teach has the same meaning it has in modern English.   The message must not be changed, whether it is popular or unpopular.    We still need to reprove, to point out when things are not right.  We need to rebuke or specifically address wrongdoing, and we need to encourage those who are doing what is right, but we need to do those things patiently, carefully teaching what God wants. 

As the wickedness becomes more widespread there will be increasing pressure to adapt our teaching to be more appealing to modern society.   There will be pressure to change both the way we worship and the moral standards to suit the current attitudes, openly rejecting the traditional ways.  People will leave churches which do not go along with the new ideas, adopting man made stories in place of God’s word.  We must not give in to that pressure.  I Timothy 4:5 commands, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”  We are to stay focused, not allowing our standards to change, even when we suffer for our position.  We are to continue to share the gospel, and teach those who believe to follow Christ fully.  The great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 commands,  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”  It is not enough to just win people to Christ.  We are to make full proof of the ministry, not just do the first part.