Are These Signs Of The Apocalypse? 2 Timothy 3:5

ARE THESE THE SIGNS OF THE APOCALYPSE?

The media shows images of wars, murders, natural disasters, collapsing governments, and bankrupt societies. People say these are signs of the Apocalypse but never consider them a sign of the end times.

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

This is The Bible's description of the people in the last days.  It is an awful list. But one thing sums them all up.

"HAVING A FORM"

The people of the last days live by their own ideas and philosophies. They reject the Creator's instruction for their own.

A form is a hollow shape inside a mold. It is an empty space, and when a substance is poured in like wax or plaster, it takes the form's shape.  A form is an emptiness waiting to be shaped.

We not only want to avoid such people, but we also want to avoid being such people.

"OF GODLINESS"

Godliness can be defined as being like God, living a life He approves of, or imitating God in the way you live.

This world's religions are a form of godliness designed by man, but they cannot succeed in reaching God because man is flawed, and his efforts will be flawed.  To say I am good enough for God is based on a lack of knowledge of God.  God is holy, so no one is good enough for him, but God is powerful, and in His wisdom, He made a way through Christ (see below).

"BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF"

The people of the end times deny the power of God; this is a sweeping and broad statement. It includes:
     * The idea that God is smaller than our problems,
     * That God is helpless or unwilling to do good.
     * That He is old-fashioned or irrelevant to our needs today.
     * That He just set things in motion and walked away.

God's power is seen in Christ's atoning death and resurrection.  God is the basis of our relationship with God- not our works, merit, or effort.  God is the basis for changing us into better people, not our energies.

"HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SUCH PEOPLE"
Such practical advice since such people are never good for us.  They bring discouragement and problems.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

There is one person that we should seek to be with.  This person is the opposite of the list of character traits described in the verse above and expresses God's power.  Jesus lived a perfect life; even his enemies could not find anything wrong in him.  His death and resurrection are evidence of the power of God.  Though the world is slipping into darkness, his life, teaching, and redemption work can be our personal light.  We must get to know him and his power.

(c) Adron 1/9/16

How Can I Find Boldness To Share My Faith? 2 Timothy 1:8

Some people suffer from shyness or struggle with fears when it comes to sharing their faith. How do we overcome this?

"So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God." 2 Timothy 1:8

In the first century, the cross was a shameful thing, and if you knew someone who was crucified, it would be a scandal, and you would keep it secret; to not be ashamed went against the cultural standards of the times.

DO NOT
This has the strength of a command.  It is a clear statement that we are not to be ashamed. If we are sorry, we need to confess and repent.

TESTIMONY
To testify is to tell what you know.  It does not require an advanced college degree to tell about your experience,

SUFFERING
We are invited to share in his suffering.  It is an honor to suffer from the Lord. The Apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer in his name, Acts 5:41.

POWER
Power is set in contrast to shame. In this case, it is the opposite of shame.  The Gospel is the power of God to change lives and save mankind.  This power is far greater than any shame we could experience. The Gospel has power, and that should be sufficient to overcome fear.

JOIN
Instead of being ashamed of the Gospel, Paul invites us to become partners with Christ in affliction.

The greater act of power was salvation; it is the harder task; the lesser is to empower us to testify- to empower us would be easy after making salvation.

Accept the power, claim it, and act on the power of the Gospel.

To learn more about how the Gospel can change lives, see my other blog.

(c) Adron 11/19/14

WOULD YOUR KIDS LIKE PRINTABLES EACH WEEK?

When you make your monthly pledge of only $3:50, you will receive BIBLE TIME FUN WEEKLY, a children's activity printable bulletin every week. You will receive additional material available only to patrons, as well as an editable Word Doc. It has pages of puzzles, coloring pictures, and games for the kids.  You can share it with the kids in your church, Awana Bible club, class, camp, VBS, Backyard Bible club, school, and home. Use the button below.

Become a Patron!

Thank You!

What Does a Person Who Suffered Say About Suffering? 2 Timothy 1:12

We all face suffering sooner or later. We react to suffering in different ways such as anger, despair, or like Paul, the Apostle embrace suffering knowing he had more than the suffering.

"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." 2 Timothy 1:12, NIV.

SUFFERED
Paul suffered much for the gospel. He was betrayed, stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and the list goes on ending in martyrdom. Paul had a focus in his life, and it wasn't himself, his problems, or his trials; but it was a focus on Jesus.

KNOW
He said, "I know." he had the confidence and assurance that comes out of knowing; not just a knowledge born from books, or classroom learning- he had something different. When you say, "I know Joe," you don't mean you recognize Joe's face but that you are acquainted with Joe, that you are friends, or companions or more.

Paul had both kinds of knowledge; he knew intellectually who he believed in and he knew personally who he believed in. He knew Jesus as a friend and Savior.  Paul knew Jesus as Savior; that as God he was sufficient to take our sins on the cross and pay completely their debt. Paul knew that only a holy God could have done that.

ENTRUSTED
Paul's knowledge of Jesus gave the greatest conviction of eternal heaven; he could have argued it from doctrine, or he could have rationalized it, but because he knew Jesus as Lord personally he knew Jesus was sufficient to the task. He had no doubts about who it was he was trusting his soul to, and he had no doubts that trusting his soul to Jesus was sufficient and more to assure his salvation and good standing in the day of judgment.

We are given strong words of assurance and confidence in this verse; we have "know", "believed," and "convinced." Knowing Christ is powerful in giving our faith strength to overcome the doubts of our eternal future. The activating word in this verse is the word "entrusted" Paul gave complete trust in the Lord Jesus to save him. The challenge that we must consider for ourselves is whether we, like Paul, have entrusted our future to Him who is able, and have trusted him have we grown to know him.

To find out how you can believe in Jesus as your Savor follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat