“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
II Timothy 3:1
On Sunday, October 1st. a lone gunman opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd of people enjoying a music concert. Fifty-nine people have died and there are over five hundred reportedly injured. In a single evening horror filled our world and showed that there is no end to humanities capacity for darkness.
My heart is grieving as I write this message to the believers here in Rural Retreat. I think of our school kids and how things are destined to be if our country continues down this path. I long to see a great change – a great turning to the Lord. My desire is for future generations to live in peace. They must turn to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, in order to achieve this.
The very moment I heard of the events in Las Vegas, two words echoed in my heart continually – Perilous Times.
Only once in the Scriptures do we find the Lord using the word “perilous.” Paul is writing to Timothy, a beloved son in the faith. He gives him a warning in II Timothy chapter three verse one, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” Paul looked at Timothy as a son. He viewed him as one whom he cared for, one whom he wanted to be safe. He sent word in the closing chapters of this final letter for him to look to the future and consider what will be in store.
Today, I look to the scene before us and I as well have a heart of love and concern. I too write to you who mean so much to me, “In these last days perilous times shall come.” I will even go ahead and make the statement, they are here.
With that being said, I write today to those who look for the coming of our Lord and believe the Scriptures to be truth – Living in these perilous times we must:
First Prepare – We must be wise enough to see the signs that lie before us and prepare for things to come!
Prepare your faith, dear believer. We must be spiritually prepared to handle the attacks that are moving toward Christianity. Our faith must be strong – for it is our shield to safeguard us from the fiery darts of the enemy. We must be skillful in handling the Word of God. Now is the time to dive deeper and commit more to the truth of God’s Word. The writer of Hebrews teaches us that the Word of God is our spiritual sword. It is our offensive means to win the skirmishes we will encounter. We must be able to handle it skillfully to be effective! If we cannot handle the Word of God properly we are a danger to ourselves and to others.
Preparation is key – Solomon wisely wrote:
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3
Secondly Prayer – We must pray! If we are not willing to take serious times of prayer than how can we expect to see God move in a serious way? If we are not willing to obey the simple teaching of prayer, how can we expect a Holy God to bless a disobedient people? I speak strongly here because I believe the greatest thing that we can do for the future of our children and grandchildren is to pray for God to show His grace and move in a powerful way!
Pray for our leaders and the laws that they pass.
Pray for our churches that they will experience true spiritual revival.
Pray for our society, that their hearts will be touched and that they will seek the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear believer, perilous times are upon us! Daily we need to approach the throne of God that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Lastly, Preach! The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people! The change our world stands in need of is a change of heart and mind! We need to be sharing our faith more than our opinion. People need to hear the testimony of our conversion more than our political position. People need to hear about Jesus! Jesus is love, Jesus is hope, Jesus is peace! Thinking back over all the events of my life – Jesus has made the biggest change for good in my life!
The more we share the gospel, the greater opportunity there is for others to believe and receive Jesus. This great change has the power to change our whole society and make a better and brighter future for those who are coming after us.