Semper Paratus: False teachers and the last days

Church was really good this morning. I LOVE my new Sunday school class (started going about 3 weeks ago. It's a new one since they're starting a new 2nd worship service). It's smaller so it's not as overwhelming to me. And I really really like the format (Table discussions of the sermon from the previous week. With questions as guidelines)!

Thanks to all who were praying for me (whether it was for me having support, or for my grandfather). Today (and yesterday) was a really blessed day for me.

The sermon/worship service was really good today too. So many things to think about, to meditate on, to ruminate and marinate in my mind.
I wanted to externally process a bit here. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure.

The passage was II Tim 3:6-9 (we're in the middle of a series going through II Tim).
And II Tim 3:6-9 talks specifically about false teachers or "evilgelists" as my pastor titled his sermon ;). Couple of tidbits from my notes:

"False doctrine emphasizes self-realization, self-actualization. It is a spirituality that sanctifies the love of self. The gospel, on the other hand, puts Jesus in the center and I know more of myself through knowing more of Jesus"

"Sinless sermons are the quickest way to get a monster crowd" - Christian George from "Godology"
"But it's not because we want to rub people's faces in their depravity, It's because we want to turn them toward a Savior. The truth hurts. A sinless sermon, will, at worst, lead to another gospel. Instead of Jesus being a Savior, he becomes just a person that enlightens you."

"Truth hurts, but it also heals. It stings but it also soothes. It cuts but it also mends."

"False teachers hijack biblical terms. They are like parasites. They believe God is ultimately someone you find in yourself and that sin is a self-hating concept."
"Their gospel only heals, only soothes, and yet how do they do that when they are dishonest?"
II Pet 2:17, 19 - "These people [false teachers] are springs without water and mists driven by a storm...They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity..."
*these were my thoughts to this: The freedom they give us is like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. As long as I don't see the chains that bind me, they're not there. Just tell yourself that often enough and you will believe it.

"The good news is false doctrine doesn't last. Their power has a limit. It's not REAL power (God's power is unlimited). Theirs is smoke and mirrors and when the smoke clears, the gospel remains. And what does it do? It repairs the damage done. It always has and always will continue to do so.

~~~
During our Sunday school discussion however, I didn't really say anything. I was just listening to the people at my table. And to me, it sounded so negative. I'm guilty of this too. I either become desensitized to evil or seeing evil affects me so much that I concentrate on the pain it causes and not on what God can do with that. I just want to go on and on about all the "Pharisees" that I see in our midst. Yes, we've identified the really famous ones. Yes, with each era, it seemingly gets worse. Evil can harness technology. With that, comes new power. Except, not really. No matter what evil tries, it's power is always limited. Technology can afford it no advantage over the power of the gospel or the power of the Almighty God. Yes, they have seemingly become more crafty, sneaky. But hasn't the bible always told us that they would be that way? Are we surprised and caught off guard? (Matt 7:15, II Tim 3:6, II Pet 2)

Lovers of pleasure, lovers of self, not lovers of good - having a form of godliness but denying its power (II Tim 3:1-5). But as my pastor said last week and as I think about it more and more, in God's eyes, each generation is no worse than the next. We can't blame the generations before us and neither can we say that we are better than the next generation. C.S. Lewis calls that "chronological snobbery." Haha. Gotta love C.S. Lewis :). There is no golden generation and no hopeless generation. In God's eyes, each generation is soaked in sin. And since 26 out of 27 NT books talk about false teachers, I would also argue that the condition of the church is not necessarily getting worse either. Every apostle, all the great Christians throughout history who have published works, thought they were writing in the last days. They all lamented the great depravity of their generations.

Now before I get into this, let me say this: I know that I have been guilty of badmouthing the Church in the U.S. - a lot of pessimism regarding the condition of the gospel in the West and the many false teachers we have. The diminishing numbers of real Christians who are committed to their faith and yet the flourishing mega churches. Constantly declaring that a time of judgment like the last days will come on us if America doesn't repent. And I have been guilty of being biased too towards the East, being more willing to see God's work and awesome miracles that He's doing for the Church over there.

I think if I had said those things before Jesus Christ, He would have slapped me. Harsh but perhaps He would have done so. No matter how bad of a condition His bride is in, He loves her all the same and just as much, all the time. I badmouthed His bride. Not that we shouldn't point out the false teachers and such. By all means! They need to be unmasked! But it is from II Tim 3:1-9 that I realize this: the Church is not necessarily getting worse. There are no more false doctrines perpetrating the Church than there were back then in apostolic times. Perhaps they look a little different on the outside (cultural masks), but inside, it's all the same. Evil has nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9). Wolves are still wolves though they wear lamb skins and a leopard will can never shed his spots. Snd so we have all been living in the last days. The last days are right now. God didn't tell us when and the signs we look for in the bible, some have passed, some are ongoing, some are yet to come. So the last days are always ongoing. The urgency of each generation really doesn't change.

And really, the difference is this: what do I see when I look at the Church (anywhere in the world) and what does God see.

I'll be honest, most of the time, it can be a pretty depressing viewpoint, to look at the Church in America. It's sad. It's painful. It cuts to the core. We look at the depressing numbers (and yet again, my pastor said last week, "Have you ever seen a positive church statistic?"...and to that, I would answer, "if I did, I sure don't remember. It's easier to remember the negative than the positive."). We look at the many false teachers and the many who continue to fall away. But what does God see? He who has the power to do anything. I am quite sure that instead of a bride that is all dirty, beat up and broken, He sees her as bejeweled, beautiful, and completely His. He sees His restoration, His glory. He continues to work endlessly, tirelessly and never gives up. I'm reminded of Hosea. I'm reminded of the pictures in Isaiah.

So, I also, cannot give up hope as long as the Lord Almighty lives. The present Church, the present wicked generation is not any worse off than previous generations. Evil is evil and it can do nothing new. And the urgency is always urgent. We are living II Tim 3:1-9, Rom 1:18-32, etc. So I guess, take heart and do not be discouraged! We have already been equipped fully by God and given authority and power through the Holy Spirit to do battle with Satan and the evil that is in this world. For evil has not changed and will not change so what God has equipped us with will remain adequate and more than enough. Plus, God is on our side and with us always.

Semper Paratus = Always ready