Promises Promises wrote:
> convicted neighbor "Robibnikoff" > wrote:
> > "No One" > wrote in message ...
>
> >>
> >> A Hindrance to Christ?
> >
> > Who? This is alt.atheism. We don't give a shit about your christ.
> > --
> > Robyn
> > Resident Witchypoo
> > BAAWA Knight!
> > #1557
>
>
> Too bad. "Difficult Times Will Come" - Are We there Yet!
>
> The Coming Apostasy
>
> (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB)
> "Difficult Times Will Come"
>
> 1 But realize this, that ?a?in the last days difficult times will
> come.
>
> 2 For men will be ?a?lovers of self, ?b?lovers of money, ?c?boastful,
> ?c?arrogant, ?d?revilers, ?c?disobedient to parents, ?e?ungrateful,
> ?f?unholy,
>
> 3 ?a?unloving, irreconcilable, ?b?malicious gossips, without
> self-control, brutal, ?1??c?haters of good,
>
> 4 ?a?treacherous, ?b?reckless, ?c?conceited, ?d?lovers of pleasure
> rather than lovers of God,
>
> 5 holding to a form of ?1??a?godliness, although they have ?b?denied
> its power; ?c?Avoid such men as these.
>
> [1]
>
> LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS
>
> If society is doomed to degeneration, what should believers do as they live
> in the "last days"? Paul offered advice in several of his letters:
>
> Reference - Romans 13:11-14 Application - Keep close to the Lord.
>
> Reference - 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Application - Avoid those masquerading
> as servants of God.
>
> Reference - Ephesians 5:11 Application - Have nothing to do with evildoers
> and their wicked deeds; instead, expose them. Believers need not allow evil
> to continue unchecked, but should actively work against it.
>
> Reference - Ephesians 5:18 Application - Redeem the time.
>
> Reference - Colossians 4:2, 5 Application - Believers are to pray, be
> watchful, be thankful, and be wise in the way they act toward unbelievers,
> making the most of every opportunity to share the gospel.
>
> Reference - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Application - Church members who are
> lazy and idle must be warned. Christians should not be sitting around
> waiting for the Lord to return, but should continue working in the
> ministry.
>
> [2]
>
> In verses 2-5, nineteen characteristics of mankind during the last days are
> given. We shall simply list them and give synonyms that explain their
> meaning:
>
> Lovers of themselves-self-cen tered, conceited, egotistical. Lovers of
> money-greedy for mon ey, avaricious. Boasters-braggarts, full of great
> swelling words. Proud-arrogant, haughty, overbearing. Blasphemers-evil
> speakers, profane, abusive, foulmouthed, contemptuous, insulting.
> Disobedient to parents-rebellious, undutiful, uncontrolled.
> Unthankful-ungrateful, lacking in appreciation. Unholy-impious, profane,
> irreverent, holding nothing sacred.
>
> 3:3 Unloving-hard-hearted, unnaturally callous, unfeeling.
> Unforgiving-"implacable, refusing to make peace, refusing efforts toward
> reconciliation." Slanderers-spreading false and malicious reports. Without
> self-control-men of uncontrolled passions, dissolute, debauched.
> Brutal-savage, unprincipled. Despisers of good-haters of whatever or
> whoever is good; utterly opposed to goodness in any form.
>
> 3:4 Traitors-treacherous, betrayers. Headstrong-reckless, self-willed,
> rash. Haughty-making empty pretensions, conceited. Lovers of pleasure
> rather than lovers of God-those who love sensual pleasures but not God.
>
> [3]
>
> 2 Timothy 3:1
>
> Knowing his death was imminent, I believe Paul nonetheless thought the
> Rapture would happen either in his lifetime or shortly thereafter. So do I.
> I believe the Rapture will happen in my lifetime.
>
> "Well," you say, "if Paul thought the Rapture would happen in his lifetime,
> and it didn't-and if men of God throughout the ages have felt as though
> they were living in the last days and the Rapture would happen in their
> lifetimes, and it didn't-doesn't it seem foolish to think the Rapture will
> happen in your lifetime?"
>
> Not at all. Throughout the history of the church, the greatest men and
> women of the faith have all lived their lives believing that the Lord's
> coming was nigh. And even though the Lord didn't come when they thought He
> would, looking for His return impacted their lives in such a way that they
> left their mark on history and will be rewarded greatly in eternity (2
> Timothy 4:8). Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Finney, Moody, Torrey all felt the
> Lord's coming was close at hand. Put me in their company any day!
>
> I choose to live my life looking for the Lord's coming. And if I am wrong,
> even if He doesn't come back for another five hundred years, I would rather
> go through the days I have left looking for the sudden appearing of Jesus
> Christ because I know the effect it has upon the life of any man or woman
> who believes He could come today: One's heart does not get troubled as
> easily. One is not prone to sin so readily. If you want to live a zealous,
> exciting, fulfilling, pure Christian life, live it looking for the Lord's
> coming (1 John 3:3).
>
> [4]
>
> 2 Timothy 3:2 (a)
>
> For men shall be lovers of their own selves.
>
> Of the students in the ten leading industrialized nations, American
> high-school students scored either ninth or tenth in every academic
> category. But in the category of self-esteem, they came in first. In other
> words, our culture is very good at teaching our kids to say, "I'm okay. I'm
> somebody. I'm proud."
>
> 2 Timothy 3:2 (b)
>
> .covetous, boasters.
>
> The Greek word translated "boasters" is alazon, which speaks of a claim
> made by a quack promising something but unable to deliver that which was
> promised.
>
> 2 Timothy 3:2 (c)
>
> .proud, blasphemers.
>
> The idea of blasphemy literally refers to those who use the Lord's name in
> vain. People say "God" constantly-but seldom with reverence. Even by people
> interviewed on news programs, the Lord's name is used in vain constantly.
>
> 2 Timothy 3:2 (d), 3 (a)
>
> .disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection.
>
> I believe nothing identifies us more clearly as those who have fallen into
> unnatural affection than the sad statistics relating to abortion. We're
> horrified when we read that the Canaanites placed their babies on the
> incandescent arms of idols. How can this be? we wonder. And yet we burn our
> babies with saline solutions in the wombs of mothers-a practice even more
> horrific, a practice that goes against every natural instinct to protect
> one's offspring.
>
> 2 Timothy 3:3 (b)
>
> .trucebreakers.
>
> The idea here is of people ignoring covenants or contracts.
>
> 2 Timothy 3:3 (c)
>
> .false accusers, incontinent, fierce.
>
> After being confronted by a student upset with an assignment, the teacher
> of an anger management class lost his temper and hit the student in the
> face. Now, if even teachers of anger management are hitting people, without
> the Lord, what hope is there for the rest of our angry world?
>
> 2 Timothy 3:3 (d), 4
>
> .despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of
> pleasures more than lovers of God.
>
> People love pleasure. But it's a love that leads only to the "Been there,
> done that, now what?" mentality, as they find they have to continually do
> something bigger, better, farther, faster, and higher in order to get the
> same thrill they once did.
>
> 2 Timothy 3:5
>
> Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn
> away.
>
> We're to turn away from those who are without natural affection, from those
> who despise things that are good, from those who love pleasure more than
> God, from those who talk about NewAge spirituality but who know nothing of
> the power of the Holy Spirit and the Resurrected Jesus.
>
> [5]
>
> IS IT BAD ENOUGH YET?
>
> Our concerns about the "last days" tend to be very personal. They usually
> arise, not because we are actually suffering, but because we dread
> suffering. Concerns focus not so much on the destructiveness of evil around
> us, but whether or not evil will affect our way of living. Such narrow
> concerns reveal our blindness to evil. Christians must not withdraw from
> the world entirely or use the wrong methods to defend themselves against
> it. Believers who attempt to insulate themselves from the moral degradation
> of the last days must not insulate themselves from God. Whenever material
> prosperity or pleasure are used in place of God's protection, we fool
> ourselves. But God loves us too much to leave us in our delusion. If it
> takes the loss of everything to get our attention, God has been known to
> allow that to happen. Does your life exhibit an awareness of the desperate
> condition of the world? Are you using God's methods for dealing with
> terrible times?
>
> [6]
>
> CHECK THE LIST
>
> In many parts of the world today, it's not too tough to be a follower of
> Christ-Christians aren't jailed for reading the Bible or executed for
> preaching Christ. But Paul's descriptive list of behavior in the last days
> describes our society-even, unfortunately, the behavior of some Christians.
> Every one of these can be found in churches today. Check your life against
> Paul's list. Don't give in to society's pressures. Don't settle for comfort
> without commitment. Stand up against evil by living as God would have his
> people live.
>
> [7]
>
> CHOOSING TO LOVE
>
> Why is it so tempting to be a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God?
>
> . Pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled. Most
> pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and
> sometimes sacrifice.
>
> . Pleasure benefits us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the
> future.
>
> . Pleasure has a narcotic effect; it takes our minds off ourselves and
> our problems. Love for God reminds us of our needs and our
> responsibilities.
>
> . Pleasure cooperates with pride. It makes us feel good when we look
> good in the eyes of others. To love God we must lay aside our pride and our
> accomplishments.
>
> [8]
>
> PLAYING SOLDIER
>
> Imitation Christianity has dangerous consequences. Putting on an appearance
> of faith often leads people to believe a person is a true believer. In an
> actual incident during the Korean War, a lieutenant inspecting a new
> platoon over which he was about to take command reported that several
> soldiers carried rifles that had rusted shut. Yet they were scheduled to go
> into battle the next day! They looked like soldiers; they carried weapons.
> But they were unprepared and unable to fight.
>
> Some churchgoers rely on superficial appearances. Many people today carry
> Bibles, attend church, mouth the right words, yet evidence no spiritual
> power in their lives. They have no direct, personal, intimate connection
> with God.
>
> [9]
>
> "Self-love is the basic shortcoming mentioned in the list of vices in
> 3:2-5. This vice leads to action in vv. 6-9 that is deceitful, determined
> to dominate, stubborn, and rejected by God." 64
>
> [10]
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> a 1 Tim 4:1 a Phil 2:21 b Luke 16:14; 1 Tim 3:3; 6:10 c Rom 1:30 d 2 Pet
> 2:10-12 e Luke 6:35 f 1 Tim 1:9 a Rom 1:31 b 1 Tim 3:11 1 Lit not loving
> good c Titus 1:8 a Acts 7:52 b Acts 19:36 c 1 Tim 3:6 d Phil 3:19 1 Or
> religion a 1 Tim 4:7 b 1 Tim 5:8 c Matt 7:15; 2 Thess 3:6
>
> [1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (2 Ti 3:1). LaHabra, CA:
> The Lockman Foundation.
>
> [2]Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1993). 1 Timothy, 2
> Timothy, Titus. Cover title: 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. Life application Bible
> commentary (204). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
>
> [3]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary
> : Old and New Testaments (2 Ti 3:2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
>
> [4]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1408).
> Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
>
> [5]Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1408).
> Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
>
> [6]Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1993). 1 Timothy, 2
> Timothy, Titus. Cover title: 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. Life application Bible
> commentary (204). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
>
> [7]Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1993). 1 Timothy, 2
> Timothy, Titus. Cover title: 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. Life application Bible
> commentary (206). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
>
> [8]Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1993). 1 Timothy, 2
> Timothy, Titus. Cover title: 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. Life application Bible
> commentary (207). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
>
> [9]Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., & Wilson, N. S. (1993). 1 Timothy, 2
> Timothy, Titus. Cover title: 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. Life application Bible
> commentary (208). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
>
> 64 64. Lea, p. 230.
>
> [10]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the
> Bible (2 Ti 3:5). Galaxie Software.
>
> . So much predictive Truth in just five [5] lines of Scripture!

Please also pray for our other friends and neighbors who have been
convicted by the Holy Spirit:

http://HeartMDPhD.com/Convicts

May GOD bless you in HIS mighty way making you hungrier than ever.

Prayerfully in Jesus' awesome love,

Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
http://ABChung.LiveJournal.com

"Unlike the 2PD-OMER Approach, weight loss diets can't be combined
with well-balanced diets."
http://HeartMDPhD.com/Love/TheTruth