Paul gives a warning about what will transpire in the "last days". He writes in II Timothy 3:1-4, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 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". It is a sober prophecy but my sense is that these types of people have always existed throughout human history, even in Paul's day. Typically, they are the unsaved, those who are still guided by the sinful nature, and the ones the Church is called to love. The greater admonition is Paul's final description of people in verse 5- those who have a form of godliness but deny its power. The reason these last individuals pose such a great danger is because they sound like most believers. There are many Christians who display a form of godliness through their church attendance, prayers, giving, service, and moral lifestyle but do not believe in the supernatural power of healing, miracles, deliverance, prophecy, and even tongues.
What happens when believers look godly but deny the power of God? Churches become religious centers of doctrine, morality, and social justice unable to provide more than human effort and ingenuity to problems requiring supernatural solutions. Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who enables us to walk a life of power. May we not deny this power but learn how to partner with it to bring global transformation."In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." Acts 2:17
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