Paul’s prophecy of the last days in 2 Timothy 3 describes apostates as “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Ti. 3:4). This is a perfect description of last days society, which is pleasure mad. There has never been more economic prosperity and there have never been more avenues for pleasure. Even most professing Christians love pleasures more than God. There is some love of God, but there is more love of pleasure. Consider the test of time. How much of one’s time is spent on God compared with how much is spent on pleasures? Consider the test of money, energy, and enthusiasm. A great many Christians, even in the staunchest Bible-believing churches, are as sports mad as the secular crowd. Christian youth are as much in love with video games and rock & roll and hip hop and mature-rated movies and Facebook self-expression as the secular crowd. Consider the typical church’s calendar, which is filled to the brim with entertainment, not only for children and teens, but also for the “senior citizens.” Over the pleasure program is a thin veneer of God. Think of the average evangelical or even “fundamentalist” Christian home. There is a little prayer, a little Bible, a little evangelism, a little ministry, perhaps, but there is a whole lot of pleasure. This is accepted as normal Christianity, but it is actually apostasy.
(Friday Church News Notes, June 5, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)