Many
Christians are not Prepared!
By Dr. Ken Matto
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God
for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye
endure: (2 Thessalonians 1:4)
One of the biggest failures of the churches and
seminaries today is that they have not prepared Christians to endure hardships.
The main reason for this is they adopt “Western Christian Privilege”
which carries with it the idea that Christians in the west will not have to face
any trials and tribulations. The
great emphasis is on the belief that there is such a thing as a
pre-tribulational rapture and that Christians in the west will be removed and
taken to Heaven before the mythical seven year tribulation period kicks in.
Teaching that Christians will be raptured before they
face any persecution sets the Christian up with a bewildering mindset because
persecution is coming for all Christians as it was in the past, it shall be in
the future. By teaching Christians
not to expect persecution and telling them they will be raptured away from any
affliction sets them up for disaster.
Many Christians are not prepared to face the everyday afflictions that
Christians all over the world face.
If you look at social media, you have more Christians relying on the rapture
than the reality that they must face and deal with hardships.
We saw this during the 2020 Covid scamdemic when
Christians shut down their churches and ministries simply because none of them
had any desire to do any research into what was being spewed from the networks,
instead they listened to whatever was convenient and did what their local and
state tyrants told them to do.
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3)
2 Timothy 2:3 teaches that we are to endure hardness as
a good soldier of Christ and not to look for some escape mechanism to avoid it.
Let’s face it, 2020 was a year which proved that many Christians were not
prepared to face reality and that the majority of churches are spiritually
deficient. The words “endure
hardness” is one word in the Greek text and it carries with it the meaning of
“suffer trouble, endure affliction, or suffer trouble.”
Why would the word of God counsel us to endure hardness or affliction if
the Lord was going to remove his people from the earth?
Then he uses the term “good soldier.”
The term “good” carries with it the meaning of “noble or excellent.”
What kind of noble or excellent soldier is it that cowers in a fox hole
waiting for the rapture? A true
soldier of Christ is to be ready for battle even if they aren’t engaged in one
at the moment. The Scriptures are
the battle weapon which is used to fight false teachings such as a pre-trib
rapture and the true study of scripture strengthens us to face whatever this
world has thrown at us. Instead of
running to our couch and staring at our phone, we must face the realities of
hard times head on. Can you name me
any Christian, from the time of the apostles to today, that made a difference
for the kingdom of God by running and hiding and waiting for the rapture?
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:24)
John 11:24 is one of six verses which teach that the
resurrection, which is the rapture, will occur on the last day.
This is why the Bible counsels us to endure the hardships and afflictions
of this life because they are the testing programs which build the endurance
capabilities of the believer. The
Bible is teaching us plainly that the Christians are going to be here until the
last day of recorded history and we better learn to face hardships.
How can a Christian grow in the faith by running away and staring at the
sky waiting to be taken away? When
the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, the Disciples were all staring into
Heaven watching the Lord disappear.
Then what did the angels say to them?
“Keep waiting on this mountain because that is what you are to do?”
Said no angel ever!
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing
up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)
The angel asked them “why stand ye gazing up into
Heaven?” In other words, what are
you still doing here as there is much to do to get the gospel out to the world.
The same question could be asked of the modern western Christian, “why
are you gazing up into Heaven looking for the rapture?”
Laziness is reprehensible to the Lord and lazy Christians will never
experience the full Christian life.
There are many to reach in this world with the true gospel and it will never be
accomplished by living a lazy life.
It is time that Christians begin to start believing
their Bibles instead of believing fake theological systems or pastors who are
trained in deception. Christians
must become hardened soldiers in the kingdom of God or they will face continuous
defeat.
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the
work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5)
The verse states plainly that we are to endure
afflictions while doing the work of an evangelist.
In other words, while you are facing hardship, continue to witness the
gospel to others. Have you ever
listened to the Voice of the Martyrs broadcast?
They feature people who have family members who were threatened with
execution but refused to be intimidated and continued bringing the gospel to
others and in many cases, they were executed for their faith.
In witnessing during afflictions, you are making full proof of your
ministry which carries the meaning of “giving full evidence of your ministry.”
Paul gives four commands to Timothy in this verse but they apply to all
Christians no matter whether they hold a position in the church or not. The
first command is to watch and that means to be sober minded so you are able to
spot a false teaching which is specifically designed by Satan to derail you from
your walk with the Lord. It also carries with it the idea of self-control to
keep oneself from any sins which could cause a fall in our Christian walk. The
second command is that he is to endure affliction which means hardship or
suffering. The true Christian is going to face hardships in this world because
this is still Satan’s kingdom where we walk and his people are completely
opposed to the truth and will cause affliction. One only needs to look at the
martyrs in Ancient Rome and in the Middle Ages. One can also look at the
afflictions of those involved in the Great Missionary Movement of the Nineteenth
century.
Even in the presence of affliction comes the third command and that is to do the
work of an evangelist. In the heat of opposition, he is to continue to proclaim
the word of God, until the time comes when he is unable to but as long as he is
free to do so, the door remains open for evangelism. Timothy’s duties included
many things in reference to the church at Ephesus but one thing he was never to
do and that was to neglect the preaching and proclaiming of God’s word. The
fourth command is that Timothy make full proof of his ministry, that is, to do
the ministry to the utmost. He is to engage in the duties of the ministry to the
fullest extent no matter what task he was working on. If it was preaching, the
whole counsel of God. If it was counseling, then rebuke and exhortation. If it
was confronting the false teachers, then no holds barred as they had to be
exposed in the widest manner possible so people would see their fraudulence.
These four commands must also be adopted in the lives of every believer.
Ministry that is done half way, is ministry undone! We are speaking of eternal
things and that is why there must be fullest involvement without cutting
corners.
So get off the couch and stop looking for the easy way out but make sure you are truly saved because a saved person has a propensity to send forth the gospel, the unsaved person does not and may exhibit that unsaved position by laziness.