Pure Fun
Years ago, I published a book on Oklahoma football. I interviewed scores of former players and coaches, including quarterback Steve Davis and All-America defensive end Jimbo Elrod. Both players, each a two-time national champion, had fascinating comments about the intense pressure at a blue-blood program when playing big games for championships. Davis, a three-year starter like Elrod, never lost to his three biggest rivals: Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma St. That is a remarkable record.
Davis told me that he never felt pressure and, in fact, the more the pressure, the better he liked it! I was flabbergasted. Even legendary players feel pressure before big games. Some throw up in the locker room. When I asked Elrod the same question as in, What was it like to go down the ramp at the Cotton Bowl to play the Longhorns in front of 80,000 people on national television?
“Pure fun!” he replied, smiling and leaning in for emphasis. He then fist-bumped me, wearing his giant championship rings. Like Davis, he was jazzed by the biggest stages.
I thought about them this week as I looked at the dizzying numbers of big stories from around the world. Will Israel strike Iran within days, as is being reported? Is Trump going to overcome a lethargic Congress and get things done for working Americans? What about Muslims overtaking Europe?
Against this challenging backdrop, we are also watching the American Church go the way of the European Church. Apostasy is already here, with individuals and whole denominations departing the faith.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…” (2 Timothy 4:3).
Or this:
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:3-7).
Those men of God knew 2,000 years ago what was coming to the Church. False teachers would come in and attempt to drag others to hell.
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).
It is my conviction that in our country today, there are scores of false teachers and deceivers.
Yet I run into a lot of apprehension and even frustration when I bring these things up. Take the case of Andy Stanley, the mega-popular Atlanta pastor. You can read to your heart’s delight about his attacks on Scripture and the faith here, and please understand…these are not my opinions. This is what the man believes and states.
But try talking about this during a church presentation!
Do you know what people say to me as I’m exiting the stage after such a talk?
“But that’s Dr. Stanley’s son!”
Yes, he is.
And as I point out to the person with the worried expression: That has nothing to do with what I just documented. I am pointing out that we have a deceiver out in the open, on the biggest stages, and nary a peep from most well-known pastors. They all protect each other.
Now, as I also point out routinely, there are still tens of thousands of solid, Bible-believing pastors across this country. Scores of faithful churches and members.
Apostasy, though, is what Jude warned us about. These people would “creep” into the church: dressed like us, sounding like us, smooth-talking. But they are not of us. Of such, stay away.
Stanley is just one of the problems. We also have a growing hatred of Jews and Israel that is engulfing the Church Visible. A weekly falling away of Bible prophecy teaching.
Now, full-blown apostasy, by definition, is a departure from the faith. That’s why our seminaries have produced deceivers like John Shelby Spong and Marcus Borg, men that wanted to re-imagine the Resurrection, Virgin Birth, and the biblical view of the Gospel (as outlined in Romans 10). Suddenly (seemingly, these problems have been here for decades), whole congregations know very little about the Bible. Professing Christians could not articulate what the Gospel is if you offered them one million dollars to do so. It is leading people to abandon the core of our faith. Just ask someone if he believes in the physical Resurrection. Or note the growing number of professing Christians that now accept the homosexual lifestyle.
I want to end on a positive note, though, odd as that may seem given what I’ve written so far.
God Himself has given us a front-row seat to all this. You could have been born in 1479. Or 1922. Before the beast of apostasy had arisen. But you weren’t. You are alive now. At this moment in history. Our majestic and great God has decided that you would have a seat right down front. We are watching these things happen.
This week I saw a video clip of a man in Dubai purchasing items at a store by using facial recognition. Is this not the outline of the Beast System? We already know chips are being put into people’s bodies. It does appear we are at the time of the end (though I often caution against being dogmatic about certain timelines and fitting current events into every prophecy).
I’m not whining, but I’ve lost a considerable amount of work and associations and relationships because I won’t keep my mouth shut about the validity of Bible prophecy, the specialness of the Jewish people, and the apostasy raging in our country. I am persona non grata in many places I used to be accepted in for years. I just had a book contract canceled by a publisher because I name names, and that makes people fearful.
I’m going to keep doing it, and in the words of sitcom character Michael Scott, I’m going to do it harder. My Lord has gifted me with living in an epoch of world history. It is glorious to live in this time! Deception is now at a supernatural level, directed by personal evil (the real devil).
But this is fun. You are strapped in, and the ride won’t be over until we meet the Lord in the air and then when we see Him appear on the Mount of Olives. I was wishing this would happen during my last trip to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City two years ago. I’m going again in October and hope it happens then.
So let us thank God for His mercies and His provision. He will see us through. The Lord Jesus Christ does not want our total attention on the chaos of this world. He wants us looking up. Our Blessed Hope is coming.
Glory to God.
This is fun.
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