Perilous Times and the Call to True Discipleship

I know that I have said this a lot lately, but we are in the midst of perilous times. This is not an exaggeration, nor is it an attempt to be sensational. It is the sober truth, and it becomes more evident each day as I look at the condition of the world and, perhaps more painfully, at the condition of the Church.

This morning, during my devotional time, I found myself in 2 Timothy chapters 3 and 4. The words of Paul leapt off the page as though they were written for this very hour. The Holy Spirit impressed upon me with great weight just how relevant these warnings are for us in 2025.

Paul begins 2 Timothy 3 with these words:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NKJV).

If these words do not describe the culture of our day, I do not know what does. It is as if Paul looked through the corridors of time and saw our generation. And what grieves me most deeply is that this is not simply the world we are speaking about, but much of what calls itself the Church.

Paul continues in chapter 4 with an even more sobering charge:

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5, NKJV).

Does this not describe what we see around us today? Preachers tailoring their words to the trends of the hour. Believers flock to teachers who soothe their conscience rather than pierce their hearts with truth. Christians finding more time for endless online debates than for prayer or evangelism.

And this is where my lament comes in. If people are truly reading the Word of God, how is there still time for such nonsense? How can we immerse ourselves in Scripture and yet find ourselves consumed by the discourse of the hour—whether on social media, in the pulpit, or in everyday conversation?

I have searched the Scriptures, and I cannot find one instance where disciples of Jesus Christ were commanded to spend their energy on the endless debates of the culture. What I do see is a clear call to pattern our lives after our Teacher.

When I read the Gospels, I see a Jesus who never deviated from His mission. His focus was absolute. Even when His disciples misunderstood Him, even when the crowds tried to make Him king by force, even when the religious leaders opposed Him, He did not waver. He prayed in solitude. He proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He cleansed the lepers. He cast out demons.

Now, let us compare this with the Church in 2025. Which of these works can the overwhelming majority of us be accused of? If we are honest, very few. Most of us are not marked by prayer, evangelism, healing, deliverance, or radical obedience. Instead, we have traded our purpose for cultural relevance.

What is really happening is that the brokenness of humanity and the enticing power of sin are being made evident all around us—even within the Church. And while this reality is heartbreaking, it is also prophesied. Jesus Himself said, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12, NKJV).

I must confess to you that even as one deeply committed to my assignment, I have been discouraged. I have served the Church in many nations, and I have witnessed deception, compromise, division, and a lack of power. At times, it is enough to make me want to retreat. I daily have to go before the Lord and be reminded of my why.

It is dark, and it would be far easier to “do you” than to commit to the personal sacrifice it takes to serve as a missionary among people who do not even realize their desperate need for a Savior. And yet, the call of Christ is not to comfort but to the cross. It is not to cultural applause but to costly obedience.

This is why Paul’s charge to Timothy resonates so deeply with me in this season: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.” We must not allow the discouragement of what we see around us to silence us. The mandate is the same today as it was in the first century: preach the Word, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

So, let me turn this exhortation toward you. Perhaps you, too, have felt the pull to withdraw or to disengage. Perhaps you have looked at the brokenness of the Church and wondered if your efforts make any difference at all. I want to encourage you today: stay faithful. Stay watchful. Do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint (Galatians 6:9).

And if your heart is stirred, I want to extend an invitation. Consider joining us at Ruach Global Missions and House of Prayer. This is not glamorous work, and I won't sugarcoat it for you. It will be hard. It will demand sacrifice. It will stretch you beyond yourself. But I can promise you this: it will be worth it. You will see lives transformed. You will witness the power of God at work. And you will know the joy of fulfilling the ministry that has been entrusted to you.

If you want to know more about joining a mission, I invite you to visit www.thewellencounter.org/join-a-mission.

A Prophetic Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I lift up Your people in this hour of darkness. I ask that You would awaken Your Church from slumber. Shake us free from the snares of cultural distraction and the bondage of compromise. Give us once again a burning hunger for Your Word, a fierce devotion to Your mission, and a holy boldness to proclaim the Gospel without shame.

Lord, strengthen every weary heart. Breathe fresh wind into every discouraged servant. Rekindle the fire on the altars of our souls. Let the Spirit of the Lord rest upon us to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to open the prison doors to those who are bound.

We confess that we have wandered, but today we return. Set our faces like flint toward the mission of Christ. Make us faithful witnesses who endure affliction, who do the work of evangelists, and who fulfill the ministries You have entrusted to us. May our generation not be found wanting but may we rise with power, purity, and love.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

With love and truth,

–Doc