Evangelical church weaknesses

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GUEST: Guest: Jan Markell, founder and president, Olive Tree Ministries

In some of his final words, the apostle Paul wrote to the younger pastor Timothy saying, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

Paul then described what men will be like in these perilous times: “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 3:2-5).

The “last days” in Scripture is the period of time between the first coming and second coming of Christ. But reading the book of Revelation, the ungodliness intensifies in the last of the last days.

While there is certainly room to descend further, what we are seeing today, for example in Minneapolis with protestors taking to the streets day after day to scream obscenities at officers and block them from arresting criminals and illegal immigrants, and then entering and disrupting Cities Church in St. Paul this past Sunday, claiming to be like Christ cleansing the temple, as they yelled and shamed churchgoers for “doing nothing to help their immigrant neighbors” could aptly be described as “perilous times.” All this lawlessness has the support or sympathy of state leaders.

But it’s not just in my home state of Minnesota. There is massive deception and delusion across the country and world rebelling against God and His ways and ranting against Israel, even within the church.

Our guest this weekend, Jan Markell, has watched it all over her lifetime. The daughter of an orthodox Jewish father, Jan was changed forever when she heard and believed the gospel as a young girl. She would go on to found Olive Tree Ministries, a ministry that for decades has exhorted the church, through her radio program heard across the country and world called Understanding the Times, conferences, and written and video resources, to be faithful and discerning and to look for to the return of Christ and God fulfilling His promises to Israel.