2 Timothy 3:1-17 (NLT)
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires.
7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.
9 But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.
10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.
11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it.
12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
As we serve God’s kingdom and minister to the precious lives He has called us to touch, we will inevitably encounter people and perspectives that are far from godliness and opposed to His heart and purposes. Rather than allowing these influences to sway us, we can take refuge in what remains stable and unchanging amid the fads, trends, and fleshly ideas of the world.
A church established in righteousness and holiness—devoted to the Master’s discipline and order—provides such a refuge. There, we can be confident that the storms of human opposition will subside as the truth exposes evil intentions and brings freedom. Although the wicked may appear dominant and intimidating for a time, their wrongdoing will ultimately lead to their downfall, and their true motives and character will be revealed.
This place of refuge must be built upon the Word of God—the unshakable Rock that can never be broken or overthrown. When we hold fast to His declarations as our lifeline, we can be assured that opposition and rebellion will fall away before the power of God’s living, advancing, and victorious Word.
For every servant of God, this becomes an enduring pursuit: to establish that firm foundation in the hearts of the people entrusted to our care. Grounded in the Word, they will be protected from faltering and falling away. Instead, they will be equipped to demonstrate and fulfill the purposes of God’s kingdom through every good work.