Message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH, Sunday, September 1, 2024.
For the “Live in Church” audio version of this message, select here.
(A quick show of hands, please.) How many of you are active with social media? The most interesting thing about social media is that just about everyone has had exposure to social media whether they use it or not. Many people get ALL of their information (news, weather and sports) directly from social media, and if you pay close attention to your local news stations, they typically will report information after you already have received it.
A recent study of Americans’ Social Media Use by Pew Research in early 2024 noted that in their research sample of over 5,700 people, 83 percent of all U.S. adults use YouTube and 68 percent use Facebook. The next closest is Instagram at 47 percent. Interestingly, Twitter (also known as X) has a U.S. adult user rate of only 22 percent. Many adults who took this survey use multiple platforms. In contrast, younger people were more into Instagram and TikTok, and adults using TikTok went up from 21 percent to 33 percent in three years.1
All told, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are the dominant players for adults on social media. All of them are heavily supplemented by advertising, but you can pay a premium to avoid virtually all ads on YouTube. All of these are readily accessible from your smartphone or your desktop computer, and they all provide immediate updates at any given moment.
For today, social media is the dominant media source, and it has a fair share of its positive and negative effects. From our church’s perspective, we know that we can find a large amount of content on these platforms that proclaim the good news, but there is additional content that fails to glorify God. That, in itself, doesn’t ruin all of social media. Before social media, there were books and television programs that would both honor God and also provide the alternate viewpoint. I want to emphasize here that social media is very immediate and very powerful. Have you ever seen videos of people using their phones while they’re walking down the street and they wind up hitting a tree or stepping in a hole? We have a lot of people who are so hypnotized by what is on their screens that they have difficulty with carrying on conversations or they scuffle with interpersonal relationships. Social media addiction is a real thing. You can wind up looking at your phones for so long that you can develop what is referred to as “tech neck.” Tech neck is any form of chronic neck or shoulder pain, soreness or stiffness from poor posture while using technology, such as phones or computers.2
But now let’s bring the church into this discussion. Many churches have spent time, money and resources to provide an online presence. They are actively involved with social media to bring in viewers and engage with the body of Christ. It all started with our church when we wanted to find a way to engage with our own members during the Pandemic. We have kept up the online process to reach beyond our church walls. Our challenge has been and will continue to be proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ both in church and online. We welcome your prayers as we, at times, grapple with the technology as we share content, for the opposition is formidable. All aspects of the church trying to reach people are heavily contested by the enemy. We experience it at the church and we deal with it on a daily basis.
As you already know, we are in the last days. The last days officially began when Jesus ascended to the right hand of his Father after His resurrection. Let’s look at Luke’s account of the beginning of the last days in the book of Acts:
Acts 1:1-11 NIV
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Luke’s description of Jesus’s ascension has within it an expectation of the return of Jesus from the documented words of the angels themselves. The New Testament letters of Paul, Peter, John, James and Jude were written during a time of great stress and persecution within the church. Their letters provided words of encouragement along with words of warning.
Let’s get into the Word of God and look at our response to persecution:
1 Peter 4:12-14 NIV
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
All of these writers also warned against the false teachers of the day, especially those who were infiltrating the church:
2 Corinthians 11:12-15 NIV
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
1 Timothy 6:3-5 NIV
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
Jude 1:3-4 NIV
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
There are literally dozens of examples like these passages in the epistles as well as in the gospels and in the Old Testament. This is all “last days” communication, and there is a common audience for each of these letters.
The readers of these letters were encouraged to stand firm within the expectation that Jesus was going to return very soon—as early as within their own lifetimes. We know now that we are 2,000 years removed from those writings. But the expectation of the return of Christ, for the believer in Jesus, should now be greater than ever!
Whether you are in fellowship with others or online, we must communicate with others with a good amount of urgency that time is indeed short. Rather than dwell on the things wrong with this world (these things that go wrong now were much the same back in the days of Peter and Paul), we need to gird ourselves up and prepare to speak even more about Jesus and recognize that we are living in an exciting time indeed.
We’re in the last days of the church.
And do you know that Jesus has us right where he wants us to be?
In Paul’s second letter to his friend Timothy, he provides a prophetic message that applied to Timothy’s church and also to today’s church:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Let’s be clear about this communication between Paul and Timothy. This is a prophetic statement about the future of the church. The church is made up of those who are believers in Jesus. But what is Paul saying about this church? Will these behaviors be evident in the last days of the church? Can we make an argument that these things are taking place today within the walls of some churches? We get a clearer view of this from a passage in Paul’s first letter to Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:1-2 NLT
1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
The last days of the church will be a struggle. It is, in some churches, already a struggle for many every Sunday. There are churches in our own district still looking for pastors. Some churches don’t have regular Sunday school or Bible classes, which means there is less of an emphasis on teaching. When there is teaching, is it based in truth or is it self-serving? Are we talking about the people described in this passage who are, in fact, disobedient to God’s Word, unloving to people but lovers of money? Who receives the fallout within a disruptive church setting? It’s the people who love Jesus that are emotionally torn apart with the toxic relationships that remain dominant over true worship and praise. If you’ve been a lifetime member of a church, this can be a painful experience every week. Verse 5 in 2 Timothy 3 says to “have nothing to do with such people.” It’s not all that simple for some to say, “I’m leaving the church.” It’s virtually paralyzing. That’s not what is supposed to happen, but for many churchgoers, this is their reality. You can pull back from unhealthy relationships, but doing so may isolate you. And no one is happy.
It’s sickening to talk about the last days of the church becoming a predatory environment, and yet that is exactly what it has become.
2 Timothy 3:6-7 NIV
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
When we say that sin breeds sin, it is a true statement.
James 1:13-16 NIV
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
The last days of the church are just before Jesus returns and renders judgment. Those who believe in Him will receive His safety and security for eternity. Those who we have described as enemies of God will receive their own reward.
I’m giving these warnings to each of us today to think very carefully about your behavior outside of the church AND INSIDE of the church. I’m calling on the faithful to lean heavily on the presence of the Holy Spirit, rely upon Him, and seek Him daily for discernment. It’s difficult, at times, to trust in other people, so let the Holy Spirit be your pilot. He will help you as you build your relationship with Jesus.
I’m going through this exercise because I want my audience to get more engaged in your own studies and get more active in prayer because the enemy is already looming within the church. Those who are choosing to live wrongly will ignore these words.
That’s why Jesus starts with the words, “to you who are willing to listen”:
Luke 6:27-30, 35-36 NLT
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
When you’re interfacing with others, listen to what Jesus tells you to do. We are not to escalate a conflict. We are to remain humble and prayerful. Rather than taking matters into your own hands, give everything to Jesus. Do you realize that in these last days of the church, there are still people in our midst that need to be saved? Jesus wants you to be a testimony for Him before others…before members of your own family!
If you hear the words of Jesus, live in this manner. Actions speak louder than words.
In these last days of the church, rely upon the Spirit and live for Jesus. He wants you to be an example for Him everywhere that you go.
I said before that this an exciting time because it truly is an opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus within the walls of the church. Pray for those who are seeking Jesus and for Him to break through barriers and strongholds that mute the gospel message.
© 2024 Melvin Gaines
1 Gottfried, J. (2024, January 31). Americans’ social media use. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/01/31/americans-social-media-use/
2 Langenhorst, B. (2024, April 10). “Tech neck”: Technology’s effect on your neck. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/
Melvin Gaines 