In Matthew 24:12, Jesus makes a very sobering statement about the devastating effect increasing lawlessness can have on someone’s loyalty to Jesus: “Because of the increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold” (NIV). However, he then adds in verse 13: “But he who endures to the end will be saved” (ESV). What can we as followers of Jesus do to help one another keep our love for the Lord strong and fervent in the midst of increasing lawlessness? In part 2 of this series, we turn our attention first to the power of crowd pressure and the need for followers of Jesus to hold fast to truth and righteousness in the face of it. Then we discuss God’s mandate for His people to faithfully preserve, submit to, hold fast to, and pass on the body of apostolic teaching and tradition that He has entrusted to them. We invite you to join us as we ask God to help us “spur one another to toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NIV) in the face of increasing pressure to conform to the ways of the world.
Old Testament 
Exodus 23:2-8 
New Testament 
Matthew 28:20; Romans 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:14-15; 2 Timothy 2:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25

Tim Miller

Crisis

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<li class="li1">Recognize the power of crowd pressure, and pray for strength and courage to hold fast to truth in the face of it (show elevator video; Solomon Asche, social psychologist, known for his studies on social pressure and conformity).</li>
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2 “Do not follow the crowd (“the masses” [NASB], “a majority” [LEB, NRSV], “the majority” [TEV]) in doing wrong (“You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it” [NCV]). When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit…6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. (Ex. 23:2-8, NIV)
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<li class="li4">“… the temptation warned against here is that of being swayed in any action that would be wrong by the fear of looking foolish, incorrect, odd, or dishonest because of taking a position different from that taken by everyone—or virtually everyone—else. God has created human beings to be socially integrative and to try to cooperate with one another. As a result, it can be extremely difficult to take a stance in a difficult and emotionally charged situation or legal case against the majority (possibly including many of one’s friends or even family) in favor of a person or cause that has no other advocates. … This law calls for individual believers, who in so many other cases are expected to conform to the group (as in worship or in keeping any apodictic law applicable to everyone at all times) to be willing to think and act as individuals clearly enough and righteously enough that they can stand against all others in their actions or testimony.”</li>
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<li class="li4">Interesting study by the Association for Psychological Science (2016): “The same brain circuits that are activated by eating chocolate and winning money are activated when teenagers see large numbers of ‘likes’on their own photos or the photos of peers in a social network, according to findings from a <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/05/24/0956797616645673.abstract">study</a> in which researchers scanned teens’ brains while they used social media…. ‘When the teens saw their own photos with a large number of likes, we saw activity across a wide variety of regions in the brain,’ said lead author Lauren Sherman, a researcher in the brain mapping center and the UCLA branch of the Children’s Digital Media Center, Los Angeles…In deciding whether to click that they liked a photo, the teenagers were highly influenced by the number of likes the photo had. ‘We showed the exact same photo with a lot of likes to half of the teens and to the other half with just a few likes,’ Sherman said. ‘When they saw a photo with more likes, they were significantly more likely to like it themselves. Teens react differently to information when they believe it has been endorsed by many or few of their peers, even if these peers are strangers.’… ‘In the study, this was a group of virtual strangers to them, and yet they were still responding to peer influence; their willingness to conform manifested itself both at the brain level and in what they chose to like,’ said Dapretto, a senior author of the study. ‘We should expect the effect would be magnified in real life, when teens are looking at likes by people who are important to them.’” </li>
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<li class="li1">Meet and gather regularly for the sake of stirring one another up</li>
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24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging (GK. parakaleō; strengthen, help, encourage, exhort, console, etc.) one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24-25, ESV)
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<li class="li1">Be ready to sacrifice our time, energy, safety, comfort, and resources for one another’s sake</li>
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1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. (Rom. 16:1-4, NIV)
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<li class="li1">Remember that we are never alone. The Lord is with us.</li>
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…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20, NIV)

IN THE FACE OF INCREASING LAWLESSNESS, IT IS VITAL...

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<li class="li1"> We must also be careful to faithfully hold to, preserve, and pass on the teaching of the apostles</li>
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17 For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Cor. 4:17, NIV)
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to (“hold fast to” [LEB, NRSV]) to the traditions that you were taught by us (“hold to the teachings we passed on to you” [NIV]; “keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you” [NLT]; “continue to believe the teachings we gave you” [NCV]; “hold on to those truths which we taught you” [TEV]), either by our spoken word or by our letter. (2 Th. 2:14-15, ESV)
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<li class="li3">15 So, in light of all these things, brothers, stand firm, and keep faithfully adhering to the body of true teaching that we passed on to you, whether by verbal instruction or by our letter. (2 Th. 2:15, BHT)</li>
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2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. (1 Cor. 11:2, NIV)
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim. 2:1-2, NIV)
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HOLDING FAST TO THE GOSPEL AMDIST INCREASING LAWLESSNESS

Keeping Our Love Hot Amidst Lawlessness

In part 1 of this series, we consider what “lawlessness” means within the immediate context of...

Be Prepared

In part 2 of this series, we turn our attention first to the power of crowd pressure and the need...

Hold Firm

What can we as followers of Jesus do to help one another keep our love for the Lord strong and...

Be Careful

In part 2 of this series, we turn our attention first to the power of crowd pressure and the need for followers of Jesus to hold fast to truth and righteousness in the face of it.