Heaven’s Heartbeat - You Were Born for These Times

When I was in my teens, our low-profile part of the world had a couple of AM stations available for our musical enjoyment. One was country-western, and the other contemporary rock. Our high school piped in the rock station during lunch, much to the student body glee.

Little did I know that the existential rage I heard coming through songs like Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” or the inner sadness of Kenny Rogers singing, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” was actually shaping our world view.

It seemed like cool technology to us back in the late 60s and early 70s. Little did we know that we were on the very front edge of a global technological revolution. That seismic change would ultimately result in the omni-present smart-phone, providing nearly every air-breathing human with a device that gives instant communication, information, and entertainment.

A big change, yes. On a grand scale, however, it has done nothing to change the hearts of humankind. If anything, it’s the very opposite.

When Paul and the Holy Spirit used the Greek word chalepos to describe people’s hearts and the spirit of the times characterizing the last days, they weren’t kidding. You will find this Greek word only twice in the New Testament. In 2 Timothy 3:1 (KJV) the term is translated as “perilous.” Back in Matthew 8:28, the gospel writer employs it to describe two “fierce” demoniacs. The NLT renders the verse, “...two men who were possessed by demons met him (Jesus). They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.”

Paul obviously used the word chalepos intentionally to describe a spiritual and social atmosphere characterized by

• extreme violence

• demonic intimidation and fear

• obsession with death

• an absence of peace and well-being

Paul had previously raised a similar warning in 1 Timothy 4:1-7.

The Greek word chalepos was an extreme, drastic word choice for Paul. Living in a chalepos world implies that everyday living becomes “hard to do, hard to take, and hard to bear.” The term carries with it adjectives like “troublesome, dangerous, harsh, fierce, and savage.”

And one more thing. I see in chalepos the idea of “reducing strength.” In other words, the times in which we live drain the life out of people. They wave the white flag, and their knees buckle.

The impact is real. Think about it, Jesus warned us about these days in Matthew 24:12 (TPT):

“There will be such an increase of sin and lawlessness that those whose hearts once burned with passion for God and others will grow cold.”

I see it often in the faces of men and women in grocery stores, even churches. Their souls are weary, and sadly, many have stopped living life. I wish it were different, and the truth is, it can be.

Some of the first casualties of a soul overcome with chalepos are humility and compassion. I won’t beleaguer the point by listing Paul’s detailed description of people’s hearts and actions in 2 Timothy 3:2-9, but I encourage you to read it in various translations. The context is the “last days.” I hope you will see the pattern Paul gives us for living life for Jesus in 2021 and beyond. The Passion Translation captures the blueprint. Take the time to read it slowly:

“But you, Timothy, have closely followed my example and the truth that I’ve imparted to you. You have modeled your life after the love and endurance I’ve demonstrated in my ministry by not giving up. The faith I have, you now have. What I have hungered for in life has now become your longing as well. The patience I have with others, you now demonstrate. Remember what you were taught from your childhood from the Holy Scrolls, which can impart to you the wisdom to experience everlasting life through the faith of Jesus, the Anointed One! Every Scripture has been written by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness. Then you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfill any assignment God gives you.”

This call for endurance isn’t new to Paul; no doubt he received it from Jesus, as written in Matthew 24:13: “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (NKJV).

First Jesus, then Paul is equipping us to prepare and overcome the life-draining days in which we live. This doesn’t mean merely surviving by the skin of our teeth, but actually thriving in every assignment God has for each of us, whether large or small.

I am confident of that truth. Why? Because in the middle of the madness—right up to the very end of the age—Jesus says, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations (people) will hear it, and then the end will come” (v-14).

Steppenwolf said we were “born to be wild.” As followers of Christ, I would say that we were born to live in wild times and continue to thrive.

Rock on for Jesus.

- Micah