The Selfie

"Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God." (2 Timothy 3:1-2)

The biggest social media site in the world is said to currently have over 1.3 billion monthly users.

That's an astounding 1/7th of the population of planet earth online each month, posting messages, goofy website links, and personal photos, often taken using their cell phone while looking at themselves in the bathroom mirror.

The "selfie" is what this cell phone self-portrait has been dubbed, by the Internet folks who decide what to call these things.

Paul's warning 2,000 years ago, to his young protege' Timothy, accurately foretells today's modern culture. 

"People are going to be self-absorbed."  

I couldn't help but be amazed as I read through the entire passage in 2 Timothy 3:1-2, of how this modern generation falls under each detailed description given by the Apostle Paul.

The following are some interesting statistics I found online while researching for this post.

The people born between 1980-2000 are referred to as the "Millennial Generation."

• [They] are the largest, most diverse generation in history.
• Nearly 78 million were born between 1980-2000.
• On average, they are marrying at a later age, if at all.
• They are the least religious generation in American history.
• 60% feel that government should provide for their retirement.
• They are most responsible for the growth of the video game industry.
• 83% use a computer for work an average of 17 hours per week.
• 20% use their computer for work 40 or more hours per week.
• They use computers for personal use an average of 17 hours per week.
• 28% listed atheism, agnosticism or no preference as their belief system.
• 34% said that no one can know what will happen when they die.
• 65% rarely, or never attend religious or church services.
• In importance: 1.family, 2.friends, 3.education, 4.career, 5.spouse, 6.spiritual.
• 73% chose "Facebook" as their most popular social media site.
• Most listed texting as their primary means of personal communication.
• The majority see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage.

The first thing that comes to my heart about the generation named, is to never insult them by referring to them as "Millennials." 

I hate cheesy, unbiblical labels, as if people are merely some demographic to be labeled, and not human beings. I know I hate being referred to as a "Baby Boomer." What a stupid title. Please don't ever call me a "Boomer."

Over the past several years, I have heard a lot of ideas, philosophies, and methods on how best to reach the young people of the current generation, who, to a great degree, do not seem very open to hearing about Christ. Many of man's methods have not been very effective. They may help you get young people to join your cool youth group, but lasting, transforming change seems mostly absent.

Knowing that God had phropheseid of the perilous times of the resistant culture of our day, Paul wrote:

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Preach the word of God.

That may not sound very hip or sexy. Many may tell you it is old-fashioned and outdated. Others will try to tell you that preaching God's word "will not work on this current generation." I've heard all the excuses.

But Paul proclaimed, 

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16)

There is power in the Word of God.

The philosophies of fallen man are dead and are powerless to impart life or change in the spirit.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

God's word is alive. It is not just some ancient teaching, showing us how to live the right way. There is power in the Word. And to reach the hearts of people, only the word of God has power to discern the thoughts and intents of their hearts. 

You can argue or debate worldly philosophy with people all you want. But there is no power of God in this.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul." (Psalm 19:7)

There is no power in trying to wage a spiritual battle using worldly methods.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

The self-absorbed hearts of these perilous times can only be melted and moved by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)

A friend recently told me that young people will not believe you until they trust you. So build relationships and be real with them.

Speak the truth in love.

They don't care that you know, until they know that you care.


—God is Love and Love Never Fails.