Pathway to Victory

David J. Mullins: Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge active now through July 5th. To give a special matching challenge gift, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, if you indeed have to suffer persecution for standing up for your beliefs, don't whine about it, don't cry about it, do what Peter did and count it a joy to suffer in the name of Christ. Paul said in these last days we are to be hopeful, we're to be courageous, and thirdly, we need to be productive.

David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Most Christians are curious to learn about the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. But often we struggle to see how these seemingly far-off events relate to our lives right now. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains how we as Christians should be living right now in light of the earth's impending destruction. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. I've been preaching God's Word for more than four decades, and I can tell you honestly, I've never witnessed a cultural moment quite like this one. The confusion is everywhere, the anger is everywhere, and the pressure on believers to stay silent or to step aside has never been greater. But silence is not an option.

When Christians behave like Christians, there's hope for our country. As believers, it's our privilege to shine brightly as beacons of hope in these dark days. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. So let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." In this spirit, Pathway to Victory has established the In God We Trust matching challenge.

Because of this matching challenge of $1.5 million, we will be uniquely positioned to expand our efforts to share bold, biblically sound, and trustworthy teaching on TV, radio, digital platforms, and print publications all across America. So please, before the deadline on July 5th, we urge you to give generously to this matching challenge. In doing so, you will double the size and impact of your contribution. We'll say more about the matching challenge and the special thank you gift I'm prepared to send to anyone who participates. But right now, let's concentrate fully on our subject for today. I've titled today's presentation "Last Days Living."

From an eschatological standpoint, the world is certainly closer, at least by 2,000 years, to the end of time than when Jesus and the New Testament writers first started teaching about the end of the ages. How should we live in light of the coming end? If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Look at verse 58. Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

This single verse provides us with three admonitions for how to live in the last days. First of all, Paul says that in light of the last days we need to be hopeful. Secondly, he says be courageous. He uses the word here "immovable." I want you to be immovable. I believe it's only a matter of time until believers begin to suffer persecution for their faith in our country. I'm not saying overnight Christians are going to start being executed in America.

History reveals that persecution comes much more gradually in cultures. I believe a continuing reinterpretation of the First Amendment of the Constitution will give our government sufficient authority to attack believers who defend the rights of the unborn, who oppose same-sex marriages, who exhibit their faith in the public square, and who insist that Jesus Christ provides the only way of salvation. Now, how should we respond, not if that happens, but when that happens? I want you to turn over to Acts chapter 5 for just a moment.

In Acts 5:28-29, Luke records this account. He said the high priest said, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name," that is the name of Jesus. But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men." Peter's response to these governing officials gives us three important insights about how we need to react when we are threatened with persecution for our convictions.

Number one, pick your battles carefully. Peter didn't have to call a prayer meeting when the high priest said this to say to fellow disciples, "Let's decide whether or not we're going to keep preaching the gospel." Jesus had already given the orders. In Acts 1:8 He said, "You shall be my witnesses." He didn't have any choice but to obey Christ. Similarly, when we're ordered to keep silent about our faith in Jesus Christ, we have no choice but to disobey governing authorities.

There are sometimes that we do have a choice. Not every government law that carries religious overtones should be disobeyed. For example, Christians who refuse to pay their income taxes because they don't like the way the money's being used to support abortions, or people who choose to disobey trespassing laws when engaging in an abortion protest, shouldn't claim that they're being persecuted for righteousness' sake. Instead, they're being punished for failing to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.

That's why I say when you decide to engage in civil disobedience, make sure if you're going to defy human authority that you base your decision on clear biblical commands or principles. So pick your battles carefully. Secondly, demonstrate respect when you disobey. You see this in Peter. When the Jewish authorities said to him, "Do not preach Christ any longer," he didn't say, "I'm not going to listen to you bunch of Christ-killers, you can go jump in the Lake of Galilee."

He didn't respond that way. Instead, he said politely but firmly, "We must obey God rather than men." Peter was simply emulating the response of Jesus Himself. In 1 Peter 2:23, Peter said, "And while being reviled, Jesus did not revile in return. While suffering, He uttered no threats, but He kept entrusting Himself to the one who judges righteously." In these last days, I think Christians are going to be challenged to courageously stand against those who deliberately and sometimes just innocently attempt to abrogate our constitutional rights.

In doing so, in pushing back against these people who are trying to curtail our rights, it's important that we not act like jerks in the process. Be respectful of the governing authorities. Years ago, when my oldest daughter, Julia, was in grade school, she came home one day from school and told me about a classmate of hers who had been stopped by a school official for passing out water bottles that had the verse John 4:4 on them that said, "Whoever drinks of the water I give shall never thirst."

This little girl was passing out those water bottles as an attempt to be a witness for Christ, and the school official stopped her from doing so. Julia came home from school horrified by that and she asked, "Dad, can he do that?" I said, "Well, no, he really can't do that. The First Amendment guarantees everyone, including children, the right of freedom of religious expression." I decided that for the sake of the gospel, as well as trying to teach my daughter to stand up for the truth, I needed to intervene in the situation.

I called my friend Kelly Shackelford at Liberty Institute to get the legal rulings on cases like that to make sure I was armed with the correct information. And then I called that school official. I said, first of all, how much I appreciated all that he had done for my two daughters in that school. Secondly, I said, I realize you're a Christian and sometimes that puts you in a very difficult spot in separating your convictions from what you feel like your responsibilities.

Then I said, "You may not be aware that there've already been some court cases about this issue and that children's right to pass out literature has been upheld." And you know what his response was? He was so gracious. He said, "Thank you very much for sharing that with me. I didn't have that information." Now, I realize that won't go down as one of the great legal victories in history. I understand that.

In one small corner of West Texas, a little girl's constitutional rights were preserved. Her efforts to spread the gospel went unfettered, and the attempt to marginalize her rights were pushed back just a little bit. Too many Christians equate politeness with inaction and activism with rudeness. The result is we have given up far too much territory to the enemy by our polite silence. We need to be willing to stand up and push back against those who would try to marginalize Christianity.

Number three, be prepared to suffer the consequences for disobedience. I'm amazed that when Christians boldly stand up for their convictions, they're surprised when they get punished for their actions. Listen, just because you display courage doesn't exempt you from persecution. It probably guarantees it. Think about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He penned his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while being incarcerated for nonviolent protest against segregationist policies by downtown retailers.

Believers rarely are spared from having to suffer consequences for disobeying civil authority. Daniel did have to spend a night in the lion's den. Jesus Christ was executed because He refused to give in to the demands that He deny His Messiahship. What happened to Peter and the apostles when they boldly said, "We must obey God rather than man"? Look at verses 40 to 41 of Acts 5: "And so they flogged the apostles, and they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. And so they went on their way from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer for His name."

If you indeed have to suffer persecution for standing up for your beliefs, don't whine about it, don't cry about it, do what Peter did and count it a joy to suffer in the name of Christ. Paul said in these last days we are to be hopeful, we're to be courageous, and thirdly, we need to be productive. Notice how he closes this three-point admonition. He says, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain."

What Paul is saying is the knowledge that either Christ is coming or you are going ought to cause you to turn on the afterburners in your work for God. You ought to be exceeding, going over the boundaries of what is required, just out of your excitement of what awaits you in the future. I don't know if you're like me, but my most productive workday in the whole year is the day before I leave on vacation. The knowledge that there is something great that awaits me gives me the energy to work extra hard.

That's what Paul is saying here. The fact that we know that either Christ is coming or we're leaving ought to cause us to abound in the work of the Lord. That means we live in three specific ways. Write down these words. First of all, that means we engage in offensive living. I used to live on the border between Texas and Oklahoma. That border was separated by the Red River. The term "river" is an overgenerous term. It's not a river; it's more like a creek bed or sometimes, if it rains, a swamp.

All the many times I drove over the border to Oklahoma, I don't ever remember having to get out of my car and go to higher ground because that river was overflowing its banks. It just never happened. But you've seen cases like the Mississippi River where that has happened, where the river goes on the offensive and it starts chasing people, causing them to abandon their homes and their cars. Well, that's the picture here. God wants us as Christians not to be on the defensive, but we are to be on the offensive.

Do you remember Jesus' words about the church in the days preceding His return? He said in Matthew 16:18, "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." I've said this before, but most Christians misinterpret that verse. They think this is a picture of the church behind the gates trying to survive Satan's battering ram that's trying to overtake us. That's not what the verse is saying. It's not the church that's behind the gates; it's the gates of Hades.

It is Satan and his minions behind that gate who are trying to survive the attack of the church. We're the ones on the offensive. Just as an overflowing river affects everything in its path, followers of Christ are to proactively put Satan and his minions on the run. We're to live offensively. Secondly, continuous living. Notice what Paul says we are to be: "always abounding in the work of the Lord." Underline that word "always." Do you know what the single greatest roadblock to fulfilling this command is?

It is a word that is worshipped in our culture. It's the word "retirement." Someone described retirement this way: "Since I retired from life's competition, each day is filled with complete repetition. I get up each morning and dust off my wits, go pick up the paper and read the obits. If my name isn't there, I know I'm not dead, so I get a good breakfast and go back to bed." Unfortunately, that's the way too many people live.

In his book, *This One Thing I Do*, Franklin Graham relates the story of Charles McCoy, who pastored a Baptist church in Oyster Bay, New York. At the age of 72, McCoy's denomination required that he retire. Using that ridiculous policy, Moses would have been disqualified from being the leader of the Exodus because he was age 80 when he did that. What a stupid policy. But anyway, McCoy was forced to retire and he was understandably depressed.

He said, "I just lay on my bed thinking that my life's over and I really haven't done anything yet. I've been a pastor of this church for so many years and nobody really wants me much. What have I done for Christ?" he wondered. The following week, he met a pastor from India and impulsively asked him to preach in his church. After the service, the Indian pastor invited McCoy to come to preach for him in India.

McCoy explained that he was being forced to retire because of his age and was planning to move to a retirement home in Florida. However, this Indian pastor explained that in his country, men with white hair were respected. McCoy prayed about it and finally accepted the invitation. He sold or gave away most of his belongings except for those that would fit into a trunk. He booked a one-way ticket to India, never having traveled out of the United States before.

Upon his arrival in Bombay, McCoy discovered that his trunk containing his belongings had been lost. All he had were the clothes he was wearing, his passport, wallet, and the address of some missionaries in Bombay he had clipped from a magazine. He boarded a bus to visit the missionaries. While on the bus, both his wallet and passport were stolen. When he finally arrived at the missionaries' home, they had no idea who he was.

Furthermore, McCoy discovered that the Indian pastor who had invited him was back in the United States and had no plans to ever return to India. But McCoy believed God had led him to India for a reason. He refused to give up. He decided to make an appointment to see the mayor of Bombay. Miraculously, the mayor granted him an appointment, and upon seeing his business card listing his various degrees, invited McCoy to preach to some of Bombay's highest officials.

That preaching assignment began a new 16-year ministry for Charles McCoy that began at age 72. Before he died at age 88, McCoy traveled the world preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, never having more than enough money in his pocket to get him to the next destination. Charles McCoy died in a hotel room in Calcutta one afternoon as he prepared to preach that evening. Today, there is a church in Calcutta and a growing group of Christians in Hong Kong because this servant of God refused to retire and instead chose to always abound in the work of the Lord.

Be productive, the Bible says. And finally, in addition to productive living, strategic living. That's what it means to abound in the work of the Lord. The writer Randy Alcorn many times invites his audience to take a sheet of paper, and in the middle of the piece of paper to put a dot and then to draw a line from that dot to the end of the page. He says that dot represents the 70 or 80 years God gives us here on Earth. The line represents eternity.

Unfortunately, most people center on those 70 or 80 years rather than ever thinking about eternity. Randy writes, "Right now we're living in that dot. But what are we living for?" The person with perspective lives for the line. The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on Earth that end up in junkyards. The person who lives for the line lives for treasures in heaven that will never end.

Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the Apostle Paul was not a sadomasochist. The reason he willingly submitted himself to harsh punishment was because he was living for the line and not for the dot. Listen to his words in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 6 to 8. Paul says, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. And in the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but to those who have loved His appearing."

Paul didn't say, "I'm investing myself in the Lord's work not expecting anything in return." He said, "I'm doing this because there's something that is awaiting me: a crown in heaven, which the Lord will award to me." He makes the same allusion in 1 Corinthians 15:58. Notice how he closes this verse: "Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain."

He says to us Christians that there's something for you when you abound in the work of the Lord. God's not asking you to overexert yourself to work overtime for no pay. He is saying there is a reward coming for those who invest their lives in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The problem with most of our investments is we don't have a long enough time horizon. We invest for the next 10, 20, 30, or 40 years, and we invest in all the wrong things. We invest in things that can either be stolen or lost or forgotten or worn out or left behind.

No wonder our investments don't do any better. But the wise person is one who invests in those things which will never be lost, stolen, forgotten, worn out, or left behind. Think of the kingdom of God. The truth is, we will be alive for the next 20 years, 200 years, 2,000 years, or 2 trillion years. God asks you and invites me to invest in His kingdom right now. He invites us to invest in a reward, as Peter says, that is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you.

As you find yourself in the twilight of Earth's existence, or perhaps your own existence, how are you responding to these last days? Are you allowing the cable news pundits to paralyze you with fear? Are you depending on some politician or some political movement to reverse the downward spiral of this country? Or are you simply trying to ignore all the chaos and trying to take care of yourself and your family until the end comes?

God has called you to a greater purpose than simply trying to eke out a living for yourself and trying to handle all of the problems that life throws at you. He has a bigger purpose for your life. God has invited you, He has enlisted you to be a part of an offensive force. An offensive force that is willing to stand up and push back against evil in our culture. A force that is willing to stand up and illuminate the world with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we see the twilight turn to darkness in our world, the opportunity and the need to do both has never been greater.

You know, a lot of people are frustrated right now, and millions of people feel powerless. But today you can do something tangible and powerful for the cause of the gospel. Today, I'm actively recruiting your personal engagement. Earlier, you heard me mention the In God We Trust matching challenge that's active right now. Because of this matching challenge in the amount of $1.5 million, every dollar you're able to give before the July 5th deadline will be automatically doubled in size.

Remember that July 4th, 2026, marks something extraordinary: America's 250th birthday. I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a gift that honors the God who made her great. When you give to the matching challenge, I want to send you our exclusive 250th commemorative edition of *America is a Christian Nation*. It's a stunning, full-color volume that tells the story of a nation born on its knees, built on God's Word, and sustained by the prayers of His people.

This is history worth holding in your hands. As a bonus, I'll also include the *In God We Trust* DVD and the patriotic MP3 format audio disc. There's nothing more powerful than helping others. The most profound way to help someone is to tell them the truth about Jesus Christ. Only Christ can transform a human heart, and only transformed hearts can save a nation. That's why I'm so excited about the In God We Trust matching challenge. The door is open. Walk through it today with faith, with a sense of urgency, and with your eyes fixed on the only one capable of turning this nation around. Here's David with all the details.

David J. Mullins: When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request the brand-new 250th commemorative edition of *America is a Christian Nation*. In addition to the book, you'll also receive *In God We Trust*, a brand-new two-disc set featuring music performances by the First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra and teaching from Dr. Robert Jeffress.

To request these resources, call 866-999-2965, visit ptv.org, or text PTV to 78800. When you give $100 or more, we'll also send you the *America and the Bible* message series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc. Remember, because of the In God We Trust matching challenge, your gift to Pathway to Victory will be matched and therefore doubled in impact. Be sure to get in touch with us today. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.

You could also send your donation by mail. Write to PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Will Christians in America face persecution in the coming years? Dr. Jeffress addresses this subject next time in a message he calls "Christians in the Crosshairs," here Monday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. Right now, your ministry gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on July 5th. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.