LifeDate Fall 2026 – Preach Life
by Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:1-4).
There is no doubt that we are living in the “time” that St. Paul foresaw when he penned these words to young Timothy. Each day we see people turn away from the truth of God’s Word and run headlong into the lies of the devil. Many of us have had interactions with someone so enslaved to their sinful passions that they will ignore factual, well-reasoned arguments and justify their sins with the most illogical and unreasonable excuses.
But, the truth is, Martin Luther could have said the exact same thing to the people in Wittenberg in 1530. And Timothy could have done the same in ancient Corinth. We are always tempted to believe that things are worse in our day than they were in generations past. And, maybe in some ways that is true. As technology continues to evolve at lightning speeds, sinners continue to invent new ways to be wicked and new, irrational excuses to justify that wickedness. The exponential growth in the usage of chemical abortion is a great example of this.
But in the end, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), and sinners sin, just as they always have. As the inspired Word of God, St. Paul’s words to Timothy have always been applicable to every generation of Christians.
And that’s good news because it means that the answer to this problem is the same today as it was when Paul first wrote these words. Preach the Word! We share God’s Law and Gospel with the world, knowing that this is how God drives people to repentance and changes their hearts to listen to the sound teaching of His truth.
Of course, that means that we ourselves need to know God’s Word. If we are going to “be ready in season and out of season,” we must surround ourselves with the Word of God. This is true not only so that we might be educated and equipped to speak God’s Word accurately but also so that we may be constantly reminded of God’s love for us and be filled with His grace to share the Word with patience as Paul encourages us to do.
I pray that this edition of LifeDate surrounds you with God’s Word so that you may do exactly that!