In these last days, a lot our ministers and pastors have been preaching half truths, and out right lies, deceiving millions in this country and abroad. I believe that most of these are not preaching and teaching lies out of ignorance, but out of sheer greed for what they can gain. That could mean the adulation of people and /or material and monetary gain. As a result, many people are being led astray, because they do not confirm what they hear read and see, by studying the word of God for themselves. They readily accept whatever leadership spews thier way. Then They, themselves, become responsible for leading others astray because they simply parrot heretical teachings. And on and on it goes.
Many more do not come to a saving knowledge of Christ, because they see no difference between themselves and those professing to be Christians! We claim to expect righteous actions from the unrighteous, while we ourselves practice unrighteousness!
Luke 6:42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
Like the Israelites of old, Modern day Christians have fallen into lifestyles of sin. God is still calling His childreneverywhere to repent and turn from their ways! When we read of all the correction that God gave to the Israelites in the Old Testament, we need to see ourselves in the same light and view our disobedienc as no different from theirs. If God did not spare them, though He has called them His own, how do we think that He will judge us differently? Is God a partial God?
Hebrews 2:1-3 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, For the most part, the Bible is written for the believer, therefore, God's warnings that He has given are instructions, admonitions and correction to those of us who call ourselves "Christians". Non believers are not capable of understanding most of what God has said through His word, the Bible. 1Cor 2:14 says: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned". In this society, there are the rich that get richer by exploiting the poor. What is even worse, the world has not only crept into the church, but many readily and gladly open the door for it and invite it in. It is not only church leadership taking advantage of the poor who are desperately looking for any kind of hope to hold on to, but it is also the person sitting right next to you in church, and your christian neighbor who is trying to find a way to manipulate and take advantage of the hopeless. This type of Christian never seem to have a problem using the bible to justify their love of stuff and money! This is one of the things that the word of God says about this type of person:1 Timothy 6:2b-10 Teach and urge these things. 3. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4. he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5. and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7. for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Peter 2:17a For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God;