II Timothy 3
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
(We can see by the following scripture Paul was speaking of end time evil in the church groups.)
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
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None of us expect anyone in the church group to be doing evil.
But most of the churches today have quit warning us about sin and have set up another type doctrine which says something like this: "I'm OK you're OK ... so long as you come to church."
But concerning the end times, Jesus says: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Mt. 24:12-13)
We should be warning each other in the church.
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Sadly, I've often witnessed evil in the churches among the pastors and Bible teachers.
In the late 1970's, I attended the singles Bible class at the church I attended. Our teacher was a divorced man who had not remarried. He spoke to us about being born again and he seemed to have had a born-again experience. We, in our class, loved him, as most people love their Bible teachers and pastors.
(I would never go to a church if I expected evil to be in anyone at that church group. Nor would I go to a church to investigate anything. I never went to any church group expecting to find evil but I kept finding evil and had to leave many church groups as a result of that evil being committed by pastors and teachers at the church groups.)
This man, who was our Bible teacher, had a private life and a public life.
A woman who owned a coffee shop learned that I was acquainted with this man and she said, "He is such a bad influence on my boy friend."
(I was surprised to hear this.)
This woman went on to speak about his "girlfriend". (None of us at church knew he had a girlfriend.)
I went to him and asked him about this "girlfriend". (He was very evasive.)
So I said to him, "Are you having sexual intercourse with this girlfriend?"
He replied, "Of course."
(He showed no shame at all, but he was trying to hide this woman from our church group so he knew what he was doing was wrong.)
I was devastated.
I said to him, "You know the Bible as well as I do. I can have no more to do with you because of this."
He replied, "That's right." (He didn't seem to care.)
I quit going to his Bible class at the church group and quit going to his Tuesday night Bible class.
Paul says:
I Corinthians 5
13 ... Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
(It is often difficult to view such persons as "wicked" but this is what God says they are when they call themselves "the church" while committing fornication, or covetousness, or idolatry, or railing, or drunkenness, or are an extortioner.)
Paul does not tell us to pray for them nor does Paul tell us to try to counsel them.
They know these things are sin.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.
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20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
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26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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If there can be any hope at all for such a "brother", I think it is in the fact that we put him away from us.
For Paul said the following:
I Corinthians 5
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
I never saw this Bible teacher again although years later I did hear from him by letter and he said "fornication" was no longer a problem for him. I think he was saying to me his flesh had been destroyed.
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Another man, who was a deacon at a Baptist church, propositioned me to have sex with him.
I took Bible and read the following scripture to this man.
I Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
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I've had two other times also when men at church tried to get me to have sex with them. So I know wickedness lives in humans at church who identify themselves as being Christians.
Jesus said: Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Mt. 24:4-5)
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