“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”  (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker” (by Stanislav Mishin PRAVDA)

Consider his words carefully at this point of America and mankind’s overall decline into an age of darkness. We are watching the demise of many things - a simultaneous crumbling of America as a nation and the church are taking place. It is coming from within, and from without. A good portion of the church has become fragmented in her mission, evangelism is vanishing and being replaced by every worldly trend these dreamers can summon (Jude 1:8).

What kind of churches are becoming the largest and most influential? Can a church that labors to produce knowledgeable disciples compete with one that does not? Who will have the quicker increase in growth? It will more often be the one that requires less commitment. That is what is taking place in many churches today.

Lying always has the intent to deceive the hearer and protect the liar. Lies have permeated the church and society. People lie about investments to get ahead in business, they lie in the church with false promises so that you give them your money. They brag on how many people are saved and healed, boasting on how God is using their ministry so people are more willing to give their money to them. Should we expect any genuine revival with zero amount of integrity - no we should not. Prov. 12:22: “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD.”

We are in the time of lying, when the lie is told so easily and boldly and the truth is told so weakly and inefficiently. We have been fed lies portion by portion, piece by piece that the lie has become larger than the truth. So large no one wants to believe it has encompassed the way the church conducts her practices.

James Dresden “When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.”

There are so many lies we do not know where the truth is anymore. Lies from the highest offices of the land to the pulpits.

I Jn. 2:21 tells us “no lie is of the truth.” Lies are the opposite of the truth, a lie has no truth. Lies reject honesty openness, integrity, love; they are an assault on everything holy. The tactic used to produce the first sin from the first humans, came from the source of all lies - Satan.

Many believe in all kinds of lies over the truth, these lies are rampant and influencing many. But there is a lie that coming that will change the world, 2 Thess. 2:9-11: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” People will be so used to lies that they cannot bring themselves to believe in the truth and will accept the ultimate lie of the ages.

The most serious of dangers always come from within. This is true of a country and is certainly true of the church. The church has been corrupted from within in America and because of this encroachment the political system has been affected. Why? Because Americas spiritual beliefs (her religion) once guided and guarded the people. The Frenchman Alexis de Toucheville visited America in the 1830’s said America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Which he determined were because of her religious views.

The spirit of age is aggressive in its progress and its goal to merge all, a unity in diversity. “Liberal” and “conservative” are not just terms limited only to the politics, they are at odds with each other in the church. There are belief systems behind these words that when we accept them affect how we live.

There is the spirit of the world, that lives in the natural man preventing him from receiving any of the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:12-14). The spirit of the Antichrist, we are told is already in the world. (I Jn. 4:3) that denies Jesus is the Christ “is the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).

Let me make some correlations so we can understand how the ‘spirit of the age” is working and coalescing politics and the church.

The word faith movement with its heretical teaching on positive confession for health and prosperity have become the norm. Word faith has monopolized the TV airwaves, the church is being influenced and controlled by its own corrupted media. We all know how arrogant politicians can be and so are the TV prophiteers that are selling the church a lot of worthless promises in the name of God as a means of gain. We have all heard of junk science, what about junk doctrine, noxious speech that is useless for our spiritual growth. As Jeremiah wrote, "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit” (Jer. 7:8).

This influence for the most part, has taken away the incentive for people to study the Scripture on their own, instead they are telling people to just have faith, a faith which is disconnected from the word in its context. Tithe for your blessings, give to the TV prophet for the hundredfold, and depend on the words they confess. You can turn to the majority of Christian channels and hear these so called prophets tell you to call in the next few minutes to give money so that your situation can turn around by their speaking the word.

Mass media news is on the side of Liberal politicians just like the Christian broadcasters are on the side of word faith teachers that bring in the money. People are unable to hear contrary views so it is basically a controlled media. The Christian TV has become an extension for the false teacher’s message of money – they have a centralized control, a monopoly on the air waves. They preach an unbiblical pseudo - ponzi scheme called “seed faith.” Their teachings for years have moved the church in the wrong direction affecting evangelism, discipleship and tithing and now many are reaping the whirlwind. Every wind of doctrine pushes their audience this way and that way, few have strength to resist it.

This all implemented by men who claim to be spirit filled, anointed, prophets and apostles but are without the Spirit, are carnally minded or who have succumbed to another spirit at work. How can we tell? The Bible says if they do not speak according to this word they have no light in them (Isa.8:20). In other words they keep the darkness over the people and bring no dawn, not for you, nor themselves. Occasional inter-mitten Scriptures are sprinkled as salt on an old rotten piece of meat that should have been thrown out long ago.

Isaiah then says vv. 8:21-22: “They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.”

I don’t think many of us realize how far gone the bulk of the church (Christian media) is with the prophetic and signs and wonders movements influence. We have a parade of heresies: the newest revelation from prophets; The word faith philosophies of divine health and wealth; The new moves of the spirit with people lying that they are visiting heaven often; The whole Gnostic idea of being taught strictly by experience while the Scripture tells us to learn by doctrine; The newest tactic in spiritual warfare; the newest deliverer to release one from curses and demons they still have; The newest fantasy book that claims to teach about God, Etc. etc.

Thank God for the few that stay the course; who do expository preaching and give the gospel but they are becoming a rarity in our country and the church all the time. They certainly are rare on TV. Why do we have so few on TV point out the state of the church? First, because of the control factor of who owns the TV station and the satellite lease (TBN leases to many). The false teachers have hijacked the programming so there is no contrary view seen. The voices that will speak in the opposite view are silenced. The other problem is the associations. You cannot preach against false doctrine when you unite with those inside the church that teach it, it compromises your position of truth. You will either influence them or they will influence you. Paul writes 1 Cor. 15:33: Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." Many had started off with good intentions only to be shipwrecked alongside the others they befriended. Giving a defense for the truth and the gospel is more important to God than friendships that have you compromise on this. It is the truth of Scripture that matters first, not someone's ministry or who they are. Jesus told the people the truth and offended the religious crowd. Nothing has changed, they react the same way. Those who are exposed are wrong or false in their teaching are always angered at those who obey God.

1 Cor. 5:11-13: “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-- not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

Covetous, idolater, reviler and extortioner are what we see in the Christian media (TV) with all their false promises as they rake in your money and live luxuriously. To Judge is as bad a word as sin these days. But it is a necessity as we see the worlds influence affecting the church. We do not need less judgment but more, for our own safety. We have exhibited a high level of tolerance, but it is time to have a righteous anger. We had better start judging teaching for our survival. Respect does not mean we allow men to teach whatever they want from the pulpit to the congregation; that is disrespect for God.

We should be concerned when those in the position of leadership are off doctrine and do not allow themselves to be questioned on what they teach. Watch out for those who refuse to explain what they are teaching as unbiblical and are unresponsive to others in the body of Christ. A “Godly” pastor or teacher tries to be accurate in what they teach, transparent when they are questioned - able to answer from the Bible what they teach is true (Tim.1:7). They do not make excuses or ignore the questioners or vilify those who ask as if they are unspiritual or ignorant. What we see going on with those questioning congress on the health bill and being belittled and dismissed has been going on for a long time inside the church. It needs to stop and people need to be held accountable. God says the teachers are to be more accountable (Jms.3:1).

Imagine if we heard - how dare you inspect our meat we sell in our restaurants? How dare you inspect our cars coming off the assembly line? How dare you question our education for your children? Before we invest in buying a house or a car or fly on a plane we want to make sure everything is in good shape. We not only thank those that inspect it, we insist they do this. But when it comes to teaching in the church, which can mean the difference between spiritual growth or becoming shipwrecked; heaven or hell for our soul (our most precious possession), we care not. This is insane!

The Lord said in the past that his people perish for a lack of knowledge, we are no different shape today. Accurate Bible teaching is vanishing from those who stand behind the pulpit. A Christian who has the Holy Spirit should recognize another spirit at work, especially when the teacher is so far removed from good Bible interpretation, but the people are unable to discern. Why? Because 1) they cannot discern truth from error being untrained in the truth of the word, 2) they are walking in the flesh and grieve the Spirit or 3) do not have the spirit at all.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. By this defines a good portion of the church with the word faith teaching of confession brings possession. Too many have tried it and not had it work. Not surprising, since it is not a biblical teaching, but they don’t abandon it

Many look for signs and wonders - we have a sign in the White house, the administrations policies that are severing the country from its constitution; can we read the signs? The same is happening in the church, in our pulpits - those who are not teaching from our constitution, the bible, severing the church from the word.

Liberal and conservative and not terms limited only to the politics, they are at odds with each other in the church. A general definition of a liberal “Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

It is Liberals that are severing the country from its constitution the same is happening in the church being severed from the word. Liberals are loyal to an ideology. Most liberals lack belief in God, but trust Government, thus government becomes their god. Liberalism has become a competing force against biblical Christianity. It is liberals that have abandoned the Bible on topics such as homosexuality and women pastors. It was the Liberal churches that were among the first to embrace the postmodern thinking, forge religious partnerships, unification with other religions. It is liberals that diminish sin and doctrine in favor for their own ideas.

This can easily become the end of the evangelical church in America and be spread abroad. We have the progressives ruling in government and now they same are in the church. What will become of us when we have very few teachers of the word that are willing to stand up for the word.

The wolves unite, large meals of sheep are being eaten and few shepherds have anything to say about it.

Peter, Paul and Mary sang a folk ballad in the 60’s that needs to be remembered in our day…

If I had a hammer

I'd hammer in the morning

I'd hammer in the evening

All over this land

I'd hammer out danger

I'd hammer out a warning

I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters

All over this land

If I had a bell

I'd ring it in the morning….

If I had a song

I'd sing it in the morning….

Well I've got a hammer

And I've got a bell

And I've got a song to sing

All over this land

It's the hammer of justice

It's the bell of freedom

It's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters

All over this land

The song encapsulates principles we should be adhering to, their obligation to speak out the truth; for justice, freedom and to warn of danger. There are patriots that are rising up in America (and across thw world) letting their voices be heard for freedom, we need to see the same thing occur in the church.

Where are they that defend the gospel and the truth? We are facing the giant of do not judge, do not say anything, which only protects the false teachers and not the sheep. Speaking out with the intention to save, to preserve people is God’s will in the time of great deception. If we don’t address what is wrong among us now, will we address the evil that is coming?

We are fighting many giants. But I remember a giant that blasphemed Israel was taken down with one well aimed rock by a boy, we can take the giants with the right words. Let us speak with boldness and may God let our voices be heard.

3. lacking moral restraint: licentious 4: not literal or strict: loose -a liberal translation 5: broad-minded; esp : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms 6 a: of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism. A political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Applying this to a biblical composition instead of a political one: A liberal is one who is open to new ideas and practices outside biblical orthodoxy that is found in the Bible. They lack biblical parameters- they are not constrained by the boundaries of Bible doctrine. In liberalism the person’s individual choice is always right for them. It does not matter if the Bible instructs them in a different way, they determine what is true for themselves; what is correct is determined by their own feelings and concepts. There have always been liberals in the church that say sin is not that destructive. They tell their congregants that doctrine, truth are not as important as love.

Liberalism makes one open to other teachings outside the Bible for their spiritual life and instead ruins ones relationship with God.

A liberal will accept other religious practices (practices like yoga, meditation, mantras etc.)

A liberal does not see it necessary to witness to other religions or cults. They don’t believe they can say they are wrong because they think that the Bible is not absolute on these matters).

A liberal will teach that each God in the different cultures and religions is the same, only having different names.

A liberal will accept the idea of evolution and deny the Bibles account of the 6 days of physical creation calling it ages of unknown amounts of time.

A liberal will have some drastic reinterpretation of the main points in Scripture. For example, Liberal scholars often identify the rider of the white horse that is first among the 4 horses in the Book of Revelation as the Lord Jesus, pointing to his crown and the fact that he's a conqueror.

A liberal has a non- biblical theology and is often sides with Biblical criticism. They do not consider the Bible to be literal divine revelation. Many reject the Bibles claim of miracles (including the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead), and any claims of miracles today. On the other side there are Charismatic Liberals that believe one can have all kinds of experiences outside the Bible parameters and allow for anything to be attributed to God.

A liberal allows services to become disorderly by laughter, shaking, convulsions, screaming (calling it a visitation from God). A liberal is open to teachings that are from revelations that are not in the Bible and go against the clear teaching in the word of God.

A liberal denies Jesus as the only way; he will accept Catholic ritualism; accept Islam as a valid religion, and allow for other ways to worship and be justified with God.

The liberal believes man is good by nature. The Biblical view is that man is sinful by nature but can do good.

Liberals are those who are willing to accept the idea of universal salvation. A liberal church teaches there is no longer sin, and everyone will [probably] be saved by Christ’s death on the cross. Most rejected the concept of an eternal hell.

It is the liberals that protect the false teachers among them (Acts 20:29) by telling others not to judge their teachings and to leave them alone to prosper.

A liberal will work toward ecumenism and inter-faith cooperation instead of upholding the church being separate from other religious influences.

A liberal will place a high value on social justice in the world and see this as equal or even more important then the gospel. There are many so called Jewish outreaches that refuse to give the gospel to the Jews but will help them to come to Israel.

An example of a Liberal group that call itself Christian is the Jesus Seminar. They concluded Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead. The scholars also agreed that there probably was no tomb and that Jesus' body probably was disposed of by his executioners, not his followers. They are featured in the Tabloids every Christmas to bring doubt to those who may consider Jesus at this one time of year.

They will present Jesus without the cross so that sinners won’t be offended (or saved). There are two fronts of which it is especially perilous. The “progressive Christian liberal movement” in the church borrows ideas from other philosophies uses other religious practices, this synthesizing is probably the most dangerous we face today. It may be popular in the world to be liberal and tolerant but it is not how Jesus asks believers to live. Ignoring that Jesus said that the way is narrow (Mt.7:14), that He alone is the way (Jn.14:6).

Second- they avoid judging on issues and would rather use an excuse of letting God be the judge on teaching (that he tells us to judge) than have a Biblical stance and protect the sheep from harm.

These are just a few examples of liberalism in the church and the world. Once we understand what they are about we can identify it as simply a departure from the clear teaching of the word of God and replacing it with mans opinions.

Liberalism has the church in its clutches. Liberals are more concerned with appearances; their image and their reputation than actually caring for people and the truth; they care more about their own feelings than others, feeling good about self.

They are not listening to content but delivery- style over substance. We see this in politics and it is certainly true in the Church. Liberals are impressed with outward images, oratory skills and showmanship. A mature discerning believer is more concerned with content, truth and upholding the integrity of the gospel.