Dangerous Times

But know this, that in the last days will come perilous times . (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of good, (4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) that a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Edward Cleary , Providence College, a sociologist, a missionary for many years, did a study on the true state of the Evangelical Church in Latin America. exposes alleged that for years figures have been published:

• It has been said that 50% of the population in Guatemala are Christians, but in reality is less than 25%.
• From Chile say 28% - the reality is only 18%
• Brazil 21.8% - with a 15% reality
• Mexico 20% - when less than 8%

There is talk everywhere of a great revival and crowds who come to Christ but actually there is a stalemate. They "become" a lot, but many leave the churches.

This study found that 43% of people born in evangelical families have deserted Christianity.
, 68% of those who were baptized in the 80s and were removed from the church.

The fact that this is in USA and Canada. 57% of dropouts said they had received some physical healing at a public event. They received a miracle but did not have a real life change.
desertion Why this? Firmly believe that the answer is that it has put aside the word of God and is preaching a gospel focused on human desires and not what God says to do. The result: the apostasy.

Paul in this passage to Timothy, warns that perilous times would come. Perilous times in the original refers to hard times, fierce, hard."But know" knowledge is a must . God does not bless ignorance. To know to look for.
And the word know used is the Greek ginosko it means to know, notice, recognize, understand and learn.
Paul tells Timothy to understand these times, to recognize them, to be informed. God instructs us with his word but must "see around us."
We are in the last days and ignore it would be a big mistake.
Returning to the verse will come : in the Greek also settle on, stay.
hard times will settle, come and stay. Times fierce, hard to carry and difficult to tackle.
well Why are the last days? The answer is not liked by many but is in verse 2: "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy ..." Paul displays a list of character traits.
This list of men: are the world or within the church?
Paul is talking about people in the church (v. 5) - "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." We referred to the discord within the church, false ministers, false Christians full of greed and hypocrisy, hungry for recognition.
Paul uses the word morfóo: appearance . If anything we have now is a great emphasis on appearance, a projected image. Now many ministers, before leaving the pulpit, have their hairdressers, makeup artists and image consultants. They worry about giving the impression that they are from God, but have no real domestic experience with him. appearance of piety: The word for mercy is gr. eusebeia : go after God, do what pleases God. Men that give the appearance of going after God, to do what pleases God. These dazzle people with 2 or 3 verses but not discern what they are really saying.

However, these men deny the power of godliness: these people will reject the power of the word of God. Van gradually incorporating human methods, put aside the true doctrine and put human philosophy, human psychologies. In a subtle way, leave out the words of God and used eloquent words.
To these men, avoid: in the original means reject, contradict. These people should avoid, reject them and contradict the word of God.
scripture must know in order to address and counter the false doctrines know.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh : (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) down arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

That is, while we are in this physical body, not war in our bodies. military : in the Greek is "to make war in a strategic way." We do not make war with weapons and strategies strategically purely human, not human wisdom. This is a battle of ideas, thoughts and philosophies. This is the true spiritual warfare: the thoughts of men against God's thoughts. We must rise to what God says. should only focus on what God says, not what men say (whatever the teacher teaches). God wants us to preach His words, not ours. We do not fight with our wisdom. Consider three important words in this scripture:

• "For our weapons "(v.4) - added also means tools, weapons of war.
• "From our militia "- in Greek is also conflict
• "They are not carnal "- can also be translated as" purely human thoughts. "

We might as well read the text: "The tools we face the conflict (spiritual warfare) is not with purely human thoughts."
So recapitulate: dangerous times ahead because men lovers of themselves that appeared to pity. Avoid them and contradícelos, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the words of God.
Nevertheless, our weapons are mighty through God. In the passage from Ephesians 6 we describe some of these weapons: our footwear is the word of God, girded our loins with the truth of God, the shield of faith (trust in God and also refers to the gospel) and Sword of the Spirit's word. The sword is the only offensive weapon mentioned in the text. It uses the Greek machaira was a short sword used by the Romans to fight melee., a fight face to face. This implies that if we do not attack correctly, they will hurt us us. Such weapons are powerful (gr. dunatos : more powerful). These misconceptions have power, but God's ideas are more powerful because we can be born again, we give life, heal us of torment and doubt. These weapons are for the destruction (in Greek "demolish, to powder" ) - are powder weapons to fortresses. We're not talking about the strength of the drug or of homosexuality. We see in the text that are thoughts. Not demolished "binding" but speaking the word of God. Fortaleza : gr. ocurama - ideas and thoughts. These ideas and thoughts that rest purely on human wisdom. In verse 5 says knocking : gr. thrown to the ground, is a violent act, rebut, destroy. The verb was the idea of digging around a tree to cut the roots. We shot down to the ground these ideas purely human. Talk of a laborious, because these roots have wrong thoughts in people, have taken root in the minds of individuals. Casting down (the text does not speak of demons). Rather, it uses the Greek logismos : reasoning, thoughts, ideas, advice. Logismos are contrary to the word of God. Some do not want to argue in favor of "peace and love" for the "unity of the body of Christ." But love without truth is error. We can not yield to the truth of the gospel. No "unit" is valid when it comes to keeping the true word of God. Such weapons are also powerful to bring down all pride : in the Greek júpsoma : rising meant something in itself. Thoughts that rise above God. Forgetting that God's thoughts and ways are above ours. You want to tear down thoughts that rise up against the knowledge of God, against the spiritual knowledge of God's thought. Brothers, we do not address these perilous times with aceititos and weird things or acts without fruit, but with the word of God, to knowledge that is acquired by studying his word. His word is scarce because many human psychology tucked into the church. Taking captive : gr. subjugate, subdue, bring under control. In this text: I submit and have it under control? Not the devil, but to our thoughts. subjugate is the way a police arrest a thief does not gently, makes it hard, not chivalry or as if the thief were a customer select, but harshly. All these worldly ideas must be violently overthrown. Bringing into captivity every thought : in the original refers to plans, ideas, reasoning, speaking of the human, the human ability to create. There "creative" ideas and plans that should be taken down because they are purely human. For example, now charge for an activity they call "cost recovery" when the Bible tells us to give what we receive grace for grace. Jesus never charged for his teachings and miracles. He touched people with compassion and taught them without a fee.