This is not Christianity

 Somewhere along the way, the faith once delivered to the saints, over 2000 years ago, has gotten so extremely perverted that is it has become difficult if not impossible to discern. The battle for the soul of the church and the truth of the gospel has been non-stop since day one. The apostles Paul and Peter and John and Jude, as well as the Lord Jesus Himself, engaged the enemies of the church and truth and all but one of them paid for it with their lives. These men of God found the hill to die on and it was and still is, the hill of the gospel.

Jumping ahead to the 20th and the 21st centuries and skipping over the battles fought by the churches founding fathers who did battle with the heretics of their day, we find the true church, made up of those who solely by the grace of God, are born of the Spirit, born again, those who know their Scriptures, surrounded by an enemy that vastly outnumbers her. And the enemy is clever and creative and so acquainted with its deceived followers that he knows precisely what to say and what those followers want to hear. And exacerbating the power of this enemy is their knowledge of social media platforms. If one turns on one's tv or sits down at one's computer and Googles "Christian Television," that one will find a plethora of networks claiming to be Christian. And millions of viewers get drawn into the kingdom of darkness every day.

If the spiritually dead hook-up via the internet or television with the likes of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland or Copeland's opening act, Jesse Duplantis, Copeland's stand-up comedian, or Joel Osteen or Bishop T.D. Jakes or Creflo Dollar or Joyce Meyer, they will be well pleased with what they see and hear. Their itching ears will be scratched by the best. They will be convinced that this is Christianity. But, dear reader, it is not.

Jesus gave His apostles and disciples a word of comfort and encouragement concerning the liars and deceivers and idolaters of every age. And that word is found in John 10. ESV  John 10:1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

 (Jn. 10:1-5 ESV)

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 (Jn. 10:14-16 ESV)

 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,

 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (Jn. 10:24-28 ESV)14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 (Jn. 10:14-16 ESV)

What we are witnessing playing out before our very eyes, is the fulfillment of a prophecy given through the apostle Paul, ESV  2 Timothy 4:1 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:

 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

 3 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,

 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

 (2 Tim. 4:1-4 ESV)

 The servants of the Lord Jesus preach His gospel, His word, and so much of what passes for preaching and teaching in our day is not. Those who are the sheep of God will know the difference.