Tag: truth

 

 Never Cry Wolf

Wanted: Compliant Church Goers – No Discernment Required

Years ago a  drug-using career criminal uttered the phrase “Why can’t we all just get along?”,  and now the church has seemed to make this their theme.  Don’t try to be theologically correct, never disagree publicly over Biblical truth, never notice or warn about sin – just fall in line and be nice.

I attempted this at the church my husband and I attended for 21 years, after falling into line and being nice for years.  I was charged with being a slanderer and a gossip.  I even got called a Pharisee.  If you haven’t been branded a Pharisee yet, you just aren’t trying.  

 

The funniest part of being called a Pharisee for an expressed adherence to the Bible is that Pharisees imposed extra-Biblical rules on everything.  That’s what they were known for – so if someone calls you a Pharisee for following the Word, you know they are confused.

Living out the stain of  Biblical accuracy will also bring out the following:

  • You have a  ‘religious spirit’
  • You are being ‘judgy’
  • You have a critical spirit
  • You always have to be right

I recently read an article on disagreeing on doctrine vs personal offense.  Essentially this means that if you disagree publicly with a public message and your pastor is offended, church discipline is inappropriately applied.  I was disfellowshipped, not for being in sin, but for standing up for the Word. 

The Apostle Paul warned in the book of Acts, chapter 20, about savage wolves coming in among the church “not sparing the flock.”  It would seem the worst attack on Believers is not from the obvious evil out in the world, but it’s an attack from within. Not only are unaware sheep being savaged, but the sheep who recognize the danger are being silenced.  In my experience, a pastor with sound doctrine was defending false doctrine for the sake of unity.  I never thought I’d see the day that wolves were being used as Border collies to herd the sheep but here we are.

Whenever I hear “you don’t always have to be right”, it only makes me wonder why not.  Why strive to be wrong some of the time?  It’s not my accuracy I’m standing up for and it’s not as if we don’t have a way to measure any given opinion.  

Is it too much to ask, that we find our unity on the common ground of irrefutable truth?  If my experience is anything to go by, tragically, the answer is a resounding YES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Another Thing!

 

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. Romans 16:17-18

Many professing believers today have not learned right doctrine so they have no basis to know when one has departed from it because they themselves are not walking in it. (2 John 9)

We are in perilous times not because we have too much judging, but too little.

We allow spiritual falsehood to work among us and sometimes we mistakenly (and other times intentionally) call it God’s work.

 

Truth confronts error so the truth can be known to the sheep. By pointing out the error you show a love for the truth and you show love for the sheep.

Authentic love means loving people enough to challenge them with the truth of God’s Word in context, despite their rejection”. ~The Bible In Context

The Bible In Context

This is a heavy post, but one the needs to be heard today. The Church needs to get back to a knowledge of God’s Truth in context!

Sadly, we currently have an entire generation of mainly charismatic and Pentecostal Christians who have never been to a proper Bible study in terms of exegesis of Scripture (didaskein—Greek), nor heard a proper sermon in terms of expository preaching (homilea—Greek).

The exposition of Scripture is replaced by psycho-babble, anecdotes, verses out of context and, too often, just plain hype and con-artistry.

Since such people never had actual pastors in the biblical sense of shepherds who feed the sheep, they die slowly of malnutrition, eating straw instead of grain (Jeremiah 23:28) and have no grasp of the biblical doctrine that Paul says is essential to Christian growth and health (Titus 2:1).

Consequently, they wind up believing anything, including the very deceptions we are warned would come in the last days
(2 Timothy 4: 3-5). They accuse those who follow the command of the Lord (1 Timothy 1:3) in condemning unbiblical doctrines, of being unloving and divisive.

The modern state of affairs has become one where such people simply do not know any better and do not understand that it is rather those who depart from the teachings of Scripture who are divisive (Romans 16:17), not those who will attempt to protect the Body from such deception.