We live in an age where no one likes to be challenged or corrected. I do not like to be wrong, but I have told congregations to go home and study the Word after a sermon to be sure I know what I am talking about. If I do not, do not leave me in my ignorance, but bring Scripture, not your feelings, cultural norms, sectarian rulings, or what your granny or Dr. Goodwords on TV has to say. Bring scripture in context rightly interpreted.
In some cessationist groups, if you feel like the pastor might be mistaken you could be met with “Don’t go up against God’s man” or “Touch not God’s anointed” threats with illustrations of what happens if you do. I sat under such a person for a few years. He would say things like people who believe ____ end up divorced. It might be really ridiculous, but that threat of divorce was dropped on you. Sadly, his wife had an affair and they divorced. Considering how I was treated there, I should rejoice and at first I did laugh because his threat boomeranged on him. Then, I repented and I have prayed for their reconciliation knowing that God would have to do a great work in him for that to happen.
In Charismatic circles, you get called a heretic hunter with various threats like you are on the verge of blaspheming the Holy Spirit or some other fearful threat. I believe that the Spirit can do anything He wants, but there are things He will not do because of His character and mission as well as His history in the Word. If the person’s theology and actions do not match up with His then I have no fear of grieving or blaspheming Him, but rather honor Him by exposing error perpetrated in His name.
As for being a heretic hunter, I really do not hunt for things. Indeed, when I was a Baptist I had my hands full overcoming traditions, eisegesis and other issues to pay much attention to other groups. Yes, there were things I would bring up about various groups when I was teaching on a passage that spoke to various errors of interpretation, but I seldom had sermons dedicated to a group. I wrote a new member’s class curriculum and in that I compared Baptist teaching on baptism and such to other groups. I had enough “family” issues so to speak. As an Associate Pastor, I did have one member who tried to keep me abreast of the current heresies, but at the time I considered all Charismatics heretics so I did not have the time to deal with specific preachers and issues. He would talk. I would listen and would usually forget most of it after he left and went on to exegete for my next message or zip off to a ministry call.
Now, that I have come to realize that not all Charismatics are nutcases or heretics I do have to be aware of which are and which are not. Do I take delight in pointing out errors? Not really. It is just a necessity.
Proverbs 24:17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Some folks in the pew are just mistaken. They are sincerely misled by leaders who teach error. They are not enemies. They are victims so you are gentle with them and seek to teach them the truth. Some leaders are also just mislead people who trusted a bad mentor.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Some need to be shunned until they get right, but they are not enemies.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
And then there are those who are enemies of the Cross, Christ and the Church that we must call out as Paul did. We are also to mark those who are the right example as well as those who are not.
Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Online in various forums the same questions come up and the same errors presented that usually end up in long rants. In the end the one fer it and the one agin are in the same mindset as when the rants began. Paul says to admonish the one in error twice and then have nothing to do with him and often these days, her.
It grieves me deeply when people have seen or been given solid proof that a person or ministry is way off track and they still support them. Growing up, we would joke and say, “Don’t confuse me with the facts! My mind is made up!” I fear that is the attitude of a great many in the Body. What they feel is more important than sound doctrine. Parlor tricks are accepted as miracles and the Holy Spirit is treated like a showman performing miracles on demand for three or more shows on Sunday as well as long term meetings. Their flawed perception leads them into deception turning off their reception to the Word and even the Holy Spirit.
Before the Internet, you might have to hunt hard to find error. Unless you met someone that told you about what some leader or group taught or you found a book written by some leader you might not ever know anything about them. You would know about your local group(s) and that is all.
I had a deacon from a church in NY that was close to the Canadian border call me and asked if I knew a certain preacher. I said that I had counseled his son, but I did not know much about him. He then asked if I had ever heard of Baptist Bride teaching. I said that I had and it is predominately an aberration found in the South, which is why that deacon never heard of it so they did not ask him about that in his interview. He lasted thirty days after wanting everyone to get baptized by him so they could be part of the Bride of Christ and not just friends of the groom. They voted him out and were asking if I would consider taking the church or if could I refer someone.
With the Internet, you can find nearly everything you want to know about a leader or group except what they choose to hide. If you are in Texas and cousin Lilly Mae raves about her church in California or Maine you can go to their site or YouTube and find out a great deal about that church and its leaders. You can also find out if they are teaching wacky stuff and try to warn your cousin. She may have no idea about many of the core beliefs because she likes the music, the people are friendly and the pastor is very personable.
One of the problems in the Church is that we have plenty of ethnic or cultural Christians, social Christians, designer Christians, but not enough truly born again and Spirit filled Christians. Many born again Christians think their purpose is to warm the pew four hours a week or less and let the church staff do the work of the ministry. They have gifts, but they are miserable because they are not exercising those gifts. Many who claim to be Spirit filled are off the rails following New Age or Hyper-Charismatic theology and folly. It is no wonder that we are not seeing the impact the Church once had on the culture and the world.
Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
For those who think we should just tend to our own flock, Paul would disagree. He says there are mouths that need to shut because of what they teach. He mentions the circumcised as indeed they would have been his primary antagonists. They stirred up trouble wherever they could.
Much of that area of the world was polytheistic so if Paul had just presented Jesus as one of the many gods it would not have alarmed pagan priests very much. If he had told people they needed a silver statue of Jesus in their homes the silversmiths would have been glad for new business, but saying Jesus was the only true God and statues were idols is what got him into the most trouble among the Gentiles.
Paul might have been asked to speak at various forums. He might have borne less bodily injuries and never been in prison if he had compromised the Gospel. Many leaders today listen to polls or kowtow to the deacons, influential men and the ladies to keep their position. They will not tiptoe on the tithers. Thus some issues are never addressed.
We have apologists and polemicists for a reason. Some feel like such people have an agenda and they do, but it is not a personal one. The mission or agenda of an apologist is to make truth as clear as possible and present that truth to an unbelieving world. The polemicist’s agenda is to study truth and when they see an area where the Church is not acting on truth or worse yet acting against the truth it is their calling to sound a clarion call to return to truth, which is revival. The prophets of old actually did both as they are two sides of the same coin. Truth is to be proclaimed and error denounced whether the error is of a secular origin or a religious one.
When an apologist or polemicist avoids their calling they are no better than the ones speaking error. Indeed, in our legal terms they are an accomplice aiding and abetting the false teacher. Hence we are in the state we are in. People who know truth will not proclaim it for fear of being called a Legalist, intolerant, heretic hunter or going up against God’s man. Revival may not come or at least be delayed until we address theological heresies and clean up our own backyard first.
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Pastor, but really any Christian, your calling is to preach the Word and at times that will include reproof and rebuke before exhortation. Pastor Marvin Vincent, author of Vincent’s Word studies says that reprove is to convict the sinner. Rebuke is even more authoritative with the idea of consequences if they do not repent. Exhort is to comfort.
Many pastors want to comfort their congregations, but few want to deal with the reprove and rebuke issues. We will most likely not convict the leaders of a church in error as they are deep into it. Only the Spirit can help them. Yet, we must rebuke the error itself in hopes of keeping sheep from getting into that fold and to scare others out of it. There is no end of fables these days.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
That which is not truth and light is a lie and darkness. We are not to have fellowship with them. Sadly, there is much we must speak about that is not secret to the point that it you cannot imagine what is done in secret. I would not suggest you not even try to fathom what seducing spirits might create as doctrines of devils. What you can see is enough and you must strengthen yourself in the truth to combat it.
James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Finally, it is our duty to convert one from error to save them from death. It might be spiritual death for a person not in Christ or the death of many things in a Christian’s life as well as an early physical death. You cannot go along to get along with error. The light of the Scripture must be shined on it and expose it. A pastor is a shepherd and if you do not warn your flock you are shirking your duty. If they fall to error because you as a watchman on the wall said nothing then it falls on you when they fall into false doctrine.
Husband, you are the leader of your wife and children. Adam did not make sure Eve was clear on God’s command and here we are. Eve added to God’s word. Had Adam regularly check on her “theology” we might still be in Eden. We are still called as men to lead and teach our wives and children. Indeed, Paul said that if a woman was to learn anything she was to ask her husband at home. Some dislike that, but it creates communication between the couple and women often complain about a lack of communication. If he is communicating truth to her it will open up all areas to communication.
Let them call you what they will as often that is just a means to shut you down from facing them with their error. If they threaten you rather than seek to openly discuss and search the Word with you about an issue than that is a good sign that they don’t want to know the truth or they are very insecure in their position. Seek truth and humbly reprove those who may be sincere, but are unlearned. You have to be gentle with a child learning math that forgets to carry the one and some are just like that child. Trying to learn, but is misguided.
The kid who constantly rebels and disrupts the class you may have to send to the office or as Paul did one couple turn them over to the devil for the destruction of the body that the soul might be saved. You do not leave them in the classroom. Those that teach heresy and will not be instructed are that kid. You may never convince them, but you have to rebuke them and their heresy. In this case, it is their classroom that you have to get other students out of while trying to make sure no one else registers for their classes. To ignore it is to condone it and be an accessory to the evil. Watchmen, it is time to man up and stand up sounding the alarm. Maranatha!!!
