Thursday, June 24, 2021

Sound the Alarm


 As long as I've been a Christian, 
I have noticed one particular issue within the Church which can lead to a serious problem. This issue, when mentioned, is always swept aside and considered to be taboo. Many Christians would never consider it a proper type of action to take and therefore, the problem continues. It's time to sound the alarm. What am I referring to? It's the need to call out a worldly activity, a false teacher or teachers, those twisting and distorting scripture and the names of those who do; and, so many other fallacies which have invaded the Church.

There are just too many Christians who consider it extremely improper to name a name of a person who is spreading a lie about Christ's Church or His teachings. When a faith teacher or a prosperity ministry lies to thousands of people, the every day Christian refuses to use the name of those people to warn the Church. When Benny Hinn says he healed x number of people here or there and there's absolutely no proof, he needs to be called out. Yes, there are apologetic ministries who will do this but we are all responsible to warn others. The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the young pastor Timothy, advised and warned him concerning two men who had brought damage to their own faith and were thrown out of the Church.

 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.  Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God. 1 Tim 1:19-20

Here, Paul gives Timothy the names of these two men and, in 2 Tim 4:14, he also tells Timothy about the harm which Alexander did to him. So, don't hesitate to explain why Kenneth Copeland or Bethel Church are preaching a false Jesus. Think about this analogy which I heard years ago. If you know of a doctor who is causing more harm than good, won't you tell your friends to stay away from him/her? Why wouldn't you warn them? Would it not be the right thing to do? Or would you think it's better to not tell others about the doctor because you don't want to use his/her name? People would do that for any type of service. Of course they are going to tell their friends and family to not use those services. So, why won't they warn those same people about someone who is dispensing a false gospel?

I used to hear this all the time, "Oh, you can't name names." And I would respond, "Why not? You don't want to warn Christians to stay away from this false teaching/teacher? You're fine with them being deceived with this false message and agenda?" It was, and still is, as if it's not ethical to expose these false teachers and movements. Again, Paul addresses this,

Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.    Eph 5:11

He tells his readers to expose them; why not then expose the false teachers and movements today? Why has the Church created this false rule about not naming the names of false teachers? When did it become inappropriate to call out false teachers and false movements? By doing this, not naming them, it allows others to be deceived by the lies. I won't hesitate to let someone know about a false teacher or a false movement. Jesus, Himself, warned about them in MT 7:15-20 and yet there are those within the Church who believe it is just not right to name the name of a person preaching a false gospel or doctrine. 

The Church today has been and is being invaded by the practices of the world system. Local churches use worldly schemes to attract people and once inside, they are made to feel comfortable by worldly activities, worldly music and worldly messages. If you missed breakfast, you can get that bagel and coffee in the lobby. You don't even have to go into the sanctuary because there are speakers in the lobby. You can enjoy your bagel and coffee while you listen or talk with friends.

When you do go into the sanctuary, you will feel comfortable and never offended. There's always a "cool guy" to deliver any announcements and make you feel right at home in the world. The pastor will never speak longer than fifteen or twenty minutes and the content is basically worthless in terms of Christian instruction or the gospel. No one will ever be in jeopardy of being saved since Jesus is rarely mentioned and if He is, it will not be in the context of the gospel or salvation. But when he is finished, you will leave feeling really good about yourself. This church is preaching a false doctrine, a worldly doctrine, and it is not preaching any Biblical doctrine.

I have been asked about these types of churches and I have been truthful in my answer. I tell the person asking exactly what the church is and what they promote and teach. Then I advise against attending and give my reasons why. If you have done the research and your homework, there is no reason why you shouldn't be warning others. If you haven't done your research, then do it and then respond. Remember, does the person's or the church's teaching align with the Bible? If yes then check it out. If not, don't be afraid to tell and warn others. 

Too many Christians have their heads in the sand; they are not aware of anything going on around them. The Church today, in this country, is filled with people who attend church services and go home and put their Bible back on the shelf for another week. In their opinion, the pastor said it so it must be true because he's the pastor. But what if your pastor is teaching/preaching a wrong doctrine? How will you know it if you never read your Bible between church visits? Get your head out of the sand and begin to read and study your Bible. If you hear something which sounds wrong or off, ask your pastor about it. If he won't discuss it then you're in the wrong church.

The practices and activities of the world have invaded the Church. It's time to sound the alarm and start telling others what's wrong and what's right. Don't fall into the mindset that it's wrong to tell others who the false teachers and movements are. Remember the doctor dispensing bad medicine? You will surely tell people about him. Well, the spiritual well being of a person is far more important than their health since the spiritual concerns their eternal destination. (Health is important but in this context the spiritual condition is the most important) So, tell them about the dangers of the false message! 

Far too many Christians are straddling the line between the world and the Church. They are truly saved but can't turn loose of worldly practices. Their ear is tuned more to the world than to the Church and Jesus. They never read their Bible or pray only when they run into a problem. For them, Jesus is only in their life when there's a problem and when the problem goes away, so do they, away from Jesus. These Christians are ripe for being deceived by one of the false teachers or movements. It always sounds good and it's easy to get drawn in but the results can be heart breaking. Some have given away their life savings to these crooks. Some have suffered in pain after believing they were healed following a phony healing service instead of seeing a doctor.

God has not called all of us to be in an apologetic ministry but He has given us the spiritual gift of discernment. I believe all Christians should pray for discernment in their lives. We need to be the watchmen on the wall and the one ready to sound the warning (Ezk 3:17) How can you stand by while another brother or sister in Christ is deceived by a false ministry or teaching? Even if you warn them and they refuse to listen, you have warned them and at some point, that warning will start to scream at them as they begin to understand the mistake they have made.

But the only real, solid remedy for this is for Christians to read and study their Bibles. Then, when the deceiver comes, they will know it's a lie. And then, they can sound the alarm for those who are not reading and studying the Bible. We can't live our Christian lives with our heads stuck in the sand. We can't knowingly allow other Christians to be deceived by false teachers; we must let them know by telling them and giving the name. It doesn't matter what others think when you name the name of a false teacher. It matters what Jesus wants us to do and He wants us to tell others who these false teachers are. Don't fall prey to the false, politically correct practice of some who believe we shouldn't being calling out the names of false teachers. Just do it! It's not judging; it's a warning and when you provide the Biblical evidence proving it's a lie, you are not in a position of judging but rebuking and correcting.

One last thing concerning all of this. This is not a cry to 'cancel' anyone. We see how this practice has worked in the worldly culture of our time. We are not to move around the Church head hunting innocent believers. Jesus didn't call us to cancel anyone but instead to share His gospel and tell others about Him. And, we must warn others about those who are preaching and teaching another false gospel.

In his book, Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth, David Wilkerson had this to say (in 1985) about false teachers or what he calls, pillow prophets. Not much has changed since this writing.

Like the pillow prophets of Israel, their one supreme desire is to promote luxurious lifestyles and make people comfortable in their pursuit of the good life. They are not speaking for God....No wonder the crowds flock to sit under their message---it's painless. 

The prophets of comfort, ease and prosperity have created a Laodicean church age referred to in Revelation 3, a lukewarm church going  about speaking into being a constant increase in goods, riches and all that the body could possibly need.  


-Bill Petite  

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