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If any man teach otherwise,
and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud,
knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof
cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men
of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is
godliness: from such withdraw thyself
[1 Timothy 6:1-5].
Pastors, teachers and ministry leaders with heretofore unblemished
reputations enjoy positions of trust in ministries and churches and may
have laid down a track record for the truth of the Lord for many years.
They may have never preached or taught anything questionable or even
remotely heretical from their venues of ministry yet they have started
taking up with known wolves. They may lack any evil intent and could be
unaware that they have been deceived and are in fact a detriment to the
blood-bought Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. These double-minded
individuals have a "form of godliness" but are in fact
betraying the Lord they profess to love. They want the grass on both
sides of the fence. They preach words of truth on the one hand, but
abuse the trust that has been placed in them and mock God by their
actions. Their error is obscured behind the skirts of truth and it is
next to impossible to find a speck of error in their actual teaching.
The old adage "Actions speak louder than words" describes this
scenario perfectly. To coin a new phrase, "You are what you
promote."
These teachers practice heresy by proxy. A proxy is someone who
stands in for another. They consort with heretics and thereby encourage
their followers to partake of their apostasy. They mix truth and error,
a deadly concoction. They give the impression that the truth they speak
is compatible with the falsehood they endorse. This is not ‘guilt by
association," this is guilt by endorsement. Flirting with deluding
spirits and doctrines of demons is dangerous business and they do so at
great peril.
At least emergent leaders, apostolic types and most false teachers
are upfront and honest about sharing their views and are in fact proud
to proclaim their beliefs. But those who wear their evangelical
fundamentalist hats one day and then buddy up to apostates and heretics
the next pose a greater danger than the false teachers themselves!
WWPD?
(What Would Paul Do?)
Now,
brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or
troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us,
as though the day of Christ had come [2
Thessalonians 2:1,2].
Certain people were putting out false teaching under the names of the
apostles. In no uncertain terms, Paul made it clear that he and his
fellow ministers had nothing to do with it. He knew his credibility was
on the line and did not want his followers to be misled.
Another example is found in Acts 16:18-23 that tells of the slave
girl who followed the apostles around saying "These men are the
servants of the Most High God who proclaim to us the way of
salvation." Now that sounds like an endorsement doesn’t it? The
girl was viewed as a legitimate source of knowledge by the community and
she made a good living for her masters with her psychic abilities. Paul
and Silas could have saved themselves a ton of grief if they had just
allowed her to follow them around and give them "credibility"
with the people. He could have reasoned pragmatically that the means
justified the ends, the mentality that is so prevalent in the Church
today. No, Paul wanted nothing to do with this false representation of
truth. He knew the source was demonic and he rebuked it. As a result the
girl’s owners lost their meal ticket and this so enraged them that
they brought Paul and Silas before the authorities where they were
severely beaten and thrown into prison.
Aiding and Abetting the Enemy
What has happened to the courage to rebuke wickedness disguised as
Christianity? The Church has fallen prey to "religious
correctness," not wanting to confront and risk being accused of
judging. The fear of offending man takes precedence over the fear of
offending a holy God. Fraternizing with the enemy is tantamount to
committing high treason. Treasonous acts against one’s country are
serious offenses but they are nothing compared to giving a pass to the
enemies of God!
Sharing a podium with an apostate or heretic is bringing reproach
upon the reputation of our Lord. Recently a highly respected, prominent
speaker in fundamental circles cozied up to false prophets of the
rapidly growing Apostolic Reformation movement. Efforts were made by
discerners to reason with him to cancel plans to speak at their event.
Since then he has not skipped a beat and continues to enjoy popularity,
a welcome guest in conferences and pulpits. One trustworthy ministry was
alerted about this brother’s error but still shares the podium with
him. The biggest favor that could be done for this straying, errant
brother would be for those who value truth to sacrificially turn down
opportunities offered to them to appear with him and then gently and
respectfully state the reason. He should not be invited to speak until
he has acknowledged and repented of his error. Those who are going down
the wrong path are on dangerous ground and the last thing they need is
for the brethren to go along as if nothing is amiss. When will those
wearing the mantle of ministry question and even separate when necessary
from those who have drifted from the moorings of doctrinal purity and
biblical truth into dangerous waters on their way to being shipwrecked?
Those who present their hands as clean and yet share podiums with
false teachers or those who choose to associate with them give the
impression of endorsement. Guilt by association is downplayed too much.
The Bible has much to say on the subject of the company we keep. For
instance "Abstain from all appearance of evil" [ 1
Thessalonians 5:22]. Their actions also constitute
a betrayal of the pastors and leaders who choose to follow the Apostles’
example and remain steadfast, often at great cost.
Passive Endorsement
Jeffrey Whittaker in his pastoral
paper says it well: (Emphasis added)
"There has been an absolute orgy of endorsement and free
association within the "Christian" worlds of publishing,
speaking, and mass media…..It is my conviction that this
"Passive Endorsement" (the giving of credibility through
sharing convention platforms, book endorsements, ecumenical
"unity coalitions", etc.) is doing much to confuse
grass roots Christian believers, as well as creating an atmosphere
where many historical heresies are being given a fresh hearing due
to the lack of discernment, as well as courage amongst leaders who
should be doing something about it."
Pastor Whittaker continues:
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ issues a very specific and
absolute call for loyalty and worship to the entire human race, leaving
no room for compromise or double-minded passivity. In his
powerful letter, Jude exhorted the church to"…contend
earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the
saints (v 3). If current Christian leaders do not have the
stomach to take an absolute and public stand for foundational
doctrine, and orthodoxy, we will see a continued degradation of
truth that will eventually deposit the "post-modern/emergent?
Church in the landfill of history or in the trophy case of hell
(if you’re still "Old School" enough to believe that
there is such a place). "Passive Endorsement" finds its
roots in the political fear of men, wrapped in a false doctrine of
tolerance that has permeated every area of American culture, as
well as many churches and denominations. To take a stand for
historic, Scriptural orthodoxy today is tantamount to professional
suicide in many circles, labeling the one who dares ask questions as
"closed-minded", ‘"contentious",
"fault-finding" and so on. As in the favorite children’s
fable, the emperor keeps parading himself around naked while the
towns people simply smile and go along with the farce. It takes a
simple child, one without fear or ambition, to finally blurt
out the truth that "the Emperor has no clothes!" May we
all be as simple and courageous as that young lad as we speak the
truth in love to our "unity at all cost" generation."
Sloppy Agape and Greasy Grace
Any movement, denomination or fellowship that is going to emerge
unscathed by Satan’s tactics must have discernment in its arsenal of
defense and the courage to address heresy in the ranks. Unfortunately
that is not currently happening due to what I call "greasy
grace." The apostle Paul preached the doctrine of grace but he
balanced it with strong doses of accountability and respect for God’s
truth.
Pastor Whittaker echoes my sentiments:
"I am not advocating crusade/inquisition hate speech that
alienates true spiritual pilgrims, but what I am calling for is a
deeper examination of the true nature of the courage and strength
that led the Apostles to call all men to the true Gospel of Christ
without obstruction and confusion! If Paul would have
"Passively Endorsed" the Philippian oracle through non—confrontation,
he would have most certainly left a syncretistic swamp from which
the Church may have never escaped."
Be Ever Mindful
There is one thing we must never forget. Those who are selling out
the cause of Christ are not the enemy. They are accountable for their
actions and we are accountable for exposing them, but ultimately the
enemy of our souls is Satan, who seeks to destroy every work of God.
Please understand the intent of this writer’s heart. I think I speak
for those I call colleagues in the discernment ministries that we find
no joy whatsoever in addressing these issues. We are grieved over the
state of the Church today and we would rejoice if we never had to speak
out again. We often feel we are either preaching to the choir or
verbalizing into the wind. But if God uses our voice to touch only one
compromising pastor/teacher/leader and rescue them from their error, or
save one sheep from harm, it is worth it. We realize that as in any
endeavor for the Lord, it is His work, not ours and we leave the results
in His hands. We are subject to pitfalls just as much as those whom we
address. If we are not careful we can operate with an arm of flesh and
become like sounding brass. We must guard against becoming prideful in
our God-given ability to discern and never fail to properly mourn when a
leader falls into the devil’s snare. As we see the failings of others,
we must look to ourselves and examine our own motives.
H.A. Ironside was a hero of the faith who stood for truth. He
includes the following in one of his devotionals when he speaks about
betraying our Master and issues this solemn warning to all who profess
to be Christ’s disciples:
It may not be for silver
It may not be for gold,
But still by tens of thousands
Is this precious Savior sold.
Sold for a godless friendship,
Sold for a selfish aim,
Sold for a fleeting trifle,
Sold for an empty name.
Sold in the mart of Science,
Sold in the seat of Power,
Sold at the shrine of Fortune,
Sold in Pleasure’s bower.
Sold where the awful bargain
None but God’s eye can see!
Ponder, my soul, the question:
Shall He be sold by thee?
Wm. Blane
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