I do a lot of research. I would consider myself a researcher by nature. I want to know where things come from, whether it's food, medicine, or spiritual matters. Lately, I've been researching current "christian" trends. In doing so, I've stumbled on some alarming information. Though the information itself disturbs me greatly, what I'm completely disgusted by is the way that well-meaning Christians slander Christian ministries in the name of being watchmen and exposing deception.
I have NO problem with Christians being Bereans and exposing falsehood. In fact, Jesus Himself praised the Bereans for their diligence in daily putting the Apostles' teachings to the litmus test of Scripture.
The problem I am having is with the WAY these men and women are choosing to communicate themselves to others. When I am looking for good unbiased information, I don't want to have to guard myself against the rude, condescending nature of their remarks. I understand that Jesus said some pretty HARD things to the religious crowd of His day. He called them hypocrites, brood of vipers, white-washed sepulchers full of dead men's bones. Anyone with half a heart would recoil at being called such harsh names.
Where the lines of acceptability are drawn, I don't know. I guess it all comes down to the motivation of the heart. Jesus said these things without malice. He intended no evil toward these men. I do, however, think Jesus was full of righteous indignation. A case in point would be when Jesus made a corded whip and boldly marched into the temple in a fury rarely seen in Jesus, to show the people what His Father thought of the merchandisers in His house. When He had completely wrecked the place, He zealously cried out, "My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, and you have made it into a den of thieves." I can't imagine being one of those merchandisers. Yeesh!
It is GOOD to be zealous for the purity of the gospel. Jesus was CONSUMED with zeal for His house. We live in an age where taking a stand for the Gospel is becoming increasingly difficult, and we are encouraged to remain silent instead because "God doesn't need us to defend Him." This is very true, yet Jesus calls us to stand as His witnesses in the earth. To be a witness means to declare what you have seen and what you know to be true, regardless of the consequences.
In standing as a witness for Jesus to a generation that has not seen Him and does not know Him, it requires that WE know Him. If we know Him, then our lives, actions, and WORDS will reflect that knowledge. God is not looking for witnesses that have a head full of knowledge ABOUT Him, but a heart full of living understanding from a living, vibrant relationship with Him.
In defending the Gospel by exposing false teachings, teachers, prophets, apostles, or ministers, it is very important that we are not arrogant in our exposition of them. Simply state the facts without the snide or sarcastic comments. When I come across an article about a certain minister and his false teaching and encounter the writer's negative attitude and rude name-calling, I end up feeling sorry for the minister they are exposing. I'm not saying that you shouldn't expose such things. We are commanded to beware of false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing, and to reprove the works of darkness. However, it NEVER says that we are allowed to hurl insults and sling mud at those that we are exposing.
Every human being is loved by God, regardless of how evil or destructive they are. It is this very love that put Jesus on the Cross in the first place. Don't make a mockery of Him by excusing bad behavior in the name of "defending the gospel" or "exposing false shepherds." It was with TEARS that Paul revealed who was doing damage to the Gospel; not with slanderous, rude, demeaning, condescending, sarcastic, snide comments that bordered on malicious.
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