Response to a comment about my little "Rick Warren" thing.
This is in response to a comment that was left about my "Rick Warren" entry. It was too long to fit in the comment thing.
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I've heard this a lot... People say that it's being "judgmental" and stuff... but that isn't what the Bible says about being judgmental. I know you mean well, but the Bible teaches us to point these people out. First of all, since Rick Warren is so popular here in the states, people are being deceived. What I say isn't going to make anyone more curious as to his teachings, because everyone has already heard his teachings and most have already determined to follow him. It is therefore the duty of those who know the truth to get the truth out there and warn against false teachers. Titus 1:9-16 says this: (and this is Paul speaking to Titus, giving him instruction, as I trust you already know. Also, anything I capitalize is for emphasis because I don't know how to italicize on here, so don't take it as yelling or anything.) "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by SOUND DOCTRINE both to EXHORT and to CONVINCE gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially those of the circumcision: WHOSE MOUTHS MUST BE STOPPED, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's (ill-gotten money's) sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. THIS WITNESS IS TRUE (in other words, it wasn't wrong to say publicly that they were always liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies). Wherefore, REBUKE THEM SHARPLY, THAT THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that TURN FROM THE TRUTH. Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." For more information, you should read Titus chapter two as well. You see, we are commanded to exhort them and to rebuke them sharply, and according to Titus 3:10-11, if they don't listen to what we say and accept out admonition, they are a heretic and they KNOW they preach a lie. A lot of people who are teaching false doctrine already know they are teaching it. Therefore, the Lord dealing with their heart isn't going to make one bit of difference because it isn't the Spirit of God whom they are listening to. Now, you may be speaking from the standpoint that we are supposed to deal with these things in love, but how much greater love can you show than to tell someone the truth? Jesus said in his revelation to John in Revelations 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Hebrews 12:5-8 says "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chasening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." The same message is carried out in Proverbs 3:11-12, Job 5:17-18, Deuteronomy 8:5, and Psalms 94:12. When God exhorts them, that is love. When we exhort them by the Spirit of God, that is love. And back to the Biblical examples of this admonition, let's look at Paul when he wrote to the churches--particularly, to the Corinthians. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul was giving them instruction. He was "getting on to them" if you will. That aside for a moment, let us look at 2 Corinthians 7:5-16. Now, time doesn't really permit me to expound upon this... (Oh how I wish this was in person... It's so difficult to try to have a Bible study in writing.. I have so many Scriptures going through my head right now it's unreal and there's no way I could get to them all tonight...)But in the beginning of that passage, Paul speaks of being nervous and "troubled on every side". If you'll read the whole passage you'll realize what he was talking about there. He was very nervous because he had already sent the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians) and he was nervous about whether or not they would accept his admonition... and in the end of that passage you see that he finds out rather joyfully that the Corinthians DID accept his admonition, and he goes on to talk about Titus' love for the Corinthians and you KNOW Paul loved them dearly, because he was so happy that they accepted his letter. Also, if you'll just read first and second Corinthians, you'll see that he does love them.. But he has to correct them. The same thing applies to us. In fact, that theme is carried out throughout his letters to the churches, and much of the other parts of the Bible as well. If we weren't supposed to point this stuff out, then Paul would have been wrong for writing most of the books in the New Testament. And, may I direct your mind back to Acts 2? On the Day of Pentecost, when the religious crowd had those thoughts and Peter stood up and delivered that convicting message? It says that their hearts were pricked, meaning that they were convicted. If these people are truly of God, they will be convicted when the Truth is delivered to them. But as I have stated, if they aren't of the Spirit of God, they won't be. They will reject it. And as it says in Titus, then you know they are a heretic. But how will that ever come about if no one actually presents the truth to them? Let us turn to Ezekiel 33:1-7.
"Again the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me."
So you see, if I know the truth, and choose not to make it know, I am held accountable for that. What I do when I tell people WHY Rick Warren (or anyone else) is teaching false doctrine is simply making them aware. So, while you may not see how it does any good (since they probably won't change) to say anything, the Bible tells us that that doesn't matter. What matters is that they have been warned and their blood isn't on our hands, and, again, going back to Titus, if they DON'T accept admonition and change, they are heretics. Far too many people have gone to Mr. Warren and others, showing them the error of their ways and WHY what they preach is unScriptural, but the trouble with Mr. Warren and most of those others is that they already KNOW it's unScriptural. They don't care. They don't change. From that point on, it isn't our responsibility to try to deal with them, but to warn others who may fall under their teaching. The Bible tells us (and I can get the reference for this if needed. I don't remember exactly where it is right now, but I wouldn't lie. I've had references for everything I've said thus far; bear with me.) that we are supposed to count those people as a CURSE to us, and not to have any fellowship with us. So now I ask you, is it not dangerous for the people of God to be deceived by these false teachers? These are innocent Christians... And that is why I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of every Christian to get down and really LEARN the Word of God... To hide it in their hearts so that they can discern the truth from the lies themselves... But far too many times, Christians don't. These teachers subvert whole houses, teaching things they ought not (back to Titus again). Their mouths MUST BE STOPPED. And if we can't literally stop their mouths, all we can do is warn people against their false doctrine. Ladies and gentleman, (umm.. I mean Elizabeth.. lol bear with me again.. the preacher is coming out.. partly because I wish I could say this to the whole world) God's sheep are being led astray by this. And now, the popular (and very false) idea of what is unScriptural judgmentalism is that if you say anything, you're judgmental. If you say anything, you're divisive. But may I direct your minds to John 7:24? "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Or what about 1 Corinthians 2:15? "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." So you see, we are supposed to judge all things, and according to Acts 17:10-11, the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas told them was true. I believe we are to do the same.. And going back to the judging, we are supposed to judge in the way that the Bible says to judge. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: If you see me coming out of a liquor store, you have the perfect right to judge that I have liquor. You don't, however, know the use for the liquor. First of all, drinking liquor in and of itself isn't a sin (except in my case in which it's illegal because I'm underage), but drinking in EXCESS is a sin. Just because I have the alcohol doesn't mean that I'm getting it for a sinful purpose. Likewise, I could be using it for cooking. There are several recipes that require liquor, and anyone with half a brain knows that all the alcohol cooks out. I love to cook. It wasn't too long ago that I was cooking dijon steak that I got off of Emeril Live that required a healthy dose of French cognac poured in the creme sauce at the very end so that it would flame up. (My mom and I love gourmet, lol). I had to get my mom to go to the liquor store and get that for the recipe because they don't exactly sell it at Wal-Mart. I used what I needed, and the alcohol cooked out, and there was no sin involved, and I bet the rest of the bottle is still in the cabinet right now (IF it didn't get poured down the sink). In no wise am I a drunk, and therefore you have no right to judge that I'm a sinner or a drunk just because you saw me coming out of a liquor store. THAT is what you can't judge. In everything else, especially pertaining to doctrine, it is our DUTY to judge. It is out DUTY to evaluate. And it is our DUTY to warn. And all this hush-hush stuff that is being accepted in the Christian community today is NOT Biblical. It is not unScriptural, and contrarily, it is a Biblical DEMAND, that we discern false doctrine and point it out. In essence, it is Biblical that we call a horse a horse and a mouse a mouse. The Bible says that in the last days, there will be many who TURN from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1) If you read further down you'll see that those doctrines of devils are things that are being taught today, partly by the Catholics (forbidding to marry) and others. So you see, these are being taught by people who profess to be of God. And in essence, what ARE these teachings? They are teachings whose faith is in something other than the finished work of Christ at the Cross. Their faith may be great, but it is in works and not in the Cross, which is why Paul determined not to know anything among us save Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). So, in essence, these doctrines of demons are anything that doesn't have its faith truly in Christ and His finished work at the cross. Anything that TRULY and WHOLEHEARTEDLY puts its faith in Christ and Him crucified is of God, and without is doctrines of demons. So I ask you, is it really accepted that we sit back and let the children of God be taught doctrines of demons? No. It certainly is not. It is our duty to protect them in love. It is our duty to warn them and point out false doctrine and its teachers. These people are preaching a different Jesus. They are preaching "bubble-gum gospel" as I like to call it, which is hush-hush about the truth. As one of those articles I listed in the first place puts it, they sacrifice truth on the altar of unity. Think about that. The Scriptural principles of unity have nothing to do with the idea of "unity" that is being taught today. What is being taught today is in essence the unity of good with bad--of light with darkness. But the Bible says What fellowhip has light with darkness? It has none. Just because a wolf is good at dressing itself up as a sheep doesn't make it a sheep, and doesn't make it light. Whether disguised or not, it is still darkness. You speak of God's judgment on these people who are teaching false doctrine, and that is ultimately true. But what about God's judgment on us if we suppress the truth? Elizabeth, I love you dearly. I love you like a sister. I love you like Paul loved the Corinthians. That is why I say what I say... It's the truth. The Bible, cover-to-cover is filled with examples of exhortation and admonition. Why? Because it's our duty. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say to keep our mouths shut about these things. On the contrary, it tells us that it's THEIR mouths that have to be stopped--not ours. I believe that what I feel when I hear and/or read things by these false teachers is Godly anger.. Righteous anger. Likewise, it bothers me that in the modern church, holiness isn't even required. "Find the common ground," say they... "We all have sinned, so don't feel bad." It's the apostate church, and there's a name for it There are several names for it... Laodicea. Thyatira. How about Pergamos? How about Ephesus? My anger isn't anger of the flesh. It angers me that these wolves are devouring God's sheep... God's people are being brainwashed into this stuff and yes, it does anger me at the people who are doing it. For them, it is anger. For the actual DOCTRINE they teach, it is hate. I have dealt with this many times.. People saying that it isn't Scriptural to point these things out. "Never curse what God is blessing," they say. And while that is true, it isn't the question. The question is WHO is actually being blessed of God. I assure you, those teaching false doctrine are not. Just because someone has a following and a large congregation and a lot of money doesn't mean that they are being blessed of God. Something else I have said many times and will say again: if numbers were the determining factor, the Pharisees would have been right and Jesus would have been wrong. Most of the time, if not ALWAYS, the truth is in the minority and the masses choose the lie. We see it throughout the Bible.. We even see it in Matthew 7:14 which says that straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life, and FEW there be that find it. Therefore we know that just because someone has a following, they aren't necessarily of God or being blessed of Him. Even Satan "blesses" for a time. And think of this: isn't it so easy to sit back and watch these things happen, and not say anything? I still struggle with it today, because it is VERY difficult to stand up and contend for the Faith and actually say something. That is why I've started writing more lately. So, if we see that it's the easy way out to keep our mouths shut and not say anything, would it really follow through to say that it is also the Biblical way? Certainly not. Find me one person in the Bible who had it easy... The easy way out usually isn't the RIGHT way out or the BIBLICAL way out. It is our flesh nature to take the easy way out. What I do in no way serves my flesh nature.. The flesh side of me is SCREAMING "Shut up! Shut up! No one is going to like what you have to say... They will call you divisive.. Just keep your mouth shut... Just let it pass this one time." but my Spirit side is saying "No.. No.. This isn't right... This isn't Scriptural... These people are being deceived.. They're being led down a path that you can't follow... They're being led down the wrong path and they don't even realize it.. Someone has to tell them!" So in no wise does it HELP me to say these things. I believe one of Satan's greatest victories is convincing Christians to keep their mouths shut. Satan doesn't just walk up to us and be like "Hey, I'm the devil and I'm about to lie to you." No. He is slick. He is smart and he is deceptive. Therefore, his BEST hiding place is in the churches. (If you'll look through my archives, there's a poem I wrote about this called "Truth for a Daughter". If I can find it, I may post it.) I just want you to think about these things.. If I didn't love you, no way would I have taken my time to say any of that. When these questions come up, it's not like I have someone on speed dial that I call up and be like "Hey, this it what so-and-so said, what should I say??!" No. Everything that I say to you is what I know of the Scriptures, and what the Holy Spirit brings to my memory and speaks into my Spirit and all these Scriptures just come to mind one on top of the other. I start writing and the Scriptures start coming. I'm not saying that God just magically speaks them to me and I all the sudden see them, no. I'm saying I already study the Scriptures because my goal is to KNOW them.. To really KNOW them.. and the Holy Spirit brings what need be back into my memory. I'm not repeating anything I have heard to you. You can rest assured that if I believe or teach something, I will back it up. I don't believe in taking Scripture out of context and that is something I won't do. Like I said... I wouldn't have taken my time to say any of this if I didn't love you. In fact, people have said the same kinds of things to me before and I didn't really care because I knew they wouldn't accept what I said anyway, but I know you. You are like a sister to me and you have been a wonderful friend in Christ... I wouldn't feel right brushing your comments off like chimney soot. I hope you will discern that what I have said is in love.
In Christ,
Crystal
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I've heard this a lot... People say that it's being "judgmental" and stuff... but that isn't what the Bible says about being judgmental. I know you mean well, but the Bible teaches us to point these people out. First of all, since Rick Warren is so popular here in the states, people are being deceived. What I say isn't going to make anyone more curious as to his teachings, because everyone has already heard his teachings and most have already determined to follow him. It is therefore the duty of those who know the truth to get the truth out there and warn against false teachers. Titus 1:9-16 says this: (and this is Paul speaking to Titus, giving him instruction, as I trust you already know. Also, anything I capitalize is for emphasis because I don't know how to italicize on here, so don't take it as yelling or anything.) "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by SOUND DOCTRINE both to EXHORT and to CONVINCE gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially those of the circumcision: WHOSE MOUTHS MUST BE STOPPED, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's (ill-gotten money's) sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. THIS WITNESS IS TRUE (in other words, it wasn't wrong to say publicly that they were always liars, evil beasts, and slow bellies). Wherefore, REBUKE THEM SHARPLY, THAT THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that TURN FROM THE TRUTH. Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." For more information, you should read Titus chapter two as well. You see, we are commanded to exhort them and to rebuke them sharply, and according to Titus 3:10-11, if they don't listen to what we say and accept out admonition, they are a heretic and they KNOW they preach a lie. A lot of people who are teaching false doctrine already know they are teaching it. Therefore, the Lord dealing with their heart isn't going to make one bit of difference because it isn't the Spirit of God whom they are listening to. Now, you may be speaking from the standpoint that we are supposed to deal with these things in love, but how much greater love can you show than to tell someone the truth? Jesus said in his revelation to John in Revelations 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Hebrews 12:5-8 says "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chasening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." The same message is carried out in Proverbs 3:11-12, Job 5:17-18, Deuteronomy 8:5, and Psalms 94:12. When God exhorts them, that is love. When we exhort them by the Spirit of God, that is love. And back to the Biblical examples of this admonition, let's look at Paul when he wrote to the churches--particularly, to the Corinthians. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul was giving them instruction. He was "getting on to them" if you will. That aside for a moment, let us look at 2 Corinthians 7:5-16. Now, time doesn't really permit me to expound upon this... (Oh how I wish this was in person... It's so difficult to try to have a Bible study in writing.. I have so many Scriptures going through my head right now it's unreal and there's no way I could get to them all tonight...)But in the beginning of that passage, Paul speaks of being nervous and "troubled on every side". If you'll read the whole passage you'll realize what he was talking about there. He was very nervous because he had already sent the first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians) and he was nervous about whether or not they would accept his admonition... and in the end of that passage you see that he finds out rather joyfully that the Corinthians DID accept his admonition, and he goes on to talk about Titus' love for the Corinthians and you KNOW Paul loved them dearly, because he was so happy that they accepted his letter. Also, if you'll just read first and second Corinthians, you'll see that he does love them.. But he has to correct them. The same thing applies to us. In fact, that theme is carried out throughout his letters to the churches, and much of the other parts of the Bible as well. If we weren't supposed to point this stuff out, then Paul would have been wrong for writing most of the books in the New Testament. And, may I direct your mind back to Acts 2? On the Day of Pentecost, when the religious crowd had those thoughts and Peter stood up and delivered that convicting message? It says that their hearts were pricked, meaning that they were convicted. If these people are truly of God, they will be convicted when the Truth is delivered to them. But as I have stated, if they aren't of the Spirit of God, they won't be. They will reject it. And as it says in Titus, then you know they are a heretic. But how will that ever come about if no one actually presents the truth to them? Let us turn to Ezekiel 33:1-7.
"Again the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me."
So you see, if I know the truth, and choose not to make it know, I am held accountable for that. What I do when I tell people WHY Rick Warren (or anyone else) is teaching false doctrine is simply making them aware. So, while you may not see how it does any good (since they probably won't change) to say anything, the Bible tells us that that doesn't matter. What matters is that they have been warned and their blood isn't on our hands, and, again, going back to Titus, if they DON'T accept admonition and change, they are heretics. Far too many people have gone to Mr. Warren and others, showing them the error of their ways and WHY what they preach is unScriptural, but the trouble with Mr. Warren and most of those others is that they already KNOW it's unScriptural. They don't care. They don't change. From that point on, it isn't our responsibility to try to deal with them, but to warn others who may fall under their teaching. The Bible tells us (and I can get the reference for this if needed. I don't remember exactly where it is right now, but I wouldn't lie. I've had references for everything I've said thus far; bear with me.) that we are supposed to count those people as a CURSE to us, and not to have any fellowship with us. So now I ask you, is it not dangerous for the people of God to be deceived by these false teachers? These are innocent Christians... And that is why I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of every Christian to get down and really LEARN the Word of God... To hide it in their hearts so that they can discern the truth from the lies themselves... But far too many times, Christians don't. These teachers subvert whole houses, teaching things they ought not (back to Titus again). Their mouths MUST BE STOPPED. And if we can't literally stop their mouths, all we can do is warn people against their false doctrine. Ladies and gentleman, (umm.. I mean Elizabeth.. lol bear with me again.. the preacher is coming out.. partly because I wish I could say this to the whole world) God's sheep are being led astray by this. And now, the popular (and very false) idea of what is unScriptural judgmentalism is that if you say anything, you're judgmental. If you say anything, you're divisive. But may I direct your minds to John 7:24? "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Or what about 1 Corinthians 2:15? "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." So you see, we are supposed to judge all things, and according to Acts 17:10-11, the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas told them was true. I believe we are to do the same.. And going back to the judging, we are supposed to judge in the way that the Bible says to judge. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: If you see me coming out of a liquor store, you have the perfect right to judge that I have liquor. You don't, however, know the use for the liquor. First of all, drinking liquor in and of itself isn't a sin (except in my case in which it's illegal because I'm underage), but drinking in EXCESS is a sin. Just because I have the alcohol doesn't mean that I'm getting it for a sinful purpose. Likewise, I could be using it for cooking. There are several recipes that require liquor, and anyone with half a brain knows that all the alcohol cooks out. I love to cook. It wasn't too long ago that I was cooking dijon steak that I got off of Emeril Live that required a healthy dose of French cognac poured in the creme sauce at the very end so that it would flame up. (My mom and I love gourmet, lol). I had to get my mom to go to the liquor store and get that for the recipe because they don't exactly sell it at Wal-Mart. I used what I needed, and the alcohol cooked out, and there was no sin involved, and I bet the rest of the bottle is still in the cabinet right now (IF it didn't get poured down the sink). In no wise am I a drunk, and therefore you have no right to judge that I'm a sinner or a drunk just because you saw me coming out of a liquor store. THAT is what you can't judge. In everything else, especially pertaining to doctrine, it is our DUTY to judge. It is out DUTY to evaluate. And it is our DUTY to warn. And all this hush-hush stuff that is being accepted in the Christian community today is NOT Biblical. It is not unScriptural, and contrarily, it is a Biblical DEMAND, that we discern false doctrine and point it out. In essence, it is Biblical that we call a horse a horse and a mouse a mouse. The Bible says that in the last days, there will be many who TURN from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1) If you read further down you'll see that those doctrines of devils are things that are being taught today, partly by the Catholics (forbidding to marry) and others. So you see, these are being taught by people who profess to be of God. And in essence, what ARE these teachings? They are teachings whose faith is in something other than the finished work of Christ at the Cross. Their faith may be great, but it is in works and not in the Cross, which is why Paul determined not to know anything among us save Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). So, in essence, these doctrines of demons are anything that doesn't have its faith truly in Christ and His finished work at the cross. Anything that TRULY and WHOLEHEARTEDLY puts its faith in Christ and Him crucified is of God, and without is doctrines of demons. So I ask you, is it really accepted that we sit back and let the children of God be taught doctrines of demons? No. It certainly is not. It is our duty to protect them in love. It is our duty to warn them and point out false doctrine and its teachers. These people are preaching a different Jesus. They are preaching "bubble-gum gospel" as I like to call it, which is hush-hush about the truth. As one of those articles I listed in the first place puts it, they sacrifice truth on the altar of unity. Think about that. The Scriptural principles of unity have nothing to do with the idea of "unity" that is being taught today. What is being taught today is in essence the unity of good with bad--of light with darkness. But the Bible says What fellowhip has light with darkness? It has none. Just because a wolf is good at dressing itself up as a sheep doesn't make it a sheep, and doesn't make it light. Whether disguised or not, it is still darkness. You speak of God's judgment on these people who are teaching false doctrine, and that is ultimately true. But what about God's judgment on us if we suppress the truth? Elizabeth, I love you dearly. I love you like a sister. I love you like Paul loved the Corinthians. That is why I say what I say... It's the truth. The Bible, cover-to-cover is filled with examples of exhortation and admonition. Why? Because it's our duty. Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say to keep our mouths shut about these things. On the contrary, it tells us that it's THEIR mouths that have to be stopped--not ours. I believe that what I feel when I hear and/or read things by these false teachers is Godly anger.. Righteous anger. Likewise, it bothers me that in the modern church, holiness isn't even required. "Find the common ground," say they... "We all have sinned, so don't feel bad." It's the apostate church, and there's a name for it There are several names for it... Laodicea. Thyatira. How about Pergamos? How about Ephesus? My anger isn't anger of the flesh. It angers me that these wolves are devouring God's sheep... God's people are being brainwashed into this stuff and yes, it does anger me at the people who are doing it. For them, it is anger. For the actual DOCTRINE they teach, it is hate. I have dealt with this many times.. People saying that it isn't Scriptural to point these things out. "Never curse what God is blessing," they say. And while that is true, it isn't the question. The question is WHO is actually being blessed of God. I assure you, those teaching false doctrine are not. Just because someone has a following and a large congregation and a lot of money doesn't mean that they are being blessed of God. Something else I have said many times and will say again: if numbers were the determining factor, the Pharisees would have been right and Jesus would have been wrong. Most of the time, if not ALWAYS, the truth is in the minority and the masses choose the lie. We see it throughout the Bible.. We even see it in Matthew 7:14 which says that straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life, and FEW there be that find it. Therefore we know that just because someone has a following, they aren't necessarily of God or being blessed of Him. Even Satan "blesses" for a time. And think of this: isn't it so easy to sit back and watch these things happen, and not say anything? I still struggle with it today, because it is VERY difficult to stand up and contend for the Faith and actually say something. That is why I've started writing more lately. So, if we see that it's the easy way out to keep our mouths shut and not say anything, would it really follow through to say that it is also the Biblical way? Certainly not. Find me one person in the Bible who had it easy... The easy way out usually isn't the RIGHT way out or the BIBLICAL way out. It is our flesh nature to take the easy way out. What I do in no way serves my flesh nature.. The flesh side of me is SCREAMING "Shut up! Shut up! No one is going to like what you have to say... They will call you divisive.. Just keep your mouth shut... Just let it pass this one time." but my Spirit side is saying "No.. No.. This isn't right... This isn't Scriptural... These people are being deceived.. They're being led down a path that you can't follow... They're being led down the wrong path and they don't even realize it.. Someone has to tell them!" So in no wise does it HELP me to say these things. I believe one of Satan's greatest victories is convincing Christians to keep their mouths shut. Satan doesn't just walk up to us and be like "Hey, I'm the devil and I'm about to lie to you." No. He is slick. He is smart and he is deceptive. Therefore, his BEST hiding place is in the churches. (If you'll look through my archives, there's a poem I wrote about this called "Truth for a Daughter". If I can find it, I may post it.) I just want you to think about these things.. If I didn't love you, no way would I have taken my time to say any of that. When these questions come up, it's not like I have someone on speed dial that I call up and be like "Hey, this it what so-and-so said, what should I say??!" No. Everything that I say to you is what I know of the Scriptures, and what the Holy Spirit brings to my memory and speaks into my Spirit and all these Scriptures just come to mind one on top of the other. I start writing and the Scriptures start coming. I'm not saying that God just magically speaks them to me and I all the sudden see them, no. I'm saying I already study the Scriptures because my goal is to KNOW them.. To really KNOW them.. and the Holy Spirit brings what need be back into my memory. I'm not repeating anything I have heard to you. You can rest assured that if I believe or teach something, I will back it up. I don't believe in taking Scripture out of context and that is something I won't do. Like I said... I wouldn't have taken my time to say any of this if I didn't love you. In fact, people have said the same kinds of things to me before and I didn't really care because I knew they wouldn't accept what I said anyway, but I know you. You are like a sister to me and you have been a wonderful friend in Christ... I wouldn't feel right brushing your comments off like chimney soot. I hope you will discern that what I have said is in love.
In Christ,
Crystal