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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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