Finder of False Teachers: Is this a new spiritual gift?

The Pharisees and Sadducees were masters at arguing points of the law in order to prove themselves knowledgeable and righteous! They often engaged Jesus in arguments, hoping to trap Him in some trumped up charge of blasphemy, thus having an excuse to put Him to death and regain control of the multitudes that Jesus had brought to the Light.

In one such instance, the Pharisees approached Jesus and asked Him if it was right for Jews to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, Caesar. If they couldn’t destroy Jesus by manipulating their own laws and tricking Him into sinning, they would try to make it look as if He was an enemy of Caesar, and Caesar would destroy Him. 

But Matthew 11 shows us Jesus’ heart in dealing with the Pharisees: He did not strive! He wasn’t looking for an argument or debate. Jesus’ discussions had clear motive: to draw people to God through Truth! His purpose was to bring the Kingdom of God to earth through His sacrificial life and death. He wasn’t out on the streets looking for someone to prove wrong, nor was He looking for a way to elevate Himself; He knew who He was and He was secure in it. He was looking for a heart that was willing to receive the blessing of God’s gift of salvation. If a discussion was necessary to accomplish this, so be it.

The Pharisees, however, were filled with pride at being experts in interpreting the law. They were self appointed judges, pointing out ‘false teachers’ (ie: Jesus, in their minds) as a means of proving their right to reign as religious leaders! They quoted the words of the law (often mixed with their traditions) but they missed the spiritual meaning and the heart of God within His Word! Jesus said to them “you miss the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You strain the gnat and swallow the camel…” In short, they made a practice out of finding fault, instead of practicing God’s love by serving others (Matt 22:37). 

These hard headed fault finders developed a ‘ministry’ focused on pointing out false teachers. In fact, they put so much energy into this ‘ministry’ that it consumed them and short circuited their own growth! And in their eagerness to be right, they completely missed the Word of God, which does not list this activity as a ‘gift’ or a ‘purpose’ within the Church. 

Recognizing false doctrine is a matter of exercising discernment based on having flooded one’s heart and mind with the Word of God through the Spirit of God. And while each of us should practice discernment in what we hear and see, Church leadership is to take responsibility for protecting their own sheep from false teachers as part of their ministry of serving the sheep. 

On an individual basis, we are responsible for what we see and hear, but we’re not responsible to point out ‘false teachers’ as though it were our ministry. And caution needs to be exercised in labeling ‘false teachers’ as a practice, because in doing so, there is a prideful assumption on our part that we are always right and others are always wrong. And if we are not 100% right in this practice, we border on blasphemy, which includes attributing the works of God to the devil (Matt 12). 

What are the gifts God has given you; qualities and spiritual endowments with which you can serve God and the Body of Christ? If you don’t know, please take the time to find out! You’ll find a small list of them in 1 Corinthians 12-13, but there are numerous gifts listed throughout the New Testament (administration, helps, gifts of healings, etc.). Please note that you’ll not find a gifted titled “finder of false teachers” within the pages of the Bible!

Are You A Controller?

When Jesus sat at the last supper with His disciples, He was fully aware that Judas was going to betray Him. Judas had been with Jesus and the other 11 disciples for 3 years, and he’d had the same training and example as the rest of them. But Judas had ulterior motives (ie: money bag) which caused him to betray Jesus. As they sat at the last supper together Jesus' and Judas' eyes met, and Jesus said to Judas “what you are about to do, do quickly” (John 13). Judas then left the table and set about the act of betraying Jesus.

But note what Jesus did not do: knowing that Judas was about to make the biggest mistake of his life, Jesus did not stop him. He gave him the choice to betray! In fact, before Jesus gave Judas the bread, He said aloud, “Someone is going to betray me.” That was enough warning for Judas to understand the wickedness of what he was about to do and then make the choice for himself. Jesus didn’t threaten him, warn him, accuse him, manipulate him or demean him; he gave him the choice to sin!
If anyone had reason to control another person, it certainly would have been Jesus at that point in time. But given the opportunity, Jesus did not interfere or control those around Him; He was (and is) about freewill! And while Jesus' teaching and example encouraged making right (God pleasing) choices, He never stepped in and forced others to follow His plan, nor did He stop them from following their own.

The idea behind these points is that it is completely unGodly to control other people. Teaching and training are part of kingdom work, but in church, in our families and in friendships, we are never meant to control others. Certainly, when we have authority to govern, decisions need to be made which others will have to follow, but in situations where we simply want to control others, it is not of God!

Are you a controlling person? Do you dominate, over-react, berate, manipulate, spy, accuse, argue relentlessly, belittle, heap guilt, practice sullenness, bully either physically or emotionally, or make others feel unworthy as a means of getting your way (psychologytoday.com)? Perhaps you are generally right and you let others know it on a continual basis. Or maybe you are closed off to hearing the insights of others, even if you are right!

If so, then please consider Jesus’ response to Judas’ betrayal. Let this be a wake-up call to you, an opportunity to go before the Lord in repentance. Let the Lord show you the results of your controlling behaviors, of constantly trying to pull the strings of those around you. Perhaps you are stopping the will of the Lord by controlling others; if Jesus had controlled Judas, then God’s will would not have been done!

Perhaps each of us has (in a large or small way, occasionally or often) allowed this spirit to work through us!

The Church: Are My Thoughts Irrelevant?

Many of us have had tough experiences with church, and whether we think we were part of the problem or not, there are always 2 sides to a story. These experiences should cause us to lean into God if we view them properly. We must never look at those who have hurt us as though they represent God 100%, then use that as an excuse to turn away from Him and His people.

While I'm a big advocate for examining self and restoring relationships, there are times when we are simply better off NOT going back into a situation which is perhaps unGodly, abusive or off-kilter Biblically. And there are also times when we have made an error and need to run back to the Church for help!

But above all, it's highly important the we DO NOT build a view of the Church based on what has happened to us: good or bad. Our understanding of how the Church should operate should never be based on our feelings or experiences, but on the Word of God. Many people have had gratifying experiences with Church, and most Churches are likely Biblical and God honoring, but if I have a gratifying experience with a Church that doesn't necessarily make it a Biblical experience. Nor does my negative experience make the church unBiblical.

Take for example the person who is continually elevated and given A+ treatment by a Church because of the large offerings they are able to give. To this person, his treatment may make him feel that he's in a wonderful, Biblical Church, but an examination of Scripture shows that this is not true (James 2:2-4).

While we could list numerous examples of Biblical and unBiblical circumstances, the bottom line is that we must seek Scripture's insights on how the Church is to operate and then shift our thoughts and actions to line up with it. But in doing this, the whole counsel of God must be considered; picking or choosing a few Scriptures here and there will give us a skewed view of God's Church as well as an excuse for poor attitudes and behaviors toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are at a crossroads, a time when we have great freedom to make choices. But those choices must not be made based on the way we feel. Spiritual responsibility and righteousness dictate that we take the high road and pour ourselves in the Bible; we cannot wait for someone else to tell us how God intends to run His church! It's our responsibility and privilege to make the Bible our source of knowledge, wisdom and information concerning the Church. We must seek Him before forming opinions or following people who may have good intentions but do not align with the Word of God!

Does this mean that once we have studied the Word, and perhaps see something askew in the Church we attend, we should run from there? God forbid that we see everyone else as imperfect and ourselves as perfect. Perhaps it's the perfect opportunity to lovingly ask questions, pray, observe and examine self in the process. Remember that we are all imperfect people being perfected by God. Follow His leading while operating in grace and love!

Remember, also, that there are some things which God leaves for each Church to put in place and establish for their individual congregations (Matt. 16 &19). God is not so restrictive with us as to establish a hard set of rules for operating, but He leaves much up to the local congregation and those leading, trusting that they will seek His face for direction.

Lastly, with great emphasis, I encourage you to search the Bible before you decide what "Church" means. Is it a large gathering, is it a small group? Or perhaps it has many shapes and forms which are all interconnected.

May God bless those who are diligently seeking and striving to follow His pattern for the Church, all 'additives' aside!

When Being 'Nice' is a Bad Idea!

To be nice means to be pleasing, agreeable or delightful (Dictionary.com).

Sometimes people are 'nice' but not Godly. In fact, many of today's social movements are about being nice - they cater to the temporal feelings of a person but don't value the greater, eternal concerns of Christ-likeness, righteousness and holiness. An example of this could be the parent who spoils the child by being 'nice' [catering to the child's whims] and later sees the treacherous results. There is no going back!

Grace and kindness are not the same as niceness. Grace and kindness see the sin but love the person without promoting evil; they are not flesh pleasers. Grace and kindness are inspired by God and filled with His wisdom, promoting His way of living; they lead us to repentance, whereas niceness may make us feel comfortable in our sin. Niceness is an agreeable people pleaser, and in the end it brings no glory to God unless it is specifically inspired by Him.

So let your dealings with people be filled with the grace of God and the kindness that leads others to Him. These are Godly attributes and they have eternal value for both the giver and the receiver! Refrain from the worldly niceness which gives credibility to unGodly behaviors and attitudes.

This was Jesus' example; He was bent on saving people from hell by delivering the grace and kindness of God to them. Let us not be confused by the world's niceness, but remain steadfast in following Jesus' example!