Should we expose false teachers?
May 27, 2023 1:40:01 GMT -5
Post by PrisonerOfHope on May 27, 2023 1:40:01 GMT -5
Few would question that we're supposed to call out false prophets, although sadly, many corrupt and false "ministries" are making excuses for false prophets these days: "Well, they got most of it right," or "They're just learning to be prophets and need more practice," or "The New Testament allows prophets to make mistakes." No, aside from the fact that the Office of Prophet is CLOSED and there are no new prophecies apart from those in the Bible, when God chooses to speak through someone you can be absolutely certain that He doesn't make mistakes.
Don't be fooled: God does NOT change, and His Word stands forever, as you can read for yourself in Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Psalm 33:11, Psalm 118:89, and others. The punishment specified for false prophets in the Old Testament was severe: “If any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death” (Deuteronomy 18:20). Fortunately - or unfortunately!- although false prophets are more prolific these days than ever before, and thanks to modern technology are easily able to spew their lies worldwide in a manner of seconds, they no longer face death by stoning when their prophecies fail. That's not to say God winks at them, laughs them off, or ignores their false prophecies - we can be assured they will face severe judgment. Until that day comes, however, we're to not only expose them, but name them.
Today I want to address the subject of false teachers, as opposed to false prophets. Right now there's a kerfuffle going on between Steve Fletcher, Barry Awe, and someone named Aaron from a channel called "God-A-Minute". (Am I the only one who finds that channel name somewhat disrespectful? We're talking about GOD who is, above all, HOLY!) I don't have all the details, as apart from checking in on Fletcher's latest rapture date prediction from time to time I don't follow the others at all. To be perfectly honest, I started to watch them a couple of times and simply couldn't continue as I found their lack of reverence and incorrect information and/or assumptions, among other things, disturbing. Rather than waste my time on "wannabe" teachers and "prophets" on YouTube, I prefer to spend my time productively, listening to any one of the many good, genuine teachers out there: Andy Woods, James Kaddis, Charlie Garrett, Charles Stanley, Erwin Lutzer, Paul Washer, etc. - they're well-educated, discerning, and unlike the wannabes, have a good, firm grasp on hermeneutics and sound exegesis.
First of all, here's the video that - along with some comments in Fletcher's videos demanding that he apologize - inspired this message.
This Aaron apparently claims Fletcher has been "bullying and slandering" others, and goes on to say, "When people are trying to share their studies and interpretations of what they see that is not a false prophet, that does not need to be corrected, people are just sharing their studies and interpretations of what they see that is not a false prophet, that does not need to be corrected, people are just sharing their study, people are sharing what God is putting on their heart. Could they be wrong? Maybe."
OK, let's dissect the above statements of Aaron's. First of all, what exactly is a "teacher?" One definition says, "A teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. when showing a colleague how to perform a specific task). Some other professions may involve a significant amount of teaching (e.g. youth worker, pastor). It's reasonable to say that someone who is sharing their studies and interpretations is, in fact, schooling the listener on new ideas and revelations they've come across, particularly if they're broadcasting their findings on YouTube with the intent of introducing their ideas to a wide audience.
A big red flag is his saying, "...people are sharing what God is putting on their heart. Could they be wrong? Maybe." Numbers 23:19 tells us, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the Son of Man, that he should repent." Obviously, if God puts something on someone's heart, it's ABSOLUTE TRUTH, yet Aaron insinuates that He might have been lying! When God speaks it's clear and straightforward with not even the slightest hint of ambiguity or confusion, yet Aaron says they could be wrong. You can't have it both ways! Going a step further, there's essentially no difference between "Thus says the Lord" and "God put on my heart." In no way am I dissuading anyone from sharing some insight they feel they've gained through studying the Bible, but rather than proclaiming it was a revelation from God, the proper way to phrase it would be along the lies of, "When I was studying my Bible I had the though that (insert Scripture) might mean... Andy Woods has a nice way of sharing an insight; he'll say, "I wouldn't start a new church over it, but perhaps..." It's important that we understand it's a very dangerous thing to presume to speak for God!
Let's look at what the Bible has to say about teachers: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." - James 3:1 Assuming the role of teacher - even an informal one - is not to be taken lightly!
Again, I'm not aware of the full details of what's going on among that crowd, but I do know that false teachers are to be called out, which is what I've been trying to do here, particularly in the "Apostasy & False Teachers, Prophets, and Religions" forum - and, as someone who has studied the Bible for many years and is a seminary graduate with a Master's in Bible Studies - I can say with complete confidence and assurance that not one of the parties involved in this controversy is a good, sound, reliable teacher. Yes, their intentions may be good, but they're not qualified to be teachers and much of what they share is outright incorrect. Notice, if you will, that although they frequently claim their "revelations" came from the Holy Spirit, they often contradict each other - absolute proof that the information they're sharing is not from the Lord.
It seems that Aaron has a problem with names being called out. Well, let's see... the Bible tells us to avoid, rebuke, and call them out.
To avoid them, you have to be able to identify them - you can’t avoid somebody if you don’t know who they are. This idea of identifying and avoiding shows up in 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10. In other words, Christians, and shepherds in particular, should be discerning and alert to behavior and teaching that is false and dishonors Christ, and not treat it in a cavalier manner.
In 1 Timothy 5:19–20, Paul went beyond just “avoid them” to “rebuke them publicly.” Again, I'm not aware of the specific details - apparently Steve called one or more of the others a false teacher - but from what I've seen and heard, all of them, including (especially!) Steve Fletcher are false teachers!
Paul then went on and actually named destructive false teachers:
“Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10).
“You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15).
“By rejecting this [faith and a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander” (1 Timothy 1:19–20).
“Their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus” (2 Timothy 2:17).
Paul specifically names at least six false teachers that the church should watch out for.
One can easily infer from Jesus and Paul and Luke and John that false teaching and destructive behavior are present dangers in this fallen world for the church and for Christians as individuals. All of us should be alert and discerning to identify and, in order to protect the flock, expose them in appropriate ways and minimize the spread of what Paul calls their gangrene. And - until the rapture takes us out of here - I intend to continue doing exactly that.
Don't be fooled: God does NOT change, and His Word stands forever, as you can read for yourself in Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Psalm 33:11, Psalm 118:89, and others. The punishment specified for false prophets in the Old Testament was severe: “If any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death” (Deuteronomy 18:20). Fortunately - or unfortunately!- although false prophets are more prolific these days than ever before, and thanks to modern technology are easily able to spew their lies worldwide in a manner of seconds, they no longer face death by stoning when their prophecies fail. That's not to say God winks at them, laughs them off, or ignores their false prophecies - we can be assured they will face severe judgment. Until that day comes, however, we're to not only expose them, but name them.
Today I want to address the subject of false teachers, as opposed to false prophets. Right now there's a kerfuffle going on between Steve Fletcher, Barry Awe, and someone named Aaron from a channel called "God-A-Minute". (Am I the only one who finds that channel name somewhat disrespectful? We're talking about GOD who is, above all, HOLY!) I don't have all the details, as apart from checking in on Fletcher's latest rapture date prediction from time to time I don't follow the others at all. To be perfectly honest, I started to watch them a couple of times and simply couldn't continue as I found their lack of reverence and incorrect information and/or assumptions, among other things, disturbing. Rather than waste my time on "wannabe" teachers and "prophets" on YouTube, I prefer to spend my time productively, listening to any one of the many good, genuine teachers out there: Andy Woods, James Kaddis, Charlie Garrett, Charles Stanley, Erwin Lutzer, Paul Washer, etc. - they're well-educated, discerning, and unlike the wannabes, have a good, firm grasp on hermeneutics and sound exegesis.
First of all, here's the video that - along with some comments in Fletcher's videos demanding that he apologize - inspired this message.
This Aaron apparently claims Fletcher has been "bullying and slandering" others, and goes on to say, "When people are trying to share their studies and interpretations of what they see that is not a false prophet, that does not need to be corrected, people are just sharing their studies and interpretations of what they see that is not a false prophet, that does not need to be corrected, people are just sharing their study, people are sharing what God is putting on their heart. Could they be wrong? Maybe."
OK, let's dissect the above statements of Aaron's. First of all, what exactly is a "teacher?" One definition says, "A teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. when showing a colleague how to perform a specific task). Some other professions may involve a significant amount of teaching (e.g. youth worker, pastor). It's reasonable to say that someone who is sharing their studies and interpretations is, in fact, schooling the listener on new ideas and revelations they've come across, particularly if they're broadcasting their findings on YouTube with the intent of introducing their ideas to a wide audience.
A big red flag is his saying, "...people are sharing what God is putting on their heart. Could they be wrong? Maybe." Numbers 23:19 tells us, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the Son of Man, that he should repent." Obviously, if God puts something on someone's heart, it's ABSOLUTE TRUTH, yet Aaron insinuates that He might have been lying! When God speaks it's clear and straightforward with not even the slightest hint of ambiguity or confusion, yet Aaron says they could be wrong. You can't have it both ways! Going a step further, there's essentially no difference between "Thus says the Lord" and "God put on my heart." In no way am I dissuading anyone from sharing some insight they feel they've gained through studying the Bible, but rather than proclaiming it was a revelation from God, the proper way to phrase it would be along the lies of, "When I was studying my Bible I had the though that (insert Scripture) might mean... Andy Woods has a nice way of sharing an insight; he'll say, "I wouldn't start a new church over it, but perhaps..." It's important that we understand it's a very dangerous thing to presume to speak for God!
Let's look at what the Bible has to say about teachers: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." - James 3:1 Assuming the role of teacher - even an informal one - is not to be taken lightly!
Again, I'm not aware of the full details of what's going on among that crowd, but I do know that false teachers are to be called out, which is what I've been trying to do here, particularly in the "Apostasy & False Teachers, Prophets, and Religions" forum - and, as someone who has studied the Bible for many years and is a seminary graduate with a Master's in Bible Studies - I can say with complete confidence and assurance that not one of the parties involved in this controversy is a good, sound, reliable teacher. Yes, their intentions may be good, but they're not qualified to be teachers and much of what they share is outright incorrect. Notice, if you will, that although they frequently claim their "revelations" came from the Holy Spirit, they often contradict each other - absolute proof that the information they're sharing is not from the Lord.
It seems that Aaron has a problem with names being called out. Well, let's see... the Bible tells us to avoid, rebuke, and call them out.
To avoid them, you have to be able to identify them - you can’t avoid somebody if you don’t know who they are. This idea of identifying and avoiding shows up in 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10. In other words, Christians, and shepherds in particular, should be discerning and alert to behavior and teaching that is false and dishonors Christ, and not treat it in a cavalier manner.
In 1 Timothy 5:19–20, Paul went beyond just “avoid them” to “rebuke them publicly.” Again, I'm not aware of the specific details - apparently Steve called one or more of the others a false teacher - but from what I've seen and heard, all of them, including (especially!) Steve Fletcher are false teachers!
Paul then went on and actually named destructive false teachers:
“Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10).
“You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15).
“By rejecting this [faith and a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander” (1 Timothy 1:19–20).
“Their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus” (2 Timothy 2:17).
Paul specifically names at least six false teachers that the church should watch out for.
One can easily infer from Jesus and Paul and Luke and John that false teaching and destructive behavior are present dangers in this fallen world for the church and for Christians as individuals. All of us should be alert and discerning to identify and, in order to protect the flock, expose them in appropriate ways and minimize the spread of what Paul calls their gangrene. And - until the rapture takes us out of here - I intend to continue doing exactly that.
