The Ministry of Exposing Others - SI Forums Note

Amen dear brother, Amen.

Amen!

I had been contemplating these very same thoughts lately.

Thanks brother

Thank you Greg for posting these helpful insights, and what I believe to be the heart of the Lord on this matter.

Many of the things that you posted have been on my heart for sometime, and the Lord has corrected me on many occassions on the very issues that you have dealt with.

We don't have to go out and hunt for error to find it. The light is going to expose the darkness. Walking in the truth will make the lie manifest, and speaking the truth in love will edify and build up the Church.

Much of the exposing of false brethren, teachings, etc. etc. is coming from brothers and sisters who truly have a love for the truth. However, not everyone that is in some error concerning doctrine is a false brother, teacher, or prophet. I cannot begin to tell you how over the years there are many things that I had believed to be absoulte fact, that in reality were not. The Holy Spirit teaches us through men, but He also lives on the inside of us to lead us and guide us into all truth.

If we could only see Christ in one another, and seek to build up and edify all of the saints, then the Church would grow. The emphasis on seeking the unity of the Spirit is all throughout the New Testament, and the work of the enemy is to bring accusuation and condemnation upon the brethren to bring disunity and division into the Body of Christ.

May Christ be glorified and may His nature and character be formed in us, and may the Holy Spirit have His way in this ministry.

Mike

Some think themselves prophetic and discerning because they pick apart this or that. It tickles their pride to be so scathing. But the apostle Paul said he determined to know nothing among us except Christ and Him crucified. It has long been my contention that if you show people the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, then that which is true shall become self evident. There is nothing more prophetic than preaching Christ.

Amen to this dear brother.

Nothing grieves my heart more on SermonIndex than encountering brothers (and sisters) who feel they must take it upon themselves to rebuke and accuse others. A doctrinally-incorrect Apollos can always have things "better explained" to him by a Priscilla and Acquila (Acts 18:26), but Satan is always the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and unable to be corrected. I would rather have Apollos in the forum than Satan.

We should seek to edify and build each other up. We all have so much to offer if we can only get past politics, doctrinal disputes and rebuke festivals. God's will is that we water each other, that our ministries and words promote life and spiritual health. Leadership is installed, firstly, to make sure this "life" principle flows most richly and unobstructed here. It is not primarily to rebuke, though at times rebuking and exposing is in order. Ironically, the most rebuking and exposing I have had to do in this forum has been geared toward those taking it upon themselves to rebuke others. The true heretics and wolves flee and abandon ship pretty quickly once exposed; the self-righteous accusers usually stay for months and rack up thousands of posts, endlessly rebuking and debating and undermining authority until finally asked to leave or are banned.

But my soul thirsts for true godly fellowship that lends to abundant life here. I love sharing the deep truth of God's Word, of learning from the ministry of all of you, from sitting and breaking the bread of peace through this online network of believers God has so blessed us with. The enemy will do all he can to disrupt it, but we are not ignorant of his schemes. The moderation ministry is dedicated to thwarting these schemes, regardless if they are manifesting from a wolf coming from the outside-in or an accuser from the inside-out.

My sole desire is that Jesus Christ continally be formed in us, unhindered. We all need room to grow. We all need God's grace. May this place be a safe haven for believers of all ages to experience both.

Brother Paul

Amen

I am so very glad to see this thread! May we all prayerfully take it to heart...may we represent Christ in every way here on this forum.

This is a good word. But I'm convinced that brawling over dogma is an addictive behavior. "Whosoever commiteth sin is the servant of sin." Some people have indulged in the sin of contentiousness for so long that they are in bondage to it and can't help themselves. Just watch and see: there are members of this forum who will not be able to restrain themselves from jumping into this thread and explaining that you're all wrong: it is necessary to "protect the flock" and bludgeon heretics and reprove apostates etc., etc., etc...

But it is an excellent word anyway. God bless.

wayneman
I'm convinced that brawling over dogma is an addictive behavior.

I agree 100%! and Brother you used a perfect word to address it here "Brawling", I actually compared it to a cage match once. :)

To call any Saint here "Satan" is a far worse than what those being addressed have done.

Some are being targeted here in an exaggerated way and again - to call the Saints, His Sheep, "Satan" is very dangerous for the ones that see them that way.

Wait on God be still as a weaned child. Paul, if this policy is of God, you will not need to defend it. Those who hear God's voice will agree with what you are saying because the Spirit of God within them will testify with what has been said in the same manner our Lord described of those who are His sheep hear His voice.

Amen, brother Greg!

The forums -- even though a powerful and helpful tool -- can turn into a distraction FROM the Kingdom of God.

If we aren't careful, we might resemble those who buried their "talents" into the earthly sod of a online Christian forum. We might meander from "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" into the fallacy of suspicion, conjecture, cynicism, distrust or trepidation about other believers.

In a discussion of persecution, I can't help but think how the Early Church -- and the generations that faced persecution over the nearly 20 centuries since -- weren't quite so distracted by perpetual disputes over non-essential issues.

When I read Greg's posts and many of the subsequent posts, I was reminded of the words of I John chapter 4 and I Corinthians 13:

I JOHN 4

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

- and -

I CORINTHIANS 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Good post, Greg. I joined the forum a year ago in hope of finding believers who shared my passion for true revival. I was much encouraged by the sermons but was initially turned off from the forum because of the cheap pot shots members were taking at one another. My conviction is that the Spirit of God allows that kind of religious scrapping to take care of itself(perhaps self-destruction) without getting involved. However, I believe that our moderators are doing an excellent job of countering this kind of spirit and have considerably improved the atmosphere of the forum. This is a monumental task and may the Lord enable them as they work to make this a completely different site than the typical "dime a dozen" forums on the web.
Since I believe in the work of the Spirit, after I feel led to express an opinion, I refuse to engage in a heated debate to drive home my conviction. He is well able to either show me my error or to speak to my fellow believer if my words were,indeed, from God. He cannot do His work in either heart when a fleshly argument ensues.. I think that many such debates will never continue if just one party is mature enough to drop the thread when it becomes obvious that this is taking place.
Another thing that bothers me is when we cannot allow the moderators to have the last word. Are they not the leaders in this work whom we are called to respect and honour? To make the forum work, we must all work together in the Spirit and not give place to the devil who is trying to destroy its effectiveness.

I recall that message Keith Daniel - (I'm paraphrasing) Walking the Tightrope between Calvin & Wesley... Now that was a great message. I thank God for a man like that who can bring both points of doctrines together for the edifying of the saints.
I thank God for the modern reformers that are sticking their necks out (although I don't think they probably see it as such) to warn others of damnable heresies. They sure do it much better than I can. I praise God for them.
Back in the days of the reformation in the UK, there was Latimer, Flavel, Bunyan, Huss, Knox, etc. Those guys suffered, and some died for their faith. They grasped the verse of keeping their consciences void of offense to God and man. They were true pilgrims and sojourners, setting their minds on things above, looking towards their true home in heaven, seeing it as a privilege and a great honour to count everything else as dung, compared to the excellencies that are found in Christ. They went to war in the Spirit of His strength.
Nowadays, it seems, everybody wants their rights in the church and in the world. They want to worship God the way they seem fit, live comfortable lives, have families, be accepted into their communties, etc.
You see, on this road to the celestial city there's a ditch on either side of the road. The path is so narrow, life is but a vapour, then the Judgment.
In the body there are different callings, and that's just the way it is - some teachers, some pastors, etc. Shepherds not only feed their sheep, but they also guard them as well, and so does the Lord guard them as the apple of His eye. Some pastors, many I believe, are too busy (doing what I don't know) to go out to the homes of the flock to see how they are living. These seem more concerned with writing books, sermons, and blogs, then getting out there and getting to know the people in their congregations. But, at the same time, they expect their congregation to come sunday after sunday and drop $ in the offering plate.
What a blessing Paul was to the church! What an example he was! The things God did through that man! The heart he gave to Paul! He was not only a teacher, but a father to the various folds that God entrusted him with.
I just wanted to say that. I'm all for unity and fellowship, but not at the expense of Biblical Truth.
I'm not rebuking this thread, or anyone here, lol... Itype this with a smile and a tear on my cell phone. Perhaps, once we get high-speed internet up here in the sticks where I am, I'll be able to put my thoughts together more appropriately.
In the meantime, I'm signing off again for a while. Peace to those whom abide in Christ Jesus, who are at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.