Having a Right Doctrine but Wrong Spirit - brother Greg

There is a saying that says: "You can be so right you can become wrong.” Sadly some in church history were 100% right in their doctrines but in their practice they were wrong. The goal of the Christian life is to know and love God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, receiving eternal life through the Son, and resulting in a glorious and personal relationship with the Triune God, where we love Him, worship Him and serve Him, and where we experience His love and His care for us.

\tMany scholars and theologians write about God but they do not experientially know Him.248 Doctrines coming from such men may well be tainted by "the evil one" trying to deceive us. Good doctrines can provide us with foundational principles based on a correct interpretation of the Word of God. Only the most basic doctrines are necessary to help unify the body of Christ, which is the Church. Too many doctrines249 divide without being essential to the faith. Good doctrines are helpful, but growing in discipleship is walking in obedience 250 to the Lord Jesus Christ daily. "Christians now choose churches based upon particular doctrines, and having the right theology has become the most important thing rather than having the right lifestyle, all because a Biblical model has been abandoned.” 251

\tA re-reading of the New Testament with this as our mindset helps us to see clearly that the early thinking and life style of Christians has changed in the Western world. The effects of humanism, secularism, materialism, and  entertainment has brought doctrines of Satan to the Church which is resulting in a counterfeit church accepting such doctrines as ordaining profane  Ministers who are living in sin and practicing sin, and other new doctrines such as the prosperity doctrines and denying the power and miracles of God. Witnessing for the Church in the west has become an exercise of not offending the freedom of other faiths and keeping our mouths closed. In the Western world we truly have become the luke-warm Church that Jesus spoke about. He will spit us out of His mouth.252 We must return to the principles and doctrines of the early Church as a way of life253 and as a living response to the unchangeable truth of the Word of God.

\t"The Pharisees sat in the chair of Moses, which meant that they had gone to Bible colleges and got their doctorate degrees and had a lot of accurate knowledge. Jesus even told His disciples to do all that the Pharisees taught. So what the Pharisees taught must have been right. But they did not obey what they knew to be right.” 254 If we do not combine our knowledge with obedience it will bring spiritual death and disaster to all around us. Salvation is not knowing a doctrine or understanding all the nuances of salvation. Salvation is experiencing the very person, the Lord Jesus Christ.255 When Paul the Apostle preached the Gospel he did not have a specific five point message but rather preached the person of Christ, presenting Him to the people.256 "Not a doctrine, or a religion, or a catechism, but a Person, an exceedingly great and precious Person, this Preeminent Christ.”257

\t"If ‘Christ is all’ to you, you are Christians; and I, for one, am ready to give you the right hand of brotherhood. I do not mind what place of worship you attend, or by what distinctive name you may call yourselves, we are brethren; and I think, therefore, that we should love one another. If, my friends, you cannot embrace all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter to what denomination they may belong, and cannot regard them as your brethren in the Lord, and as belonging to the universal Church, you have not hearts large enough to go to heaven.” 258 And may this be the experience of all those who claim to have the right doctrines on the character of God, that they will represent God's love, unity and all aspects of His character in accordance with the Word of God. The proof will be by  the way we love one another.259 The world needs to know that we are His disciples.260

248 John 17:3, 1 John 3:6
249 There was a danger in the early Church of those who looked into many doctrines but were not living in obedience to the simplicity of the faith in Jesus Christ and being led of His Spirit. (see 1 Timothy 1:3-4, 1 Timothy 6:3-4).
250 James 1:22
251 David Servant
252 Revelation 3:15-16
253 1 Timothy 6:3
254 Zac Poonen
255 John 5:40
256 Colossians 1:28, Acts 8:5
257 Chip Brogden
258 C.H. Spurgeon
259 Galatians 5:6
260 John 17:23

I agree wholeheartedly.

Notice Jesus did commend these particular group for not tolerating Jezebels, the practices of the Nicolaitins, etc.

And he warned them that they lost their first love. What is/was their first love? How "loving" they appeared to others? That may be important, but that's not what Jesus was talking about here. Their "first love" was their burning desire and love FOR CHRIST! Had they neglected the secret place of prayer and communion with Him? As Keith Daniel has said, "anyone who has backslidden, fallen into sin, or drifted into error - the root cause is that they began neglecting the quiet time alone in communional prayer with Jesus."

Jesus commended those who called out the false teachers and called them liars. That part seems to get skimmed over quickly. Jesus also told another that he held against them that they tolerated that wicked woman Jezebel who led away the sheep into sin. That seems to get skimmed over too. Never does Jesus say in any of these letters, "but when you found them to be false aposrles & called them liars (which he commended), you just weren't 'loving' enough in how you said/did it." never. This is a deceptive false "love focus" from the enemy to slide deception in the house and accept things which God hates & rejects.

The word "Apostacy" comes from the same root as the word "adultery". Does an adulterer totally leave their spouse for another lover? No, not typically. They want their cake and eat it to. They want to hang on to their spouse and let other lovers in their bed. Call them an adulterer and you may get accused of being mean and unloving. But you may also awake them to their error and save them from their sin & deceit.

This goes on long enough in the house called by God's name, & He will stamp "ICHABOD" across the doorway, meaning - "The Glory of God has departed". Seen it many times. Didn't make it that way, but have seen what a Soveriegn God will do when this is allOwed to carry on in His name. He will depart & take His Spirit with Him. What are we left with when that happens? What kind of "love" then?

Surprisingly, Wilkerson & Ravenhill (& Katz a little) preached MUCH on this subject and lived it as ones with prophetic preaching gifts. Those who called it "love" threw stones and sought to "kill the prophets" (silence them) & protect their own kingdoms. Don't think for a second anyone is above/immune to this. If what we are standing on is anything other than Christ, the solid rock, & His Word, it is all shifting sand on which your house will fall when the storm comes.

When we get a bad spirit and in turn are devoid of the love of God it can be traced directly to this reality, "...and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."

Yes, those who are like this forget the mercy of God in their life. I pray I will never leave such a place and will have compassion on all men. Each religious person has the potential to come to Christ and see the love of God.

My testimony as others is purely: Grace, grace, grace.

and everyday it still is: grace.

When reading the bible, we have to have one motive in mind and that is to hear right. I can still be a called out one and still not hear right. I may have heard at the beginning but I may get so wrapped up in my own ways of thinking that I am right I end up with the wrong spirit. Now that doesn't mean that we have the wrong Holy Spirit. The wrong spirit is that we dismiss Gods will for our own. We don't listen to His instructions first, we jump in with guns a blazing.

I hear a lot of zeal from the forums at times and I hear it within myself at times but I have to stop myself and ask, "Is this coming from me, or is this righteousness speaking forth?". I am constantly judging everything that I do. Thanks Greg for this thread, I think it's important that we understand by what spirit we do the things we do, whether they be God or man.

Yes, those who are like this forget the mercy of God in their life. I pray I will never leave such a place and will have compassion on all men. Each religious person has the potential to come to Christ and see the love of God. Greg Gordon. SermonIndex.

This cuts right to the heart of the matter. As Robert shared as well. I cannot count the times I have wept remembering that Christ has forgiven me and at what cost to Him. I truly cannot see the contradiction of putting this remembrance in the forefront of our hearts and minds and only then speaking the truth in the mind of such remembrance. I would to God that I had not stumbled so many times but I know along with countless others that the Lord has supplied abundant grace. Even if choking on the knowledge of my own filthiness I remember the grace of God I find that I am the more broken and the more thankful. The mercy of God is everlasting unto everlasting. Who among us does not know this?

I agree Greg. If someone is in in bad spirit and devoid of love, it can be traced to forgetting the mercy of God in their life. Thank God I was chiefest among all sinners before conversion & even had a period of discouragement which led me to backsliding years after conversion. This way the ever-present reality of the abundance of grace poured out on me is overwhelming and unforgetful.

I also agree we should have compassion on all men and see hope for them coming to Christ. And so the question is merely what is love and what is compassion and how domhese things manifest specifically in our lives?

When I was lost, I didn't need someone comforting me in my deception but making me uncomfortable to cause me to examine the reality do my condition. When I was backslidden, my dear brother Sean had the compassion to call me, extend grace, and never skirt the truth for my sake and the Gospel's. I thank God for that kind of true love and compassion. It's the kind Christ & the apostles had and the kind I want, not the kind the seeker sensitive preachers, the emergent church, and the rest of the deceived have. It's true and will abide the fire on judgement day. It's a love sometimes without pats on the back to. Let us strive for rewards only from the one from whom it counts, amen?

If someone is in in bad spirit and devoid of love, it can be traced to forgetting the mercy of God in their life. Thank God I was chiefest among all sinners before conversion

Perhaps the difference my friend is that perhaps "I am still the chief of sinners" as Paul said. It is all by grace.

I am not still the cheifest among all sinners. I still sin, and is still all by grace that I walk, but I am not what I was. Hopefully you are not either. Let's not get into semantics here, but I am not what I was. God gave me a new heart and made me a new creation. He wiped the slate clean in His blood. I am still not what I will be when he returns, but I am not what I was. By His Grace, I am being changed & conformed into His image day by day, glory to glory, grace upon grace. Not grace to go on sinning at will, but to be changed by His grace and grow as I die daily. No matter what I say, you will somehow dissect or disagree with it because you want to keep your false teachers on the pedestool you have created and lock/reject/erase anyone who calls it into question. Think about that brother. You are nit-picking. So you ARE still exactly who/what you re before conversion? Have you not been BORN AGAIN? When something is born it is fresh and new. That's the joy of the New Covennant and how it differs from the old. All this to keep Catholics as great examples? Why the dying allegiance?

One way that men have the right doctrine and wrong spirit is that they hold to the doctrine of christian unity and meekness while making false accusations about brothers being angry and slander them when they come sharing a burden of biblical separation. There is a true unity in Christ and there is also a true separation that is commanded. We can error on either side. Selah.

Any doctrine that is revealed by the Spirit of God, and that I allow to transform my own life first, will serve to cause the love of God to be shed abroad in my life.