Everyone's A Critic!

EVERYONE'S A CRITIC!

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16)  If I have not told you the truth in any one thing that I have written so far, in so many things, then you have an obligation to let me know it.   After all, you are my brothers and sisters in Christ, those of you who claim Him as your Lord and Savior, for we who believe on Him are family!  "And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, 'Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.'" (Matt. 12:49 - 50)  But if I make a mistake, or if I say something concerning the bible, and perhaps you misunderstand my intent, then don't treat me like Paul felt in Galatia with this study's opening Scripture quote, nor are you obligated to shun me, yet, but first you are obligated to reason with me!  I never claimed to be Christ, and I do claim that I am as all of you, human.  Able to make a mistake, great or small, as peradventure would have it.  It is a sad thing that I see when ministers, pastors, and priests of all walks of faith make mistakes, and there only need be one that is exposed, and immediately they receive such condemnation!  How truly it was said when it was written, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." (James 3:1) (By masters, James means teachers)  What seems to be forgotten in some walks of faith is the love, particularly of one who confesses their mistake, and giving them the compassion of forgiveness of a truly repentent one of these.  There are too few preachers in this world as it is, and would we ostracize each and every preacher who makes a mistake in their preaching, and also in their walk, and not give them the compassion of forgiveness?  Consider the next passage.

"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.  This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.  And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.  And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." (Acts 18:24 - 28)  Now here was a starting preacher who was blessed with a gift of eloquence, and he, like me, took up his cross and taught diligently the things of the Lord just as I do, but he was off course!  He was standing around in Ephesus preaching what he thought was right, and any real Christian in this day would know that it was quite a glaring mistake to be preaching the baptism of John, because we know the baptism to only be of Jesus Christ!  Some people claiming to be Christians nowadays would be getting out the branding irons, firing them up, and branding this guy a false teacher and shunning him as an unsalvageable heretic!  But what did you see the real Christians of Apollos' day do?  They took him aside and lovingly corrected him on his mistake, just like I would you, and just like I would hope you would me, those of you who know the way of the Lord and the bible.

Now every good preacher is of this way; "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." (Rom. 12:11 - 13)  We who preach or witness of the Lord and from the bible are fervent to serve the Lord by preaching what we believe the bible means, but like Apollos, we are always subject to misinterpretation or mistake, and this is one reason why there are denominations, and so many removed from the pulpit!  But if they make a mistake, is this a reason to cut out their tongue, and remove them from preaching ever again?  To remove their pastorship?  It is a sad thing to see a pastor removed for a mistake.  Our God is a God of mercy, and so His children should be, as well!

"And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.  But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus." (Acts 19:8 - 9)  Here was Paul in a school daily teaching the way to a group of people, and some of them stubbornly hardened their hearts against the truth, and started speaking evil of Paul's teaching before the multitudes, and it is at this point that Paul left them and separated the disciples, and then continued to dispute daily in the school.  In other words, if you have any number of people who want to dispute you, speak evil of you and what you're teaching, THEN this is the time to shun such a one, giving them time to either have their eyes opened somewhere else in their lives, or live in error, but not before trying to reason with them, or correct them.  After all, the bible also says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16 - 17)  Well, here is a point of noteworthiness; if I make a mistake, and I need correction, how do I get it if I am shunned, and nobody tells me?  I believe I have had people disagree with me, and shun me, but to their fault, because they failed to reason with me.  And the same is true of me; if I hear someone make a mistake concerning the Scriptures, and I don't correct them, but shun them, then I am guilty of failing to use the Scriptures for correction!  Everyone's a critic, but with that right that people take upon themselves, comes the responsibility to speak correction, remembering to do so with compassion and loving kindness, as they who are doing the correcting would want if they were the ones who made the mistake.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." (2 Tim. 2:15 - 18)  Now if you go to 1 Tim. 1:20, you'll understand Hymenaeus and Philetus were not merely someone preaching in error, but these two were purposely and with hardness in their hearts teaching stubbornly and in error concerning the resurrection, thus ruining the faith of some who heard them preach.  Now don't think for one minute that Paul did not try to reason with them of the error of what they were preaching before dumping these two.  "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." (1 Tim. 1:18 - 20)  Here we see that Paul has given up trying to reason with Hymenaeus and Alexander, and now they are ostracized from help and fellowship with the church.  A last resort punishment, that they might later come around and realize to their shame their error - or not.

Jesus Himself taught that someone of offense in a church must be given an opportunity of reconciliation first before being treated as a heathen; "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." (Matt. 18:15 - 17)  Okay, how are heathens to be treated?  "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom. 16:17 - 18)  These would be considered modern day Pharisees, who would press, for example, that you cannot be saved unless you are circumcised, as is ensampled in Acts 15:1 - 5.

So my purpose in this study is not so much geared to seekers and unbelievers, but toward believers who have a disagreement with one another's witness or preaching.  I wish to remind us all that we are family, that we have a responsibility to try to correct one another, including pastors and priests and ministers and missionaries.  None of us who are of the way of the Lord profess to be Him, so we are human, highly susceptible to making mistakes, no matter how seasoned we are in the Scriptures.  Remember that false teachers will be unwilling to repent from false teachings, but in order to determine if they are what they are, we are obligated to reason with them, first; they may instead be a brother or sister teaching errant doctrine because they misunderstand, as was the case with Apollos.  Lastly, I want to impress forgiveness of the preacher or witness who made a mistake.  Everybody's a critic, but remember that every critic has their own critic, too!  Pray for me as I continue to try to witness for Christ, my Lord and Savior, and not only for me, but all pastors, ministers, priests, preachers, and witnesses for Christ!