I weary when Christian leaders are so busy being critical of others in God's household. A Critical attitude toward others who serve Christ is directly rebuked in the Bible.
If we are busy proclaiming truth and living a life that pleases God we will have very Little time to do other things and worry about what others are teaching.
One of the latest example is John MacArthur in His book 'Strange Fire'.
Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
I have no doubt that a good and sincere teacher can write a book whose PR says the following.
"In ancient Israel there lived two priests who approached God without the reverence He deserves. They disregarded God’s instructions and burned incense in His Tabernacle with “strange fire . . . which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). Scripture calls us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Anything unholy — including false prophecy, phony miracles, religious hypocrisy, self-willed worship, or anything else of the sort — is a kind of “strange fire,” deserving of the most severe judgment. That is why pastor-teacher John MacArthur has written this treatise on a movement whose foundation and direction have betrayed the God they claim to represent. Laced with historical research, biblical support, and quotes from scholars across the spectrum, Strange Fire is a rigorous evaluation of the fastest growing segment of the American Christian church. And it is an important warning . . . • For those who want the church to be more inclusive, • For those on the lookout for miracles today, • For those who think “charismatic” refers more to worship style than substance, • For those who don’t understand why celebrity preachers are constantly falling from grace, • For those who believe religious experience is more important than biblical fact, • For those who don’t want to “limit God” or “put Him in a box.” Strange Fire is powerful, disturbing, and imminently necessary."
What really urkes me is how much attention this book brings and how it divides the Kingdom of God when He could use the time and resources to expand the Kingdom instead of bring division and an opportunity for the World to not see what Jesus wants which is that we love one another as followers of Jesus our Saviour and Lord. God's grace toward us is needed when we deal with others who serve God differently than the way we understand.
1 comment:
Wayne: I saw some of his live teaching on this and was surprised that he blatantly attempted to debunk the charismatic/Pentecostal view of scripture. This teaching and book clearly reveal a strong bias against those outward manifestations of the Holy Spirit in and through the Body of Christ.
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