It's so easy to misjudge someone and I'll give a few examples:
Example 1:
There's a guy who is always fighting--he is physically violent and this constant violence has caused his personal relationships to suffer. Our immediate reaction is probably, "Hey, pal, you did this to yourself! You don't have the fruit of the Spirit!"
But what if this guy is a United States Marine?
Example 2:
There's a guy preaching on street corners, saying churches need to get involved politically to help save our country from the Homosexual lobby and the abortion lobby. Our immediate reaction, "Hey, buddy, nobody's gonna listen to you! Your message is too angry!"
But what if such lobbies are actively and successfully eroding our cultural values and even our rights?
CONCLUSION:
Okay, so what's my point? My point is that the Body of Messiah has many parts. Some of us are white blood cells and we cause a lot of itching and annoyance. But what if this annoyance serves a greater purpose? All I'm really saying is let's not be too quick to judge the message or the reaction. Let's look at the cause, the context. If someone feels angry, it very well could mean that person lacks the fruit of the Spirit. Or...it might just mean that this person feels grieved in the L-rd and desperately wants to fight the enemy.
To say that combating heresy is a bad habit is like saying that the Marines have a bad habit of fighting the enemy and winning.
ReplyDeleteBeing righteous or doing the right thing doesn't mean you're gonna be healthy, wealthy, and have all the love in the world. So those factors are out.
The problem with Gene Shlomovich wasn't that he was "heresy hunting"--the problem was that he was seeking to destroy Truth and those who believe in the Truth. We can't just say "Gene just had a problem with heresy hunting." It's all about context: heresy hunting is good if you are led by the Spirit in refuting heresy (similar to when Paul says "The Law is good provided it is used for the right reasons", i.e. it all depends on the context).
There is a place for combating bad theology.
ReplyDeleteHowever, having been in the Messianic world since childhood and witnessed numerous heresy hunts, too often the heresy hunters don't have their own lives in order. They focus so much on on how bad others are doing religion, they neglect their own walk with God, their family life, or good works.
For many heresy hunters, practicing Torah takes a back seat to heresy hunting.
Is a person spending more time fighting other believers in his own camp than he spends in prayer, Scriptures, and good works? Then let him invert that relationship.
Well, I have seen some people who are dedicated to causes, but their efforts are misdirected, as their rants don't accomplish anything. That might explain how Yeshua only did what he saw the Father doing, rather than what might seem right. I had some friends who were very involved in the Prop 8 fight. I didn't have a good feeling about it, not that I don't agree with the cause, but I felt it was useless. Turned out, they won their battle, but it was overturned. I feel when oppression is due to judgement, we can't fight it; we need to figure out what we are to do, and ranting about how bad it is may be counterproductive.
ReplyDeleteNow, we might also understand the different gifts and roles. Some people teach, some administer and some act as security guards, We should respect the security guards, as they look for what is off and seems wrong. If not for them, we couldn't do our jobs. However, I've seem some who end up being overcome by the evil they seek to prevent.
I think Ancient Paths did a very good article about examining the fruits of a teaching/teacher. When you see clones that are arrogant and meanspirited, or crazy and foolish, it is time to run. He who walks with the wise grows wise; a companion of fools suffers harm. (Note to self: Limit time on FB.) :)