Tag: Discernment

How to tell if a Pastor or Christian Teacher has Gone off the Rails-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error- 1st John 4:5-6 NASB

Tuesday morning, I read an article about a once-wildly-popular Christian influencer who has gone completely of the rails. This woman claims to be a “big fan of Jesus” and yet she has ditched church, embraced LGBTQ-A ideology and has divorced her husband. She has proudly declared she is experiencing a “sexual renaissance” with a man she is not married to (1st Corinthians 5:9-11). She has also taken to peddling online educational courses. Her website promises that for $69.00 she will teach parents how to best “support” and “affirm” their LGBTQ-A children (Romans 1:18-32, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11).  Another of her courses promises to walk individuals through the process of spiritual deconstruction (becoming apostate).  (1st Timothy 4:1, 2ndThessalonians 1:1-3, Matthew 24:9-10).

Yikes.  

At the risk of coming off as a smarty-pants-know-it-all-I-told-you-so-jerk-face, I totally called this one. Back in January 2020 I wrote a post outlining some concerns I had regarding her theology and views on sexuality. It made me uneasy that conservative evangelicals (one in particular) were endorsing her ministry in spite of some clear indicators all was not well with her from a spiritual perspective.  

This whole messy muddle begs a question: 

How does one tell if a teacher or influencer is about to or has already gone off the rails from a biblical perspective? 

This matters.  There are all sorts of pastors, teachers and influencers with huge followings who are teaching things that bear no real resemblance to traditional biblical doctrine (Acts 20:29-30, Colossians 2:8, 1st Timothy 6:3-5, 2nd Timothy 4:3). Sadly, most of these teachers started out with fairly orthodox Christian views. Nonetheless, they all went off the rails. It’s critical we understand that apostasy does not happen overnight. It’s always a slow slide that typically begins with a teacher or pastor “evolving” on some key issues that make Christianity much more appealing to the average heathen. The evolution ends with a wild, celebratory promotion of every sinful practice popular in our world today. These teachers are, for the most part (in my opinion) unregenerate people who think they are saved (Matthew 7:15-23). Ultimately, ministry is attractive to them because it allows them a way to gain a following and make money (1st Timothy 6:5, 2nd Peter 2:1-3).  Unfortunately, these “teachers” take countless untaught people and those lacking discernment to hell with them. Thankfully, there are always clues teacher or influencer is either apostate or headed in that direction. Following are six indicators all is not well with a pastor, teacher or influencer: 

Their views on sexuality become increasingly more “progressive”-

One clear sign a teacher or influencer is veering from sound doctrine is the decision to embrace LBGTQ lifestyles and sex (gay or straight) outside of marriage. God has not changed His mind on what is or isn’t morally acceptable (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, 1st Corinthians 6:18, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8). It is simply not our place to defy God on these issues. 

Unity is their rallying cry- 

Christian unity is something believers should strive for (Ephesians 4:1-3, Psalm 133:1). As long as they are unified around God and the truth of God’s word (John 17:23).  Teachers who are apostate or flirting with deconstruction tend to teach that unity itself is more important than being unified around God’s standard of truth. 

Psychology is as valid as the Bible-  

 Psychology is a tool.  If psychology is used wisely, it helps us understand the roots of our behavior. When we understand the roots of sinful patterns, that knowledge helps us (along with the Holy Spirit of course) to permanently repent of those sins (Matthew 3:8). Psychology goes bad when it is given the same (or higher) legitimacy that the Bible. Unfortunately, many Bible teachers and influencers disregard biblical mandates and wisdom in favor of psychology that contradicts or undermines biblical instruction.

The world loves them- 

If the secular world invites a Christian on a secular podcast there’s a better than decent chance they are NOT the real deal. Best case scenario, they are likely deliberately dodging some important but hard Christian teachings. People who are dying spiritually do not wish to hear truth (Jeremiah 6:10, Acts 7:52-58, 1st Corinthians 1:18, 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4). Therefore, with a few noteworthy exceptions authentic Bible teachers will not be given prominent secular platforms. 

Their view of God is basic- 

Those veering from sound doctrine love love. Their view of God can be boiled down to “God is love” with zero caveats or disclaimers. God is love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1st Corinthians 13). However, God is also righteous, just and holy (Isaiah 6:3, 1st Peter 1:16, Romans 1:18, Romans 12:1). Any teaching that emphasizes God’s love without giving equal time to holiness is likely false teaching (Psalm 14:34, Isaiah 5:20, Ephesians 1:4-5, Galatians 6:7). 

And finally, 

They avoid the s-word.

Those veering from sound doctrine rarely talk about sin. When they do, sin is nearly always presented in terms of judging people or not showing love to others. There is very little (if any) talk of avoiding certain sins (sexual immorality, greed, jealousy, idolatry, hate, unforgiveness) or repenting of sin. If a pastor or influencer refuses to discuss a subject Jesus didn’t shy away from (Matthew 5:29-30, Luke 13:3-5) there’s a pretty good chance they don’t know Him.  

Spiritually speaking, these are dark times we live in. One key to surviving these times is discernment concerning who’s teaching we choose to follow.  If a teacher or influencer is loved by the world, avoids tough subjects or teaches that anything goes it is best to simply avoid them (1st Timothy 3:1-5). 

A quick note to parents who have children who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender: there are some amazing ministries who will support you and love you. These folks will show you how to love your child WITHOUT celebrating or affirming sin. Please message me if you want info. 

Jesus’ Kind of Intense Warning to Christian Leaders that Really Applies to all Christians-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance – 1st Peter 1:13-14 NIV

Last year I did a deep dive into the book of Matthew. I had read Matthew before, many times, but I had never really studied the book. Luke and Mark were more my jam. 

I learned a lot. 

 I also developed a deep respect for the author. As I dug deeper, I was repeatedly struck by the fact that Matthew’s brain worked very differently from mine. Matthew’s brain was a well-ordered machine. My brain is more like a series of random, jumbled-up tunnels. His ability to organize information was genius, mine is middling at best. 

Sigh.

 Perhaps, the most surprising aspect of the book of Matthew was the clear warnings the book gives concerning Christian leadership in the years prior to Jesus’ return. 

It won’t be pretty. 

According to Jesus (Matthew 24:45-51) there will be good servants (leaders) who care and feed Jesus’ other servants (church people). The good overseers (Christian leaders) will be richly rewarded for their faithfulness (45-47). 

However.

There will also be a lot of really bad leaders who develop serious doubts (either consciously or subconsciously) concerning when or if Jesus will return in bodily form (verse 48). This crisis of belief will affect their leadership in detrimental ways. Specifically, these leaders will become egocentric. Their leadership platform will become a means of gaining money and attention. These leaders will mistreat those they are tasked with feeding and caring for spiritually. 

Truth-be-told, the world is already seeing some of Jesus predictions being played out. Narcissism in church leadership is running wild. A large number of regular, everyday Christians have left their churches because they have experienced church hurt at the hands of self-absorbed leadership. Many have yet to return to any church. Abusive, sinful and hypocritical Christian leaders are so common very few people even bother getting worked up over their antics anymore. 

Sigh. 

I believe this passage is specifically talking about pastoral leadership in the endish times. 

Subsequently.

It is imperative Christians stop enabling self-absorption and personal kingdom building in church leadership. Everything everyone does in church should be about building God’s Kingdom here on earth not monuments to human awesomeness (Matthew 6:9-10). 

Christians do the kingdom of God serious injury when they stay in churches where the leadership is obviously abusive, hopelessly self-focused or indifferent to people. The quality of the preaching should not be the number one consideration when choosing a church, the character of the people in the pulpit should be.  Public speaking (which is what preaching is) is simply a skill anyone with operational vocal cords can develop.  A person can be an excellent speaker and a terrible person/leader. This true even if they hold the title of “pastor”. 

Additionally, most Christians lead someone, so this passage applies to most Christians at least to some degree. How Christians lead matters. A lot. Human beings who don’t know God or who don’t know Him very well judge God by the behavior and overall character of His people. This means a church, a home, or Christian organization will turn people off to God if the character of the leadership (parents, pastor’s, leaders) is bad.  

Leaders can help halt the losses Christianity has experienced the last couple of decades by electing to view leadership the way Jesus viewed leadership.  Jesus literally had all the authority in the universe (Matthew 26:53, Matthew 28:18, Luke 4:36) and yet He didn’t get hung up on it. When He did play the “authority card” it was always about someone else’s needs, not His own privileges, popularity or authority.  We see this see this demonstrated beautifully in His dealings with the money changers (Matthew 21:12-13). Jesus was outraged. However, He wasn’t about mad because He was being slighted or disrespected, even though He was, it was literally HIS temple they were defiling. Jesus’ concern was for the people who were being marginalized by the moneychangers (mostly gentiles and women). Concern for who we’re leading, rather than our own popularity or authority should always be our north star. 

This means self-promotion, getting hung up on honor or becoming overly attached to the perks of leadership is a serious no-no for any Christian leader. Please understand, it is GOOD for Christians to give respect and honor to those who lead them and to one another. We should go out of our way to out-honor each other in Christian communities (Romans 12:10, Romans 13:7, 1st Timothy 5:17, 1st Peter 2:17). Just as teachers and leaders will be judged for how they lead, followers will also be judged by God for the level of cooperation and respect they give to those tasked with leading them (Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17). Nonetheless, it is highly inappropriate for Christians (leaders or not) to demand honor. Practically speaking this means we see those we lead as equals and treat them with even greater dignity than we expect for ourselves.  

Attitude is everything. 

The best Christian leaders have the mindset of managers. They believe deep in their hearts they answer to Jesus (the owner) for everything they do and say (James 3:1). Embracing this reality is the only to keep a human being’s worst inclinations at bay. 

One last thing. 

Matthew 25:45-51 isn’t JUST about leadership. It also tells us (in a roundabout way) that there are serious real-time consequences of not believing in and/or anticipating the return of Jesus. Christians who expect the return of Jesus are protected from falling into patterns of greed, selfishness and self-glorification. 

Belief in the return of Jesus is the best protective medicine.

Five Ways We Made the Facts Feel Sad this Week

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

 

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free~ John 8:32 NIV

 It was a tough week to be a fact.

 During an interview with Anderson Cooper, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said something that implied she might be a-wee-bit intolerant towards certain facts:

 “I think that there’s a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right.”

 Later in the week Kirstjen Nielsen (Secretary of Homeland Security), presented some statistics (a fancy word for facts) concerning the number of migrants, drug smugglers and gang members crossing the Southern border in a given year, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi interrupted Ms. Nielson’s presentation to say:

  “I reject your facts”

 Hmm.  That’s all I have to say about that.

 Dems were not the only ones coldshouldering the facts this week. During an interview with Mike Wallace, Whitehouse Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders stated that accuracy regarding the number of terrorists captured at the Southern border did not matter so long as the overall numbers of terrorists captured in the country were accurately reported.  

 Sigh.

 If I were a fact I would be a bit miffed.

 As I considered the flagrant fact-shunning, I found myself thinking some rather scornful thoughts regarding worldly people and their lack of logic.  Then I had a weird and fairly awkward epiphany. I realized that Christians do the same kinds of things with a different set of facts. We sometimes disdain, disregard and disrespect facts or truths simply because we do not like them. Following are five things Christians say when we just don’t like certain facts.    

 I think that God just wants me to be happy –

 Folks typically whip this weary line out when they really, really, really, want to do something that the Bible explicitly prohibits (adultery, bitterness, homosexuality, divorce without biblical grounds, premarital sex, etc.). Like it or not, it is a fact that God forbids certain behaviors (Galatians 5:19-21, 1stCorinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 5:3-6, Revelation 22:12-16). That said, I do not believe God forbids things because He is indifferent to the feelings of people. God is not an uncaring monster who gets a kick out of seeing people living out their lives in abject misery. Truth-be-told God just cares more about our eternal wellbeing and holiness than our momentary happiness.  God sees the bigger picture and potential consequences we are incapable of seeing in our fallen, finite state. He knows what making a specific choice (like committing adultery or becoming bitter) will do to our souls, our families and our ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. God loves people and He knows that we are all just stupid enough to forgo our future health and spiritual wellbeing on the altar of pleasure and expediency. God loves people too much to simply let us be led by something as stupid (and subject to change) as feelings.  

 My God wouldn’t do that-

 People typically say this in response to being told that God judges sinners who refuse to repent of their sin. They might say “my God doesn’t judge” or “my God loves everyone”. The biggest and most basic problem with this particular line of reasoning is that it is firmly grounded in willful ignorance. There is only one God and He does love everyone. However, God makes it clear in His word that He will judge anyone who refuses to repent (John 5:28-29, 1stTimothy 2:5, Job 21:22, Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 20:12-13).

 That’s not my conviction-

 Conviction is a firmly held belief concerning whether or not something is right or wrong. Christians should feel conviction (a sense of guilt) anytime they knowingly violate God’s standards. In recent years some have concluded that if they don’t feel conviction (guilt) over something then it’s not a sin. Their lack of guilt or conviction makes the thing okay. But, here’s the thing, one does not have to feel conviction or guilt about something for it to be wrong (Romans 1:28-32, Jeremiah 8:12). There are people in thisworld who do not feel an ounce of conviction about doing really terriblethings (murder, bigotry, infidelity, blasphemy, theft). Their lack of conviction does not make a sin any less sinful.  The Bible clearly states that the only time our feelings should dictate whether or not something is right or wrong is when the issue is not clearly a sin (grey area). If we feel guilty doing something (even if that thing is not clearly violating Scripture) then God does not want us to do that thing (1stCorinthians 8)

 I haven’t experienced that so I can’t say if it’s right or wrong-

 There are actually people who sincerely believe that one must experience something in order to judge whether or not something is sinful. This simply does not pass the logic test. If you carry this line of thinking out to its reasonable conclusion it means one cannot know if it’s wrong to kill someone until they have actually committed murder. Please. That’s just stupid.

 I reject that reality-

 Reality is a fact. Facts cannot be debated or rejected (sorry, Nancy). Reality is what it is. Only crazy people reject reality and they are crazy precisely because they choose to reject reality.  People who do not wish to be labeled as crazy should not reject reality.

  Please be courteous to the facts this week folks. Last week was a rough one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Truth about the Media-

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

 

Buy the truth, and do not sell it; Get wisdom and instruction and understanding~ Proverbs 23:23 AMP

 I have been burdened in this life with more than a few pet peeves. I loathe cheap socks and people who are mean to dogs. I get super cranky anytime I encounter a seemingly intelligent person who knows exactly what must be done to fix a situation and refuse to do it. It drives me insane when motorists refuse to get their egocentric selves into the middle lane so drivers can merge on to the freeway in a civilized fashion. If you really want to see me go a little crazy-town just leave an empty cereal box in the cupboard (an empty box is basically just a lie sitting in the pantry).

 I have one peeve that’s quickly becoming my most intense non-church peeve in the history of history.  I am sick to death of being manipulated and lied to by a group of people who are supposed to be unbiased reporters of the facts.

 For the record, I believe this mess is much bigger than our current president and his disputes with the media. Ultimately this issue is about truth and whether or not truth matters enough to fight for it. It has enormous spiritual, political and practical implications (more on that later).

 My frustration boiled over this past week when every news agency in the universe reported the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant for the sole purpose of deportation.  According to the media, the poor man was simply minding his own business, driving his wife to the hospital to have their baby when ICE arrested him for no good reason.  If the story were true it would be legitimately awful, an enormous waste of tax dollars and clear evidence ICE needs to rethink how they prioritize arrests.  

However.

The story was factually incorrect on just about every level. It turns out the guy is not a squeaky-clean family man just trying to make a better life for himself and his family in America.   It is true that he was wanted in Mexico for murder. It is also true that ICE arrested him at the request of the Mexican government. Immigration enforcement chose a traffic stop because it was the best way to ensure the safety of other citizens.

 There is simply no way so many journalists (who are trained to uncover facts) could be so wrong about so many details. There is simply not that much stupid in the world. Facts were deliberately omitted in the hopes that no one would check them out.

 The situation at the Southern border is yet another example of deliberate deceitfulness. Hardly a day goes by when we are not reminded (usually a dozen times or more) that there are still children in custody who are separated from their parents. What we aren’t told is that those children share no DNA in common with the person claiming to be their parent. Those children have been traveling in the company of human traffickers who plan to sell them to perverts for sex. That’s the real outrage.  We are being purposefully misled in order to stir-up hatred and pit people against each other. 

 Refusing to report the facts is just one way we are being deceived. It has become all-too common for politicians to refuse to answer the question they have been asked. Instead they point out that the other party (or another politician) has done way worse things than they have done. Even “conservative” commentators allow politicians and pundits to get away with this childishness. This willful stupidity confuses the ill-informed and creates an atmosphere of laziness and excuse making among the political class (like we need more of that).

 The political, social, and spiritual implications of this situation are massive. Millions of people are being manipulated into thinking a certain way about issues (Deuteronomy 32:28).  I saw the results of this firsthand this past week when I visited my eighty-year-old father (a scientist with a college degree). Thanks to certain “news” networks he believes (among many other weird things) that the KKK is growing rapidly and that gangs of white people are roaming every city in America searching for victims to harass and terrorize.

 Insert eye roll here.

 This idiocy could easily lead to a civil war. If decent people really believe that what is being reported is happening they will at some point feel honor-bound to do something about it. At that point we will have a vicious revolution based on fabrications and deceit.

 On a spiritual level this situation is seriously troubling because Scripture clearly teaches  truth sets us free (John 8:32) and lies are something the devil delights in (John 8:44, Revelation 12:9). If enough people believe enough lies for long enough it shrivels their souls, hardens their hearts and could alter the landscape of our country permanently.

 We ought to be very wary of everything we read or see on the news these days. Christians need to get in the habit of going to sources to check facts and listening to both sides of every story and political issue. If something doesn’t make sense, question it until it does. Christians ought to be praying daily for wisdom and discernment when it comes to distinguishing truth from error (Psalm 119:25, 1stChronicles 12:32). 

 Democracy is critical to Christianity. It’s the field where Christianity grows the healthiest. Democracy is entirely reliant on an unbiased press.  If we don’t figure out a way to restore an honest press, we might just lose democracy in this generation and freedom of religion along with it.