By How must we think about different Christian ministries?
There are three typical Christian-ministry situations in which Christians need to apply some Biblical discernment:
- those who are faithful, (the day-before-yesterday’s post)
- those who are ungodly, but get the Gospel right, (yesterday’s post)
- and those who get the Gospel wrong.
The third typical situation in which we need discernment is when there are so-called Christian preachers out there, who hold the Bible in their hand while they preach, they use the name of Jesus and other Biblical terminology, but their Gospel is utterly false. Their Gospel is not “repent for the forgiveness of your sins and love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind,” but rather a Gospel of repent of your self-damaging thoughts embrace some mystical understanding of faith, and love your own well-being with all your heart and soul and mind.
In Galatians 1 Paul defends the Gospel from false representation, because wicked imposters had come and had completely changed the message of the Gospel of Christ. He spends the whole letter instructing them to utterly reject such false teachers – don’t listen to their messages, don’t think like they think, don’t act like they act, don’t browse their blogs and don’t read their books, but keep yourself far away from them and their influence.
If any man, no matter how religious or even “Christian” in name, Paul adds – even if it is an angel from heaven, if his preaching of our Saviour Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation through Christ is twisted and incorrect according to Scripture, then have nothing to do with him or his ministry. Love those under their deception, but do not give any approval to their misrepresentation of our Lord.
Be fully united with all true believers in spite of great personal differences.
If the Gospel is preached, rejoice in that, but don’t join the church of ungodly preachers.
Flee all false representations of the Gospel, warning all who are lured away from true faith.