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The Wolf-Defenders Are Out in Full Force After Chan Attends The Send

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Wow. So according to Greg Gordon it wasn't the fact that Mark Driscoll stole 200,000 dollars of tithe monies to cheat the NY Time bestseller list that caused his downfall. No. It was those pesky congregants who wrote about it after he dismissed them from the congregation and then bragged how he ran them over with the Mars Hill Bus. It wasn't James McDonald who caused his downfall by accepting a million dollars a year in salary while he ran his church into financial ruin and then was caught on tape saying he wanted to plant child pornography on the computer of the people who were exposing him. No, to Greg Gordon it was the people who dared to write about it. Perhaps the most asinine thing I have ever read from one of these wolf defenders is the notion that discernment ministries do their work for self-promotion while seeking popularity and acclaim! That is the definition of the cult of personality pastors created by the purpose driven church model! Mark Driscoll and James McDonald were entirely about self-promotion! Is Gordon serious about discernment ministries garnering thousands of Christians praising our work? It is largely a thankless ministry as most do not want to hear about the false teaching of their favorite preacher. It is bad enough the Gordon has joined the long line of wolf-defenders but clearly he knows nothing about which he speaks. That is a dangerous mix.

"Yes, I have been personally guilty of reading many of these blogs and at times reading them for no other purpose than entertainment or fascination in what is happening. But as Christian believers, we should be much higher than such things, since Scripture clearly tells us to not entertain a gossiper or person who slanders. Not long ago, I published an article titled, "Francis Chan warns against division in the church." In the article, Pastor Chan gives a great warning from the Scriptures where God says, "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple" (1 Cor. 3:17). The word picture Francis depicts is someone by the words of their mouth in gossip and slander (or words from their blog) taking a sledgehammer to the very temple of God, which all true Christians are a part of. Imagine, in light of the Scripture shared, what God's response is to one who continually participates in such activities of tearing down another." -- Greg Gordon

While scripture does tell us these things we of course are not talking about gossip and slander. That would imply untruths. Mark Driscoll admitted his crimes. James McDonald was caught on tape. When we write about Joel Osteen or Joseph Prince it is because of what they say or teach. Nothing is made up. There is no slander. There is no gossip. It is ironic that Gordon quotes Chan, a recent fall from grace. The referenced article has Chan saying if we speak ill about Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren or Mike Bickle than we are in danger of hell because of the scriptures he misappropriates. What Gordon and Chan of course forget is the rest of the entire canon of scripture. Romans says that the very presence of false doctrine is what actually causes division in the body. When matched up with the referenced Corinthian verses God is warning us that false doctrine is what destroys the temple. It is the very people Chan and Gordon defend that destroy the temple.

"St. Polycarp, the second-century bishop of Smyrna, says, "Not quickly crediting an evil report against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin. If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God." It was part of the DNA and essence of the early church to not slander, gossip or be quick to condemn others. St. Polycarp was discipled by the same apostle John who exhorted believers to "pray" (1 John 5:16) for others who commit a sin, that God would give them life. He did not say write a blog against them or verbally accuse them before others, but pray directly to the heavenly Father who is merciful on them and also on us for all our own failings. What comes up in the mind of many is the question, Can't we judge others or correct them when they sin? My answer is yes and no. Yes, church leaders can be corrected, but it has to be done in the right spirit and the right way. There is not one New Testament Scripture that gives any believer license to gossip, slander or criticize others. Any Scripture relating to correction is through ordained church leaders correcting other leaders and that done in gentleness, prayer and a spirit of humility, realizing we will be judged by the same measure in which we criticize and judge others. A common Scripture is Matthew 18 which instructs us to tell the sins of others "to the church" (Matt. 18:17). What a modern believer conjures up in their mind is the ability to post the sins of the individual on social media and the internet, exposing them to the entire world-wide church, for doesn't the passage say "to the church"? Sadly, that is so far from the truth of what was meant in that passage. Telling it "to the church" was to address it to the ordained leaders and, specifically in this case, to the bishop of the region of the church. To publicly defame other brothers and sisters before all is not only a shame to them but to ourselves for entering into such activities that God does not condone." -- Greg Gordon

What I love about people who teach falsely and those that defend them is the bible is never on their side and exposing it as such is usually pretty easy. The 1John verse here is dealing with a brother that is sinning and that we ought to pray for that brother. Other verses also say we ought to correct in love. We are of course not dealing with a brother who sins but rather voracious wolves who devour the sheep of the Lord. Even if we are to say they should be corrected first -- they have been. Chan admitted when he first took the IHOP stage that his friends told him not to attend that conference and warned him about Bickle. Do you think Mark Driscoll has not heard the criticism? He knew he was about to be disciplined when he pretended God told him to leave Mars Hill. So please stop twisting the bible. The Matthew verse he references is the key verse for today and it clearly is regarding when a brother sin against YOU. False teachers have not sinned against me. So he can keep his false authority paradigms and second century figures. We will stick to the bible.

"Another famous passage of Scripture is found in the writings of St. Paul to Timothy, a young apostle: "Those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone" (1 Tim. 5:20a, NIV). Many take this passage as a personal liberty of a Bible-believing Christian to publicly defame a Christian leader without remorse, thinking, "I am just obeying the Bible!" Again, this passage has nothing to do with Christians speaking before "everyone" about the sins of others but is a clear command of St. Paul to St. Timothy (an ordained apostle) on his authority as a church bishop to bring correction to other ordained leaders in the church. To correct before everyone is a last effort to bring someone to repentance and change. A correction by such leaders is not to see harm but should be done within the context of a local church to bring one back to his senses and right conduct. In no way can this passage of Scripture mean that one can tell it to "everyone" in the world. Rather, the word "everyone" in clear context of this passage is those in a local body of believers." -- Greg Gordon

Gordon continues to confuse verses about personal sin with people who teach false doctrine. This poor assumption is that everyone who says the name of Jesus must be considered a brother or sister. I make no such assumptions. The verse Gordon should reflect to is actually found in Titus:

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. -- Titus 1:9 (ESV)

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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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