'I have a few things I think we all need to keep in mind: Are the words that flow from your mouth, or out of your keyboard going to cause unity within the body of Christ or division? Think about what you say before you say it. Think about what you post before you post it. God makes a lot of statements in the Word about unity. Unity commands a blessing from God. Psalm 133 Does your life need God's blessing on it? People who are constantly causing strife and division do not please God. In fact, in Romans 16:1,7 God clearly tells people to avoid those causing strife. As Thumper once said in Bambi, "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all."' - Anna Aquino
Despite your Bambi theology, your understanding of Romans 16:17 is ironically poor. You see it does not merely say to avoid those who cause strife but rather to avoid hose who cause strife and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine we have been taught. You see, Romans 16:17 is a rebuke of false teachers Anna. It is a rebuke of you. So the words that come out of my keyboard are designed to cause unity within the sphere of true believers in Jesus Christ. Of all of the verses about unity, none of them says to unify with what is false. Of what fellowship can light have with darkness? None.
"Matthew 7:5 Is very clear on the point that we need to remove the log out of our own eyes so that we can remove the speck from our brother's. It's easy to point the finger at someone else and what you feel they have done wrong, but are you looking that closely in the mirror at the things you need to work on? There is a popular phrase that when you point one finger at someone there are three fingers pointing back at you. Jesus did not come to this earth to be brutally murdered so a select few could sit on their high and lofty judgmental seats and point fingers at everyone around them. Jesus was moved with compassion for His people because He loved them. Signs, wonders and miracles flow when people are moved with compassion. Judgmental attitudes dry up the spiritual atmosphere in a person's life." - Anna Aquino
No, no, no. If you are going to use a scripture pay attention to what it says. It does not say to "work on things." The point Jesus is making here again is about hypocrisy. So if I am lecturing my brother about cheating on his wife, while I am cheating on my wife, I need to go and fix my problem before I can pretend to have the moral authority to correct my brother. I sit in no lofty judgment seat Anna. I am but a sinner saved by grace. My concern is not the delicate sensibilities of the wolves but the safety of the sheep they seek to devour. Jesus was moved by this same compassion and routinely rebuked the false teachers of His day. Calling them a brood of vipers and whitewashed tombs. Read His pronouncement of woes over them in Matthew 23 and realize what our true responsibility is when dealing with those seeking to kill the Lord's sheep.
"Did you know that in order to go fishing for different kinds of fish, sometimes you need different kinds of bait? It's okay if you don't agree with everything one church teaches. As long as the foundation is biblical and not skewed, you must stop looking at someone else's flair as though there is something wrong with it. Different isn't wrong. Someone else is going to need that in their life. Different bait will catch different fish. You are on the same team. Stop fighting, people. If God had wanted us all to be like everyone else, he would have made us all carbon copy robots. He didn't. The Bible refers to the church as a body. Some church groups may focus more on the heart of an issue. Some may focus on the brain. However, they need each other to function." - Anna Aquino
It's ok to not agree with everything a church teaches? Seriously? Different from the bible is wrong! You cannot lay a solid foundation and then build rotten on top of it. We are not talking about flair. We are talking about core doctrine being wrong. I am not asking anyone to be like me, heaven forbid! I am expecting however that if you say you're a Christian that you better line up with the bible. We may be the body but Christ is the head. I am speaking about focusing on Christ and His word. Anything else must be expelled.
"The Bible gives us fantastic wisdom on dealing with people you disagree with. This can be found in Matthew 18 15-17. If you have a problem with someone in the church, you are to go to them on your own so the two of you can talk it out. If that doesn't work, you are to bring a couple of witnesses, and if that still doesn't work, you bring them before the church, but you get the point. How many people practice this today? Instead, they get on social media and blast the individual. If you have a problem with them, go to them. Perhaps you only have half the story. However, people don't want to listen to this. They want to hide behind their posts and stir the drama. Do not speak until you know both sides of a story." - Anna Aquino
Now I do not expect someone taught as poorly as Anna Aquino to get many scriptures correctly but the way she keeps missing the point is staggering. Matthew 18 deals with a brother or sister who has sinned against you personally. It is not the remedy for dealing with wolves within the church. The bible says we are to mark false teachers and avoid them. It says we are take no part in evil but expose it. It says that we need to be prepared to not only preach the correct Gospel but rebuke those that do not. Joel Osteen does not need me to go to him and tell him he is a heretic. He has been told this by everyone and he dismisses correction out of hand. Just a note, I do agree that even discernment ministries needs to wait for the entire story and not jump the gun. For example years ago Brian Houston said in a sermon that Islam and Christianity serve the same God. He said and I heard it. Nonetheless, it seemed quite out of the realm of his teaching so I did not write about it. I gave him a week and sure enough he said he misspoke. He remains one the greatest heretics on the planet but saying he preaching Chrislam is simply wrong. When Victoria Osteen declared we do not worship God for Him but for ourselves I gave her a week. She came back and doubled down on what she said with Joel smiling and nodding approvingly. That was when it was ok to take pen to paper to warn and educate the body of Christ.
