The 10 DANGERS Of Discernment Ministries!

Fight For Truth

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Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where the Bible and critical thinking meet to give you real

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Christian commentary about the things that matter. Thanks so much for watching, let's get into the video. So many people have rightly pointed out the danger in discernment ministries, or so -called discernment ministries.

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That is, bloggers, authors, writers, producers, teachers, documentary makers, etc. who focus significantly or even primarily on calling out false teachers that are coming into the

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Church. Many have pointed out that the people who do these kinds of things, who run these kinds of blogs or channels or websites, are often harsh, unforgiving, legalistic, or just plain hurtful.

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And that can actually be true. This video will focus on the common pitfalls of discernment -focused content creators like myself and provide solutions to these problems.

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The truth is, even those who try to exercise discernment can and do fail at accomplishing that task.

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And I myself will be the first person to wholeheartedly admit that I have made every mistake listed in this video, so please watch this and learn from my sins so that we can all be better moving forward.

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Now, some people have seen the common issues of discernment blogs and websites and channels, and they have then decided that these kinds of content creators, these kinds of projects should not be participated in at all.

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There's no reason to focus that much on false teaching, they say, and it has a lot of pitfalls, a lot of issues that come with it.

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These discernment people have become harsh, they're unloving, they're angry, others will say. The result, according to many, is to stop running any discernment blog of any kind altogether.

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And I understand why people say this, but I truly think it's a bridge too far. Romans 16, 17 says,

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I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.

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Avoid them. As Christians, we must avoid false teaching that does not accord with the Scriptures, and we must help our brothers and sisters to do the same.

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If someone tells you that they love listening to a false teacher like Joel Osteen, for instance, you can respond a number of ways.

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You can tell them that's great, or you can stay silent, or you can warn them and try to help them. And biblically, the only way to love the person you're speaking with is to warn them.

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We are required to avoid false teaching and to do so at the community level. The problem arises, though, that people who often call out false teaching can and often do make some serious mistakes and commit some serious sins in doing so.

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Therefore, again, many people will say, shut this stuff down, you shouldn't be focusing on this, you need to be done.

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But that's not the solution. The fact that discernment is so hard to exercise consistently, that is precisely the reason we should work hard to do it well.

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Hebrews 5, 14 says, But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

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According to Hebrews, discerning good ideas from evil ideas, good activities from bad activities, requires constant practice.

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That's why there are so many common mistakes and pitfalls and sins involved in channels like mine, because discernment is hard.

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Does that mean that we shouldn't do it? Of course not. Many people have noticed some common mistakes and pitfalls with those who do open -air preaching of the

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Gospel, for instance. And some have actually said that we shouldn't do open -air preaching on the street at all, because it can appear unloving, it can appear angry, and some people have given it a very bad reputation.

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Some have said that we should stop this entirely, we should do all of our evangelism individually, face -to -face, over a cup of coffee, after having intimate knowledge of the person we're sharing with.

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But that simply won't do. In the Word of God, Jesus and his disciples did open -air teaching and preaching all the time.

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In Luke 3 -3, John the Baptist, quote, came into all the districts around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

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In Matthew 5 -7, Jesus is preaching publicly, without personal interaction with all the people he's speaking to, in the

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Sermon on the Mount. In the New Testament, we consistently see the apostles of Jesus arrested and beaten and killed for preaching and teaching in the streets.

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Open -air preaching is hard, but we should still do it. Calling out sin is hard, it has pitfalls, but we should still do it.

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Giving a powerful sermon that's faithful to the text is hard, and it has pitfalls, but pastors should still do it.

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Disciplining your children is hard, and sometimes you can fall into sinful anger while you do it, but you still have to discipline them anyways for their sake and yours.

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You still have to do it. It might be hard to do something, and that something may lead to some serious problems if it's done wrong, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

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It means, do it properly. Do it right. Do it well. Don't stop calling out false teaching.

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Just do it well. Do it biblically. So, in the rest of this video, I'm going to offer you some common mistakes made by me, made by discernment -focused people and discernment -focused organizations.

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And again, I will readily admit and repent of all the times I myself have fallen sinfully in these areas.

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I pray that the Lord would help me to be pure and upright moving forward in every way and would give me grace when

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I fall. So without further ado, let me give you 10 common problems that plague those who focus on discernment and calling out false teaching.

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None of these things are a reason to stop calling out false teaching. Rather, they are reasons to devote even more time, more energy, more prayer, and more study to doing it exceedingly well.

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Number 1. Using passages as blank checks. Many people, including myself, who focus on discernment, we see harsh statements being made against false teaching in Scripture.

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Jesus calls the Pharisees a brood of hell -bound snakes and vipers in Matthew 23 -33.

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Paul tells the Judaizing false teachers in the Church to emasculate themselves in Galatians 5 -12, that is, cut some things off where the sun doesn't shine.

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There are dozens of examples of harsh language being used to rebuke people in Scripture who are bringing false ideas into the

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Church. And too often, people who emphasize discernment, including myself, have used these kinds of passages as blank checks to do with whatever we please.

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We can say all the harsh things we want, because Paul and Jesus said harsh things too. But that is not how we should use any

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Scripture. Scriptures should not be used as blank checks, but rather as directions for life and godliness.

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A blank check is to be used at your own discretion for whatever you please. But directions are supposed to be used specifically for helpful guidance.

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Blank checks are used indiscriminately for gratification. Directions are to be used to accomplish a particular goal or to reach a particular destination.

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So can we say harsh things about false teaching and false teachers? Yes, I believe Scripture says we can.

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But can we say all the harsh things we want, with no consequences, without any filter and without any consideration of the context?

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No, that would be a sinful problem. We must tame our tongues, for they carry the power of life and death.

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We shouldn't be making fun of people's appearances, for instance, calling them ugly. That has nothing to do with their false teaching.

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We should avoid bringing other people's families unnecessarily into the debate. That's too personal. We should avoid any kind of unnecessary rudeness or sinful levels of anger.

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Rather, we should seek to model the righteous harshness, the righteous anger of Christ and of Paul whenever it's necessary to defend the

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Church. Again, I'm not saying don't be harsh ever. I'm saying be harsh in the right way and in the right context, according to a particular standard in Scripture.

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You can be harsh about false teaching, but don't do it willy -nilly and without any consideration. 2.

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Often those of us who focus on discernment, including myself, have neglected the weightier matters of the law.

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See Matthew 23 for more on that. Yes, we must call out false teaching, but that's not an end in and of itself.

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We call out false teaching to save others from it and to bring them into truth. These are the things that we're aiming at.

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These are the weightier matters. Often I have found myself emphasizing smaller matters at the expense of bigger matters.

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For example, if someone listens to Bethel and Hillsong music, and they're also a newly repentant sinner, we must understand the situation and help them and encourage them.

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We should praise God for their repentance first and foremost. Now, we may also personally disagree with them listening to some of the songs they listen to.

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We may think some of that is shallow theologically and even inaccurate, but let's not neglect the utter importance of repentance and faith above that.

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Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't guide them towards some better musical options. In fact, I think that would be a great thing to do.

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But just remember to put it into biblical context. Prioritize these things. We must call out false teaching, but we should also forgive people and show mercy when they repent.

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Don't do one or the other. Do both. And do both exceedingly well. Don't neglect any part of the law of God, especially not the weightiest matters.

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Prioritize. Number three. Hypocrisy. Too often, I have been a hypocrite. I have emphasized discernment while at the very same time being undiscerning in my own life.

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I've mistreated others. I've done the wrong thing. And I have not always exercised the kind of biblical behavior that is required of me.

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I have absolutely been guilty of hypocrisy. Now many would see this sin in their own life and say, well, then

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I suppose we shouldn't call out false teaching because only God can judge and we're all guilty of sin. Really, nobody's perfect.

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But that's not the answer. The answer is to do both things. Call out the false teaching passionately and slay your sin in each area of your life with even greater passion.

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As David says in the famous Psalm 51, You see,

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David had just committed adultery and murder before writing this Psalm. He is begging for forgiveness from the

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Lord. He knows he's a hypocrite. He knows he's a sinner. He has not lived in the way he should.

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But after he says this, he says, You see,

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David needs to be purged of his own sin. He needs to be washed clean. But the outcome of that is not

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David being timid about helping others avoid sin. No, he wants to be cleansed of his sin first, that second, he might teach transgressors the ways of the

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Lord. Calling out false teaching and also calling out his own sin. Too often, I have been guilty of hypocrisy.

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Learn from my sinful mistakes and follow the example of David. Number four, remember the goal.

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The goal is not for false teachers to go to hell and be rid of them forever. Rather, the goal is their repentance.

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Of course, it is very difficult to remember that as we call them out for their false teaching, but we must call out their false teaching and desire their repentance.

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That's what we should do. The first words of Jesus's ministry, of John the Baptist's ministry, was,

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Let's pray that all of these false teachers would repent and turn to God and would believe the truth.

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That is the best thing that could possibly happen. Not them simply dying and going to hell. Number five, don't be separate from the church.

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Yes, many churches have been compromised by some serious problems. So find the best church you can in your area, knowing there is no perfect one, and work hard to build it up and make it better.

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Help people practically in your church. Get to know them. Let them get to know you. Be in a community of believers.

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Find the best church you can and use your gifts to serve it. Romans 12, 5 says,

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So we must be in community. We must serve the church.

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Too often, I have focused more on my personal YouTube channel and not enough on serving my church.

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Don't do one or the other. Rather, correct your mistakes and do both things exceedingly well.

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Number six, don't make sweeping generalizations. This is a form of bearing false witness. Here's an example.

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Joel Osteen is a false teacher who preaches the prosperity gospel and always talks about money. I went to a little

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Baptist church in my area, and the preacher talked about money one time during his sermon. Therefore, that pastor must also be preaching the prosperity gospel.

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They're a false teacher just like Joel Osteen. Do not think that way. Don't make sweeping generalizations.

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You can and must call out false teaching, but be fair, consistent, and honest when you do it.

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Number seven, look at the entire context. Has this teacher always preached this false message or is this a one -time thing?

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Has this teacher been rebuked publicly by other ministers? Could this be a slip of the tongue? How many different false ideas are they teaching?

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How much have they fleshed this out? How much does it appear they've thought about this? How bad will the outcome be if people believe this particular false idea?

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Is this a full -blown seeker -sensitive church? Or do they just have a coffee bar in the lobby and have a few people who wear skinny jeans?

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Because there's a big difference. Personally, when I went back and looked at all my videos, well over 150 of them,

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I ran some numbers regarding the kind of thing I do on this channel, and I found that at least 90 % of all my videos were calling out false teaching done by false teachers who had been consistently challenged by good respectable teachers who

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I knew of. In the grand majority of my videos, I was following a pattern that I already saw in doctrinally sound teachers and doctrinally sound movements.

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I wasn't breaking new ground. I wasn't calling out new things. I wasn't calling out some new super -solid teacher who had never received any criticism before from anyone

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I respected. I would highly recommend that if you're going to call out false teaching, do it according to a recognizable pattern that you already see.

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Call out false teaching communally as much as possible, not completely on your own. Don't go rogue.

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This provides extra accountability and protection from blind spots, which we all have. Ecclesiastes 4 .12

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says, Number 8.

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Have actual standards of false teaching. I know this goes without saying, but sometimes it doesn't happen. These standards should be found in Scripture.

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Just because something doesn't feel right with you, just because somebody says something that doesn't sit right in your spirit, doesn't mean it's wrong.

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Just because you disagree with someone or don't like their vibe, doesn't mean they're wrong. Have actual solid biblical standards of what constitutes false teaching.

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Otherwise, people just won't take you seriously. Number 9. Recognize the complexity when it comes to making labels.

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Labeling someone as a false teacher may not be necessary. Take into account the context. They may simply be a true teacher who taught one thing that happens to be false.

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It depends on the severity of the falsehood and the consistency of it. More than this, not everyone who is a false teacher about God's Word in some particular area is necessarily unsaved and bound for hell.

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This, again, underscores the importance of calling out false teaching alongside other solid teachers and leaders in the

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Church. This will help you balance your response to false teaching and to put labels on things properly.

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And, of course, always stand on the foundation of Scripture, no matter what. Number 10. Associations matter, but they're not ultimate.

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So just because someone spoke at a conference with one false teacher doesn't mean that they are a false teacher, or at least does not mean that they're a false teacher to the exact same extent.

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You may disagree with their decision, and it may even be unwise and unbiblical for them to speak there.

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But let's think twice before using association as our only argument. The Bible does tell us to mark and avoid false teachers, so we aren't supposed to partner with them at conferences.

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I agree. But ultimately, remember that a person's own teaching is a better indicator of what they believe than the teaching of those who attended the same conference.

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Of course, also keep in mind, at the same time, that when someone is consistently recommending a false teacher, when they're personally supporting their ministry, that is a sinful level of association that does make them guilty of spreading false teaching.

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You can't promote Joel Osteen, recommend all his books, and then complain when other people say you're preaching the prosperity gospel, because that's what you're doing by association.

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So call out sinful associations, but do it properly, do it biblically, and do it to the right degree.

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So in conclusion, remember that I myself have been guilty of each one of these things. I have fallen into every one of these sinful pitfalls.

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But that is not a reason to stop talking about false teaching, nor is it an excuse to keep doing it in an unbiblical way.

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Rather, we should strive to call out false teaching and to do it without falling into these sinful traps.

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It's hard to have discernment, but don't give up. When you have a log in your eye and you see a speck in your brother's eye, don't just say, well,

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I guess nobody's perfect, only God can judge, nothing we can do about it, and walk away. Rather, do what

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Jesus says in Matthew 7, 5, First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

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You can still accomplish the goal, just don't do it inconsistently or hypocritically. You should still take the speck out, but take the log out first.

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I hope this has been helpful to you. Please know that I'm trying my very best by the power of the Spirit to rebuke even myself when

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I do these things, and I pray that the Lord would give me grace to understand what I have. So for a change today, let's pray for all of us who call out false teaching, that we would not be hypocrites as we so often are, including myself, but instead that we would repent whenever necessary and continue calling out false teaching according to the truth of God's Word.

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And until next time, fight for truth, never surrender, and keep your eyes open. Thank you, and God bless.