Lately, I’ve been critical of some ‘Charismatic’ preachers for various reasons which has (as usual) made some church people squeamish.
Church people want everybody to get along. That’s not bad. I’m not opposed to unity. In fact, the Bible encourages us to be united. Here, I’ll quote a scripture to prove how pro-unity I am:
(1 Corinthians 1:10) I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul is urging the Corinthians to quit fighting about stuff that doesn’t matter. He wanted them to be united in Christ, not whichever person baptized them. Right on, Paul! Good word!
It’s important to understand that Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ are all preaching the same message. Quarreling about which one is superior would be like all of us gathering around a map and fighting about who does the best job unfolding it. When I criticize Charismatic preachers, I’m not complaining about the way they unfold the map. I’m trying to determine if they have any map at all.
Regarding various pastors the question always comes up, “Is the Gospel being proclaimed? Are sinners being lead to Christ?” The implication is that any pastor who ‘proclaims the gospel’ is immune from criticism. A pastor who ‘wins souls’ should never be held accountable for any errant teaching or sinful behavior because the ‘gospel is the highest priority.’ In other words, the map is the highest priority. My criticism is with pastors unfolding a map that is different from Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ’s map.
The true Gospel is not the only one that “wins souls.” In fact, the true Gospel won’t even win THE MOST souls. (Jesus said that, not me.)
Never let anyone accuse you of being divisive when you question the teaching of a ‘man of God.’ You can give cover to some truly sinister characters by trusting everybody who claims they’re ‘leading people to Jesus.’