I truly feel sorry for you.(*deleted for space) God is love, and you might think you are acting in love and righteousness, but you come across as very troubled. Sometimes we become so legalistic we forget who the enemy really is. God be with you, and give you HIS LOVE

Maria: Legalism is one thing, but following a false doctrine is very dangerous. We do show love by studying the Scripture to see if a man like Chuck Smith’s teachings, books and actions conform to biblical principles and sound interpretation of the Scripture.

Chuck Smith’s actions have been highlighted and his doctrine out of his online teachings and books. He was an energetic man that did a lot of work. However his proclaimed views and teachings are clearly not sound. Something that is 50% truth and 50% false is just not good enough. Error leads the flock astray. Someone who shuts their eyes to a half truth is being led astray.

He preaches “clouds without water” in that he gives hope in the form of a cloud – but the cloud never rains the “water of life” to quench your thirst. Also preaching love where you make false promises is not love, it is egotistical and dishonest. Did he know he was dishonest? If he was deceived and blind to error he “came in by another gate” and is a false shepherd.

We cannot preach love where there is no real love. Neither can we preach peace, where there is no peace?

Jer 6:13-15

…13″For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. 14″They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. 15″Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.…

Do not be deceived. There are false teachers (check your bible on this – there are many). Have you identified any that do not measure up to God’s standard. If not, why not?

And yes, we do our best to show true love. If you hurt for a season, but see the light and turn from a wrong path we will rejoice with you………

Maria,

Please answer me this: Are you OK with anyone, let alone a pastor of a big congregation, encouraging a woman to abort her twins?

Maria
Please read all articles on Chuck Smith here – if he was a Christian would he be doing the things he was doing in these articles?

These “shepherds” like Chuck Smith and many others have not “come in by the gate”.

John 10 (NIV)

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

This passage rings very true when we listen to a shepherd (preacher/teacher) and our ears pick up a ‘false note’. We are challenged (as is this site) when we speak out against a false teacher (or a compromiser) like Chuck Smith. If we study the bible (as compared to a little knowledge) we should become mature and steadfast. Discernment is one of the higher gifts operating today and is to be sought by all who would earnestly follow Christ, and him crucified.

We have in “the church” today 3 basic kind of shepherds.

Firstly, we have those that have been called and out of obedience follow the son of God. They are good shepherds of the flock, ever studying to show themselves approved.

Secondly, we have the many false shepherds (they call themselves shepherds, apostles and prophets), that have appointed themselves (or their “movement” has pulled them in). I think we would agree that they have “climbed in some other way”? These should be avoided and also called out. We are not to have fellowship with them.

2 John 1:7-11 ESV

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. ”

Thirdly, we have “hirelings” that choose “a career path” that is often a “legitimate” choice that is seen as “the right thing to do”. After all my grandfather was a dominee (reverend)? How much good do these (often morally correct) leaders of “a flock” do? Very little and much worse is the damage that they do! They have thus also been identified by our Saviour and Lord and he warns against them.

John 10:11-13

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep”

It is a good thing to realize that there are many shepherds that fall into the last two categories (many more than the good shepherds).

May we strive to stay close to the truth, Christ, and Him crucified.

Why do many follow after bad or false shepherds? They have not known the voice of the “true Shepherd”

Do not be deceived. It is not insignificant that Jesus said “Very truly I tell you Pharisees”….

Maria

Please read all articles on Chuck Smith here – if he was a Christian would he be doing the things he was doing in these articles?

Marie wrote,

As believers mature ones, we are supposed to know better and be better than the rest of the world, where is the love for one another, where is the compassion and grace God constantly tells us to have.

Perhaps you can tell us where the compassion and grace was when Chuck Smith advised a mother to abort her twins. Abortion, my dear, is murder, whether you like it or not. And where is your compassion and grace in the murder (abortion) of two little babies?

You wrote:

I think one of the biggest problems we have as Christians we constantly compare ourselves to one another instead of comparing our selves to Christ, perhaps if we did more of this we would see we don’t even come close to be what he has commanded us to be.

The Bible never tells us to compare ourselves to Christ. We are told to obey Him. (John 14:15; John 15:10) So, where has the love, compassion and grace gone to now when a Pastor tells a mother she can abort her twins. Not only he himself was disobedient but he also instructed someone else to be disobedient. What does God say?

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men [and women] so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19).

You wrote:

As hard as Pastor Chuck try to follow Christ, he was not perfect and neither are any of you.

Jesus never said that we should try to follow Him. He said: “Follow Me.” Period.

I just love your little sentence “. . . and neither are any of you.” Why didn’t you rather write ” . . . and neither are any of us.” The fact that we are not perfect does not give anyone the right, including you, to pooh pooh sin and least of all to teach others it’s alright to sin – even the most heinous of sins imaginable. I have already shown you what God says in Matthew 5:19.

Marie wrote:

Do not look up to people, but look up to Christ, because He is the only perfect one, in Him there are no mistakes.

Do not look up to people? Really??? Why then did Paul say:

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Dare we follow someone who taught others to abort their babies?

Marie wrote:

So stop criticizing and start praying harder because the time is a lot closer than we started. Jesus is just around the corner, and we better hope we are ready. Love one another as Christ first loved you.

Are you going to pray harder for all the young women and teenage girls who are now going to have their babies aborted without any compunction just because a well-known and popular pastor told a woman she may abort her twins? That’s what happens when you follow the example of someone who gave the wrong advice.

You wrote:

No wonder we are viewed as hypocrites by the world

Yes, Christians are seen as hypocrites by unbelievers of whom some of them have a far higher moral fiber than Christians.

That’s why the Bible says,

. . . the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. (Luke 16:8b)

Me thinks you have a very strange idea of what love, compassion and grace really means.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Ephesians 5:11)

The advice of Pastor Chuck to a women to abort her twins was not from God but a work of darkness.

This is what it looks like in Krugersdorp. Just about every lamp pole is polluted with these posters. And you don’t see anything wrong with someone advising mothers to abort their babies? You must be kidding me.

.

Larry H

Maybe you need to know more about Chuck Smith see here: http://ephesians511blog.blogspot.com/

And it could give others the wrong impression or even cause others to stumble.

This is not the first time that Chuck Smith has rendered unbiblical advice on his “Pastor’s Perspective” radio program.

For instance when he inferred to a caller that Mormons are Christians and also to another caller that Catholics are Christians and he didn’t even see the need to share the Gospel with his cousin who was a Mother Superior.

This is not an isolated incident.