Guarding the Flock from Woke Christianity

Introduction

Some churches are caught off-guard when error comes to church. We should not be surprised, since Paul warned the church to expect apostasy.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 NASB95

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

The Steps of Error in the Church (1 Timothy)

1. Pointing Out Error (1 Timothy 4:6)

1 Timothy 4:6 NASB95

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

A Good Servant Points Out Error

Most people do not like conflict. In fact, most pastors, like all people try to avoid conflict. Sometimes it is harder for a pastor to point out error within the church for fear of losing his job. Churches can be hard on their pastors.

Paul tells the young Timothy pastoring the church in Ephesus that, “in pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.” A good servant of Jesus Christ points out error in the church.

We all need the reminder, but especially pastors, need it because confronting error is hard.

Sound Doctrine

Good or sound doctrine comes directly from the training or nourishing on the words of faith. We need to have a sound faith to be able to defend against error. Good doctrine recognizes error. The more solid the doctrine is the quicker error is identified, so that it can be pointed out before it spreads.

2. Advocates for Error (1 Timothy 6:3-4)

1 Timothy 6:3–4 NASB95

If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,

Paul provides for us the manner of person that advocates for error. He first states that they advocate for “a different doctrine”. He further explains that these different doctrines do not agree with “sound words”. What are sounds words? Paul provides two ways, they are “those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness.”

A church that does not teach sound doctrine or worse does not think that doctrine matters it prone to have advocates for error enter their churches. Paul provide four characteristics of people that advocate for error (v. 4).

He is conceited

He understands nothing

He has a morbid interest in controversial questions

He disputes about words

Conceited

The term conceited has the meaning of being puffed up, proud, conceited, blinded, to become foolish, even to be mentally ill.

Understands Nothing

This is the idea that those these people claim great knowledge, what they actually know is nothing at all. Nothing is the things that rocks dream about. This is a syndom known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. Dunning-Kruger effect, “in psychology, a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general” (https://www.britannica.com/science/Dunning-Kruger-effect). This is what we see with people that claim they are highly more intelligent then those of us dummies that do not except more than two genders.

Interest in Controversy

These advocates of error have a morbid or sick love to debate over controversial things. Folks like this major on the minors and minor on the major. They will take time to argue and try to convince others of the errors that they believe.

Dispute about Words

One of the ways that these advocates operate is to play games with words. They constantly redefine terms, so that they can use know emotional words but give them new terms that have nothing to do with the original meaning. Just like cults these advocates lack integrity with language. They will make their argument over the words rather than the meaning of the words.

Paul tells us five things that are the result of those that advocate for error.

Envy

Strife

Abusive language

Evil suspicions

Constant friction

Envy

This term means envy or jealousy. It is used of Pilate referring to why the Jewish leaders handle Jesus over to him for judgment (Matt. 27:18; Mark 15:10). Often These advocates for error are envious of the church leadership and seek to under mind them.

Strife

This term has the meaning of strife, discord, quarrel, and contention. Due to their envy they cause strife in the church. Their characteristics lead to the creation of discord.

Abusive Language

The phase “abusive language” means blasphemy slander, or profane speech. The next step in the results of these advocates of error is that their strife leads to abusive language. They use words to tear down the pastors of church.

Evil Suspicions

Their abusive language leads to evil suspicions. These advocates of error like to plant evil suspicions in the minds of others to cause division.

Constant friction

The evil suspicions leads to constant frictions in the church.

3. Engaging Error (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

2 Timothy 4:3–4 NASB95

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

If advocates for error are allowed to flourish in a church people in the congregation will start engaging the error. Paul tells us that these people will not endure sound doctrine. Instead they will want their ears tickled. They will want things that sound good, not good by God but good by the world.

Those that engage error want to surround themselves with teachers that are already in error. There is a phase that “sin likes company”. People in error want others to join in that error to placate their guilty conscience. They want other to engage in their same error to justify to themselves that what they know is error as if it is truth. Numbers do not make something true.

Paul states it that , “they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.” We see that even in here in your country people are importing the false teaching of Marxism that is being exported from my country. People here are talking about “being woke”, which is a term that comes from America. Woke is rooted in an argument of the African slave trade, which your country never participated. Yet, people attach themselves to it to accumulate false teachers to themselves.

Preventing Error (Titus)

1. Hold Fast to Sound Doctrine (Titus 1:9)

Titus 1:9 NASB95

holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

A qualification of a pastor is to, “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Paul provide here three requirements for a pastor:

Holding fast the faithful word

He will be able to exhort in sound doctrine

He will be able to refute those who contradict

A pastor is the protected of the local church. He must be sound in his doctrine to be able to train others. He must be able to use that sound doctrine to both exhort others in the church in that sound doctrine and refute those in error.

2. Speak Sound Doctrine (Titus 2:1)

Titus 2:1 NASB95

But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

It is not only the pastors responsibility in the church to be sound in doctrine and train others in the same. Paul instructs the Timothy to “speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.” Timothy is to teach the older men, who will teach the younger men and the older women, who will teach the younger women.