The-Critic

Auxano Ministry

By the grace of God I am what I am:

1 Cor. 15:10a

The Critic

No matter what you say about God and His Word there will be critics who will seek to demonstrate you are an unsaved heathen that needs to be cut out of the Body of Christ. When your doctrine doesn’t match their doctrine, line by line and word by word, you must be an unbeliever.

By the same token, there will be others who will tell you that you are insane simply because you think the Bible actually has something to say that makes a difference. After all, it’s only a collection of stories handed down from generation to generation that really has no relevance in today’s sophisticated world.

No one person or any one group of believers has all of the answers or a complete understanding of the Bible. Read 1 Corinthians 12 concerning the need for every part of the body. The Body of Christ is not contained in any one group of believers and not even in all the groups of believers combined.

Honestly, all of us should have more questions than answers, for the Word of God is so vast and all encompassing. Who can claim to have full knowledge and understanding of the heart of God? But the person next to you might have an answer to one of your questions. You might have an answer to one of my questions. All who are members of the Body of Christ are necessary because every part supplies.

There are a multitude of people teaching the Bible and an even greater number of people simply talking about and sharing things they see in the Bible. We have no need to seek out points of disagreement; they will declare themselves without hesitation. When you read what another has to say about the Word of God, when you hear what another has to share about the Word of God, you should be searching for the Truth. Any fool can pick a fight, and most do!

Something that is said or presented differently doesn’t make it wrong. Any fool can find fault in your words, in your actions, or both. It takes no talent, ability, or inspiration to find fault with someone else. However, it takes humility, discipline, and love to find the Truth in what another has presented.

Acts 17:11

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

These men in Berea received the Word received the Word of God that Paul taught with all readiness of mind. They weren’t listening with a critic sheet, a list of synagogue no no’s. They were listening, expecting to hear the Truth. It wasn’t about the person speaking. It wasn’t about charisma or charm. They were seeking the Truth. Therefore they took what Paul had to say and compared it to the words of God. If they could see what Paul had shared in God’s Word, then it was Truth. It was Truth because God said it. Truth belongs to God, not man.

1 Corinthians 3:5-6

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Paul, Apollos, the minister at your local church, the friend at the bowling alley, the waitress in the restaurant, anyone can share with you an aspect of the Truth of God’s Word. The men in Berea understood this. It isn’t about the one who is sharing; it’s about the Word of God. That is why it is God that gives the increase; the auxano growth.

1 Corinthians 3:7

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase [auxano in the Greek].

Too often when believers endeavor to separate Truth from error in the words of another person they are focused in on and looking for the error. Look for the error and you will find error; even if it has to be invented.

We all deal with an old man nature and we all make more mistakes than can be cataloged. When you have found the error in another’s teaching or sharing, what have you learned? You leave with no more knowledge or understanding than you had when you arrived!

The best way to separate Truth from error is to seek the Truth. Look for the Truth in what is shared. Set your heart to focus on learning about God. Then when you leave, if any of God's Word was presented, you will be edified, you will be encouraged, you will be enriched.