I did. I didn’t want to appear harsh, so I didn’t reply. But I will, again without wanting to appear harsh because I think the reason for you posting this thread was well meaning.
Really? Jesus warns these churches about what HE will do if they are not faithful. And you interpret this as a command for YOU to rebuke false churches in the world. Are YOU going to spit them out of your mouth if they don't turn back to their founding faith?
Jesus spent absolutely time addressing the false teachers outside of the Jewish faith, and there were plenty of false teachers outside to address. And Jesus had the right to address them, for they were defiling His Father’s house, His Father’s people, His Father’s commands.
If you were saying that you believed it necessary to address false teachers within your church, and even to identify and guard against false teachings within your church, then you would have some ground upon which to stand. You, however, are on sinking ground here.
You have no authority to rebuke another church just as you have no authority to commend another church. Watch out for those things God has put in your care, brother.
Again, if these are Christians then why do you need to preach the gospel to them? If they are not Christians then why to you need to battle them as false teachers?
Jesus gave you the command to preach the gospel to the lost, to be a light in the darkness, a city on a hill. Do that. Scripture teaches us not to judge those outside, but inside the church – to disciple those who are saved. Do that. But for the sake of the name of Christ to a lost and dying world, please get it straight.
Under what authority did you condemn these people? Certainly not Christ’s. Jesus never commanded us to condemn the lost. Under whose name did you condemn these people? Certainly not the name of Jesus. Jesus did not come to condemn the world (the world was condemned already).
I am not talking about writing a letter, sending a tract, an email, a phone call, or having dinner with those people. If your intent is to seek them out in order to condemn them as false teachers then your “crusade” simply is not of God. There is no other way of saying this, and I don’t mean to offend. Part of what you are doing is good – witnessing to the lost. Part of what you are doing is sinful – disobeying Scripture by seeking to judge and condemn those outside of the church. But, I suppose that’s true of all of us. We all have times when Christ shines through, and then we have times when we want to take the wheel.
