The Risk of Proclaiming

If you seek to pursue and speak Biblical clarity, even in love and grace, it will be met with hostility. You will be called names, you will lose friends, you will actively be shamed by both popular culture and Christians alike, and your character and even sanity will be called into question. Many want to know about a false teacher, but even more want to rag on the caricature of a “fundamentalist.”

To me, these aren’t reasons not to speak. As a human being, it does hurt. Losing friends has hurt. I’m not a masochist...haha. I don’t particularly LIKE it when a person I’ve known for years distances themselves from me, but I do now understand it to be part of the process. I’ve decided to be outspoken about those who I’ve seen twist scripture and teach falsely. It’s not popular. It’s not pleasant, but for some reason that I don’t even understand, I have the taste to listen to sermons and read books from those who teach falsely, and believe I should warn others and do everything I can to point to God’s Word as the only truth.

I’m not special. I’m not important. And I’m not always right. I hope to do my research, and I try with every post to ensure that I’m as close to Biblical accuracy as I can. Truth is, I once wanted to make sure everybody thought well of Justin Kintzel. I would never say anything that could possibly offend anybody, lest they would dislike me or not listen to my music or something. I wanted fame. I wanted status. And now, that is long dead in me, by God’s grace.

I think the best thing we can do in this life aside from believing in Christ is just being faithful to His will and ways and Word. Everything else, absolutely everything, is as the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it, vanity and chasing the wind.