Vol. 4, No. 27 Sept. 25, 2005

The Good Ol’ Boy Network

Written by Christopher Mentzer

Our guest speaker for the Fall Gospel Meeting is Gary Johnsen of Gilbert, AZ. Given that fact that Gary and our own located preacher, David Baker, are the best of friends, some people may see this as a bad idea. Should Gary preach error during his week visit, would David or other members of the Mesa congregation put aside their friendship to defend the truth and show Gary he is in error? Or would his error be overlooked as something minor to maintain that strong friendship? I strongly believe the former will result and people will go to brother Johnsen and show him where he is in error if the need arise. Not just for the sake of defending the truth but that Gary is such a preacher who will take correction and, if necessary, rebuke and thereby change and amend his ways even to the point of repentance. He would also thank the brethren for pointing out his error, not letting pride get in the way. The friendship would continue.

However, it’s not always true in most religious circles. “The Good Ol’ Boy Network” thrives because preachers would rather maintain their friendships with each other. They prefer to simply look the other way when it comes to error. The visiting preacher would most likely be puffed up so that no one dare challenge his lessons or his stance on doctrine.

A similar situation occurred in the New Testament. Peter, although having gone to the Gentiles to preach the gospel (Acts 10—Cornelius) and later defending his association with them (Acts11: 7-10), there was a matter of circumcising the Gentiles in the tradition of the Jews (See Acts 15). And his behavior went so far as to not wanting to be seen eating with the Gentiles (Gal. 2: 12). In Gal. 2: 11 Paul talked about his visit to Antioch and that when Peter arrived withstood him to the face for he was in error. His rebuke is recorded in verses 14-21. It was so serious that even those like Barnabus were being carried away with the error! (Verse 13)

Now given Peter’s status as Jesus’ “Right Hand Man” (Matt. 16: 17-19), He could have said something like, “I was with Christ from the start; hand-picked by Him to deliver the Gospel. You, on the other hand, are a gentile who went around destroying that which we were building…” And so on. This is not the type of person that Peter was. Although we don’t know that actual outcome of that confrontation, we do know that later in his own letter, that of 2 Peter, he regarded the apostle as, “our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you.” (2 Peter 3: 15) From this statement we can see that Peter was neither bitter nor puffed up against Paul’s rebuke and corrected his error.

All brethren should take this matter very seriously when it comes to error and the preacher who brings it. As Paul writes in Rom. 16: 17, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them.” And John wrote in 2 John 9-10, “Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son. 10. If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into `your' house, and give him no greeting.”

I think we can all be assured that Gary will not preach any error during his week visit. But I am also assured that if he does, all of the members of the local congregation will be willing to withstand him to the face and show where he is wrong. Thereby saving his soul and covering a multitude of sins (James 5: 20).