Grace Points: When Unjust Critics Attack

When I entered the ministry I had no idea of the pressures which would be brought against me. I did not imagine the intensity of the heat generated when you simply do what God calls you to do. Of course, I was soon to learn that when you take a stand, the critics quickly emerge.

For many years as a pastor, I stood in the pulpit to articulate openly and boldly whatever issues I felt needed attention. The necessity to "cry aloud" and "spare not" often motivated me. I told my church repeatedly how much I appreciated the way they handled my vocal stands. I would say to them, "I would get run off in most churches for preaching like this." But instead of running me off, they lined up and ran with me. They cheered me on!

It has been my earnest conviction that when the preacher in the pulpit is silent on critical matters, the country goes awry. The man of God should be encouraged to raise his voice. The conviction and the courage to make a stand even on vital concerns is often missing today.

But, praise God, there are men of God who have not made themselves for sale to the highest bidder. They do rise up. They do speak the truth. They do act without cowardice. You can count on them to be true and to be steady.

These very good and godly servants of the Lord often become the targets of vicious critics. These critics are often reckless. They make false claims. They make unjust charges. It is not uncommon to see such self-serving critics manufacture outright lies in order to bolster their desires. They pose as the biggest and the best with great braggadocio. In an effort to enhance themselves and promote their cause, they attack everything that breathes.

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:12).

It is commendable when a preacher rises to the occasion and makes a stand on matters of Scripture and matters of principle. But the real test of his character and his convictions comes when opposition surfaces and the critics assail him without mercy, Especially is such trial severe and painful when it is his own brethren who attack him.

When the battle rages (as it inevitably will) and the unjust criticisms being hurled with fierce determination (as it is), what is the servant of God to do?

Let me offer the following considerations for the day "When Unjust Critics Attack..."

"Great peace have they which love Thy Law: and nothing shall offend them " (Ps. 119:165). "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended" (John 16:1).

You are under no obligation to accept the offense your critics offer. They may act ugly, but you do not have to give ugliness a place in your heart. They may be openly trying to provoke a war, but you can still hold your peace. Refuse provocation. The tirade of criticism must not cause you undue stress. Because a man is your critic, you need not vilify him or consider him an enemy.

Harbor no grudge. Let no acid eat away in your heart. You should not have enmity toward critics simply because they are spewing venom through their teeth.

Walk with the Lord. Read your Bible. Stay warm in your intimate devotion to the Lord. Keep forgiving every offender. A brother may be very unwise, go off half-cocked and act very foolishly. Forgive him at once and as often as maybe necessary.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers .... let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Godfor Christ's sake hath forgiven you " (Eph. 4:29,31,32).

These powerful verses are strong meat. They are in the Bible. They should be read, received and respected. They are the bedrock of a warm heart and a forgiving spirit.

Indeed, we should pray about everything (Phil. 4:6). It is right and it is refreshing to "take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there."

The Bible admonishes us, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you " (Matt. 5:44).

When the hammer of criticism falls harshly upon you, lift your eyes toward Heaven. You have a Heavenly Father whose ear is open to your cry. You can tell Him of your hurts, He will put salve on your wounds and bind up your bruises. You can ask Him for what you need and what you want. Prayer is more powerful than politics. When you relax in the everlasting arms of your loving Father, you need not fear the pounding of the critic's hammer.

You don't have to strike back! If at all possible, just sit still and be quiet. If it becomes necessary to respond, you can - when, where and how you deem advisable. But it's not always necessary! If the noisemakers keep rattling, they will say enough; you won't need to say much.

It's not easy to "stay quiet" when unjust critics go on tangents of rage, but it is sometimes best. Sometimes you may want just to stay quiet and not react to every ill wind that blows. Just remember: you are not required to "answer the phone" every time it rings.

"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men " (Rom. 12:17-18).

"He that diligently seeketh good procureth Juvour: but he that seeketh mischief it shall come unto him. he that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch " (Prov. 11:27-28).

Unjust critics are unfortunately sometimes also unethical. They betray confidences. They distort the facts. They misrepresent things. They may accuse you of the very things they themselves have done. It's a clever ploy, and since they are not ethical, they twist the truth and take great delight in their devilish behavior.

So - you may want to think twice or three times before you respond. Your well-intentioned, good-faith words may get used and misused very quickly. When you do feel you must speak, speak truthfully, speak kindly, and speak charitably.

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings " (Phil. 2:14).

"Let all your things be done with charity" (I Cor. 16:14).

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19).

Dr. Lee Roberson once said in my hearing, "Be unmoved by commendation or criticism." What he meant was you do not decide what's right because other people like it or because they dislike it. "Well, we have to do thus and so, because Deacon Big Pockets wants it." No! No! No! We have to do what we have to do because it's right to do. If it's not right, we simply do not do it. Noah proved once and for all - one man can do right even if the whole world does wrong. So whatever garbage your critics dump on you, be unmoved and unmotivated by it. Get up every morning with a strong and unwavering commitment to do what's right (no matter what the critics say or do).

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14).

Surround yourself with spiritual advisors, men of godly wisdom. The immaturity and carnality of unjust, unseasoned critics is not justification for immaturity and carnality by me or you. The counsel and consent of mature advisors will steady your hand amidst the bombardment.

"Quit you like men" (I Cor. 16:13) is applicable here. It is an admonition to be mature, to grow up, to demonstrate spiritually adult behavior. We expect childish behavior from children but not from men. We expect men to be polished, balanced, seasoned and mature.

Critics do bring pressure, but it is no cause for panic. Immaturity usually looks immature. Carnality eventually appears carnal. So give heed to those advisors whose agenda is to please the Lord and serve Him. It will assure you in your daily journey despite the dangers you encounter.

When the Disciples in the early church faced the threat of persecution and unjust punishment because of their faith and their ministry, they gave a definitive and timeless answer: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29), When you know and understand such principles and surrender yourself to them, it sets a straight course and a clear direction for your life.

Your emotions may be unstable, but your principles should be anchored firm. Circumstances may vary, but Biblical convictions remain solid. When Biblical convictions govern your life, there's no question what to do when you face the fork in the road. If it's right, you do it. If it's wrong, you don't.

Even in Christian circles, the "politically correct" thing often becomes the norm without regard for Scriptural principles and mandates. Among God-fearing, Bible-believing people, such compromise should not be in vogue. Simply because a popular personality is involved, we should not give in to such compromise.

A falsehood told by a preacher is just as much a lie as if told by a reprobate. A self-serving agenda is no less selfish because a preacher has it. When tactics of intimidation are employed against you, you must plant your feet. You must not even ponder the possibility of allowing such ploys to control you.

"Now this I say, that every one of you saith, lam of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Cor. 1:12-13).

What's popular may be right, but it may not be. Just because it's popular doesn't mean we should go with it. An old adage says, "All that glitters is not gold." Indeed, it is so!

Preference is allowable if it does not conflict with principle (Biblical principle). You can prefer things, but you cannot proclaim them as absolutes unless you have Scriptural principle to support them. Decisions made on the basis of popularity and preference will more often than not be faulty.

Our critics may chastise us because we don't commend their preferences (or prejudices), but we cannot and will not be stampeded into compliance with their selfish demands.

"I'll give a large gift if..."; or, "If you want my account, you had best do what I want." You've probably seen such unscrupulous shenanigans - somewhere, sometime, you've seen it. It's bad anytime, but when Christians play that game, you must be disappointed.

There's nothing wrong with giving money or placing your account where you feel you should. You may want assurances before you do - and that's okay; but when you ask to bend the rules or suspend policy, give you special exception and let you do whatever you want, whether it's good or bad, that's too much, too far! And the answer is "no I"

You're going to lose thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands - yes, but that's not how we keep secure! Economic repercussions or retaliation should not and must not ever be the basis for decisions. You should never let your judgment be affected by monetary considerations.

Criticism obviously has one purpose. It is an effort to get everybody whipped into line. At the Sword of the Lord, we have never been timid about our agenda. The front-page headline of the paper makes clear our stand: "An independent Christian Publication, Standing for the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, His Blood Atonement, Salvation by Faith, New Testament Soul Winning and the Premillennial Return of Christ; Opposing Modernism, Worldliness and Formalism."

We make a big to-do over Christ, the Gospel, the Bible, revival, Soul winning, the Spirit-filled life, the power of God, separated, godly living, the victorious Christian life, ecclesiastical separation, getting answers to prayer and the premillennial, pretribulational second coming of Christ.

We oppose the liberals, the humanists, the evolutionists, the perverts, the ecumenicists, the charismatics, the double-talking, soft-soaping new evangelicals, the Promise Keepers, the cults, the corrupt conventions, the rock culture, the Hollywood scene, the neo-feminist agenda, the neo-pagan politicians, the left-wing media, the godless educators - and a lot of other garbage we openly and unapologetically oppose.

We sometimes also find our "brethren" off the main road. Even independent, fundamentalist brethren do foolish things. If we believe it is foolish, it should not be expected that some fear of criticism would force us to go along to get along. No! Stick to your principles! The critics do not have the privilege of restructuring the landscape and resetting the agenda. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever!

Someone said, "Even the moon would refuse to shine if it paid attention to every little dog that barked at it." Sometimes when it's a whole pack of dogs barking at you, you may check to see if the sun or the moon is still shining. You will wonder if you'll see the light of day anytime soon.

Well, with God's help, you just keep marching! Do your best to ignore the barking! Remember the real issues! Give your attention and your energy to your priorities!

So many are counting on you to do your best, to stand erect, to run the race, to honor the Lord, and to be a true and fearless soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of all, the Lord Himself is counting on you! So, dear friend, the conclusion of the matter is this:

- You'll have your critics, but you can't give in because of them.

- You'll have your detractors, but you can't allow them to set some new agenda for you.

- You'll have pressure constantly, but you can't let intimidation drive you or motivate you.

- You have responsibility - take it seriously.

- You have principles - stick to them!

- You have a duty - do it! "But the criticism is untrue!" I understand, "but I insist," I know! Just press on! "But the critics are unjust." I know! Just press on! It's likely it'll all iron out, if you just press on!

(With their kind permission, this article was taken from Truth Aflame, a written ministry of Bible Doctrines to Live By. It originally appeared in the April 4,1997 issue of the Sword of the Lord)