It is good to avoid an evil report once you know it is indeed evil. Scripture admonishes us not to answer a matter before we hear it (Proverbs 18:13). We are to test all things and hold fast what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). Even the New Testament Bereans were counted more noble because they tested the Apostle Paul’s words to the scriptures (Acts 17:11). Testing is a way to help avoid deception. It is not wrong to test what even our leaders have to say to determine if it is true.
None of us is beyond rebuke. We invite you to also test us! Test what we have to say to the Word of God. We invite you to evaluate for yourself our concerns and our dealing with leadership before coming to a conclusion.
There are many examples of godly rebuke in the Bible. It was to the Jewish religious leaders, whom the people were following, that Jesus Himself had His strongest words of rebuke. Paul rebuked even Peter at one time. He also warns us about others: “Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). This does not mean we should simply avoid anything divisive. It means we should find out if it is contrary to the scriptures first. A person cannot discern if they do not take time to evaluate. We are showing that GFA practices some doctrines that are contrary to the doctrine we have learned from the scriptures.
It is sad to us that staff have been programmed to unquestioningly trust leadership and reject any alarming message from outside without testing it themselves.
We wonder if discerning an issue is difficult for some because of many years without being taught the whole counsel of God. Instead, many may have been taught things pertaining only to selected passages that have to do with submitting to authority, reaching the lost, and extreme discipleship—without the rest of the Bible’s balance.