1. Heresy Hunters waste my time.
I only have 1,440 minutes in my day. If I spend lots of time with a heresy hunter, I have no time left for what is truly important to me. I never want to spend more time with a critic then I do with a friend.
The day after my wife gave birth to my son Caleb, a heresy hunter wrote me an e-mail criticizing one of my sermons. His comments deeply disturbed me. I spent hours formulating my response. I carefully addressed each of his points. When I finished, I had written him a ten-page letter. I thought I could change his mind using Scripture and logic but his reply to me was nothing but more arguments. 
I realized it was foolish to spend time writing to him. Why was I wasting time arguing with a ignoramus instead of being with my wife and new-born son? When was the last time I wrote a ten-page letter to my mother? I have hundreds of people who love me and support me and it would be far better to write each of them a letter encouraging them in the Lord.
As a farmer said, “If you wrestle with a pig, you both get muddy.” Arguing theology with a blood sucking “hairy-tic-hunter” distracts me from helping someone who genuinely needs ministry.
- Heresy Hunters deny the clear interpretation of Scripture.
Four times the Bible says “the just shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38) so how can a heresy hunter preach against faith? The Bible says, “By his stripes, we are healed” (1 Peter 2:24), so why does a heresy hunter deny that God heals? The Bible says God gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17) so why does the heresy hunter preach against prosperity? The Bible says that God blessed Abraham (Gen. 12:2), so why does the heresy hunter preach against God’s blessings? The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21) so why does the heresy hunter preach against positive confession? It is because, despite their obsession with being like the Bereans, they ignore much of the teaching of Scripture.
- Heresy Hunters believe in a different God then I do.
I believe in faith. I believe in healing. I believe that God is a good God. Heresy Hunters often exalt the Sovereignty of God to such an extent that they make God responsible for the evil that occurs on the earth. Often they teach that God puts sickness on people in order to teach them a lesson. Or they teach that when a hurricane hits the United States, it is an expression of God’s judgment.
- Heresy Hunters misrepresent the teachings of my friends and mentors.
Kenneth Copeland has given over thirty million dollars to Reinhard Bonkee to help him evangelize Africa. When was the last time a heresy hunter gave $30 million to world evangelism? First, go do something for God and then you might have the right to start correcting people.
I have heard Kenneth Copeland preach for many years. Not once have I heard him talk about us being “little gods” or about the “spiritual death of Christ.” I have heard him talk a lot about faith and love. It is unfair for heresy hunters to focus on a speculative sermon he preached back in the 80’s and to label him a heretic for the rest of his life. As one theologian said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; in all things, charity.”
- Heresy Hunters only want to confront, they do not want to learn.
If you want to argue about prosperity then buy the book I wrote about “The Power of the Seed.” In it I examine over three hundred scriptures that talk about how God wants his children to be blessed. Perhaps I misquoted or took a few of those scriptures out of context, but there is no way I missed the meaning of over 300 verses. After you have refuted every point I make in my book, then we can talk about whether I am wrong about prosperity. But, until you have taken the time to read my writings, there is no point in us dialoguing.
- Heresy Hunters have rarely accomplished much for God.
Do you know why dogs bark at a passing train? They want to go where the train is going but they cannot because they are tied up.
Much criticism is rooted in jealously. Many people criticize because they can’t do. A keyboard and a blog does not qualify you to be a spiritual leader. Do something significant for the kingdom of God and you will earn the right to bring correction.
A critic is someone who never goes to battle, but appears afterwards to shoot the wounded on his own team. Criticizing other ministries is not a ministry.
- Heresy Hunters do not walk in love.
1 John 4:8 says, “He who does not love does not know God for God is love.” When I am called a “heretic”, a “blab-it-and-grab-it, name-it-and-claim-it leach on the body of Christ”, I don’t feel much love. Stop calling me brother to my face and heretic behind my back or on your blog.
- Heresy Hunters act like Pharisees.
During the time of Jesus, who was the most spiritual? Who fasted and prayed more than everyone else? Who was fanatical about giving a tithe to the Temple? Who knew the Scriptures? It was the Pharisees. What did Jesus say about the Pharisees? He called them “white-washed tombs.” He said they were clean on the outside but dirty on the inside. Knowing Scripture does not make you a good Christian.
A Word to Heresy Hunters – Turn Your Swords Into Plowshares
How are you using your words? Are you using your words to attack people or to build God’s kingdom. Words are important because they can be used for either good or for harm.
I am harvest focused. My passion is for souls. But recently, I was attacked on the blog of a self-appointed church watchdog. With his words, the blogger assailed me. He tore my ministry down. He questioned my integrity, my motives, my theology. The worst part of the assault was his misuse of Scripture to beat me up.
He used his words and God’s word as a sharp sword to cut me to pieces. After I finished reading his four thousand-word diatribe, I felt like a flayed fish, cut to pieces and laid out on a sizzling frying pan to cook. I am a big boy, I can handle the criticism, but my story illustrates an important point.
All too often, some people in the church use their words to cut others down, to attack, to injure, to hurt, to curse their brothers and sisters. In a misguided passion for truth, they even use God’s Word as a dangerous weapon to put down other believers.
The Word of God is like a sword. But it is designed to be used to attack Satan, not your brothers. Christians need to stop stabbing other Christians in the back and use their weapon for its proper purpose.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Jesus bent down into the dirt, picked the ear up, and miraculously reattached it. All too often, preachers have wounded and maimed people with their insensitive, sword-wielding way of preaching of the word of God. When preachers use their words as swords, they metaphorically cut off the ears of the people they are attacking. With their spiritual ears cut off, these people become unable to hear what the Spirit is saying.
This is what happened to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Right before he was stoned, Stephen accused them of being stubborn and uncircumcised in both heart and ears (Acts 7:51). The Pharisees and Sadducees had so much political infighting that their spiritual ears were deafened and they failed to recognize the Messiah they were waiting for.
While churches are busy attacking other churches and denominations, there is a world full of people who are going to hell. Dying humanity is crying out for help. Will the church hear their plea?
The prophet Micah prophesied that in the last days nations would beat their swords into plowshares (Micah 4:3). What was once used for war would be turned into a tool for bringing in the harvest. It is time to beat our swords into plowshares. Rather than using God’s word as a weapon for attacking others, we should use our words to encourage others to go after the harvest.
Jesus is coming soon. We need to make every second count for God. I believe the greatest harvest of souls in history will happen in the next few years. More people will be saved in the next decade than were saved in the first two thousand years of church history.
But, in order for this great harvest of souls to take place, we must stop using our words to attack each other. Instead, we must use our words to encourage one another to go after the harvest. Our words can be used either as a weapon of war or as a tool for bringing in a harvest of souls.
How will you use your words?
About Daniel King
Evangelist Daniel King, D.Min is on a mission to lead people to Jesus. He has visited over seventy nations preaching good news and he has led over two million people in a salvation prayer. To support King Ministries in our quest for souls, click here!
