As the Apostle Paul was bringing his second letter to Timothy to a close, he wrote, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth" (2 Tim. 4:1-4).
From the early days of its existence until the Lord returns and "delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father" (1 Cor. 15:24), the church will face the danger of false teachers. Paul certainly seems to indicate that some times will be worse than others, as more and more brethren chaff under what they perceive to be undue restraints found in sound, wholesome teaching concerning doctrine. As has always been the case, once one steps outside of the body of the doctrine of Christ it is easy to find those who will say and teach exactly what that person wants to hear.
We are in the midst of such a time as the advocates of change speak of "Church of Christ" traditions and "Church of Christ" teachings in a derisive manner. This indicates at least two things. One is that such individuals have a misguided and erroneous view of the very nature of the Lord's church, and secondly, if you hear such "red flag" statements made by members of the congregation you attend, it is very possible that you now have change agents or reckless restorers in your midst. There is usually a pattern in the work that they are attempting to accomplish. This should come as no surprise for the techniques that Satan uses to corrupt the pure teaching that characterizes the Lord's church have not changed.
These purveyors of a perverted gospel always appear, initially, as some of the friendliest brethren a person could ever meet. They shake every hand, engage every member in conversation and appear so sympathetic and empathetic. This is how all Christians should be, but with the agents of change, their motives are very different. They are seeking to find like-minded brethren who wouldn't mind a "little change." They are searching for brethren who can be swayed to their way of thinking, brethren who can be convinced that the worship needs to be more "spiritual" and better serve the needs of the individual. This should come as no surprise, for Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."
No false teacher comes in announcing that that is what they are. As Paul Earnhart wrote, "They are just the sort of people who would move shallow-minded observers to ask how these good, earnest and knowledgeable teachers could be wrong" (Invitation to a Spiritual Revolution, p. 135). Like the animal that Jesus compared them to, they go after those who are weak, lacking in knowledge and spiritual discernment. For these agents of change, a disgruntled member is like a lamb left all by itself, ripe for the picking.
Having identified those whom they believe they can influence, home bible studies will begin with these particular individuals invited and particular individuals excluded. The focus of these studies always seems to be "different ways of looking at worship" or "how to make the worship more spiritual and personally meaningful." On the surface this may appear to be a good thing, even admirable, until it is understood that the basis for these "different ways of looking at worship" and of making the worship "more spiritual and personally meaningful" is "their own desires" (2 Tim. 4:3), and not the revealed truth of God's word. Every act of worship will be called into question and through their continued "study of the issues" it will be discovered that the primary reason the Lord's church engages in the five acts of worship is because that is what has been "traditionally" done.
The basis for such charge being made by the advocates of change is no different now than it was in the first century. In Romans 16:17-18, Paul wrote, "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
The elders in every congregation must be constantly alert and vigilant. Generally the advocates of change will seek to create ill will toward the preacher who stands for the truth and the elders who stand solidly on the word of God. If they fail to accomplish this, they will seek to find the most vulnerable link in the eldership and use that link to promote their program, seeking to divide, conquer, and stymie the work of the eldership. This also should come as no surprise, for Paul told the Ephesians elders, "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30).
If the change agents fail in their attempt to turn the entire congregation to their way of thinking, they will generally leave with their recruits and start a more "spiritually centered" church which they will proclaim to be much more like the church of the first century. No scriptural proof will be forthcoming to support such claims, but mere assertions of "we believe" or "it certainly seems reasonable" or "surely it must be."
- Biblical Insights, July 2008