Haters Gon’ Hate 3

I think we’ve all run across the phrase “haters gon’ hate” at one point or another in life. I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately reflecting on the phrase as it applies to the church.

Let me start out with a video from Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church.

Now, I get it, when there are people in the church that all they do is slander, complain, tear down, etc., something needs to be done to address them. Try to find out why they are so negative. They need to be admonished, following the principles outlined in Matthew 18:15-17:

15 “If your brother or sister[b] sins,[c] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[d] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

However, I’m afraid that sometimes the church / church leaders perceive anyone with anything critical to say as a “hater”. This to me seems like a dangerous position to take. Here’s why.

Let’s agree on a bit of Biblical logic before I explain why this is a dangerous position.

1.) God can use anyone or anything to speak for Him. We see evidence of this in Numbers 22:26-31

Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

Clearly, the Lord used the donkey to speak to Balaam. So, it only stands to reason that He could also use another person to speak for Him.

2.) God rebukes those He loves. We see this in Hebrews 12:5-6.

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Clearly, when God rebukes, He does it out of love, but He definitely does rebuke. He used the donkey to rebuke / spare Balaam from the certain danger awaiting him in the form of the angel.

3.) If God can use anyone to speak and God rebukes those who love Him, then it is entirely possible that God can and (more likely than not) WILL use others to speak things into our lives we don’t necessarily want to hear.

Proverbs 27:17 says “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” It’s clear from the these words, written by Solomon and inspired by God that God uses others to sharpen us. Iron striking iron is a painful metaphor. It’s not like memory foam being gently shaped. It’s a painful process, but it’s a godly process.

If we can agree on all these points, we can see that godly criticism (not the kind simply used for tearing down) can be for our benefit, if we let it. Even Jesus criticized Peter when Peter wanted to set up tents for Him on the Mount of transfiguration. Jesus criticism was to the point of “Get behind me, Satan!” in Matthew 16:23. Harsh words indeed, but they were words Peter needed to hear. They were a part of the process of transforming Peter into the man who would leads thousands to Christ after the Resurrection.

My concern for the church “in general” is that we don’t seem to do too well at receiving constructive criticism. Many times we are quick to label people as “haters” if they don’t share our point of view. By labeling people, we immediately squelch what could be a positive discussion.

We need to do a better job of coming to grips with our imperfections, and taking care of the “plank” in our own eye, as it were. None of us are perfect. We all have a lot we can learn from each other, if we will be open to hear God’s voice speaking to us through imperfect vessels.