This article, by David Cloud, explains why some of us consider the 
negative as well as the positive.

Text of forwarded message follows:

>~~~
>WHY DO YOU FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVE?
>
>Through the years many men have asked me why Way of Life Literature 
>focuses on the negative. Recently we received one of these 
>challenges from a man who was trained in fundamental Baptist circles 
>but who had a very negative experience in an Independent Baptist 
>church and is presently attending another type of church. He had two 
>questions: One, why do I focus on the negative instead of looking at 
>the positive in various Christian groups? Second, why do I think 
>that fundamental Baptists are without error?
>
>I gave the following reply to this piece of correspondence.
>
>I'm glad you took the time to share your concerns with me about this 
>ministry. I was saved 32 years ago by the grace of the Lord Jesus 
>Christ (John 3:16), and for all of these years my chief desire has 
>been to obey the Bible and to please the Lord who saved me by His 
>blood. I don't know that I have done a very good job of it, but this 
>has definitely been my desire.
>
>I realize that many people are displeased with my preaching. I 
>realize that my preaching is more negative than that of the typical 
>ministry today. I also realize that I am not the perfect Christian, 
>and I often agonize before the Lord, "Who am I to preach to others; 
>I am such a miserable excuse of a Christian myself!"
>
>The fact is that I am not preaching myself; I am preaching the 
>Bible. I am sure the prophets of old considered themselves unworthy 
>to proclaim righteousness and truth to others. No man ever has been 
>worthy to preach God's Word. But the fact is that God calls 
>preachers, and He has given them a commission, and I must seek to 
>obey God even if I do it imperfectly and even if I make mistakes.
>
>To be honest, I often wish that I could preach popular things and 
>not have to focus so much on the exposure of error, but the fact is 
>that these late hours are characterized by error, and God works 
>mightily in some men to expose it. Jeremiah's heart burned within 
>him and he found that he could not refrain from speaking God's 
>reproofs. Do you not think there are prophets of God whose hearts 
>are so enflamed today?
>
>God has commanded me to "prove all things" (1 Thess. 5:21), to "try 
>the spirits" (1 John 4:1), to "beware of false prophets" (Matt. 
>7:15), to "take heed that no man deceive you" (Matt. 24:4), "to 
>"search the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 
>17:11), to "prove what is acceptable unto the Lord" (Eph. 5:10), to 
>"approve things that are excellent" (Phil. 1:10), to "rightly divide 
>the word of truth, but shun profane and vain babblings" (2 Tim. 
>2:15-16), to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once 
>delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).
>
>The Bible commands me to "preach the word; be instant in season, out 
>of season; REPROVE, REBUKE, EXHORT with all longsuffering and 
>doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound 
>doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves 
>teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears 
>from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:2-3).
>
>The Bible very plainly prophesies that the end of this age will be 
>characterized by error and apostasy, not truth and sound New Testament faith.
>
>The Bible says "he that is spiritual judges all things..." (1 Cor. 
>2:15). It also says, "The simple believeth every word: but THE 
>PRUDENT MAN LOOKETH WELL TO HIS GOING" (Prov. 14:15).
>
>Biblical New Testament Christianity is not positive only; it 
>involves many "negatives." The Lord Jesus Christ did not overlook 
>theological error. My Bible tells me He rebuked the Pharisees 
>because they had corrupted the Word of God and had made their own 
>religion. That is precisely what a great many Christian leaders have 
>done today with the New Testament faith. They have perverted it, and 
>God has always called prophets to rebuke this type of apostasy. Did 
>Paul not rebuke Peter for his hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14)? Did he 
>not rebuke the Galatian heretics who were perverting the gospel 
>(Galatians 1:6-9; 3:1; 5:7-12)?
>
>Preachers today who pervert the gospel, or who yoke together with 
>those who pervert the gospel, are they above reproach? Do what you 
>will, but I refuse to keep my mouth shut about these things.
>
>The Bible contains many negatives. The true Bible preacher not only 
>affirms truth and righteousness; he REBUKES error and 
>unrighteousness. Be careful that you are following the truth and not 
>some man-made, humanistic, nice-sounding perversion thereof.
>
>Overall in my ministry I do not focus only on the negative. We have 
>spent 15 years in South Asia preaching the gospel and planting 
>churches. For years I spent two, three, and more hours a week in a 
>county jail preaching the POSTIVE, life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ!
>
>Even in my writings I do not focus only on the negative. I have 
>written a Bible encyclopedia, and it certainly does not focus on the 
>negative. It covers every aspect of Bible doctrine and practice. I 
>have written many other books which are not negative. We have 
>published roughly 30 books in the Nepali language, and only one or 
>two of those could be construed as being "negative" in the sense of 
>focusing on the exposure of error. I have written 14 volumes of a 
>Bible school curriculum, and only one of those could be construed as 
>"negative" in this sense. Many other examples could be given.
>
>On the other hand, the ministries of O Timothy magazine and the 
>Fundamental Baptist Information Service, are "negative" by their 
>very nature and design. O Timothy arose out of a burden God put on 
>my heart 23 years ago while we were working as church planting 
>missionaries in South Asia. Apostasy has destroyed the work of 
>Christ in that part of the world even more than here. I had visited 
>the seminary that missionary William Carey had established at 
>Serampore in India, and in an interview with the head of the New 
>Testament department I learned that professors there believed Hindus 
>can be saved by being sincere in their Hinduism. Indian churches are 
>permeated with theological modernism and Pentecostal confusion and 
>New Evangelical compromise. It broke my heart to see these things. 
>While we were staying at a hospital in India in 1983, I was walking 
>to and fro behind a building, pouring out my heart to the Lord about 
>the conditions in the churches. I was weeping and crying out to the 
>Lord to enable me to do something. A magazine like O Timothy had 
>been upon my heart prior to that, and on that particular day the 
>Lord encouraged me to start the publication, exposing apostasy and 
>calling men back to the Old Bible Paths, trusting Him to provide the 
>needs. I didn't have any money for such a project but I proceeded by 
>faith and the Lord has provided our needs and prospered this 
>endeavor for all of these years.
>
>I believe God still raises up men with prophetic type ministries to 
>"dig in the walls" and observe the apostasy like Ezekiel was 
>commanded to do long ago in Israel (Ezek. 8:7-10). Ezekiel was 
>instructed to preach about what he had witnessed (Ezek. 11:4, 25). 
>That is what I believe the Lord has called me to do, and woe is me 
>if I do not do it!
>
>You must understand that O Timothy is primarily designed for 
>preachers. Its main purpose is to give preachers information they 
>need to protect their own people in these wicked hours and to 
>encourage preachers to stand true to the Word of God.
>
>If you want something with a positive thrust, you can find it almost 
>anywhere. Most Christian publications today are almost 
>overwhelmingly positive. I don't think it is unbalanced to have a 
>few publications that focus on exposing those things that are 
>destroying God's churches. I have a lot of positive things to say, 
>but that is not what O Timothy and the Fundamental Baptist 
>Information Service are all about, and regardless of what people 
>think I refuse to turn aside from the focus God laid upon my heart 
>24 years ago. I praise His name for the hundreds upon hundreds of 
>men who have written me to say that I have been a blessing in their 
>lives and ministries. My continual prayer is that God may help me 
>have the courage to go on to the end and fulfill this difficult and 
>much maligned calling.
>
>I would also point out that there is a sense in which O Timothy is 
>extremely positive. It is all in how one looks at it. Is it not 
>positive to warn people about false gospels that can lead them to 
>Hell? Is it not positive to keep people from straying out of the 
>will of God? Is it not positive to rescue the sheep from the 
>clutches of the wolves? The fact that the shepherd has to deal 
>harshly with the wolf does not mean he is not a positive, kind-hearted fellow.
>
>Turning to your questions about fundamental Baptists, I am critical 
>of fundamental Baptists in many areas. I have lost many friends in 
>fundamental Baptist circles and have been made unwelcome in many 
>schools and churches precisely because I lift my voice against error 
>among fundamental Baptists. I have spoken often against what I call 
>Quick Prayerism, promotionalism (here I refer to turning the house 
>of God into a circus, such as giving away bicycles to attract young 
>people to church, conducting children's circuses, featuring the 
>flaming evangelist who lights himself on fire, cutting off the 
>pastor's tie, swallowing fish, etc.), lack of repentance in gospel 
>preaching, worldliness, carnality, lack of church discipline, 
>pompous pastors, sensual music, refusal to preach plainly against 
>sin, Falwell-style ecumenicalism, and many other things.
>
>Just because a church is fundamental Baptist is by no means a sign 
>that it is a true New Testament church. There are many so-called 
>fundamental Baptist churches that I could not support.
>
>I would also remind you of this: Independent Baptist is not a 
>denomination. It is a descriptive name only. It means simply that a 
>church is Baptist in doctrine and independent in polity. Beyond 
>that, there is GREAT variety among independent Baptist churches. I 
>have been an independent Baptist for 33 years, but far more 
>important than independent Baptist is the BIBLE! I support an 
>independent Baptist church only insofar as it follows the Word of 
>God. When an independent Baptist church departs from the Word of 
>God, when it becomes man-centered rather than Christ-centered, when 
>it leaves its first love, it is ICHABOD.
>
>
>
>
>
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End of forwarded message text:

John


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