NOTES ON GODLY LEADERS VS. FALSE LEADERS: KNOWING WHEN TO HOLD ‘EM AND WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to APPRECIATE those who diligently work among you [recognize, acknowledge, and respect your leaders], who are in charge over you in the Lord and who give you instruction, and [we ask that you appreciate them and] hold them in the highest esteem in love because of their work [on your behalf].

Live in peace with one another. We [earnestly] urge you, believers, ADMONISH those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper]” – 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-14, AMP

KEY TERMS

• “APPRECIATE.” ‘Eidó’ [εἰδέναι]: “From two equivalent words, rendered as, ‘With eyes wide open, to stare at intensely to discern and understand clearly, perceive [who they truly are and what they are saying].’ NOTE: The verb οἶδα and its cognates occur 319 times in the Greek New Testament, permeating narrative, didactic, and apocalyptic passages. It appears most densely in John’s Gospel and 1 John, but every New Testament writer employs it. The word marks Intuitive, Settled Knowledge—Facts already grasped, Truths decisively perceived—rather than knowledge still being acquired. Its breadth covers Divine Omniscience, Christ’s Messianic Awareness, Apostolic Certainty, Moral Accountability, and the Believer’s Assurance.”

• “ADMONISH.” ‘Noutheteó’ [νουθετεῖτε]: “To put in mind [as a priority], to Caution, Warn or Reprove [gently at first]; Chastise by appealing to the mind regarding the DOCTRINES!” NOTE: “The verb νουθετέω occurs eight times in the New Testament, always carrying the idea of Warning or Corrective Instruction delivered for the hearer’s good. It presupposes a Moral Standard rooted in God’s revealed will and aims at restoring or strengthening the hearer’s walk with the Lord.” DK. I have found in the 10 years of dealing with intransigent, unruly MAGA Christian Nationalists that “Gentleness” toward what the Apostle called “unruly, empty talkers” is insufficient. He counsels: “Rebuke them sharply! [‘elegchó’ (ἔλεγχ), Refute, Convict, Shame or Disgrace].” Lest Jesus be forced to “Vomit you out of My mouth! [ [rejecting you with disgust].” – Revelation 3:16, Amplified

QUOTATION. “The LORD through His Prophet, JEREMIAH, said, ‘For My people are foolish; they know Me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are wise in doing evil! But how to do good they know not’ (Jeremiah 4: 22).

‘Will this rebuke hold true for you? Sad to note that our knowledge of the LORD is at a play school level.’ In contrast to our knowledge on the heads of the Government, Politics, Politicians, Sports, Celebrities, Elders, Believers, Neighbours, Friends, Relatives, Wife, Husband, Children, our own subjects of Expertise etc., which can fetch us a doctoral degree! Shameful, isn’t it? ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the HOLY ONE is understanding’ (Proverbs 9: 10).” ― ROYAL RAJ S, Malachi: A Commentary, ret. Sep. 10, 2026; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘The Ministers of the Gospel are described by the work of their office, which is to Serve and Honour the Lord. It is their duty not only to give good COUNSEL, but also to WARN the flock of dangers, and REPROVE for whatever may be amiss.’ The people should honour and love their Ministers, because their business is the welfare of men’s souls. And the people should be at peace among themselves, doing all they can to guard against any differences. But love of peace must not make us wink at sin. ‘The fearful and sorrowful spirits, should be encouraged, and a kind word may do much good. We must bear and forbear. We must be long-suffering, and keep down anger, and this to all men. Whatever man do to us, we must do good to others.’” ― MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

1. TEACHING

“Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.” ― PROVERBS 27:5-6, AMPC

THESIS. ‘The most important reason that the White Evangelical American Church is in Catastrophic Decline is because Pastors refuse to recognize, name, and call out False Teachers.’ ― Dr. Cliff Kelly, Sep. 10, 2026

Beloved, it is undeniable that White Evangelical Churches do not as a matter of common practice identify, name and publicly rebuke False Teachers in their midst. There are a number of reasons for this ‘Lethal Condition,’ including the Savaging of the Sheep, the Destruction of the Church, and the very Death of the Nation.

THE EVIDENCE. I turn to an AI Overview for a Condensed Summary of WHY the American Church avoids Rebuking False Teachers (ret. Sep. 10, 2026; edited). According to research findings, there appear to be FIVE REASONS to explain this shameless pattern.

1. CONFLICT. Leaders ‘Worry’ that calling out specific teachers will cause arguments, alienate members, and divide the congregation.

• APPROVAL. Many prefer to be ‘Thought of Well’ by Modern Culture rather than face accusations of being narrow-minded or harsh.

• GROWTH. Popular Teachings—such as the Prosperity Gospel or watered-down morality—draw ‘Large Crowds and Financial Support’ that institutions are reluctant to lose.

• CRAFTINESS. Deceptive Teaching rarely looks overtly evil; it often sounds ‘Positive, Motivational,’ or closely aligned with Christian Language, making it harder for everyday believers to spot immediately.

• ACCOUNTABILITY. Users on platforms like Reddit note that weak internal Church Governance often leaves local leaders ‘Without the Structural Support or COURAGE’ needed to challenge influential figures

THE BIBLICAL STANDARD. I have already laid out the THEOLOGY that admonished the Church Leaders to bring “Sharp Rebuke” for False, Compromised Teachers in the American Church today. Most especially in view of the astonishingly Dark and Deceptive Narratives that have penetrated into the very Sanctuaries of our Houses of God in the last several years.

To help us examine What God Requires of us teachers, pastors, priests, rabbis and evangelists in these Last Days, we turn once more to my favorite Calvinist (though I be a thorough-going Free-Will Armenian Pentecostal!), DR. JON PIPER. His Commentary is titled: “Should We Call Out False Teachers or Ignore Them?” (Oct. 4, 2019; edited)

• OPEN. “So let’s begin with JESUS. Matthew 7:15: ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.’ And the word ‘Beware’ means all of us should be ‘Alert,’ but ‘Especially Shepherds!’To Identify not just False Teaching, but False Teachers, whose ways are subtle. They’re clothing themselves with lamb’s wool while they’re wolves.”

• AVOID. “‘To avoid them, you have to know who they are.’ You can’t avoid somebody if you don’t know who they are. This idea of identifying and avoiding shows up in 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10. In other words, ‘Christians, and Shepherds in particular, should be Discerning and Alert to behavior and teaching that dishonors Christ and destroys people — and not treat it in a casual or harmless way.’”

• REBUKE. “And then in 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Paul went beyond just ‘Avoid them’ to ‘Rebuke them publicly!’ So, speaking of Elders who persist in error, he said, ‘Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who PERSIST IN SIN [to continue steadily and firmly]’ — and that can be Sin of False Doctrine or Sin of Evil Behavior, anyone who does NOT accept correction — ‘REBUKE them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”’

• IDENTIFY. “‘And then Paul went on and actually NAMED destructive False Teachers: ‘DEMAS, in love with this present world, has deserted me’ (2 Timothy 4:10). ‘You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are PHYLEGUS and HERMOGENES’ (2 Timothy 1:15). ‘By rejecting this [faith and a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are HYMENAEUS and ALEXANDER’ (1 Timothy 1:19-20). ‘Their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are HYMENAEUS and PHILETUS’ (2 Timothy 2:17). PAUL NAMES at least SIX False Teachers that the Church should watch out for.”

• EXPOSE. “Now, in 1 Corinthians 4:5, Paul is talking about how the Corinthians should assess Paul and Cephas and Apollos, because the people are ‘choosing sides’ and boasting in their FAVORITE TEACHER … ‘But for now, our job is indeed to do Mouth Judgment, Writing Judgment, Behavior Judgment’ — not a Heart Judgment, but mouth and writing and behavior judgment. When a Mouth speaks unbiblical, destructive teaching, when a Blog or an Article or a Book publishes unbiblical and destructive teaching, when a Body — a human body, a physical body — behaves with unbiblical and destructive behavior, in all these cases: ‘We are to be DISCERNING.’ And according to Ephesians 5:11, we are to EXPOSE the Error. ‘Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead EXPOSE them.’ ‘CENSURE them; show them to be wrong,’ is what the word ‘elegchō ‘means.”

• CLOSE.“‘When you do name a False Teacher, it’s best to do it in a Setting where you do more than name-drop. You explain the Error, you give reasons for rejecting it, you communicate complexities, you set a tone of longing for Truth and Love — you’re not just slinging mud. The last thing I would say is to let your teaching be so powerful in clarifying the greatness and the beauty and the worth of God’s Truth that your people will smell error before it infects their lives.’ The Shape of Error is always changing. You can’t preach enough negative sermons to stay ahead of it. And you don’t have to. ‘The best protection against the Darkness of error is the Light of Truth.’”

REALITY. “Now after many years of trying to turn a few Pastors that I have known for some time back toward The Truth of the Times, and have failed, I point out the STARK REALITY of the Last Days. In the Words of JESUS:

“At that time MANY will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will FALL AWAY [from the One whom they should trust] and will BETRAY one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will HATE one another. MANY false prophets will appear and mislead MANY. Because LAWLESSNESS is increased, the love of MOST people will grow cold.” – MATTHEW 24:10-12, AMP

1. RESPONSE

So here’s the Crucial Point: In virtually all that I have increasingly and more severely taught in the several years: ‘The White Evangelical Church has been led to be gentle little Sheep in the midst of Ravenous Wolves’ (see graphic).

What could possibly go wrong?

Indeed, the RESULTS have been Catastrophic for both Church and State. Each of the following passages are rendered in the Amplified Classic Edition (AMPC).

• WEAKENING OF FOUNDATIONS. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the [unyieldingly] righteous do, or what has He [the Righteous One] wrought or accomplished?” (Psalm 11:3). DK: Very little, save for Fervent Prayer and Wise Preparation for Times of Persecution.

• LOSS OF FAITH. “Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition)” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). DK: Already underway, with 83-88% of White Evangelicals supporting President Trump.

• DISINTEGRATION OF ORDER. “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on My holy Mount [Zion]. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is coming; it is close at hand—A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick mists and darkness, like the morning dawn spread upon the mountains; so there comes a [heathen, hostile] people numerous and mighty, the like of which has never been before and shall not be again even to the years of many generations. A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yes, and none has escaped [the ravages of the devouring hordes]” (Joel 2:1-3). DK: This is the unmitigated WRATH OF GOD, unleashed in Christ’s Opening of the SIXTH SEAL from the Book of Revelation, chapter 6, verses 12-17.

SO WHAT TO DO? There are a number of common-sense things we can do to Prepare for the Storms that undeniably lie just ahead (see Cliff Kelly, Ph.D., The Sixth Seal II, “Epilogue: How Should We Then Live,” 2024, pp. 125-134). But I am more and more convinced that: ‘CHURCH has to radically adapt to these Last Times.’

Wewill conclude with what that will look like.

HOUSE CHURCH. We go straight to business as I put the final touches on this on Black Friday, September 11. 2026, the 25^th Anniversary of the 9-11 Attack on New York’s Twin Towers. There are no accidents as many of us listened to President Trump’s Six Lies concerning his role in the tragedy (see Chris Stein, “Trump’s Six Falsehoods,” The Guardian, Sep. 9, 2026).

To efficiently get us to the essentials of WHY House Churches are vital to the survival and maturing of The Faithful Remnant in the America of the 2020s, I turn to an expert. MATT DABBS is a Church Planter, Managing Editor of Wineskins E-zine, Preaching Minister at Auburn Church of Christ (Indiana), and President of Home Church Resources. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harding School of Ministry and in my view, is rock solid on doctrines.

“FIVE REASONS Home Churches Are Essential to the Future of Christianity in America” (Blog, Aug. 18, 2025; edited).

1. HISTORIC. “‘The Early Church started in homes and stayed that way with exponential growth in a Hostile Culture for over 100 years.’ Our Times are not that different from theirs. They moved from church at home to church as an institution over 300 years and we are moving back from church as institution to church at home again.”

• REPRODUCIBLE. “‘Instead of needing millions of dollars and a steady cash flow to pay the staff and operate you already have what you need – a Living Room, Park, Backyard, etc. and Volunteers to do the work of the Church.’ This costs nothing extra. The giving can go directly to needs. And we need fast reproduction right now to catch the people who need the ‘Christian Community.’ We cannot build buildings fast enough to meet the need and many churches that are already in buildings are struggling as is. Homes can help this.”

• MATURITY. “‘Christians Mature in Home Church for a few reasons:’ (a) You grow when you participate and home church is high on participation compared to traditional church. (b) You grow when you use your gifts. Similar to the first but more specific. Gifts are more easily recognized and used in home church. (c) Smaller gatherings are more transformational because it is easier to share hard things. Sharing hard things tends to produce maturity because you go deeper with other believers. (d) Higher Accountability leads to greater Maturity. Home Church provides this as well.”

• LEADERSHIP. “‘Traditional Churches draw in [Celebrity-Leaders] to fill positions.’ They typically don’t have a system for producing mature leaders ‘in house’ to send out to other places. Home Churches more naturally produce people who are equipped to serve/lead. The future is going to require more people who are willing and knowledgeable in the skills needed to advance The Kingdom. Churches must produce them rather than relying on third parties to do it for the Church (Seminaries).”

• CHILDREN. “‘Home churches don’t typically silo off the children and that means home churches are prime to raise a generation in faith because the children, from day 1, are integrated members of the church family.’ Their voice matters. They are heard. They add value. They hear the testimonies and eventually share their own God stories. We need to raise a generation in faith that is just not going to happen through large scale age segregated ministries.”

1. LAST THOUGHTS

MY ROLE. As my online handle is “Digital Circuit Rider” for a loosely gathered “Peloton Confessing Fellowship” (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, with minimal presence on TikTok, Threads, and WhatsApp) Folks don’t always know how to address me since I am not a Pastor nor am I technically the head of a Church.

My Calling and Professional Identity has been forged as a “TEACHER.” The Greek term for that is ‘Didaskolos,’ literally translated as “Master, Doctor, or Instructor.” I have in those regards been called, “Professor,” “Dr. Kelly,” “Dr. K,” or simply “Cliff” or “DK.” Some have used the Greek and Hebrew at times, “Didasko,” or even “Rabboni.”

So you may use whatever name is comfortable for you.

As such, I will provide DOCTRINAL STRUCTURE for you all (Online) in my bi-weekly “Commentaries” each Wednesday and Saturday. That will help navigate us through the various events and issues that continue to arise in these last, tumultuous times.

Bottom Line: My major objective.  To do all I possibly can to ground you in ‘Sound Doctrine,’ and aggressively identify and expose ‘False Doctrines ‘and the Wolves devouring multitudes of Churchgoers as never before. To that extent, I serve as Shepherd overseeing a precious flock.

FORMING A HOME CHURCH. For this you will have to go to the Lord for His Instructions on whether or not to actually ‘Start’ such a group. And if so, do some considerable research on ‘How’ to go about that since I do not know the procedural and practical steps required. MR. DABBS is an ideal resource for such important information.

‘So that is where I believe we are all heading as the Trump Maga Nationalist Movement continues to devour the Traditional Church Members, Pastors, and Doctrines.’  To respond to Church Attrition that is going on even now as people, especially young people, are leaving the Traditional Church in droves.

CODA. Beloved, we need Community and Koinonia, but as the American Dictatorship exercises its grip on both Church and State, we must have an Alternative Plan. I believe HOME CHURCH will become our only healthy option in the days we shall all face through the End of the Decade.

As Jesus Taught: “AgainI say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I AM THERE in the midst of them.” – MATTHEW 18:19-20, NKJV

Selah.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE:  https://youtu.be/GGXEzpFmh9M