19 Corrections for the American Christian Church

“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.  Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.  Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.”  Proverbs 9: 7-9

The Church and the Nation

1.       If the Church pursues political influence, it opens the door to political corruption.

2.       If the Church chooses political affiliations and solutions, it disobeys the example of Jesus.

3.       Jesus rejected the temptation of political power and dominion over adversaries and nations but chose a course of serving and sacrifice.   * Matthew 4: 8-10

4.        The Church departs from Jesus when it is seduced by political power to compel compliance rather than invite commitment, influencing hearts through serving justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God.  * Micah 6: 6-8

5.       Christians reject God when, like the elders of Israel demanding from Samuel a king, they look to avoid “some meek and mild leader who’s going to turn the other cheek” and instead look for “the meanest, toughest SOB they can find to protect this nation.”  (Pastor Robert Jeffress)   * 1 Samuel 8: 19-20

6.       Church leaders preach a weak Christ and idolatry when they claim that a person who aspires to live the teachings of Christ – a servant leader - is rendered inadequate or too constrained to lead and protect the nation, and therefore, believe the church must seek a strongman, unbound by the principles and teachings of Christ, to guard the church and protect the nation.

7.       Many in the Church are like Judas, who lived side by side with Jesus, witnessed and participated in His work, His teachings and His miracles, but missed who Jesus truly was and what Jesus is calling us and the Church to do.

The Church and the People

8.      Hypocrisy in the Church is damning.  * Matthew 23: 15

9.      Jesus abhors hypocrisy among religious leaders.  * Matthew 23: 5-33

10.   Jesus warned about false prophets in the Church.   * Matthew 24: 4-5

11.  Jesus showed us how to know false teachers and false prophets.  * Matthew 7: 15-16, Galatians 5: 22-26, Matthew 12: 34-37, 2 Peter 2: 1-3

12.  The Church produces and shelters many who don’t know Jesus.  * Matthew 7:21-23

13.   Rather than focus on enticing the world into its buildings and programs, the Church should be pulling its people into the world for service.  The Church fails when it offers escape and shelter from the world to its people, rather than service to the world, in the world, through its people.

14.   Many in the Church fail to love as Jesus commanded.  * Matthew 22: 38-40

 15.  The Church must love with action and in truth, identifying and helping those in need.         * 1 John 3:16-18

16.   Are those in the Church the first to feed the hungry, take care of those in need?  Does the world know we follow Christ by our love for them?  * John 13: 34-35, Matthew 25: 34-45

17.  The Christian’s relationship with others, their “neighbors,” should transcend political theories, borders and economic systems and should be neither defined nor limited by their tenets.

18.  Jesus’s economy is radical and revolutionary, and it is not satisfied by any current economic system or political party’s policies. 

19.  There can be no unity in the Church without transparency, confession, correction and transformation.  The church cannot simply move on from prior abuses, failures to act and error without confronting and dealing with the truth.  Otherwise, the sins of our fathers become our sins, sustained by pride and rooted in stubborn hearts.  The sins of our brothers, now shared through silent avoidance.

Tom Noble

April 7, 2025

Reference Notes

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3.  Matthew 4: 8-10  “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

4 .  Micah 6: 6-8  “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

5.  1 Samuel 8: 19-20  “But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.’”

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8.  Matthew 23: 15  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

9.  Matthew 23: 5-33  He warned his people to be discerning, saying, “Everything they (some religious leaders) do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others… The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”   “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.  Woe to you, blind guides… you hypocrites… you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness… You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence… You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean…You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

10.  Matthew 24: 4-5  “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

11.  Matthew 7: 15-16  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Galatians 5: 22-26  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Matthew 12:34-37  “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

2 Peter 2: 1-3  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.”

12.  Matthew 7:21-23  Jesus said “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

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14.  Matthew 22: 38-40  Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

15.  1 John 3: 16-18  John said, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

16.  John 13: 34-35  Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Matthew 25: 34-45  Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”