False Leaders (long article, but worth the read)

DEMANDING OBEDIENCE TO THEMSELVES

Acts 4:18-20 "And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

Commanded is paraggello in Greek, meaning to transmit a message; to charge or declare.

As a public school teacher I knew my legal rights to teach the Bible as history or literature, and I did so; but I had to fight to do so. To maintain a 'non-profit tax status' a church or ministry signs that they will not use more than one tenth of their time or resources on political issues. Some churches are now choosing to relinquish their 'non-profit tax status' in order to speak out boldly on political/moral issues like abortion. Standing up against government is sometimes easier then standing up against false leadership in the church, but as Christians we need to do both in order to maintain the integrity of the gospel.