Dear Pastor,

It's been a while since I last wrote you a piece. Well, I have been busy lately. Sincere apologies.

While I have many things on my mind to write, I will try to limit this piece on a subject matter. It is one of the matters affecting us a people and it is making the world see us as a divided body.

It is on the subject matter of criticism. This is not an appeal to stop criticism but an appeal to do it rightly. I know you are asking if there is a right way to do criticism. Yes, there is!

There are a few things I want you to keep in mind if you must criticize anything or anyone in the body of Christ;

1. Be careful not to criticize to promote culture, you were never called to promote culture but God's words and sound doctrine of the word.

2. Do not criticize a matter or doctrine without understanding the historical view of such matters, how they have evolved and what they currently mean.

3. Before you criticize any matter or anyone, make sure you have a balanced view of what the Bible says on such and today's context

4. When doing the criticism, be sure to do it from a place of love and placing the kingdom of God first.

5. Before you come out to criticize anyone or anything regarding this kingdom, make sure you have prayed genuinely for the kingdom in the light of such matters.

6.While you are doing the criticism be sure you are not taking sides with the enemy to tear down the kingdom or the person.

7. Understand times and season with the current move of the Holy Spirit. The move of the Spirit will not always be the way you know and emphasis of the Holy Spirit per time will not always be the same.

8. Before you criticize, engage the Holy Spirit and understand what He is saying on the matter first.

9. Understand that our responses to the Holy Spirit will not be the same and will not be in the same way.

10. The word of God remains supreme and not anybody's experience or encounter

Yours in His Vineyard,
Pastor Adeyemi Bello, PhD