UPDATE Sept 2021: I have come to believe that Jeff Crippen does not practise what he preaches. He vilely persecuted an abuse victim and spiritually abused many other people in the Tillamook congregation. Go here to read the evidence. Jeff has not gone to the people that he spiritually and emotionally abused. He has not apologised to them, let alone asked for their forgiveness.
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Thank you to one of our readers for this:
The next time anyone tries to stand in the way of actual biblical truth (i.e. The Gospel) and turn others away from what it has to say about evil and wickedness, and how we are to deal with wickedness as Christians, I think I will set my eyes on them and address the deceivers as Paul did in Acts 13:10
“O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
Then I could really earn a bad name for myself. But just look what happens in these few verses and see how speaking the truth against evil is what brings some to conversion. Amazing!
And for those who prefer modern English:
“You are a deceiver and trickster! You devil! You attack anything that is right! Will you never stop twisting the straight ways of the Lord into crooked paths?” (CEB)
“You are full of dirty tricks and schemes, you son of the devil! You hate everything that has God’s approval. Quit trying to distort the truth about the way the Lord wants people to live.” (GW)
“You son of the Devil, full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?” (HCSB)
“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?” (NIV)
“You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? (ESV)
“You son of the devil! You are a liar, a crook, and an enemy of everything that is right. When will you stop speaking against the true ways of the Lord?” (CEV)
“You son of the devil, full of lies and all kinds of evil tricks! You are an enemy of everything that is right. Will you never stop trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies?” (ERV)
“You’re a son of the devil. You’re an enemy of justice, you’re full of lies, and you steal opportunities from others. Why do you insist on confusing and twisting the clear, straight paths of the Lord?” (VOICE)
A Cry For Justice 
How we have lost the language of Scripture in our contemporary politically correct society… and yet, I suspect it’s not truly that (at least not that alone) but the presence of evil that suppresses such plain speech. It’s amazing how prevalent soft-pedaling Scripture is among churches, to the extent that truth is not really preached.
AMEN. Thank you for posting this.
… and yes, Still Reforming, Truth is not being preached. Only those leaders who do not ‘fear man’ will preach truthfully from the Scriptures.
If you venture to quote such a verse to counter evil like Paul to that Jewish sorcerer Elymas, you’ll hear that one argument: ‘but you are not a prophet’, like I heard recently from a friend, and who then admonished that it’s better to pray for the person, the church, and situation. A good recipe for apathy and more evil creeping in…
I had that snuffer said to me years ago, whem I spoke up against false doctrine in the Pentecostal church I was a member of at the time.
What they do when they stifle the watchmen’s voice is like suppressing the immune system of the church and anything and everything goes and contaminates the body of Christ!
But we are called to follow Christ – not man. I do not care anymore, when someone comes across to me that way and wants to guilt me for not embracing evil. I now see with clarity, that even in this Scripture I shared, that there are two types of lost people in the world. The wicked and then the ones who desire to at least hear about the Gospel. That is what this story in Acts is all about.
We just need to be discerning so we can know the difference. Of utmost importance is that we see it is okay to address the wicked. They are always with us – just as the poor are.
Innoscent – Oh yes, I can hear it now. But then, if we were to believe that line, it would prohibit any Christian from citing and quoting any Scripture at all, wouldn’t it? And of course the NT is very clear that spiritual gifts are operative today. One of those gifts is discernment. The Holy Spirit in us is surely going to rise up when evil comes into our presence.
It gives me pause to think about all those who blithely sit by when evil is identified and they allow it to sit next to them on Sunday mornings or stay in the congregation at all. Especially the pastors and elders or deacons who know, and yet, allow evil to remain – or just as bad “call evil good.”
Oh such good points Jeff! It is no wonder that Satan seeks to stop us from even thinking of using the sword (Bible) or any gift of the Spirit for that matter.
And this false argument (‘You are not a prophet’) begs a few questions:
–-who said one has to be a prophet to rebuke evil?
–-how do we even determine who is a prophet?
–-who in the church is supposed to counter evil then?
Who said one has to be a prophet to rebuke evil?
The self-appointed prophets in leadership.
How do we even determine who is a prophet?
They determine it. We don’t.
Who in the church is supposed to counter evil then?
Only them.
How do they define evil?
Any challenge to their prophetic authority.
And that’s an order, Yossarian. (Catch 22)
To many of the church people I know, this verse would be like water off a duck’s back. They couldn’t possibly hear it because it goes against their profound belief in their own goodness and righteousness.
Oh such good points Jeff! It is no wonder that Satan seeks to stop us from even thinking of using the sword (Bible) or any gift of the Spirit for that matter.
And this false argument (‘You are not a prophet’) begs a few questions:
–who said one has to be a prophet to rebuke evil?
–how do we even determine who is a prophet?
–who in the church is supposed to counter evil then?
Brain too foggy to respond with my own words…