ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Francis Frangipane---"Accuser of the Brethren"
Chapter one from the Accuser booklet
More churches have been destroyed by the accuser of the brethren and its faultfinding
than by either immorality or misuse of church funds. So prevalent is this influence in our
society that, among many, faultfinding has been elevated to the status of a "ministry"! The
Lord has promised, however, that in His house accusing one another will be replaced with
prayer, and faultfinding with a love that covers a multitude of sins. Satan Wants To Stop
Your Growth This chapter is written specifically to expose the activity of the accuser of the
brethren among born-again Christians. There are individuals who are trapped in cults
where mind-control and deception are involved; we are not dealing with the uniqueness of
their problems in this study. Rather, our goal is to see the Living Church delivered from the
stronghold of fault-finding, and to have our hearts turned instead to prayer. In an attempt
to hinder, if not altogether halt, the next move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of
faultfinding demons against the church. The purpose of this assault is to entice the body of
Christ away from the perfections of Jesus and onto the imperfections of one another. The
faultfinder spirit's assignment is to assault relationships on all levels. It attacks families,
churches and inter-church associations, seeking to bring irreparable schisms into our unity.
Masquerading as discernment, this spirit will slip into our opinions of other people, leaving
us critical and judgmental. Consequently, we all need to evaluate our attitude toward
others. If our thoughts are other than faith working through love, we need to be aware that
we may be under spiritual attack. The faultfinder demon will incite individuals to spend
days and even weeks unearthing old faults or sins in their minister or church. The people
who are held captive by this deceitful spirit become "crusaders," irreconcilable enemies of
their former assemblies. In most cases, the things they deem wrong or lacking are the very
areas in which the Lord seeks to position them for intercession. What might otherwise be
an opportunity for spiritual growth and meeting a need becomes an occasion of stumbling
and withdrawal. In truth, their criticisms are a smokescreen for a prayerless heart and an
unwillingness to serve. That someone should discover the imperfections of their pastor or
church is by no means a sign of spirituality. Indeed, we could find fault with the church
before we were Christians. What we do with what we see, however, is the measure of
Christlike maturity. Remember, when Jesus saw the condition of mankind, He "emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant . . . He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8). He died to take away sins; He did
not just judge them. No One Is Exempt It is of some consolation that Christ Himself could
not satisfy the "standards" of this spirit when it spoke through the Pharisees. No matter
what Jesus did, the Pharisees found fault with Him. If you personally have not consulted
with and listened to the individual of whom you are critical, how can you be sure that you
are not fulfilling the role of the accuser of the brethren? Even the "Law does not judge a
man, unless it first hears from him" (John 7:51). The enemy's purpose in this assault is to
discredit the minister so it can discredit his message. I have personally listened to scores of
pastors from many denominational backgrounds, and I have found that the timing of this
spirit's attack upon their congregations was almost always just prior to, or immediately
after, a significant breakthrough. The unchallenged assault of this demon always stopped
the forward progress of their church. When this spirit infiltrates an individual's mind, its
accusations come with such venom and intimidation that even those who should know
better are bewildered and then seduced by its influence. Nearly all involved take their eyes
off Jesus and focus upon "issues," ignoring during the contention that Jesus is actually
praying for His body to become one. Beguiled by this demon, accusations and
counteraccusations rifle through the soul of the congregation, stimulating suspicion and
fear among the people. Devastation wracks the targeted church, while discouragement
blankets and seeks to destroy the pastor and his family, or other servants of God in the
church. Nearly every minister reading this has faced the assault of the faultfinder spirit at
one time or another. Each has known the depression of trying to track down this accusing
spirit as it whispers its gossip through the local church: trusted friends seem distant,
established relationships shaken, and the vision of the church is quagmired in strife and
inaction. This enemy is not limited to attacks on local churches, however. Its attacks are
also citywide and national. Major publishers have made millions of dollars selling defaming
books which are hardly more credible than gossip columns in the tabloids. Yes, in a few of
the ministries there was serious sin, but there are biblical ways to bring correction, ways
which lead to healing and not to destruction! There are denominational supervisors, as well
as local ministerial associations that can review disputes privately. Instead, church leaders
boldly challenge other leaders; newsletters and cassette tapes critical of various ministries
circulate like poison through the blood stream of the body of Christ--and how the Savior's
church gluttonously eats it up! To mask the diabolical nature of its activity, the faultfinder
will often garb its criticisms in religious clothing. Under the pretense of protecting sheep
from a "gnat-sized" error in doctrine, it forces the flock to swallow a "camel-sized" error
of loveless correction. In an attempt to correct violations of Scripture, the very methods
employed are a violation of Scripture! Where is the "spirit of gentleness" of which Paul
speaks in Galatians 6:1, the humility in "looking to yourselves, lest you too be tempted"?
Where is the love motive to "restore such a one"? In most cases the person supposedly in
error has never even been contacted before his alleged mistakes enter the rumor mill of the
city's churches. Only then, after the slander has been made public through a book, tape, or
media broadcast; does he become aware of his alleged faults. Brethren, the spirit behind
such accusations must be discerned, for its motive is not to restore and heal, but to destroy!
The Pure Example The church does need correction, but the ministry of reproof must be
patterned after Christ and not the accuser of the brethren. When Jesus corrected the
churches in Asia (see Revelation 2-3), He sandwiched His rebuke between praise and
promises. He reassured the churches that the voice about to expose their sin was the very
voice which inspired their virtue. After encouraging them, He then brought correction.
Even when a church was steeped in error, as was the case with two of the seven churches,
Christ still offered grace for change. How patient was Jesus? He even gave "Jezebel . . .
time to repent"! (Rev 2:20-21) After He admonished a church, His last words were not
condemnation, but promises. Is this not His way with each of us? Even in the most serious
corrections, the voice of Jesus is always the embodiment of "grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Jesus said of the sheep, "They know His voice. And a stranger they simply will not follow,
but will flee from him" (John 10:4-5). Remember, if the word of rebuke or correction does
not offer grace for restoration, it is not the voice of your Shepherd. If you are one of
Christ's sheep, you will flee from it. The Enemy's Weapons To find an indictment against
the church, it is important to note the enemy must draw his accusations from hell. If we
have repented of our sins, no record of them nor of our mistakes exists in heaven. As it is
written, "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies" (Rom
8:33). Jesus is not condemning us, but rather is at the Father's right hand interceding on
our behalf. Let us, therefore, expose the weapons of the faultfinder. The first is our actual
sins. Our failure to repent when the Holy Spirit desires to correct us opens the door for the
accuser to condemn us. The voice of the enemy never offers hope nor extends grace for
repentance. It acts as though it were the voice of God, and we were guilty of the
"unpardonable sin." The way to defeat the enemy in this arena is to disarm him by
sincerely repenting of the sin, looking again to the atonement of Christ as the sum of all our
righteousness. Yet, Satan seeks not only to accuse us as individuals but to blend into our
minds, introducing criticisms and condemnation against others as well. Instead of praying
for one another, we react in the flesh against offenses. Our unchristlike responses are then
easily manipulated by the faultfinder spirit. Therefore, we cast down the accuser of the
brethren by learning to pray for one another instead of preying on one another. We must
learn to forgive in the same manner as Christ has forgiven us. If one has repented of his
sins, we must exercise the same attitude of "divine forgetfulness" that exists in heaven. We
defeat the faultfinder when we emulate the nature of Jesus: like a lamb, Christ died for
sinners; as a priest, He intercedes. The second weapon this demon uses against us is our
past mistakes and poor decisions. Each of us has an inherent propensity toward ignorance.
One does not have to read far into the history of the saints to discover they were not called
because of their intrinsic wisdom. In truth, we all have made mistakes. Hopefully, we have
at least learned from them and developed humility because of them. This faultfinding
demon, however, takes our past mistakes and parades them before our memory, criticizing
our efforts to do God's will, thus keeping us in bondage to the past. When the enemy pits us
against one another, it first provokes us to jealousy or fear. The security of our place in life
seems threatened by another's success. Perhaps to justify our personal failures or flaws, we
magnify the past shortcomings of others. The more our jealousy grows, the more this
demon exploits our thoughts, until nothing about the individual or his church seems right.
In the final stage we actually wage a campaign against him. No defense he offers will satisfy
us. We are convinced he is deceived and dangerous, and we think it is up to us to warn
others. Yet the truth is, the person whose mind is controlled by the faultfinder demon is the
one who is deceived and dangerous. For his own unrepentant thoughts toward jealousy and
fleshly criticism have supplied hell with a "lumberyard" of material to erect walls between
members of the body of Christ. Sadly, it is often leaders who have fallen from the intensity
of their first love who become the fiercest persecutors of others who are moving in the Holy
Spirit. Christ's disciples will be persecuted, but this author can find no biblical
authorization for Christians to persecute others. Persecution is a deed of the flesh. "But as
at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born
according to the Spirit, so it is now also" (Gal 4:29). Incredibly, those who are given to
persecuting others often actually think that they are "offering service to God" (John 16:2).
To combat this enemy we must create an atmosphere of grace among us as individuals and
between us as churches. Like the Father who has given us life, we must seek to cause all
things to work together for good. If one stumbles, we must be quick to cover him, without
condoning hypocrisy, for we are "members of one another" (Eph 4:25). As it is written,
"None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord"
(Lev 18:6). We are family, begotten from one Father. "Their nakedness you shall not
uncover; for their nakedness is yours" (v 10). Even under the Old Covenant, it was
unlawful to uncover another's mistake publicly. Love finds a redemptive way to cover a
multitude of sins. Where The Vultures Are Gathered The accuser uses yet another weapon,
and it uses this weapon astutely. There are times in our walk with God when, to increase
fruitfulness, the Father prunes us back (see John 15). This is a season of preparation, where
the Lord's purpose is to lead His servants into new power in ministry. During this time,
God requires new levels of surrender as well as a fresh crucifixion of the flesh. It is often a
time of humiliation and testing, of emptiness and seeming ineffectiveness as God expands
our dependency upon Him. It can be a fearful time when our need is exposed in stark
visibility. Unfortunately, this time of weakness is apparent not only to the man or woman of
God; it frequently occurs before the church, and before principalities and powers as well.
The faultfinder spirit, and those who have come to think as it thinks, find in their target's
vulnerability an opportunity to crush him. Time and again, what would otherwise have
become an incubator of life becomes a coffin of death. Those who might otherwise emerge
with the clarity and power of prophetic vision are beaten down and abandoned, cut off
from the very people who should have prayed them through to resurrection. In this attack
the faultfinder is most destructive. For here this demon aborts the birth of mature
ministries, those who would arm their churches for war. The faultfinders and gossips are
already planted in the church--perhaps you are such a one! When the living God is making
your pastor more deeply dependent, and thus more easily shaped for His purposes, do you
criticize his apparent lack of anointing? Although he did not abandon you during your time
of need, do you abandon him now when your faith might be the very encouragement he
needs to fully yield to the cross? Those who are sympathetic to the accuser of the brethren
fulfill, by application, Matthew 24:28, "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will
gather." The backbiting of these vulture-like individuals actually feeds their lower nature,
for they seek what is dead in a church; they are attracted to what is dying. Eventually these
faultfinders depart, instinctively looking to take issue with some other church. "These are
grumblers, finding fault . . . the ones who cause divisions" (Jude 16-19). They leave behind
their former brethren, severely wounded and in strife, and a pastor greatly disheartened.
Soon, they join a new church and, in time, God begins to deal with this new pastor. Once
again the faultfinder spirit manifests itself through them, strategically positioned to destroy
another church. Today, God is seeking to raise up His servants with increased power and
authority. In the pruning stage of their growth, will we water their dryness with prayer or
will we be vultures drawn to devour their dying flesh? How To Correct Error When the
accuser comes, it brings distorted facts and condemnation. Those who are trapped by this
spirit never research the virtues in the organization or person they are attacking. With the
same zeal that the faultfinders seek to unearth sin, those who will conquer this enemy must
earnestly seek God's heart and His calling for those they would reprove. True correction,
therefore, will proceed with reverence, not revenge. Indeed, are not those whom we seek to
correct Christ's servants? Are they not His possession? Is it possible the works of which we
are jealous, and thus critical, might be the very works of Christ? Also, let us ask ourselves:
why has God chosen us to bring His rebuke? Are we walking in Christ's pattern? These are
important questions, for to be anointed with Christ's authority to rebuke, we must be
committed to men with Christ's love. But, if we are angry, embittered, or jealous toward
another, we cannot even pray correctly for that person, much less reprove him. Jesus, the
great Lion of Judah, was declared worthy to bring forth judgment by virtue of His nature:
He was a Lamb slain for men's sin. If we are not determined to die for men, we have no
right to judge them. Those who seek to justify leaving a church must not do so simply
through finding fault. Rather, they should openly communicate with the ministerial team.
Their attitude should be one of prayer and love, leaving a blessing for what they gained by
their time spent in that church. If there has indeed been sin in the ministry, they should
contact the church authorities in the city and leave the situation with them. Additionally,
local ministers should be in communication with one another, never basing their opinion of
another church or leader on the testimony of one who has just left it. If people join your
congregation and bring with them a root of bitterness against their former assembly, that
root will spring up in your church and many will be defiled. Therefore, no matter how
much you need new members, never build your congregation with individuals who are
unreconciled to their former fellowship. Indeed, the Lord's word to us is that in the House
of the Lord criticism must be replaced with prayer, and faultfinding eliminated with a
covering love. Where there is error, we must go with a motive to restore. Where there are
wrong doctrines, let us maintain a gentle spirit as we seek to correct those in opposition.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for our lack of prayer and the weakness of our love. Master, we want
to be like You, that when we see a need, instead of criticizing, we lay down our lives for it.
Lord, deliver Your church of this demonic faultfinding spirit! In Jesus' name. Amen.
Questions or comments go to webmaster@frangipane.org. Advancing Church Ministries 5300 N
Park Place NE, Ste 108, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-6220 Phone: 319-373-9310; Fax: 319-373-3012
Last Updated OCTOBER17, 1998 by John Mess