Every now and then, a Tactics post comes along that practically begs you to read between the lines. This is one of them.
On the surface, this post is about Satan, spiritual authority, and the Apostle Paul. But if you stop there, you’re going to miss the point. And I don’t think that’s what Tactics intended.
Now, before we go any further, let’s understand something: Tactics is being sarcastic here. Very sarcastic.
He’s not defending Bob’s position. He’s not suggesting Paul was wrong. And he’s certainly not agreeing that questioning someone in spiritual authority is somehow doing Satan’s work.
Quite the opposite.
He’s taking Bob’s argument and turning it around to show just how ridiculous it is. If questioning a spiritual leader is Satan’s tactic, then what are we supposed to make of Paul confronting Peter?
See where he’s going with this?
Paul is the example. Bob’s manipulation of Scripture is the issue.
“Satan’s tactics are to get you and accuse those that are over you in the Lord to get you to lose confidence in those who are over you in spiritual authority” (Pastor Scott)
Man, o man. Paul was a usurper of apostolic authority! He accused those that were over him in the Lord! He was using Satan’s tactics! He caused the saints of Jesus Christ to lose confidence in their spiritual leaders! Oh, woe is me! How did the church survive such a divisive onslaught against the ordained authority figures?! Paul should have been struck down by God and killed! Dead as a doornail, brother!
Oh. Right. He was struck down by God. Blinded. And God did all that because?mI know, I know! To punish him, make the guy squirm for his sins! [Cruel mocking laughter…] Actually, no. It was to get his attention, ask him a question, and then proceed to heal him and ordain him to go preach the Gospel of Jesus to the world. C’mon Pastor, you have got to come up with some new and better ways to get us to not snoop around and talk to the people you don’t want us to talk to. All to find out the nasty things you have been doing and Lying about to us. Sigh and double sigh.
But God says, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed…And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews” (Galatians 2:9-11, 13-14). “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest…And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do…And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:1, 4-6, 14-15).
Now, let’s talk about what’s really going on here.
Bob’s message is pretty straightforward: Be careful about questioning those who are over you in spiritual authority. Satan wants you to accuse your leaders, lose confidence in them, and turn against them.
And who, exactly, gets to decide when questioning spiritual authority becomes a tactic of Satan?
Well, according to the message being presented here, apparently the person in that position of authority.
See the problem?
Tactics uses Paul as the example, but Paul isn’t the real subject of this post. Bob is.
The issue isn’t whether Paul was right to confront Peter. The issue is how Bob is using Scripture to make sure the people sitting under his authority think twice before questioning HIM.
And Tactics isn’t letting that slide. He’s taking Bob’s argument and showing us where it leads. If we follow that reasoning, even Paul confronting Peter becomes something we should question!
Ridiculous? Exactly. That’s the point.
And that brings us to the video.
Don’t pay any attention to the man behind the curtain!
If you’ve watched The Wizard of Oz, you know the scene. Dorothy and her friends are standing before the great and powerful Oz. There’s smoke, noise, a booming voice, and quite a production.
Then Toto pulls back the curtain.
And what do they find?
Not the all-powerful wizard they were led to believe was there. Just a man behind a curtain, working the controls and trying to keep everyone focused on the spectacle instead of the person creating it.
That is the picture that comes to mind here.
Look over there! Satan is trying to undermine spiritual authority! Don’t question your leaders! Don’t lose confidence! Don’t listen to those who might cause you to doubt!
But wait a minute. What if people are asking questions for a reason? What if they have legitimate concerns? What if there’s something they need to know?
That’s when the curtain becomes awfully important.
Because the last thing someone who wants to avoid scrutiny needs is for people to start looking behind it.
And then there’s that last paragraph…
Tactics writes:
“C’mon Pastor, you have got to come up with some new and better ways to get us to not snoop around and talk to the people you don’t want us to talk to. All to find out the nasty things you have been doing and Lying about to us. Sigh and double sigh.”
Now, read that again.
Remember, Tactics is being sarcastic. He’s not seriously asking Bob to come up with better ways to keep people quiet. He’s mocking the whole idea.
It’s essentially: Come on, Bob! Is that really the best you’ve got?
But underneath that sarcasm is a pretty serious point.
Tactics is calling attention to people being discouraged from talking to certain people, asking questions, and finding out things they might not otherwise hear.
Why would anyone need to be warned away from certain conversations?
Why would asking questions be treated as a spiritual problem before anyone even addresses what’s being asked?
And why is the focus on Satan’s supposed attack against leadership instead of the concerns people might actually have about that leadership?
You see, it’s a pretty convenient way to turn the tables. Instead of dealing with the questions, make the people asking them feel guilty for asking. Instead of addressing the concerns, suggest that the concerns themselves are evidence of rebellion or spiritual deception.
And just like that, everybody is looking in the wrong direction.
Don’t pay any attention to the man behind the curtain!
A little common sense — and a little Scripture.
Let’s be clear. The Bible does not teach that people in spiritual authority are above question or accountability.
Paul confronted Peter when Peter’s conduct was wrong. And in Acts 17:11, the Bereans were commended for examining the Scriptures to see whether what they were being taught was true.
That’s not rebellion. That’s discernment.
Spiritual authority is not a free pass to do whatever you want, say whatever you want, and expect everyone else to fall in line without asking questions.
And quoting Scripture doesn’t automatically make a message right. Scripture can be used to teach truth, but it can also be twisted and used to control people. We need to know the difference.
Eleven Years Later — November 2026.
This Tactics post was written in 2015. Eleven years ago. And here I am, bringing it back in November 2026.
Why?
Because I don’t believe the message in this post is something we should just shrug off as old history. There’s a reason I started MCTTBC in the first place. People need to understand what they’re reading, what’s being said, and sometimes, more importantly, what’s NOT being said.
And this one? It’s a pretty good example.
Read the post again. Watch the video. Then think about it.
Why is so much attention being directed toward Satan, supposed attacks against spiritual authority, and the danger of questioning leadership? Why are people being warned about talking to certain people? And why does the person in charge seem to be the one who needs protecting from questions?
Come on. At some point, you have to ask yourself what’s going on here.
I keep coming back to that scene in The Wizard of Oz. The curtain gets pulled back, and suddenly the great and powerful wizard isn’t so great and powerful after all. Dorothy sees what’s really happening, and she’s not buying the act.
That’s what I want people to do. Stop being distracted by the smoke and mirrors. Stop taking everything at face value. Pull back the curtain. Look for yourself.
And if you’re thinking about visiting Calvary Temple, do yourself a favor: DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST. Before you ever walk through those doors, take the time to look into Calvary Temple’s history. Read the accounts of former members. Check out the documentation. Don’t rely on what you see from the pulpit or what you’re told by the people there. Find out what you’re walking into BEFORE you walk into it.
I’ve put a lot of information together over the years, and it’s available right here on this blog. Start with the VIP LINKSand VIP DOCS pages. Read. Research. Check things out for yourself.
And after you’ve done that homework, I think you’ll understand why my advice is so clear:
STAY OUT OF CALVARY TEMPLE.
And if you’re already attending? I hope you’ll take a good, hard look at what you’re seeing and hearing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Talk to people. Do your homework. You are allowed to think for yourself, and you are certainly allowed to find out the truth for yourself. I sincerely hope you’ll wake up before you spend any more of your life believing that the man behind the curtain is someone he isn’t.
