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You May Be Part Of A Cult

Do you want to come to my church?

This is often an earnest question that you have probably been asked at some stage, or if you are so bold, have asked someone you know. Now, the answer to the question should be simple and binary; yes or no. However, the truth – and the depressing truth at that- is that in the current ‘church climate’, the answer to this question really must now depend on whether you are receiving a genuine invitation to a church, or the many bodies that call themselves churches. In truth, the person extending you the invite could be inviting you to a movement, a group of believers, a weird personality cult or even a company.

The sad truth is that it is becoming increasingly hard to decipher what ‘church’ is. Those that know and study the Word of Truth increasingly feel like Elijah in the bible. To Elijah, it appeared that he was alone in preaching the whole counsel of God. Today it is the same; most churches do not preach all that is found in the Word of God. So then we are often ill-equipped in making these decisions. With church increasingly social, and with peoples’ life so deeply interwoven into the tapestry that is the church, it is hard to separate yourself from a church that you are not at peace with, and one that does not match the biblical portrait that God paints – even if you know what it is. This article may help, however, it is the spirit of God that will guide us in all truth (John 16:13)

There are many places to start, but perhaps it might be helpful to get some things out of the way. These are things I hear frequently and which, although felt sincerely, are sincerely wrong.

1) My Church is Legitimate Because: We have done/achieved lots of good things.

What follows this is a list of accomplishments that people may attribute to the church. They may say: we have brought people off the streets; we have removed people from gangs; we have helped people go through rehabilitation; we have built orphanages and helped families. People who read this list as necessarily legitimising the validity of a church are wrong. Now it is true that God accomplishes much of his work through people, however, taking note of that order is important. God uses people. It is God that that did these things, not the people. Just like the moon reflects the light of the sun and generates no light on its own accord, it is in the same way that God uses ‘believers’ and ‘non-believes’ to accomplish His purposes.

Here is what is important. If God will use a donkey or birds (1 Kings 17, John:12-14), then He can use anyone and anything. It is God’s commitment to saving souls that saves souls, and not our intellect and wise planning. It is God that controls every single part of salvation (Ephesians 2:8, John 12:32, Revelations 7:10). It is his doing that people make it through rehabilitation, his doing that people are brought out of gangs. This means God’s use of a body does not legitimise their position as a church. Although these acts may be a helpful indication, nevertheless, a church must be judged by how closely it adheres to the biblical portrait of church and leadership that God paints, and the fruits said believers who go to the church display (1 Corinthians 12:13), Galatians 1:1-2: Ephesians 1:22-23, Acts 2:42-47, Matthew 7:15-20). This is important because what people often do is think that, so long as ‘good’ things are happening there, it must be a church in which God is working. We are not to trust our sight, but instead, the blueprints as laid bare in the Bible for every believer to judge for his/herself.

Churches don’t change lives. God changes lives THROUGH churches. It may seem pedantic, but confusion about this order leads to churches that breed confusion.

2) My Church is Legitimate Because: We have a Global Presence and a ‘powerful’ leader.

This is something that is often said. With the mixing of churches and business, some churches have adopted a certain franchising mentality to church growth. This also leads to members confusing the body of Christ (which is the global body of true believers) to their particular local church or in many cases, their international, mega, super, world domination movement. It makes them scared to visit other churches, talk to members of other churches, or in some cases become friends with people that don’t worship at their church or submit to their Bishop.

In this vein, churches seek legitimacy not in how closely they adhere to the Bible portrait of church painted by God, but instead, to their growing number of members and the perceived power of their Bishop.

Over many years, pastors have erroneously equated congregational growth with church growth. The former is simply an increase in the population of the weekly assembly, whereas the latter is evangelism of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who otherwise would have been lost – and maturity and growth in the relationship with God through Christ. These churches seek legitimacy, advancing the argument that, a following with so many committed members worldwide cannot be corrupt, right? I mean if so many people say it, it must be true right?

These modern-day preachers have blurred the meaning of church by radically pursuing the building of stadium-like “worship facilities” and “anointing sons and daughters” to extend their “apostolic influence” – all as monuments to their greatness. As I’ve said in the past, often times megachurch pastors end up “trading members” as opposed to growing the church with new souls. What God calls church is clearly laid out in (Acts 2:42).

Jesus declared that He would build a Church that Hell could not conquer (Matthew 16:18). He didn’t say He’d build a building – He spoke of a living Body. Still, no man can glory that he is the “sheep herder-in-chief” for a region – only God is responsible for the growth of His Body (1 Corinthians 3:7-8).

Just because your pastor boasts that “we are 1 church in 32 locations”, or he has a network of “sons and daughters” who have “submitted under his covering”, does not mean that he is a church planter. In fact, often he is nothing more than a franchiser. Think about it: McDonald’s sells franchises by charging a fee for a franchiser to rightfully represent themselves as an official representative of the franchise. That was a mouthful.

The result of this kind of argument is that genuine believers get lost in the superstructure that is their international movement. They begin to equate the department they are in, to Christian service. Worrying about the choir, ‘will pastor like this song?’, working out how close they are to the next rung of leadership whilst missing the whole point of fellowship. It is hard to recognise this because as described, it is often a superstructure and many can become lost in it.

So what is a church?

The word ‘church’ as rendered in the New Testament, comes from the Greek term ekklesia which is formed from two Greek words meaning “an assembly” and “to call out” or “called out ones.” This means the New Testament church is a body of believers who have been called out from the world by God, to live as His people under the authority of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22–23).

This group of believers, or “the body of Christ”, began in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost through the work of the Holy Spirit, and will continue to be formed until the day of the rapture of the church.

What is the purpose of a church?

The purpose of the church is two-fold. The church comes together (assembles) for the purpose of bringing each member to spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:13).

The church reaches out (scatters) to spread the love of Christ and the gospel message to unbelievers in the world (Matthew 28:18-20). This is the Great Commission; to go out into the world and make disciples. So, the purpose of the church is to minister to believers and unbelievers.

The church, both in the universal and local sense, is important because it is the primary vehicle through which God carries out His purposes on earth. The church is the body of Christ—His heart, His mouth, His hands, and feet—reaching out to the world: (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Thinking about leaving a cult or a church that is not right for you? Here are some helpful links:

How to leave a church well:

https://careynieuwhof.com/5-ways-for-a-church-member-to-leave-a-church-well/
https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/ask-roger/how-do-i-know-when-it-s-time-to-leave-a-church.html

How to tell your pastor you are leaving a church:

http://forwardleadership.org/article/how-to-tell-your-pastor-youre-leaving-the-church#sthash.333JSQZn.kX6y3Kdd.dpbs

Conclusion.

It is important to note that, though no church is perfect, some churches are simply not churches. We are all ultimately imperfect people trying to do perfect work, and so we will always get things wrong. We must cut our leadership base. This being said, there is a large difference between a church that is growing and maturing, and structures built on dubious foundations. It is by applying the Word as guided by the Spirit that we have any hope. It should be noted that the Devil’s primary ploy in our age is deception; presenting the appearance of Godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5).

One step forward, two steps back

How many times have you seen a friend doing something wrong and neglected to intervene because of your fear of being called a hypocrite? ‘You’re not perfect, who are you to tell me what to do?’ Well, you’re not alone. It’s happened to all of us. But what I’ve learned the real problem is, is not that we repeat our mistakes, but that we live in a world conditioned to believe that we already have to have overcome before we are qualified to speak, and that’s far from our truth.

Your Story, His Glory

Jane Austen. Roald Dahl. Maya Angelou. There are numerous things that distinguish these three people. They were from different time periods, were of different races and probably had different experiences of life. Yet, what they will all be remembered for is the fact that they were exceptional storytellers. And though they have all passed away, their stories live on in the hearts of the many people who read their work. But do you realise that it’s not only their stories that live on, but their years of insight and wisdom, and their personalities too.

Now, think of your life as a story and God as the author. Have you considered how God is made known through it? Just as any author is made known through their stories, the God of the universe has chosen to make Himself known through you!

Knowing the connection between your individual story and its ability to reflect God’s identity, it’s hard to imagine that He wouldn’t care about its every detail, after all, He’s the author. It’s something that one may hear frequently as a believer, but too often it’s a truth we neglect. At the time of writing, I myself had gone through a prolonged phase where I had neglected my story, thinking to myself that God’s sole interest in me was for the help of others, and it highlighted a broken aspect of my theology that I hadn’t noticed.

I had come to think that God only cared about me in so far as He needed me for His mysterious purposes. You might say there’s nothing wrong with this at first glance, but on closer inspection you’ll begin to find that this paints a picture of God as more of a boss than a father. However, the bible gives us many examples demonstrating that qualities of a good father are not inherent for being a worldly boss. For example, being a loving teacher (Ephesians 6:4), a positive example (1 Corinthians 11:1), doning wisdom and providing protection (1 Corinthians 15:33) to name a few.

Unlike a father, a boss’ sole concern is achieving a certain target rather than the tool (person) being used to reach it. From this perspective, God becomes a results driven being with you as the “underpaid” worker, who might get a bit of time off before being used to recruit other people. This would also mean that the lives of the people affected were also of minimal concern to God, as they too are just part of a plan of mass recruitment. Everything would be inherently impersonal.

However, I now realise that though God does desire to use me for His purposes, He wants me to do it from a place of sonship. Service without sonship breeds a slave like mentality. God does indeed want workers as “the harvest is plentiful”, but, He is very much concerned about the joy that is birthed in you once you faithfully participate in His plans, His will – in Him.

But, reality check … you aren’t the main character in God’s story.

A lot of the time, we’ve been sold teaching that confuses God’s love for us as making us the ultimate centre of God’s universe. We’re told that God is for us and that He works the world to revolve around us. So when things don’t go our way we are left confused. “Isn’t God for me, so why isn’t this working out the way I want it to?” The truth is you are not the main character of the story. Jesus is. These are just some scriptures which should help you to see this:

  • “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8: 29)
  • “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28)
  • “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36)

In reality this truth should free us, since the majority of the angst that we experience is because of how WE feel things should be in relation to our wants and needs. And this at its core is a very self-centred viewpoint. But now, Knowing that God does everything for His glory with His fatherly love for us in mind, it places our issues and circumstances in context. Your story – the good, the bad and the ugly – is for His glory.

What is God’s glory? It’s incomprehensible to the human mind, since as small finite beings made from dust, we can never fully grasp the attributes that make God, God. So my simple definition is that the glory of God is the “Godness of God”. Therefore, your story is testifying to a specific characteristic or attribute of God. Your story does matter.

What I hope this article does is cause you to appreciate your story more and be intentional in seeing God as the author of your faith. The situations, circumstances and suffering you may find yourself in now or in the future may not be pleasant, but by remembering that God is the author of your faith, you can begin to see that God is working things for His glory and your joy. Some parts of the story are almost a collaborative effort, where as we draw closer to His heart we begin to act in accordance with His will. Other parts of our story is simply about placing our faith in His sovereignty when we can’t understand what’s happening. Knowing that God is still for you (Romans 8: 31) gives us confidence that He who began a good work (or a good story) will surely take it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

I find this Jackie Hill Perry quote an apt place to draw to a close: “We get confused when suffering comes when we think God is more committed to our comfort than He is to our sanctification”. God is so good in that He makes us look more and more like the main character of His story each day.

In reflection, I would like to leave you with these three encouragements

  1. Get to know the Author. Characters in fictional storylines don’t have this opportunity. The author is complete unbeknownst to them, they just move as the author has them move. We, however, do know the author and have access to Him. In His story, and in history, we have seen God make his dwelling amongst men (John 1:14). God lives in us through the Holy Spirit, by faith and so in the same faith we can ask Him to show and lead us to where we are placed in His story.
  2. Share your testimony. Your story needs to be heard! A good example of this is the woman at the well in John 4. No matter how far you are in your journey with Christ, no matter how “dramatic” or “ordinary” your story may seem someone can always be blessed and God will always be glorified.
  3. Appreciate your story. This could get a whole article in itself, but I’ll touch on it briefly here. Your story is not worth comparing to someone else’s. Your story is precious to God and He died specifically to have a relationship with you. Whilst you might be on chapter 3, person X could be on chapter 7 and they may have had to endure certain things in previous chapters. Rest in the knowledge that everything God is allowing in your life as a believer is maturing you into the image and likeness of His Son. That’s the only person worth comparing yourself to.

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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

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We want to follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus in communicating the very real truths about Heaven and Hell.
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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales. The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilizing others to do the same

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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilising others to do the same

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We cannot carry out the mission without you! We are called OUR God given Mission because the mission is too great for us to do alone! Keep up to date with articles, videos, podcasts and other online content that is sure to keep you on your toes.

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__
Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilising others to do the same

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We cannot carry out the mission without you! We are called OUR God given Mission because the mission is too great for us to do alone! Keep up to date with articles, videos, podcasts and other online content that is sure to keep you on your toes.

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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilising others to do the same

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We cannot carry out the mission without you! We are called OUR God given Mission because the mission is too great for us to do alone! Keep up to date with articles, videos, podcasts and other online content that is sure to keep you on your toes.

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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilising others to do the same

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We cannot carry out the mission without you! We are called OUR God given Mission because the mission is too great for us to do alone! Keep up to date with articles, videos, podcasts and other online content that is sure to keep you on your toes.

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In this episode, we tackle a deep and pressing question in the touch. What does the bible actually say about slavery and how does God encourage we deal with this controversial question

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Our God Given Mission (OGGM) is a registered charity in England and Wales.The charity is built on the biblical instruction of going out into all the world and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen.

Gospel simply means [ GOOD NEWS ]. The good news of Jesus’ coming to the earth to rekindle our relationship with GOD! The gospel is the greatest news anyone will ever hear, so at OGGM we are dedicated to spreading this news! We are also dedicated to mobilising others to do the same

***

We cannot carry out the mission without you! We are called OUR God Given Mission because the mission is too great for us to do alone! Keep up to date with articles, videos, podcasts and other online content that is sure to keep you on your toes.