Cults seem to be the scourge of the truth, an estimated 5000 cults in the United States seek to fool people into joining, worshiping to their leaders ideas, and giving them money or their whole assets. The pictures of David Koresh's Compound burning down or of suicidal hundreds in Jonestown may come to mind when the word "cult" is mentioned.
What most people don't understand is that false prophets may have been leaders or preachers in true churches, then were led astray by their own arrogance or self-pride in themselves. David Koresh and his Branch Davidians started out in a regular Adventist church. David (Moses) Berg of the Children of God started out with the Missionary Alliance Church. And Jim Jones with his "People's Temple" used to be a Bible-thumper.
This puts new meaning to what Jesus said, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." (Matt. 24:5) A person can proclaim he believes in Christ and still deceive his followers. Many Christians are being and will be deceived.
How does this happen you may ask? Well let us look at the leaders who have gone astray and what caused them to look to themselves instead of the truth:
*Special Son Mentality. All the leaders of the cults, from Joseph Smith of the Mormons to Sun Myung Moon of the Moonies, feel that they were chosen to do some special task or they know some hidden meaning of Scripture, or been told to become some cherished savior of mankind.
Now, every preacher has Scripture revealed to them in order to prepare sermons and many people hear from God in one way or another. But that is where the false prophets start straying. They do not stay accountable to Scripture nor to Gods truth which is very clear.
Eventually, these leaders believe not only that they have a corner on truth, but believe they have special privileges that are above everyone else. They can have more than one wife, various sexual encounters, complete control over finances, or can live in luxury while their followers struggle and sacrifice.
* A Spirit of Control. In every situation, though in varying degrees, these leaders will have a spirit of control over individuals or the total group. One young woman with three children who was involved in a Cult for a few months, tells of the intimidation that was felt in their small group.
"We studied two and a half hours per session, four times a week, with our Bibles and Concordances open," she reports. "Brother Alby would close his eyes and receive a Scripture reference that we would look up and it would always relate to the new doctrine we were studying." (It was never in context of Scripture, though.)
"If you had a doubt, he would read your mind and tell you what you were thinking, and then begin to rebuke and reproach you in front of the others." This would keep people from questioning what was being taught.
This spirit of control also prohibits anyone from discussing doubts on doctrine or the set of rules their particular church inflicts upon them. The most powerful of all unspoken rules in the cults is the "can't talk" rule...If you speak about the problem out loud, you are the problem. In some way you must be silenced or eliminated. Those who do speak out are most often told, 'We didn't have all these problems until you started shooting your mouth off'. Or 'Everything was fine before you started stirring things up' in order to silence them.
*Sins and Hurts in Life. The majority of these power-hungry leaders are trying to make up for sins in their own lives or for the past traumas and hurts they have experienced. When his wife was pregnant with their third child, David Berg was thrown out of the Missionary Alliance church that he had physically built, over a racial issue.
Richard Dortch, the former president of the scandalized PTL network, has written a book call Fatal Conceit to explain the causes behind Jim Bakker's and his own downfall. He says, "Often these people have unresolved issues in their own lives, but they refuse to deal with them. It's often these unresolved sins or problems, however, that drive them to be in positions of power over others...When a person living in sin or with deep hurts and insecurities arrives at a place of power, his objectivity is clouded. Instead of dealing rationally with issues that confront him, he is always on the attack. With every encounter, he is actually dealing vicariously with his own problem."
Now, let us look at the people that get swept up into cults. Most people believe it cannot happen to them. In fact, deeply spiritual people and those who want to make a difference but are not deeply rooted in the truth are some the ones most vulnerable to join a cult or a cult-like church.
*The Walking Wounded. Many times the same weaknesses present in the leaders are present in the followers: sins and hurts. Many have grown up without a father or with a perverted view of authority with their father being too busy, too hard, or too passive. Many have been hurt by the Church or by church organizations. Then they look for a "new father" or "new family" in the false church.
*Scripturally Lacking. Though usually coupled with other reasons, a person can get deceived when he doesn't know the Bible in its context. Church service alone usually will not provide this. Only by study of the Word, books about the Word, and listening to various preachers can one get the balance he needs to be aware of false doctrines.
Built within every individual is a need to be needed and a need to be loved. Cults and cult churches always bring in their disciples through strategic "love bombing". Combined with having "a cause", which is of great appeal especially to baby boomers, they not only trick them into joining, but try to keep them by coming up with rallying around the cause 'proof' of constant attacks against the cause or their leaders.
Whenever a person has a doubt about doctrine, they compromise their doubts by believing the leaders or the number their church has won, or the prophecies it twists to their desires, or to some other such "cause" proves the leaders validity or explanation of everything that happens.
Or, if the church has a real family atmosphere, the person cannot bring himself to leave since he has not maybe seen such "love" anywhere else.
Neither can we ignore the "mob mentality". It is difficult to stand up against someone (or what they say) when all your friends believe every word he says. After all, you would be "gossiping" or "disobedient to leadership" if you disobey the "can't-talk" rule. And if it works for the Jones's , who are so spiritual, it must be you that has the problem. You're just not spiritual enough to understand it all!
How can a person prevent themselves from being deceived?
From the beginning there has been a Cult Church. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus commends a church for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. (2:6) Judaisers, Gnostics, and those who desired to bring early Christians into bondage to their beliefs.
Paul warned, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Gal 5:1)
The only way that someone can do that is to first of all, study the truth in Gods word, know what they believe and why they believe it. Each person needs to not just swallow what the preacher dishes out, but needs to go home and study and research, and check ideas and doctrines against historical doctrines and 'traditions' of the Church as well as present-day preachers.
And, as described above, if you meet a group or church with a charismatic leader, an exclusive attitude, and "new revelations" that doesnt follow Gods truth, they should put their brakes on and seek the truth directly from the Bible and perhaps check a church that bases its belief from Gods word, not a flamboyant or charasmatic leader who says no need to check in the Bible as he has all the answers which means it is mans word.
What most people don't understand is that false prophets may have been leaders or preachers in true churches, then were led astray by their own arrogance or self-pride in themselves. David Koresh and his Branch Davidians started out in a regular Adventist church. David (Moses) Berg of the Children of God started out with the Missionary Alliance Church. And Jim Jones with his "People's Temple" used to be a Bible-thumper.
This puts new meaning to what Jesus said, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." (Matt. 24:5) A person can proclaim he believes in Christ and still deceive his followers. Many Christians are being and will be deceived.
How does this happen you may ask? Well let us look at the leaders who have gone astray and what caused them to look to themselves instead of the truth:
*Special Son Mentality. All the leaders of the cults, from Joseph Smith of the Mormons to Sun Myung Moon of the Moonies, feel that they were chosen to do some special task or they know some hidden meaning of Scripture, or been told to become some cherished savior of mankind.
Now, every preacher has Scripture revealed to them in order to prepare sermons and many people hear from God in one way or another. But that is where the false prophets start straying. They do not stay accountable to Scripture nor to Gods truth which is very clear.
Eventually, these leaders believe not only that they have a corner on truth, but believe they have special privileges that are above everyone else. They can have more than one wife, various sexual encounters, complete control over finances, or can live in luxury while their followers struggle and sacrifice.
* A Spirit of Control. In every situation, though in varying degrees, these leaders will have a spirit of control over individuals or the total group. One young woman with three children who was involved in a Cult for a few months, tells of the intimidation that was felt in their small group.
"We studied two and a half hours per session, four times a week, with our Bibles and Concordances open," she reports. "Brother Alby would close his eyes and receive a Scripture reference that we would look up and it would always relate to the new doctrine we were studying." (It was never in context of Scripture, though.)
"If you had a doubt, he would read your mind and tell you what you were thinking, and then begin to rebuke and reproach you in front of the others." This would keep people from questioning what was being taught.
This spirit of control also prohibits anyone from discussing doubts on doctrine or the set of rules their particular church inflicts upon them. The most powerful of all unspoken rules in the cults is the "can't talk" rule...If you speak about the problem out loud, you are the problem. In some way you must be silenced or eliminated. Those who do speak out are most often told, 'We didn't have all these problems until you started shooting your mouth off'. Or 'Everything was fine before you started stirring things up' in order to silence them.
*Sins and Hurts in Life. The majority of these power-hungry leaders are trying to make up for sins in their own lives or for the past traumas and hurts they have experienced. When his wife was pregnant with their third child, David Berg was thrown out of the Missionary Alliance church that he had physically built, over a racial issue.
Richard Dortch, the former president of the scandalized PTL network, has written a book call Fatal Conceit to explain the causes behind Jim Bakker's and his own downfall. He says, "Often these people have unresolved issues in their own lives, but they refuse to deal with them. It's often these unresolved sins or problems, however, that drive them to be in positions of power over others...When a person living in sin or with deep hurts and insecurities arrives at a place of power, his objectivity is clouded. Instead of dealing rationally with issues that confront him, he is always on the attack. With every encounter, he is actually dealing vicariously with his own problem."
Now, let us look at the people that get swept up into cults. Most people believe it cannot happen to them. In fact, deeply spiritual people and those who want to make a difference but are not deeply rooted in the truth are some the ones most vulnerable to join a cult or a cult-like church.
*The Walking Wounded. Many times the same weaknesses present in the leaders are present in the followers: sins and hurts. Many have grown up without a father or with a perverted view of authority with their father being too busy, too hard, or too passive. Many have been hurt by the Church or by church organizations. Then they look for a "new father" or "new family" in the false church.
*Scripturally Lacking. Though usually coupled with other reasons, a person can get deceived when he doesn't know the Bible in its context. Church service alone usually will not provide this. Only by study of the Word, books about the Word, and listening to various preachers can one get the balance he needs to be aware of false doctrines.
Built within every individual is a need to be needed and a need to be loved. Cults and cult churches always bring in their disciples through strategic "love bombing". Combined with having "a cause", which is of great appeal especially to baby boomers, they not only trick them into joining, but try to keep them by coming up with rallying around the cause 'proof' of constant attacks against the cause or their leaders.
Whenever a person has a doubt about doctrine, they compromise their doubts by believing the leaders or the number their church has won, or the prophecies it twists to their desires, or to some other such "cause" proves the leaders validity or explanation of everything that happens.
Or, if the church has a real family atmosphere, the person cannot bring himself to leave since he has not maybe seen such "love" anywhere else.
Neither can we ignore the "mob mentality". It is difficult to stand up against someone (or what they say) when all your friends believe every word he says. After all, you would be "gossiping" or "disobedient to leadership" if you disobey the "can't-talk" rule. And if it works for the Jones's , who are so spiritual, it must be you that has the problem. You're just not spiritual enough to understand it all!
How can a person prevent themselves from being deceived?
From the beginning there has been a Cult Church. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus commends a church for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. (2:6) Judaisers, Gnostics, and those who desired to bring early Christians into bondage to their beliefs.
Paul warned, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Gal 5:1)
The only way that someone can do that is to first of all, study the truth in Gods word, know what they believe and why they believe it. Each person needs to not just swallow what the preacher dishes out, but needs to go home and study and research, and check ideas and doctrines against historical doctrines and 'traditions' of the Church as well as present-day preachers.
And, as described above, if you meet a group or church with a charismatic leader, an exclusive attitude, and "new revelations" that doesnt follow Gods truth, they should put their brakes on and seek the truth directly from the Bible and perhaps check a church that bases its belief from Gods word, not a flamboyant or charasmatic leader who says no need to check in the Bible as he has all the answers which means it is mans word.
