False Teachings proved false part 3

Perhaps the most crucial of the lifestyles promoted by cults is trying to get everyone to act the same. They believe that nobody must be able to stand out. I believe that God gave each of us different personality traits so that each of us can relate to different types of people. There are undoubtedly hundreds of people who will read this message, but I can guarantee that each of you can reach many of the people that I can't. On the flip side, there are certain people God has given me to reach that you can't. The common goal is to win as many souls to Christ as possible. The more people we inspire to follow and have a personal active relationship with Jesus Christ, the less people will spend eternity in Hell.

If nobody must be able to stand out, there's going to be alot of people who go by the wayside and choose to reject Christ. GOD DID NOT CREATE US TO BE ROBOTS. HE WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH US, NOT DUTIFUL OBEDIENCE. There are common teachings that all the cults teach which shows duty over relationship.

1. God is impersonal.

Within all the cults that were included in "The Mind Benders" by Jack Sparks, (Transcendental Meditation, Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna, Unification Church, The Way International, Children of God, People's Temple Christian Church) a common belief is the belief in an impersonal God. One thing with serving an impersonal God is "If he doesn't care about us, we will try to accomplish salvation on our own. Every belief of the cults is centered around trying to fulfill the law.

Within Christianity, we're taught: "Cast our cares upon the Lord, for he cares for us. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:7-8) This IS NOT AN IMPERSONAL GOD.

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

This verse is the shortest and perhaps most powerful verse in the Bible for the simple fact that Jesus as God cares about every situation, good and bad, that we go through. He laughs when we laughs. He cries when we cry. When we suffer heartbreak, he hurts more than we could over the whole situation. There are many other verses which show that God cares about every aspect of our lives and wants to help us through every area. He wants to make our strengths stronger and our weaknesses no longer a weakness. And many religions out there want to tell me we're to not stand out, not show compassion towards others and because their god is impersonal? I don't know what they're worshipping, but it's not God! They worship they know not what. Our God cares about every aspect of our lives.

2. Superior characteristics.

The superior characteristics in cults are intelligence, power, energy, creativity, and bliss. The superior characteristics of Christianity are faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Jehovah's Witnesses core scripture is John 17:3. "And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Their interpretation of this scripture is the more you know the truth, the better chance you have of earning eternal life. It's great to have knowledge, but the problem with knowledge is "Knowledge puffs, up, but love edifies." The more that a person thinks they know about scripture, the less they are willing to hear what others have to say about it. The Bible is so much deeper than any of us will ever be able to comprehend, so nobody knows all there is to know about any set scripture.

With all these key characteristics that cults stress, they promote power. WHEN POWER EXCEEDS LOVE, YOU WILL BE CORRUPTED BY THAT POWER. You can tell those who are involved in cults because of the simple fact that they are not uplifting people. Being around them, many times you wish you were somewhere else because they are constantly tearing others down. When a person notices a flaw in a person, they can point it out in an edifying way. It's a tough thing to practice, but the effort is worth it. The problem is cults believe they aren't the problem, it's the others who need to change.

3. Cults view on sin.

Cults believe you can't escape sin. None of the cults live like they believe in the power of Jesus Christ. It was mentioned in the last study that cults believe Jesus was divine, BUT NOT DEITY. Going along with this view, our sin couldn't have been forgiven, so there's no way to escape sin. THIS BELIEF WOULD STINK! Thank God it's false!

Christianity does believe in the DEITY OF JESUS. The power of God came upon Jesus in such a way that our sins were forgiven at the cross and if we confess our sins TO HIM, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OF OUR SINS, AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. (1 John 1:9) Also, he casts our sins as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12) So we don't have to see the same personality traits that are not pleasing to God rising up in us again.

4. Work for salvation.

All cults believe that a person can work for their salvation. Whether it's obtaining knowledge, meditation (All cults have some sort of chant or superficial response), or having to follow a strict schedule with little sleep, they show they believe a person can work their way to heaven.

The Eastern Cults (Transcendental Meditation, Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna, and Buddhism) involve some form of meditation. Some of the more popular self defense classes teach this. I've known Karate, Tai Chi, and Yoga to teach meditation. The problem is meditation on anything outside of The Bible WILL FAIL.

This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

The Bible alone is the roadmap to a successful life. When we meditate on God's word and how to apply it to our lives, the peace of God overflows in our lives and the most stressful situations are less stressful. God's word also shows us that there's no way that we can earn our salvation.

Consider this for a minute. What if a person could work for their salvation? How would a person know when they've prayed enough? Speak in tongues enough? Know enough? Told enough people about Christ? The answer is YOU DON'T KNOW. So a person can go to their grave not knowing whether they've done enough to spend eternity with Christ. This lifestyle only leads to more bondage.

Through God's grace, we're told to do things out of the right heart. GOD CARES MORE ABOUT BUILDING A STRONG CHRISTIAN CHARACTER THAN TOUCHABLE RESULTS. Even if God uses you to win a million souls to Christ, you're responsible to make sure each one has a person they can turn to for answers to life's tough questions. We're called to disciple each convert that we have. If your heart is out of a genuine love for the body of Christ and for God and not out of self-righteousness, you will be much more effective at what you do.

5. What happens when a person is ready for salvation?

In cults, the leader of the cult determines whether a person is ready for salvation. If they don't think you're ready, you don't get saved. This is a problem for the simple reason that if a person wants to turn their heart to Christ and the leader doesn't think they're ready, they can die in their sins. The problem with these that have this happen is many don't want to have anything further to do with God. IT'S NOBODY'S PLACE TO STEP IN AND JUDGE WHETHER SOMEONE IS READY TO TURN TO CHRIST. WE'RE NOT THE PERSON'S HOLY SPIRIT.

It's the Holy Spirit that draws each person to want to give our heart to Christ. When they do want to make the decision, it's our job to make sure it gets done. It's important to let the new convert know that Christianity is not easy, but the sacrifice is worth it. Problems don't just disappear because you make a decision for Christ. The main difference is you have a person in Christ who knows how to overcome those struggles living within you to help you with those tough struggles. Before you were relying on yourself.

In cults, a person who gets saved in many occasions is required to forsake parents and home. Remember the belief "No matter how genuine your past church or family members may be, they're wrong?" They teach to get away from those who are wrong. There are so many ways this is dangerous.

Honoring your parents

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour your father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

As children, we all have moms and dads who are set by God as the heads of the family body. If we forsake our family, we are in error. If our family members haven't given their hearts to follow Christ, it is our jobs to give them the truth and continue to pray for them. If we need to break ties with them for a time because they refuse to believe, that's fine. It's not OK to break all ties completely.

Our family is the most supportive unit we have. No matter how badly we mess up, we can always lean on them for support. When we break ties with them, we don't have that security blanket to turn to.

There's another thing to consider. Most cults are anti-authority. It's good to have authority because you have a person to answer to. Christianity is a body in which we are surrendered to the headship of Jesus Christ. Having someone over you gives you someone to answer to. When we're under the authority of Christ, we're united. For us to surrender to the headship of Christ, we cannot forsake the family unit. If we forsake the family unit, who's to say we won't forsake the church, our spouses, or our family later on. If we can't submit to the authority of our parents, we're NOT GOING TO SUBMIT TO GOD'S AUTHORITY. THAT'S BAD NEWS!

Conclusion

I was planning on including all the material that the cults believe on this one and showing where it was false in a practical and Biblical standpoint, but the Holy Spirit is having me end here since there's alot to chew on (even for me) in this portion. Stay tuned for part 4. God bless and have a great weekend.

Kasey