How To Protect Your Loved Ones!

It is surely the case that we are today seeing a spawning of satanic cults in a measure almost beyond comprehension and new cults are beginning with every week that passes. Clever individuals with a smattering of religious knowledge are emboldened by their own pride and motivated by Satan to press for their own piece of influence into today's religious scene. In the face of all of this, concerned people are asking as never before what they can do to protect themselves and their loved ones from these terrible subversive religious influences.

1. Understand Christian doctrine. The chief single reason for the success of the cults is the spiritual naivete on the part of many. Too many Christians are content with a superficial knowledge of the Word of God and think of themselves as thereby being spiritually intelligent. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

The Christian must understand the Bible from a doctrinal point of view. We live in a time when doctrine has been played down in favour of Christian experience. This is the most foolish course imaginable because experience has little or nothing to do with Christian truth. Our experiences are merely human. They are the responses of our nervous system to spiritual truth or error that impinges on our minds and hearts.

The evangelical leader who says, "We do not need more doctrine, but more experience" should rethink his statement. He is playing into the hands of the cultic wolves who prowl on the edges of the flock. The simple lambs who pursue additional feelings may get their titillation from the big, bad, but friendly wolf.

2. Separation from spiritual subversion. The Apostle Paul carefully warned the Ephesians, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11).

An inquiry into the nuances of false doctrine is an endless pursuit indeed. Few people have the time or the available energy to know all that can be known about the myriad of false religious philosophies of our time. It is not true that we cannot speak critically of false doctrine unless we have read everything that the leadership of these cults has to say. One only has to eat a good steak to realize that the contents of a thousand garbage cans are simply beneath his standards.

There are foolish Christians who are too inquisitive. The statement that says, "You cannot know what it is until you have tried it" is a satanic doctrine, and it is the very one that he used to subvert Eve and bring the terrible cancer of sin into all of the world.

3. Refuse profane points of view. These are the very words with which Paul advised Timothy, "Refuse profane and old wives' fables" (1 Timothy 4:7). The Apostle Paul was aware that the world would be filled with spiritual exhibitionists and religious lunatics who would tie up the time and energy of anyone willing to listen to them, doing this for hours and even days.

We live in a time in which stories come to us about pictures of Christ in the clouds, resurrections in remote jungle areas, preachers in some obscure town with a new and unheard of doctrine -- the stories are endless.

Christians are enjoined not to give themselves to these things but rather to follow the good advice also extended to Timothy, "Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:13). Further, we are called upon to "meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all" (1 Timothy 4:15).

It is clear then that the Christian must not float through life on the wave of some existential euphoria. Rather the Scripture commands again and again that he must be careful, take heed, watch, remember. He is called upon to be very sober because his satanic adversary continues to go about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

4. Do not encourage cultic practitioners. The Christian is supposed to be loving in his attitude towards people, but he must also face the hard truth that many deceivers have come into the world who do not believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are in fact enemies of the Lord. They are antichrist. Concerning these he is admonished to be very careful and not to risk his spiritual stability by allowing himself to be deceived.

The Apostle John wrote: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; for he that biddeth him God speed is partaking of his evil deeds." (2 John 9 - 11). This is the hard but the necessary course of action for one who would protect himself and his family from spiritual danger.

5. Be willing to contend for the faith. Scripture calls upon us to earnestly contend for the faith, which means of course to be willing to defend the truth of the Gospel in the face of satanic adversaries. (Jude 3). We have illustrations in Scripture that this sometimes means coming to a point of contention with family, friends and associates. The Apostle Paul was surely a beloved friend of the Apostle Peter, but he said, "When Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed" (Galatians 2:11). In this case Peter was guilty of doctrinal error and was thereby cooperating with the Judaizers who were subverting the people of Galatia into heresy.

Indeed Jesus Christ Himself had on one occasion to turn to His beloved friend, also the Apostle Peter, and say, "Get thee behind Me, Satan" (Matthew 16:23). The true servant of Jesus Christ must be careful that his friendship with Jesus Christ is the association that is absolute. By comparison to this, all human associations are relative.

The first principle of the universe is truth and this must be defended even at the cost of our lives. Surely the Apostle Paul was serious when he named us all as soldiers of the cross and gave us a detailed list of the amour that we should wear in order to function properly as contenders for the faith. (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Our spiritual sentiments, and this is the most sentimental age in the history of the Church, would lead us many times to feel that contention for the faith of the Gospel is somehow unspiritual or undignified. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The analogy of the Christian being a soldier of the cross in a world that is described as a battleground, is repeated many times in Holy Scripture.

The essential struggle is the struggle between truth and untruth

(from Know the Marks of Cults - the 12 basic errors of false religions by Dave Breese)

Why, Why, Why?

The Christian church was first introduced to Word Faith teachings through Kenneth E. Hagin, also known as "Dad" Hagin by those who admire him. He got his doctrines from E.W. Kenyon, an individual who was greatly influenced by the metaphysical mind science cults such as Christian Science, Unity School of Christianity, and Church of Religious Science. Kenyon's interest in the metaphysical cults was intense. In fact, "his knowledge of the origins and teachings of these groups was extensive." This is sometimes called the "Kenyon Connection".

Hagin often refers to Kenyon as a great teacher, but what many Word Faith followers do not know is that "Dad" actually plagiarized much of what Kenyon wrote. In other words, to take someone else's material and publish it as one's own, either in whole or substantial part, Hagin copied what Kenyon wrote without giving him proper credit. It is nearly impossible to find one instance where Hagin credits Kenyon for material copied (often verbatim, or word-for-word). This certainly challenges Hagin's integrity and status as a trustworthy man of God.

God's people always have been, and always will be, plagued by false teachers and false prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13; Galations 2:4; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Jesus Himself said, "Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves(Matthew 7:14).

Paul the Apostle, during his farewell address to the Ephesian church warned of two kinds of "wolves" in sheep's clothing: those who attack the church from the outside; and those who poison it from the inside. "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in amongst you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:28-30).

Although the Word Faith movement is devouring many with false doctrines those still faithful to the pure Gospel need not fear nor be discouraged (2 Peter 2:1-3). (from Walter Martin)

The deception in some of these churches may be so cleverly disguised that you don't even know you are attending one because the sign over the door doesn't say Word Faith movement. I know for a fact that Victory Churches International will deny being part of the Word Faith movement but their teachings are identical. It's just a variation on a theme with the emphasis slightly shifted to a belief in the existence of modern day apostles which has no basis in Scripture.

There are a few different ways to know for sure if you are currently attending a Word Faith movement church. If your teachers claim that any of the following are authorities or sources of information, they are probably promoting "Faith Movement doctrine": Kenneth/Gloria Copeland, Kenneth E. Hagin, Oral/Richard Roberts, Benny Hinn, John Avanzini, Essek William Kenyon, Frederick K.C. Price, Robert Tilton, Marilyn Hickey, Paul Yonggi Cho (David Cho), Charles Capps, Jerry Savelle, Morris Cerullo, Paul Crouch -- unfortunately, there are a host of others too numerous to mention.

If your group admires or promotes in a positive light the teachings of the Faith Movement or any kind of "prosperity doctrine," you will find the following books helpful: Christianity in Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff, (Harvest House); Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraaff (Word Publishing); A Different Gospel by D. R. McConnell (Hendrickson). (from Mary Alice Chrnalogar)

What should I do now? If you are convinced that you have been unknowingly attending a Word Faith movement church, you need to get rid of some things that you may have in your house that you have purchased through your church or through the Word Faith organizations, You need to dispose of any materials, books, tapes or CDs which originate from Rhema Bible Training Center at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA as well as any materials received from Canada Christian College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These are the two main sources of the Word Faith teaching in North America.

Another trademark of the Word Faith movement is the "health and wealth" gospel. If your church is teaching this, you can be sure that you are in a Word Faith movement church. You need to leave forthwith!!