Word of Life Korea SYME Discipleship Topics



Week 24: CULTS

What is a Cult?

2 Corinthians 11:4
OTHER DISCIPLESHIP TOPICS

01. Assurance of Salvation
02. Quiet Time
03. Prayer
04. The Church
05. Temptation
06. Evangelism
07. Scripture Memory
08. Godliness/Christlikeness
09. Old Testament Survey
10. Bible Study
11. Follow Up
12. The Tongue
13. Theology 1
14. Money
15. Christian Family
16. World Missions
17. Personal Testimony
18. Will of God
19. Self Image
20. Christian Growth
21. Spiritual Gifts
22. Theology 2
23. Baptism & Lord's Supper
24. Cults
      What is a Cult?
      Witnessing to the Mormons
      Witnessing to the J.W.s
      When Cults Come Knocking
25. New Testament Survey
26. Lordship of Christ
27. Forgiveness
28. Theology 3
29. Spiritual Warfare
30. Servanthood
31. Discipleship
32. Faithfulness

OTHER BIBLE MESSAGES
Have you ever played the game, "Follow the Leader" when you were small? Whatever the leader did, you did. Another game like it is "Simon Says." "Simon says do such and such."

Are we to do everything a pastor or church tells us to do? Romans 14:12 says that "each of us will give account of himself to God." God says, "I gave you My Word. I gave you My law!" "I gave you the good news of the gospel" You are responsible!

Have you heard about a man by the name of Jim Jones? He was born in Indiana in 1931. In 1952 he became the pastor of the Somerset Methodist Church in Indianapolis, IN. He encouraged people of all races and colors to join his church. Some of the white people didn't like this. He left this church and studied how to become a faith healer. In 1956 he started the People's Temple Full Gospel Church.

In 1967 he started two more churches in California. He had a church of 20,000 members. He said that he had raised 43 people from the dead. He called himself Jesus Christ and told his followers to give all of their money to him. Many did that. In 1975 he was named one of 100 most outstanding pastors. In 1977 he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian of the Year award.

In 1973 his group started a church in South America in the country of Guyana. In 1977 he himself moved to Guyana and one month later 1000 of his followers moved there too. But little by little things got bad. People were not allowed to talk with anyone outside of their group. Men with guns guarded their place. The leaders took away the passports of all the people so they could not escape.

In 1978 when a congressman came to investigate this group, 16 cult members decided they wanted to leave. Jim Jones got very upset. His leaders took guns and killed the congressman and four others as they tried to get on the airplane. Jim Jones and his people were afraid and together decided to kill themselves. They put poison into a drink and 638 adults and 276 children all drank it and died. Parents gave the poison to their children. And 914 people died.

How could they do something like that? They followed a man, a church more than God and His word. Why did people follow Jim Jones? One day Jim Jones held up a Bible and said, "You don't need to read the Word of God for yourself, God has appointed me to explain it to you!" He said that he had the mind of Christ!

What is a cult? Some Christian churches or denominations think that almost any group other than their own is a cult. The term cult comes from the Latin cultus, meaning "worship." Originally, it simply meant another system of worship. The Jews think Christianity is a cult because it came from them but is different from them. What is a cult? In Christianity a cult is any group that says they are Christian but teaches a different major doctrine. How do you know what is a cult? (1) A cult adds to the word of God. (2) A cult subtracts from the person of Christ. (3) A cult multiplies salvation's requirements and (4) A cult divides the loyalty of it's followers.

1. ADD TO THE WORD OF GOD
Christians believe that the Bible is the only final authority from God to mankind. Cults have the habit of adding other things or other books to the Bible and consider them from God too. Throughout Scripture, God warns us not the do that. For example, in Proverbs 30:5-6 it says, "Every word of God is pure: He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."

The Jehovah's Witnesses say that no one can understand the Bible without their publications. The Mormons say, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the book of Mormon to be the word of God." The Unification Church believes that the Bible is not always true.

2. SUBTRACT FROM THE PERSON OF CHRIST
The center of the Christian faith is in the person of Jesus Christ. Many cults will say Jesus is not really God. The New Testament authors and the early church fathers wrote about the deity of Christ (John 1:1;  20:27-28; Revelation 1:17). They believed Jesus is God.

However, from the beginning of the Christian Church, there have been those who changed the teaching about who Jesus was. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul talked about this. He said the Corinthians were letting people into their church to preach "another Jesus."

The Jehovah's Witnesses claim that the Lord Jesus is not almighty God, but rather may be called a little god. The Mormons believe that Jesus became god and that we can become a god like that too. The Unification Church believes that Jesus is less than God.

3. MULTIPLY SALVATION REQUIREMENTS
For the Christian we are saved simply by believing in the gospel that Jesus died, was buried and rose again for our sins. We are saved by grace through faith "not of yourselves" and "not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). However in Galatians 1:6-9 Paul said,


Daniel 2:4		 "I am amazed that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to another gospel ... But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."

The cults teach another Jesus. They preach another gospel.

In the cults works are added. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are earning salvation because of how many doors they knock and how much literature the give away. In Mormonism to become a god one must be baptized, tithe, be married in a Mormon Temple and not drink coffee or alcohol. The Unification church believes that God is constantly urging and inspiring man to pay off his debt quickly so that man can return to Him.

4. DIVIDE THE LOYALTY OF THE FOLLOWERS
A Christian is to be committed and devoted to no one accept the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 7:23 Paul instructs, "you were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." Followers of the cults are repeatedly required to divide their loyalty between their church, it's leaders and to God.

The Unification church says that Jesus did not do everything God wanted Him to on this earth. So Mr. Moon and his wife were given the job to finish this great work. We are to follow them.

Don't put your eyes on a man or organization but on God. Don't add to God's Word, subtract from the person of God, multiply salvation's requirements or divide the loyalty of God's people.
by Steve Nicholes

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