How Cults Work Video


[www.youtube.com]

Everyone In A Cult Has Friends Video


[www.youtube.com]

Well, I never had a full blown nightmare scenario like some folks, TPCC sure left a bad taste in my mouth. I was severely burned by a church in Marysville a few years earlier, that one is a different story....

I started attending in 1998 or so at Marshall Elementary and left some time a few years later about 6-9 months after TPCC moved to the Main Campus in Marysville. At first I really liked what was going on, I liked the music and the people a lot. I was welcomed and I found it easy to support the direction and message of the church. I went for a while and asked about trying out for the band. At that time they were looking for an "edgier" sound to the music and I delivered. I played rock/metal/blues on guitar and it fit. I found the band chemistry to be a little odd as it wasn't a band, but a showcase for Cyndi and Katy, I never felt like I truly clicked with anyone but the drummer. Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun and I was a Sunday regular. It was a great time in my life, Mike was even the guy that married my wife and I! I was good friends with Mike, we'd go fishing, hang out at his house etc....

When TPCC moved to the new building in Marysville, I began to notice a subtle change. I don't know if it was me or not (the gut feeling), but I became increasingly distant from everybody, save a few families and close friends. (A little digression from the topic but filler info, I smoke.) It was found out that I smoke. I was confronted and of course I said yes, I had been smoking the whole time. Well needless to say I was asked to quit or quit. I decided it was best to take a break or sabbatical...during this time some of what I call "church politics" occurred and one of the families I was good friends with was essentially kicked out. Now, while I never knew the entire scope or story, I saw the end result and hurtful aftermath. That was enough for me. I had to leave the church. My wife was cool with that and we left.

I had my issues with Mike and Cyndi, but nothing could have prepared me for what I have read in this forum. I met Tony Cunningham once and didn't get a great "feeling" from the guy. He kind of creeped me out. I have always believed that the church politics is not what God wants, he wants believers, people of faith that's laid out in Hebrews. I don't go to church anymore. I don't like it, it's not that I'm not saved, just that I don't believe that any church is any different. I know where I'm going when I die and I don't need church.

BTW, I played at Hopefest, I also saw Michelle Tumes play. It rained. End of story.

It's sad and I feel quite angry about it from time to time but it's nice to know that my gut feeling back then was more or less correct.

A cult, IDK, but from what I've read and researched, I don't agree with a lot of the message that has recently come from that church. It's come along way from the Flock that Rocks. Ha! And I was an original member.

Oh, and if you can figure out who I am.....I still play and have become a much better guitarist than I was back then!!

It has recently become popular to speak of "the five-fold ministry," a system of church government with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The neo-Pentecostal "Restoration" movement and its offshoot, "kingdom now" teaching, claims that one of the things which God is "restoring" to the church is this five-fold ministry. The sole prooftext used to support this concept is Ephesians 4:11-13 , which states that Christ gave "some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,...until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God." The word "until," it is argued, proves that the church today needs apostles and prophets as much as evangelists, pastors, and teachers. However, it is the "building up" of the church (v.12) which must continue until the church is mature, not all five of the offices listed in verse 11. This is clear when the whole text is read as follows: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers; [these offices were given] to equip the saints for the work of service, [which work has as its goal] to build up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith..." The offices of apostle and prophet would naturally cease in the church once their role in "equipping the saints" was completed; that is, once the New Testament canon was completed.

Some have objected that there is no reason to bracket off the apostles and prophets from the other three offices listed in verse 11. However, in the very same epistle, Paul states that the church has "been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Eph. 2:20 ) and that Christ's mystery concerning the church was "revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit" (3:5 ). These statements indicate that the role of apostles and prophets was fulfilled in the first century.

The New Testament is particularly clear about the temporary role of the apostles, since they were chosen to give eyewitness testimony of the risen Christ (Acts 1:21-26 ; 5:32 ; Luke 1:1-4 ; 1 Cor. 9:1 ). Paul indicated that he was the last person to see the risen Christ and receive an apostolic commission (1 Cor. 15:8 ). The epistles of 2 Peter and Jude, among the very last New Testament writings to be penned, exhort the readers to avoid false doctrines by recalling the teachings of the apostles (2 Pet. 1:12-15 ; 2:1 ; 3:2 , 14-16 ; Jude 3-4 , 17 ). Peter and Jude did not say, "Listen to the apostles living today," but instead urged believers to "remember what the apostles said."

I am not arguing that only the Twelve and Paul were apostles. Barnabas (Acts 14:14 ), Silas (1 Thess. 2:6 ; cf. 1:1 ), and Andronicus and Junia (Rom. 16:7 ) all were apostles of Christ, and thus were no doubt among the more than 500 witnesses to the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6 ). However, none of these persons was chosen as a successor to an earlier apostle (Matthias was Judas's replacement, not his successor, since Judas had forsaken his apostleship, Acts 1:21-26 ).

There are other senses in which the word "apostle" is used in the New Testament. Certain individuals, including Epaphroditus, were "apostles of the churches" (2 Cor. 8:23 ; Phil. 2:25 ). These "apostles" had no authority over the church; they were messengers sent by and subject to their churches. In this latter sense it would be perfectly legitimate to speak of church representatives as "apostles," were it not for the confusion which might result from such usage.

Therefore, in the usual biblical sense of the term, there are no apostles today. Nor are there any prophets in the usual sense, as they were part of the "foundation" laid in the first-century church. This is not to deny the continuing validity of the gift of "prophecy," since Paul does refer to prophesying as a basic activity in which all Christians are urged to participate to the extent God gifts them (Rom. 12:6 ; 1 Cor. 11:4-5 ; 12:10 ; 13:2 , 8-9 ; 14:1-6 , 20-33 ; 1 Thess. 5:20 ), and in a general functional sense persons exercising this gift are even called "prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32 , 37 ). Yet Paul also speaks of specific persons who occupied an office of "prophet" which was second in authority only to apostle (1 Cor. 12:28-29 ). It is this office of "prophet," not all prophecy, which I am arguing passed away around the end of the first century.

Finally, some errors on this matter are worse than others. The loose use of the world "apostle" to refer to missionaries or church planters is not a serious error as long as this usage is sharply distinguished from the concept of an apostle who brings new doctrinal revelations and wields unquestionable authority. Nor is it a grievous error to interpret Ephesians 4:11 to refer to "apostles" in this sense of a church planter. The same would apply to those who hold that Ephesians 4:11 refers to the ongoing charismatic activity of prophesying. I do believe these interpretations are mistaken, but they are not in any way antagonistic to Christian faith.

On the other hand, to interpret Ephesians 4:11 as a call for a restoration of the office of apostle of Christ is not only a mistake in exegesis, it opens the door to heresy. To claim that the church today needs visions and revelations through modern apostles and prophets of Christ is to deny the sufficiency of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16 ) and to place the church at the mercy of false apostles, the likes of whom the apostle Paul warned us about in no uncertain terms (2 Cor. 11:13-15 ).

The teachers of the "five-fold ministry," in seeking to "restore" a foundation which has never been moved, are actually laying a false foundation which will not support the building up of the body of Christ.

Sprit Of Error- Examining The Apostolic / Prophetic Movement



[spiritoferror.wordpress.com]


Yet, church leaders today who quote this verse don’t mention that it was referring to all the people of Israel. They act like the verse was speaking only about leaders — and that it applies only to them.

This verse has nothing to do with criticizing or questioning church leaders. In fact, many Bible passages warn us to carefully evaluate church leaders’ teachings and actions by Scripture. For example, the apostle Paul urged Titus — a church leader in Crete — to appoint overseers who would oppose teachers who were contradicting Scripture (Titus 1:9).

No church leader is above such scrutiny, according to the Bible. Even the apostle Paul’s teachings were tested according to Scripture by the people who lived in Berea (Acts 17:11). And notice that the Bereans were praised for doing this — they weren’t told to just accept Paul’s teachings because he claimed to be an apostle. If the apostle Paul’s teachings needed to be tested by Scripture, then certainly no teacher today is above scrutiny.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t respect our leaders. The Bible teaches us to respect them. But showing them respect doesn’t mean that we don’t test their teachings and actions by Scripture. Our first loyalty is to the Bible, not them.

Also — this is a crucial point — the New Testament teaches that all Christians are the Lord’s anointed, not just special “apostles,” “prophets” or teachers. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians believers: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

In case Paul wasn’t clear enough, the apostle John also taught that all Christians have God’s anointing when he said: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth … As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him” (1 John 2:20, 27). The reason John said this was because certain teachers were falsely claiming they had a special anointing that set them apart from other Christians — the same thing some leaders are claiming today.

So, according to the Bible, all Christians have an anointing. This is a beautiful truth. Let it sink in.

We all, if we belong to Christ, have God’s anointing — not just Christian leaders. Yet, often, “apostles,” “prophets” and teachers try to act like they have a higher status with God than other Christians. This reveals pride on their part. Yet, one of the most important qualities that a church leader is supposed to possess, according to the Bible, is humility. It is a characteristic of our Lord who told his disciples that their lives — like His — were to be marked by humility and loving service (Mark 10:42-45).

I get concerned when I see church leaders act like only they have God’s anointing and that people who want the anointing must get it from them. All Christians have special status with God because of their relationship with Christ. All Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside them. Please don’t ever let anyone rob you of that.

And be careful if you hear a church leader quote “Touch not the Lord’s anointed” when someone criticizes or challenges them. They are using a common and unbiblical scare tactic to silence their critics.

False apostles are rising up in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and in other countries. They plan to subjugate (to bring under control and governance as a subject, to conquer) Churches and their leaders. From what we can tell these "Super Apostles" aim to build a fiefdom (a medieval feudal estate) of churches with themselves as the lords, second only to God himself (the King). What these self-proclaimed apostles lack in solid Biblical Doctrine they make up with cultic Mind Control techniques (also known as spiritual abuse) and hyped prosperity preaching."

The Super Apostles claim that the Biblical ministry of an apostle has been forgotten, and God has called them to restore it. Of course it is presumptuous of the Super Apostles to think that this God ordained ministry has died, but that is what they claim. The Super Apostles are in effect promoting a false apostolic ministry.

Now a biblical model of an apostle can be found in Paul, a hard working humble man who was not rich, except in his incredible passion for the gospel and correct doctrine. Paul was an apostle who knew the bounds of his authority, for example in 2 Corinthians 8:8 where he refrained from commanding the Corinthians to give money.

However these Super Apostles do not follow Paul's example. They are rigorous self-promoters who see power and wealth as important goals. They demand that you cede (to yield typically by treaty) to their authority. Church members must sign "covenants" stating that they will obey the church leadership. Church leaders themselves must "submit" their lives to the Super Apostles. To not submit is to rebel against God's will and condemn you to a barren Christian life outside the protection of the Super Apostles magical "umbrella of authority". For those who do not yield it is claimed God will leave them to fend for themselves when the enemy comes. Also rebels will suffer a life of physical poverty, not to mention terrible accidents and diseases. To reject the Super Apostles themselves is the greatest sin. Do not even suggest that they are wrong; the spiritual repercussions could be horrendous!

Authority is a key word for this clandestine movement. Everyone must be under authority. That is, under their authority. Now of course apostles did have authority in Scripture, but these new apostles claim that authority as their own, and a great deal more too. Under the catch cries of "Church Governance" and "The Church is a theocracy not a democracy" they employ standard cultic Mind Control methods. They practice "enforced giving", where tithes and offerings of church members are recorded. Members who do not give the "correct" amount are disciplined and held back from leadership. People are banned from going to other churches and working for Para church organizations not under the apostle's control. They control relationships, ordering people to stay away from friends and family outside the movement. Some even demand Christian members seek permission to marry each other. They run a reporting structure where members watch other members, and confidential information is passed up through the leadership pyramid. Some members have even had their rooms searched. People who wish to live in cities where there is no branch of the Super Apostle's church are told not to go. Time control sees endless compulsory meetings. Failing to attend a meeting is noticed and the member is spoken to Breaking sessions are employed where leaders "character assassinate" a member until they break down. Church members are given the impression that they can only be saved by being part of the Super Apostles church. Churches outside the "kingdom" are fallen and dead. Not all of these apostles state this so blatantly, but this is the impression they cultivate within their churches. However some do allude to this in the public arena, so confident they are that God is on their side.

"The term "Local Church" is an important phrase in their onslaught. They claim that no Christian work can be outside of the Local Church. Para church organizations are in error for not being controlled by a "Local Church". Of course what they really mean is that no Christian work can legitimately exist outside of the control of a Super Apostle. The idea that those Christians under the Super Apostle's control cannot work outside of a "Local Church" has already lead to an increased disunity in the Body of Christ. Carried through to its logical conclusion this exclusive doctrine will result in extreme disunity since no one will work together. Also their concept of the Local Church will lead to turf wars analogous to those seen in medieval Europe as the lords of that time fought to increase their fiefdoms at the expense of others. Already this sort of behaviour has been reported. For example recently an itinerant preacher who held a seminar in
Palmerston North was challenged by a local pastor to what he was doing ministering in their area."

How do they justify their stance? The Super Apostles look to pragmatism as their justification for practice, rather than Scripture. What works becomes standard operating procedure; hardly any consideration is given to whether it contravenes Scripture. Where a practice is questioned Scriptures are taken out of context, or twisted, to give the illusion that the Bible allows these methods.

These apostles surround themselves with "bodyguards". People who isolate them from the workings of their churches. In all probability the Super Apostles do not know the extent of damage their reign is causing, since their bodyguards shield them from the hurt that is resulting in their followers.

Finances are an important area they seek to control. Some of these Super Apostles are more open with their church finances than others. These apostles and their families (nepotism is rife) receive significant incomes from their work. They drive expensive cars, live in luxury homes; some are given cash gifts, jewellery, ocean cruises, and other expensive holidays. Some have even formed an inner circle of the very rich within their churches who in return for their significant giving receive privileges other church members do not (James 2:1-9). Apparently being good stewards of the money people give to God is not high on these apostles' priorities. No one would object to a pastor who has earned wealth through his business, with the caveat that he was not a lover of money. But no example can be found in Scripture of Jesus or the apostles gaining temporal wealth via the taking of gifts given to God. "Do not muzzle the Ox" these apostles retort, but they forget the other side of this biblical word picture, that the ox is a slave tethered to a pole. Christian leaders are slaves to the gospel, they deserve their due, but it is wrong for them to be gluttonous.

Having examined the teaching of the Super Apostles it makes us wonder about their true purpose. So often do the Super Apostles rave about financial matters we must ask if money is not their primary goal. New recruits converted on Sunday sign an automatic payment forms on Monday. Some of the Super Apostle's ranting's about "robbing God" by not giving their church your tithe, plus offerings of course, border on maniacal. Members have reported many of these over-the-top speeches are often deleted from tapes and videos of sermons, which implies someone in their leadership knows they are wrong.

"These false apostles for a number of years have been on a heavy recruiting drive around the world. Holding pastors conferences and one on one meetings they seek to recruit church leaders to join under them as vassals (a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage). (Of course another analogy would be to call the apostles cardinals seeking more bishops and priests). It is important that all Christian leaders are warned of this danger. Otherwise these Mind Control practices could become commonplace in churches."

Before we talk about what action to take, we need to understand why Mind Control is such a threat. Put simply Mind Control practices propagated on this scale will cause immense damage to the Body of Christ. The spiritual dynamics of Mind Control result in the Christian having the Holy Spirit replaced in their life by the counterfeit of an earthly middleman. The Super Apostle and his leaders insert themselves between the Christian and God. Instead of the Christian being convicted by the Holy Spirit the Christian receives false conviction from men. Christians are told by men what they have done wrong according to the rules those men have invented. This leads to a spiritual dependency on those men rather than a dependency on the Holy Spirit. Christians, who should become strong, instead become weaker as their dependency on their leaders and the church organization grows. Of course this is what the leaders desire since it makes these Christians more controllable. However this spiritual counterfeit is a slow poison that crushes the spirit of the Christian. After the "Honeymoon" period with the church is over, the Christian emerges to find they are struggling to meet the standards of the group. They are told that life should be perfect, but it is not. The constant meetings, the controlling pressure, the stress, and the condemnation from the leadership, takes its toll. The Christian tries harder. But fails again and again. Finally the Christian burns out. Too long they have been running on man made power rather than God's. "If this is Christianity", they say, "then I don't want to have anything to do with it!" So they reject Jesus and turn to the world. Convinced that the counterfeit they experienced was Christianity they never again consider following our Lord. (Not all reject Christianity, but those who return to biblical churches struggle to cope. They suffer depression and feelings of guilt. The preaching of their false apostle is still in their head. Those who have wasted years in the counterfeit group feel a tremendous sense of loss. They take much time to recover.) This is the fruit of Mind Control, numerous shipwrecked Christians. Mind Control must be rigorously opposed!

What should Christian Leaders do?
1) Christian leaders must understand Mind Control. Mind Control is not a practice found in Scripture, but it has an allure that can trap Pastors with dominating tenancies. Read www.HowCultsWork.com
2) Christian leaders need be wary of coming under the "authority" of these Super Apostles. It is a good idea to be under the authority of a body of mature Christians; otherwise you risk going off on tangents yourself. But remember these Super Apostles themselves are not under authority; except that they believe that they have an exclusive line to God.
3) Christian leaders should not be fooled by the "success" of these Super Apostles. If they have built churches using Mind Control techniques then they have cheated. They have not played the game by the biblical rules. They are not successes, rather they are failures. They cannot have the ability themselves to lead without using these illegal control methods.
4) Remember that numbers do not equal success; otherwise every cult leader who tricked large numbers of people would have succeeded in God's eyes. Your success as a Christian pastor is better measured by the spiritual maturity of those in your care. Do they witness? Are people being saved (not just joining your church)? Do they have a deep unshakeable knowledge of the Bible? Do they look after the poor? Do they do God's will? These are better measures of success than simple numbers.

Wondering if your church leader is a Super Apostle? Find out by using the CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR. With it you can scan your church or leader and see if they have been taken in by this counterfeit apostolic move. The CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR was written by Cultwatch and is simple to use; just answer each question the CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR asks you by pressing one of the on screen YES or NO buttons. The detector is written in Javascript and runs in your browser (compatible only with Internet Explorer at the moment). To start the detector simply click here or on the green SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR graphic next to this text. Happy scanning!


[www.cultwatch.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2010 11:44PM by ostracizedone.

[www.howcultswork.com]

A cult will have a slick well-rehearsed Public Relations front which hides what the group is really like. You will hear how they help the poor, or support research, or peace, or the environment. They will tell you how happy you will be in their group (and everyone in the cult will always seem very happy and enthusiastic, mainly because they have been told to act happy and will get in trouble if they don't). But you will not be told what life is really like in the group, nor what they really believe. These things will be introduced to you slowly, one at a time, so you will not notice the gradual change, until eventually you are practicing and believing things which at the start would have caused you to run a mile.

The cult leaders need to make you believe that there is no where else you can go and still be saved, and if you ever leave the "one true church" then you are going to hell. This is a fear based control mechanism designed to keep you in the cult. It also gives the cult leaders tremendous power over you. If you really believe that leaving the group equals leaving God (or means you are leaving your only chance to succeed in life), then you will obey the cult leaders even when you disagree with them instead of risking being kicked out of the group. Exclusivism is used as a threat, it controls your behavior through fear.
Single charismatic leader.

People always seeming constantly happy and enthusiastic. Especially if you discover that they have been told to act that way for the potential new recruits.
Instant friends.
If you are told who you can or cannot talk to or associate with.
They hide what they teach.
Say they are the only true group, or the best so why go anywhere else.
Hyped meetings, get you to meetings rather than share with you.
Experiential rather than logical.
Asking for money for the next level.
Some cults travel door to door during times when women are home alone. They, and this is rather sexist, think that women are easier to recruit and once they have the woman then it will be easier to snare the husband or partner.
Saying that they have to make people pay for it because otherwise they will not appreciate it. This is of course a very silly reason, plenty of people are able to appreciate things which they did not pay for.

Mike Villamor & Spouse,Jeff Barnes & Spouse you are transparent despite all the smoke and mirrors!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2010 11:58PM by ostracizedone.