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Cult-Like Christians

08 Jan
Cult-Like Christians

We’ve been going through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. He’s dealing with believers who have been infiltrated by those of the Gnostic cult.

Here’s the problem we face, even in our generation. There are many Christians who, even though they don’t leave and join a cult, they start acting very cult-like. They seem to make our walk with God more about actions and less about relationship with the Father.

Paul explains.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

Colossians 2:18 NIV

I’m sure you’ve been around believers who make their walk more about their experiences than their intimacy with Christ and His Word. The phrase, false humility, means putting yourself down without thinking about what you’re doing.

But, the biggest problem for many Christians is the second part. Paul talks about the worship of angels. I don’t believe that he’s talking about the spiritual beings that we call angels.

That word, angel, is actually the word, messenger, in the Greek language. We should only use it for the celestial beings when it’s obvious – like when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Elsewhere in Scripture, this word refers to messengers of the Word of God. I’m talking about pastors and evangelists. (Notice that the word “angel” is part of this word.)

Too often I see the worship of man in the body of Christ. We follow a person’s teaching without ever questioning whether it agrees with the Word of God or not. It’s very healthy to fact-check what you’re listening to.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 17:11 NIV

These Berean Christians were called, noble. They even fact-checked Paul to make sure he was speaking the truth of God’s Word.

The unfortunate thing is that cult-like believers will follow a man closer than they are following Christ. The result can be catastrophic to your spiritual walk.

He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Colossians 2:19 NIV

Paul says that this type of man-worship can cause you to lose connection with the Head – Christ. But it’s our connection with Christ that causes our growth. If you’re simply following a man’s teaching, then your spiritual growth will be stunted. That’s where many find themselves in this generation.

We need to take inventory of our spiritual lives. What am I doing to maintain growth in the spirit? Am I developing more intimacy with Christ? Am I getting more of His Word in my heart?

My answer to these questions will make all the difference. Don’t get caught-up in a cult-like Christian experience.

Question: How do you maintain your spiritual growth?

© 2024 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2024 in Leadership, Legalism, Ministry, Spiritual Walk, Word of God

 

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Who is Christ?

11 Jun

As we continue to look at the Gospel of Mark, we’re at the point where Jesus is in Jerusalem, during the last weeks before the cross.

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David?  David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ‘
David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd listened to him with delight.
Mark 12:35-37

Jesus is giving the crowd something to think about.  It’s also a testimony as to who He really is.  Any teacher of the Law would know exactly what He was saying.

First, the Lord asks a question.  Why do the teachers of the Law use the term Son of David for the Messiah?

That’s important because the phrase Son of David is never used in the Old Testament in relation to the Christ.  It does teach that Messiah would be a king from the line of Judah.

So they were right in assuming the connection to David.  But the title, Son of David, was coined by the Rabbis.  So in answering the question – they call Messiah the Son of David because their careful study of the Scripture pointed them in that direction.

The next question is harder to answer without a willingness to have your heart changed.  If David calls Him Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?  Jesus is quoting the prophecy of Psalm 110.

In the Hebrew, David gives a prophecy that “Yahweh will say to my Adonai…”.  But in Scripture, both Yahweh and Adonai are names of the one, true God.

It’s through this teaching that Jesus declares to all the religious leaders who He is.  By their own study, the teachers of that day should realize that the only way for the Son of David to be Adonai is for God Himself to take on flesh.

That’s what sets Christianity apart from all the seemingly Christian based cults.  Jesus Christ declared Himself, on more than one occasion, to be God in the flesh.  That’s the test of what is the true church versus the false.

Even in Paul’s day, there were those who would try to deny the deity of Christ.  He condemned the church at Corinth for not being careful with their teaching.

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:4

That’s also what separates Christianity from all other religions.  They all teach that man has to strive to reach acceptance with a god or struggle for perfection.  The true God tells us that it’s impossible for us to do it on our own.  So He took the initiative to take on flesh and provide the way of salvation for us through the work of Christ on the cross.

I am so grateful for the gift given to us by Jesus Christ.  There truly is no other name under heaven that provides such a rich reward for those who choose to follow Him.

Question: What events brought you to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?

© 2018 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2018 in The Church, The Gospel

 

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