Anatamoy of a Cult

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Jesus' attitude to the lost is summed up perfectly in John 3:17, a verse perhaps not as familiar as the one preceding it: “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” (NASB)

In any and every aspect of the Christian life it has become commonplace to ask, “What would Jesus do?” But how does this text work out and what would Jesus do in relation to the cults? Did Jesus meet and interact with any cults? People usually think of the Pharisees here but, while they certainly did display classic cultic characteristics – such as a strong legalism, judgementalism, controlling leadership, adding to the Law – it is well to remember that the Pharisees were part of the orthodox religion of the day.

We see the same in today's church, where a particular group may be a little legalistic, judgemental and disapproving, may make past tradition into a creed for today and so forth. But this does not disqualify such a group from the wider body of Christ.

Anatomy of a Cult

Jesus met a cult when he met the Samaritans. As we look at the history of the Samaritans we build up a profile of the typical cult, identify the characteristics to look for, and the pitfalls as well as the opportunities in witnessing.

2 Kings 17:21-23 - Here we find the roots of the Samaritan culture and people. These verses are an overview of what happened to Israel after the reign of Solomon. From the death of Solomon Israel was ruled by kings who compromised. The situation is described more fully in 1 Kings 12. Here the kingdom is divided under the rule of Solomon's son, Rehoboam. The northern kingdom is ruled by Jeroboam who, fearing that Israelites travelling to Jerusalem for the temple and Jewish festivals might turn back to Rehoboam, built altars and established worship in his own kingdom:

So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."

And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.

He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.

And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of- Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings. (1 Kings 12:28-33)

Power and Control

Cults, and cultic churches, are not about truth but about power. Like Jeroboam, their concern is controlling and holding onto their constituency. There is usually a power centre, just like Shechem or Bethel in the story of Jeroboam, and a figure who sets up alternative worship, feasts and special days “devised from [their] own hearts.”

They create their own centres of worship

The identify another focus of worship

They establish their own methods of worship.

Some things develop, evolve with time in a church. Mode of dress, language and idiom, types of activities, organisation but there is always a sense of continuity with the past, of tradition. But the cult makes a clean break with the past. What has gone before is invariably swept aside to make way for the new. It is revealing to compare this attitude with that of Jesus who said, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Mt.5:17) Going on to give the Sermon on the Mount Jesus reinforces what has gone before.

Ad Hoc Development

2 Kings 17:7-20 - Eventually Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria, a permanent exile.

2 Kings 17:24-41 - We go on to read that Samaria was resettled with foreigners (24), a strategy of the Assyrian king who would exile conquered people's in foreign lands. These were punished by God for not fearing him (25-26) but the king of Assyria had a solution (27-28) and brought back one of the priests exiled from Israel. This, however, was no solution because “Every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. ” (29) and they ended up with a corrupt mixture of Israelite and foreign gods and abominable practices that were a sin before God.

When exiles returned to rebuild Jerusalem, as recorded in Ezra (4:1-3), these were the people who came down to Jerusalem and offered to help. But they were rejected and so set out to discourage those who had returned (Ezra 4:4).

As with the Samaritans the ideas and practices of a cult are often developed in an ad hoc fashion. Improvised solutions to local problems build up to a confusing collection of contradictory teachings and ideas. Future generations face the challenge of making sense of doctrines and practices that cannot be reconciled because they were never developed with any plan in mind. Like the Samaritans members can end up with their own version of the cult built around some basic central ideas.

The Ezra Strategy

As with the Samaritans at the time of Ezra, cults sometimes attempt to be accepted as part of the orthodox religion. When we reject these overtures we are simply doing what Ezra and the people did in keeping our orthodoxy free of confusing and deceptive ideas that would ultimately hinder the work of God.

By the time of Jesus the Samaritans were a mix of races with a questionable history and questionable and unorthodox practices. They rejected much of the revelation of God, their scriptures were restricted to the five books of Moses and they disputed the true place of worship with the Jews in Jerusalem. They had even built a rival temple on mount Gezirim, about 400BC, which the Jews destroyed in 128BC.

“The Samaritans were leftovers from the Northern Jewish kingdom who had intermarried with foreigners after the chiefs and nobles were taken into exile in 722BC” (John Piper)

• Temple on Mount Gezirim

• Rejected OT except selections from Moses

• Mixture of truth and error

This was a cult and we can learn a great deal from Jesus and his encounter with the woman of Samaria.

The Samaritan Woman John 4

4:9-15 Jesus offers “the gift of God...living water” but she can’t see past her immediate circumstances. Her view of the world is circumscribed and limited but Jesus perseveres. In the same way the cult member can't initially see past their own world-view. Don’t give up on people too soon.

4:16-18 Why does Jesus reveal her sin? (John 3:20) We can’t, as Jesus, read people’s hearts but we can and must bring people by way of the Cross and the gospel message is always the same – man has sinned and God calls us to repentance. Romans 7 is helpful here as Paul describes the human plight in Rom.7: 7-25 (esp. Rom.7:19-20)

4:19,20 The universal response to conviction is avoidance, changing the subject, talking a little religion. Jesus patiently uses the opportunity to talk about truth. Where we worship is not as important as how and who we worship. We mustn't be sidetracked by discussion of relatively minor issues.

4:21-24 Jesus points out that Samaritan knowledge of God is deficient and their worship, therefore, deficient, so he deals now with the error (v22) We mustn't be afraid to correct error.

He brings out three things in this conversation:

• Sin blinds us and we must allow Him to deal with our sin and recognise this problem for others

• Religion, per se, is no good if we have the wrong God and come to Him the wrong way and we must be prepared to demonstrate the right way

• As witnesses we must understand why people’s understanding is so deficient and show patience and persevere in our witnessing, using God’s priorities

Where else do we find Samaritans?

We find them in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) and of the faith and gratitude of a leper (Luke 17:11-19). You can see why the Pharisees hated Jesus when he compared them unfavourably with Samaritans! Paul writes about those who obey the law for conscience sake (Romans 2:14-15) and people from all sorts of backgrounds can and do work good works. This doesn't mean they don't need saving or correcting; the “Good” Samaritan needed Jesus too. It does mean that we should value them for who they are as we seek to bring them into the good of what God has for all who turn to him in faith and stop trusting in their own good works.

How would you feel if it was the parable of the Good Mormon? Or the thankful JW? Are you grateful for such people in the world even as you seek to evangelise them? Conversely, do you allow their good conduct to blind you to the problems in their faith and does this stop you witnessing? Can you love and value them and share boldly the gospel truth?

How to Start a Cult

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If I was to start a cult these are the steps I would take:

1. Reinvention: Every cult leader worth his salt has an image that he/she must work hard to maintain, from the clothes they wear to the way they conduct themselves. Saffron or white robes, smart casual western dress, formal wear, (a white suit is effective, as are robes, turbans, etc.) all will be determined by the image you want to project, but it must be consistent, people must recognise you instantly from your appearance and persona. Maybe this is why so many cult leaders choose to come across as still and contemplative rather than active and energetic.
2. Novelty: It is important to have a message. The best messages have some novelty, revolve around issues of Revival, Renewal, Restoration, Transformation. It’s good if it is a ‘lost’ message, or something misunderstood until you came along to explain it. You can look really good if you can compare yourself favourably with ‘corrupt Christendom; the confusion of the churches is a puzzle only you can solve. But some tradition must be worked in because it is familiar and a role for Jesus is essential. You may bring new Scripture or, if you don’t want to take the risk of being branded heretic from the off, bring new, fresh commentary to established Scripture. You are going to recapture the best of the past, put it together with your new revelation, and make a better future.
3. Simplicity: The message must be simplified and presented in sound bites. People laugh at politicians for repeating the party line on news programmes but if you repeat something often enough it becomes the truth. 'Strong and stable government,' 'A new day is dawning,' 'God is doing a new thing,' 'New wine skins,' 'Follow the prophet,' etc. These become a mantra that makes it easy for your followers to articulate your message and feel good for doing so without actually having any depth of understanding.
4. Target Have a target audience. This is typically young people and intellectuals. Young people because they are old enough to have realised the world is a mess, naive enough to think they can 'make all the difference,' but young enough that they don't have the wisdom and discernment to help them make sound judgements when they hear your mantra. Intellectuals because they are older, educated, convinced they can take their education and make a difference in the world if only they could find a way; you provide the way. They also mistakenly think only stupid people join cults and so their guard is down. They can be won by flattery and a sense of purpose like everyone else.
5. Hierarchy: Restrict access to yourself, dividing followers into groups and individuals that compete for your attention. By all means speak to crowds, but allow only a select few access into your inner circle. This makes them concentrate on how to get closer to you as the source of meaning for them. It constructs a cohort of followers that is most faithful in doing the work for you, putting out your message, reassuring the ordinary members, modelling the best and most faithful example for others.
6. Exclusivity: Restrict access to the world. We conduct our lives according to the social norms of wider society. By restricting access to those norms of behaviour you create in them a tabula rasa, a blank slate on which you can write your own social norms. This is sometimes achieved by physically removing people from the world into a community, which has the added advantages of constant, direct control. Having members in community makes them more easily controlled and encourages them to spy on each other for any dissent. It is more usual to separate peopl socially, spiritually, and intellectually by holding a lot of meetings, to which they 'must come' if they are to grow, having them spend time reading, meditating, etc. suggesting they cut ties with old friends until they are rightly emebdded in the group.
7. Popularity: Accept that not everyone will like you. Play to the crowd that does, demonise those that don't.
8. Grooming: You should be able to groom key people, an exhausting and demanding process but essential if you are to build an inner circle and competition to enter it. This involves active listening, making someone feel they are the most important person in the room, even in a crowd. This means keeping eye contact, having a listening posture, mirroring (reflecting back their own posture and expressions), cutting out all distractions, quickly picking up on concerns, hopes, and fears and speaking to those specific points, or distracting from them with a picture of a better world where these things won't exist. 'Keep the faith friend.'
9. Proselytising: Keep an emphasis on recruitment, calling it evangelism. This achieves two things; (1) it focuses followers on repeating the message, reinforcing their own conviction, and keeping them busy (2) it gets new recruits to replace those who are bound to leave the fold.
10. Contest: Create competition for succession, making vague promises to various members of the inner circle, making them vie for your attention.

What would you add to the list?

The Bible: The most precious thing this world affords

'The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.' (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953. She would spend her life living in castles and palaces. She would sit on thrones, ride in gold carriages, and leading designers would line up to make her the best clothes, She would wear the finest jewellery, eat the finest meals, and travel first class.

At her coronation in Westminster Abbey, amidst all the pomp and ceremony, lords and ladies, dignitaries both spiritual and secular, she was handed a Bible with these words:

Our gracious Queen:
to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.

What is true for princes is surely true for everyone. This is the rule for the best life, the life we were made to have. It is to the Bible we go to understand something of what that life looks like and of God's purposes for me and for you. I wonder what the Bible is to you?

In Psalm 119 we read, 'Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.' (v.105)

When you are struggling to find your way do you look to the Bible to be a lamp to your feet, a light to your path? When you are trying to negotiate the challenges of this world do you go to the Bible for illumination?

For some, the Bible is like the convenience store, the corner shop. We're glad it's there, we go to it for our bits and pieces, we run to it in an emergency, but we do our main shop in the supermarket.

So with the Bible. We go to it for our bits and pieces, for those things that encourage us (23rd Psalm, John 3:16), at those times when we want comfort and reassurance, but when it comes to how we think about the big issues, the knotty issues of life - science and faith, moral and lifestyle choices, the ideas the world presses on us and urgently insists we embrace - we too often go to the supermarket of the world. We allow the world to shape and influence our thinking, shape our world-view.

We say, 'that's what people do today, that's how the thinking goes today.' The problem is, not so long ago people thought and acted quite differently, and in the not too distant future people will think and act differently again.

In the TV documentary Back in Time for School, fifteen pupils and their teachers time-travel as they fast-forward through more than 100 years of school life. As they move forward in time attitudes and philosophies change, from celebrating empire, to preparing for war.

Girls start in classes with the boys doing science, then they are separated as the boys do science and the girls do domestic science because this was thought to be the best way to prepare them for the brave new post-war world of the twenties and thirties. It is well said, who marries the spirit of the age will end up widowed in the next.

How will young people deal with the changes that are bound to come, when they increasingly find they don't understand the world any more? When the issues they thought were settled are churned up again and a younger generation, with different attitudes comes to very different conclusions?

The speech to the queen ends with these words:

Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.

The Bible gives an eyewitness account of Jesus. John writes so that we, his readers, should have fellowship in knowing what they saw, looked upon, heard, and touched, 'That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life...that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us...' (1 John 1:1-4)

The Bible brings us hope. Paul reminds us, 'Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.' (Romans 15:4)

The Bible teaches, reproves, corrects and equips. In a letter to Timothy Paul writes, 'All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.' (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Bible calls us to action. James writes, urging us, 'Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.' (James 1:22)

The Bible calls us to defend the truth. In their book The Identity of the Church Anthony and Richard Hanson observe: 'God's word is not anybody's word. The church has a right to be protected from heretics, cranks, and fanatics...'

Jude reminds us, 'beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed...ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.' (Jude 3-4)

We cannot have that fellowship John writes about, we cannot know hope, be instructed in the things of God, identify to what actions we are called, or understand clearly the faith we are called to defend unless and until we have and apply ourselves to the word of God in the Bible. In the earliest account of Christian fellowship we have the example from those who, 'devoted them selves to the apostle's teaching...' (Acts 2:42-47)

The most precious thing this world affords.

The Mormon Church is Not Changing it’s Name - Again

The Mormon Church is not changing it's name again, it is making a 'correction.' In an official statement in August new president, Russell M Nelson, said:

“The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring

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ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months.”

Call me cynical but I have the suspicion this is not so much an impression from the Lord as a long-standing issue for the man. I imagine all those leadership meetings over the years where he tried to raise the subject - 'Oh, Russell's on his hobby horse again. Mormon is popular Russell, listen to the tech guys.' I imagine the rolled eyes when this was announced, 'He's only gone and done it!' But then what's the point of being president, especially after so long a wait, if you can't have your own way, as Donald Trump might have said.

The Mormon Church has long had a style guide to help us ignorant folk speak properly and respectfully about the church. The style guide , which is found from a link at the bottom of the Mormon 'Official' Newsroom page, has been updated to reflect this change correction. To indicate the trouble this 'correction' has caused, I simply point out that at the time of writing the official web address for the style guide, that discourages every mention of the term Mormon, is www.mormonnewsroom.org/style-guide. The Mormon Newsroom is now officially the Official Newsroom, but it retains it's Mormon Newsroom web address. The web address where I found this story is lds.org/church/news. Aren't you glad we cleared that up?

This is a mammoth project, you can get an idea of how big here and here. Look here to see typical search results when you type 'Mormon' into your search engine. It raises an interesting question. If the Mormon Church does go to such lengths to expunge Mormon and Mormonism, LDS, and more that is so familiar from it's official terminology, how will that effect their search engine rankings? If they follow through on this policy will the only thing left with the name 'Mormon' be the Book of Mormon? If they continue to rank high on the first page of a search engine with 'Mormon' does it mean they are cheating and using the name that must not be named in tags, web addresses, etc? What happens to your SEO when your most familiar name in the world largely drops out of official statements, on official sites, in articles and conference addresses?

What will happen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? Or the Mormon Tabernacle itself? The Mormon Trail? The Mormon Story? The style guide explains, “Mormon” is correctly used in proper names such as the Book of Mormon or when used as an adjective in such historical expressions as “Mormon Trail.” But 'Mormon Church' uses the term as an adjective. Adjectives become the get-out clause, but isn't that cheating?

Someone has had to sit down and think this through, and others have the task for years to come of continuing to 'correct' members and leaders alike. What it is to be in a church where your every utterance is checked and correlated to ensure everyone adheres to the newspeak. How many Mormons on the doorstep will check themselves halfway through Morm...before coming up with the correct, official, mandated language. What is that by the way?

The official style guide comes, once more, to our rescue:

• In the first reference, the full name of the Church is preferred: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

• When a shortened reference is needed, the terms “the Church” or the “Church of Jesus Christ” are encouraged. The “restored Church of Jesus Christ” is also accurate and encouraged.

If it is the “Church of Jesus Christ” where do over 2billion Christians around the world fit into the scheme of things?

One correspondent wrote of, “The difference between ‘Christians’ and the Church of Jesus Christ…”

I wonder if Mormons realise how very peculiar this will sound to people outside the Mormon Church, especially where I am, outside the geographical areas where Mormonism predominates.

Of course, we know the chequered history of the Mormon Church’s name; Church of Christ - 1830; Church of the Latter-day Saints - 1834; and variously 'The Church of Jesus Christ', 'The Church of God', and 'The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints.' The original 'The Church of Christ' chimes with the restoration narrative and might have stuck but for the fact several US churches used the name. The change to Church of the Latter-day Saints in 1834 happened simply to avoid confusion. In the end, and contrary to people's fond notions, it's pragmatism that drives much of what goes on in a cult. The Mormon god does seem to have been slow in sorting out this whole business. Meanwhile Mormons, from local wards to the presidency, have proved stubbornly reluctant to drop these useful monikers.

Meanwhile official sources continue their efforts to make the Mormon Church sound and look more mainstream and 'orthodox,' at least at first glance. That, after all, is what counts. I am fully aware of what their “style guide” is trying to do, i.e. if people hear something often enough they come to accept it as fact. If what you continually hear is 'The Church of Jesus Christ' you accept the claim of Mormonism to be Christian, 'the only true church.' Surely, though, most people would define the Church of Jesus Christ as the sum of Christians, and a Christian as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps Mormons feel that just because I am a Christian that doesn't mean I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, which they clearly equate with the Mormon Church. Are we to make a distinction between The Church of Jesus Christ and The Christian Church? If so, how would you define and justify that distinction? There is no warrant for it in Christian Scripture, and even convention does not allow for such a distinction to be readily understood. I am trying to understand where I fit if, as a Christian, I do not belong to The Church of Jesus Christ.

I am a Christian and, therefore, consider myself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Does that make me a Mormon? If I am not a Mormon and, by implication, not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, am I not a Christian? This turns out to be complicated, confusing, and insensitive. In thinking about where Christians fit, and indeed where Mormons are trying to fit these days in the great scheme of things, there should be an attempt at achieving clarity, but not by robbing Christians of their identity in the Church of Jesus Christ.

The earliest Christians identified themselves as followers of 'the Way' (Acts 9:2) They were also 'disciples' and 'were first called Christians in Antioch' (Acts 11:26). Our faith is the Christian faith, founded on the Word of God in the Bible, on Christian doctrine. Our church is the Christian Church, we are disciples of Jesus Christ and followers of the Way. Maybe 'Christian' has stuck for these reasons.

Perhaps Mormons have been Mormons for so long, perhaps the name has stuck, because they are followers of Mormonism, which is squarely founded on the Book of Mormon, on Mormon doctrine. Their church is the Mormon Church, they are followers of Mormonism's founding prophet, Joseph Smith.

My wife and I recently took a break in Stratford-on-Avon. We had never been before so we made sure we visited the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, there to see a production of Romeo and Juliet. The balcony scene is what everyone thinks of when this play is mentioned. Juliet, not realising she is overheard by Romeo, asks:

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

There is a lot in a name. The Bible tells us there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) The second prophet of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young, preached a different gospel (Gal.1:6-9)

'Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now engaged behind the veil in the great work of the last days. I can tell our beloved brother Christians who have slain the Prophets and butchered and otherwise caused the death of thousands of Latter-day Saints, the priests who have thanked God in their prayers and thanksgiving from the pulpit that we have been plundered, driven, and slain, and the deacons under the pulpit, and their brethren and sisters in their closets, who have thanked God, thinking that the Latter-day Saints were wasted away, something that no doubt will mortify them—something that, to say the least, is a matter of deep regret to them—namely, that no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are—I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation—the keys to rule in the spirit world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he gained full power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan while he was yet in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion and to the name of Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory in the spirit world. He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven.' (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses. vol.7 p.289)

If Mormons want Bible salvation they need to change more than their name.

Christian Fundamentals: Confessing Which Christ?

People don’t believe in miracles, not because they haven’t witnessed a miracle, but because their world view will not allow for miracles. Even though someone they otherwise respect should relate an account of a miracle many will not believe it. They will, rather, reconsider the esteem in which they hold their friend.

Neither will showing them a miracle guarantee their conversion because they may make every effort to explain it away and we have seen this. So it was with the people who saw the miracles of Jesus and his disciples, who drove out demons, healed the sick and preached the kingdom message. They saw Jesus feed five thousand (John 6:1-15) and ate their fill, but this did not guarantee their accepting who Jesus was.

When the crowd later sought out Jesus in Capernaum he said, ‘You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labour for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.’ (vv26-27)

Jesus then launched into his controversial Bread of Life sermon (John 6:28-59) The result was ‘many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.’ (v66) Many today are pleased to feed the five thousand, but are not so eager to preach the Bread of Life. But this is the test of the true disciple; are we seeking to have our fill today, or are we seeking ‘a better country?’ (Heb.11:13-16)

The message of the gospel is, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ (Mark 1:15) The beginning of our journey into that kingdom is acceptance of who Jesus is, what he came to do.

When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am? They replied,

‘Some say John the Baptist

Others say Elijah

And still others that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life’”

A person’s response to Jesus is a sort of tipping point in either coming to a deeper knowledge of the things of God or increasingly failing to understand at all. Jesus spoke plainly and demonstrated his authority but seeing, they did not see, and hearing they failed to understand.

The Christ of God

Some of course did see and understand and when Jesus asked, “’But what about you? Who do you say I am?’

Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God’” (The predicted Deliverer. Lk.9:19-20, c.f. Lk.2:11; Jn.4:25)

At Pentecost upwards of three thousand saw and understood (Acts 2)

This is crucial because those who see, confess and order their lives accordingly will go on to grasp the mature vision of Christ portrayed by Paul, for instance, in his letter to the church in Colossae. Here Paul places Jesus at the centre of Creation, its cause, keeper and purpose (Col.1:15-20) and of the New Creation. These verses are believed to be a quotation from an early Christian hymn and so represent how those first Christians thought of Christ as the God of Creation and of the New Creation.

Christ is:

• The image of the invisible God (Col.1:15a) and the beginning (Col.18b, c.f. Rev.3:14; Jn.1:1)

• The firstborn of all creation (Col.1:15b) and the firstborn from the dead (Col.1:18c, c.f. Ro.8:29)

• Preeminent because he is before all things (Col.1:17a) and the head of the body, the church (Col.1:18)

• The one who holds all things together (Col.1:17b) and who reconciles all things to himself (Col.1:20a)

• Everything in Creation is by him, through him and for him (Col.1:16b) and so everything in the New Creation (Col.1:20c)

This is mature teaching, requiring deep contemplation and those who accept Jesus as the Christ of God, the promised Deliverer, the image of the invisible God (Col.1:15) have much to ponder. But those who ascribe to Jesus the lesser role of prophet, teacher, great man, or exemplar fail entirely to see him. They fail to understand why Christians insist on his being God made flesh, Creator and Saviour.

The King

This Jesus is King, and the gospel is the gospel of his Kingdom (Mark 1:15). The invitation of the gospel is to enter into the Kingdom, and the way we do that is to recognise Jesus as King, repent, and turn to him as the one who brings us Kingdom life (John 6:40) As we have seen, and as church history demonstrates, he is not going to make us popular in the world. But then his Kingdom is not of this world.(John 18:36)

Such blessings as are to be had from this great hymn in Paul’s letter are not accessible to followers Jesus the ‘good guy.’ Such faith as they have is not in the Christ Paul preached or the disciples witnessed to. Jesus’ question and Peter’s answer place Christ in his rightful place and in our witnessing that is where we always seek to put him. Otherwise we rob people of that wonderful knowledge of him that awaits them as they trust him and grow in him. Any message that does not have Christ as the cause, keeper and purpose of all things is not the Christian message.

Christian Fundamentals: The Bible, Why Aren’t We Reading It?

The Evangelical Alliance recently (2018) published the results of a survey of people’s attitudes to the Bible. Among Christians it was discovered:

• 57% believe the Bible should shape their daily lives "a great deal"

• 35% said they read the Bible everyday

• 73% said the Bible actively challenges them to live in a way which runs counter to the present culture in Britain

• 60% believe the Bible provides moral guidance, sets out God's rescue plan for humanity and shows God's priorities

• 78% believe the Bible is divinely inspired and 34% believe that it is free from error

• 68% say the Bible is regularly taught at their church

Stop and think about that second statistic; 35% said they read the Bible daily. Perhaps because 73% said the Bible actively challenges them to live in a way which runs counter to the present culture in Britain? It is true that taking the Bible seriously today can seriously make you stand out from the crowd. But it has always been God’s purpose that his people should be holy (set apart, dedicated or devoted to the service of God). Bible reading is integral to that service.

The experience of the Israelites during the captivity in Babylon shows how important God’s Word is; when they were to return to the land we find in Ezra and Nehemiah that the study of (Ezra 7:10); reading of (Nehemiah 8:1 8); and obedience to the word of God (Nehemiah 13:1-3) was vital.

The Book of Chronicles is often a seesaw story of good king, bad king, good king. Jehoshophat was one of those who sought to walk with the Lord. We find in 2 Chronicles 17:9 that one of the first things he did was to send out his officials to teach the people the Law of the Lord.

“They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went round to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.”

In the New Testament, in 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul reminds Timothy that he has known the sacred writings since his youth and that these lead to wisdom and salvation. They are vital because they are for teaching, correction and training. When we move away from the Bible as our basis we miss God’s teaching, correction and training, and so errors must come in.

Do not allow the enemy to tell us that it does not matter, learn from the story of the wise man and the foolish man in Matthew 7:24-27. Unless we hear the word of God and act upon it we are simply building on sand. The building will survive in the calm weather but the moment the storm tests it the building will be no more. We may appear to be fine when things are well with us, but there is nothing like a fierce storm to test the reality of our faith.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

This parable in Matthew also explains why there are some people who have heard the word of God for years but who are still not growing or able to stand; our calling is not just to be hearers only but also doers of the word. We can hear God speaking but, as the parable of the sower shows, we can allow other things to take the place of God’s word. If we are to be strong in God then we need reality.

The asdvantage of reading the Bible for ourselves is we come to know for ourselves. We will not just believe what someone else has said but we will have experienced the reality of that word. From our lips will come not the third hand information about Jesus whom Paul preaches, but the reality of Jesus within our lives.

Learn from the example of the experts in the law in Luke 11:52.

‘Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’

The problem was that the lawyers had theology but had not entered into the reality of the Word, “the key to knowledge”, and they were hindering those who wanted to enter.

Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14-17:

‘But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.’

Are you convinced of what you have learned of Christ? Are you allowing the Holy Scriptures to make you wise? As you seek answers from God, are you turning to Scripture so that you will be thoroughly equipped and trained in righteousness, for every good work?

Jesus Wept John 11:17-44

We know the story of Lazarus but I want to pose a question: Why did Jesus weep? He knew what he was about to do, that very soon Lazarus would walk out of that tomb, so why did he weep?

In the very next chapter (12) we have the extravagant anointing of Jesus by Mary, 'for the day of my burial,' said Jesus. It is in chapter 12 we read of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. These events are that close to Easter. When we think of God's love we consider the events of Easter it's clearest expression, 'For God so loved the world...' (John 3:16)

When we speak of God's love to the world that God so loved, this question arises:

How can there be a God who loves when we look at the state of the world? The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah asks, “Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?” (Jer.12:1)

The psalmist writes:

“I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind...Behold these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence...” (Ps.73:3-8)

Sound familiar?

There are three things we must know as we approcah Easter:

1. We were created for better.

Man, in his original state, was made to reflect the image of God. In Genesis we read:

“God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the seas and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen.1:26)

The Psalmist asked:

'What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands...' (Ps.8:3-9)

This text has been used, and quite correctly, as prophetic of Jesus. But in its original context it speaks of mankind in our original creation..

Jesus, of course, is described as the image of the invisible God (Heb.1:3) The difference between Jesus and us is that Jesus is God in the flesh, the exact image, the very imprimatur of God, while we are creatures, made originally to have a history with God that increasingly reflects his image as we grow, multiply and are fruitful on the earth. We were created for better.

We were made to be stewards, co-regent, with God, of the earth. To rule, as described in Genesis, means to enjoy delegated sovereignty under God. Stewardship means being responsible for those things placed under our care. This is the creation mandate. This is who and what we were made to be. We were created for better.

We were made to represent God on the earth. That means running things as he would run them if he were directly in charge. Doing things his way. Again, Genesis reminds us we are to be creative, fruitful, productive, living and reigning according to his rule. We were made to relate to each other in a way that is honouring to God and to each other. Adam says of Eve, “This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh...” so to harm her is to harm himself.

John Donne famously wrote:

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Paul describes the church in a similar fashion in his letter to Christians in Corinth, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor.12:26-27)

The church is meant to be a reflection of this original plan, to show God's purposes to the world and tell people there is a better, a godly way that fulfils us completely. To demonstrate that to be authentically human is to reflect God's image, be God's representative on the earth, to grow in the things of God, to relate correctly to each other, to steward the earth, be fruitful and multiply – be creative like our creator, bringing order out of chaos. By contrast our society has brought chaos out of order.

When we see where we have fallen from then we can see how far we have fallen. If life disappoints us it should, and this is why; we are a fallen people, and we were made for better.

2. We have fallen far

We must realise we are not simply the playthings of the gods, as some societies would have us believe. Neither are we helpless pawns in the hands of a blind and capricious fate. Nor are we the products of a mindless evolutionary process. Mankind was made for relationship and responsibility and we – are – responsible....What of our part in this tragic drama of life?

We have fallen far. It is not simply a question of punishing the wicked and rewarding the righteous-there are no righteous! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:9) It is a case, rather, of restoring the order, fulfilling God's original purposes. In this restoration we are yet to be stewards of God's new creation, those who reflect his image and glory, represent him on the earth and bring order out of chaos like our Creator/God. But how do we get from here to there?

We have fallen so very far and the problem is more than skin deep. Jesus tells us:

"What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mk.7:21-23)

We are so blind to our own part in this, we make the problem of sin too small. We call what the other person does “sin,” but when we do it we call it something else; weaknesses, faults (who hasn't got them?, we ask, not realising our question is a confession), being human we say but, as we have seen, being truly human is something else altogether.

The idea of sin is not the product of a less sophisticated, more superstitious time. Sin is a disaster of epic proportions. It lies at the root of everything that is wrong with this world. A massive problem, all-pervasive, staining and spoiling everything. Like putting a red garment in a white wash. Every depravity, every injustice, every cruel act, every lie, theft, betrayal and defamation results from the influence of sin in our lives.

When children are abused it is sin destroying the kind of relationships we were created to have; when a driver speeds his passengers to a terrible death it is sin corrupting his judgement and bringing chaos out of order; when people in positions of power face charges of corruption it is sin taking stewardship and twisting it into exploitation and unrighteous dominion.

It is sin that brings death and death stalks our every waking moment, invades our nightmares and assures us of its eventual victory; the death rate in this world is still 100%. Paul reminds us, “The wages of sin is death” (Ro.6:23) We laugh at sin today, mock it, regard it as quaint. We make death something regrettable but natural and manageable. God sees these things quite differently and he offers us real and sure hope.

We have a sure hope

And so we come to the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus had raised the dead before; the daughter of Jairus, the widow's son at Nain. He knew beforehand what he intended to do for Lazarus, yet he wept?

Were these tears of sorrow? Perhaps so, Isaiah prophetically called Jesus, “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” (Is.53:3)

Were they tears of empathy as he saw the inconsolable grief of Mary and Martha, Lazarus' bereft sisters? Again, perhaps so, Matthew tells us in one place that, “when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Mt.9:36) Jesus was, after all, fully human and capable of fellow feeling.

It is tempting to think of this in this way, as a local incident evoking fellow feeling and sympathy. Jesus, who went about doing good, doing good for his friend Lazarus. But nothing Jesus did was incidental and this was an event of eternal significance. Jesus' tears were not primarily those of sorrow, or of compassion. We read in verse 33 of our passage, “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled”

There is more here than sorrow or sympathy. These words could as easily be rendered, “He was enraged in spirit and troubled himself.” There is indignation here, a sense of outrage and the object of his wrath is death itself. The Prince of life walked the earth and death had the audacity to come this close. Jesus, moved to indignation by the unnatural and violent tyranny of death, advances to the tomb, in Calvin's words, “as a champion prepared for conflict.”

This is a clear demonstration of Jesus' conquest of death and hell. Not in cold unconcern but in flaming anger against the enemy of us all, Jesus strikes a mortal blow in Lazarus’ behalf. Jesus approaches our graves in the same spirit of outrage and divine determination. He suffered the same agitation of spirit, magnified many times over in Gethsemane as he anticipated Calvary and the cross on which he would pay the price for sin and defeat what Paul calls the last enemy to be defeated, death.

When Lazarus comes out from the tomb Jesus says, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Do you want to hear those words uttered for you? There is hope for you today if you put your trust fully in the Christ who saves and who, when he knew his time had come, said, “Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (Jn.12:31-33)

Will you be drawn to the one who, in our passage, declared with confidence and divine determination, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (vv 25-26)

It is popular with some to believe the gospel is simply about getting us into heaven because of the blood of Jesus. It is so much more. It is the gift of forgiveness and of a new heart, a call to new life, to become authentically human through Christ’s sacrifice for you on the cross, to grow in the things of God, to reflect God's image, to be God's representative on the earth, to relate correctly to each other, to steward the earth, be fruitful and multiply – be creative like our creator, bringing order out of chaos.

From Joseph to Jesus, a testimony

ANN:

Before I was taught by the Mormons in my teens, I only knew what I had learned at Sunday School as a small child and in R.E. lessons in school. Like many people, I thought that a Christian was someone who tried hard to do good things, read the Bible, and prayed to God.

I learned from my Mormon friends that Jesus had paid for the fall of Adam, so that we are all born sinless and are held accountable only for the sins we ourselves commit. Because Jesus died for my sins, I could work to be acceptable to God and hope one day to be judged worthy of heaven. It certainly sounded right, and I looked no further.

I was introduced to the Mormon church via a card through the door offering a free copy of the Book of Mormon. I had been asking a lot of questions about God and the purpose of life, so I sent it off. The book was delivered by two Mormon missionaries when I was out, so my mother made an appointment for them to come back and speak to me. Through their teaching, and visits to the church, my whole family were eventually baptised in March 1968.

MICHAEL:

I was eighteen years old when I first encountered the Mormon church. I have always maintained that the first thing that got my attention was the fact that they paid attention to me and valued my opinion. I knew nothing about religion although I had felt for some time that there must be more to life than the little I was experiencing then. This feeling had been increasingly distracting for me and so by the time the Mormons came along I imagine I was ripe and ready for picking.

I took the missionary discussions, all the time feeling quite embarrassed about my ignorance of spiritual matters. I had had no religious upbringing except the usual Sunday school and certainly my family were not churchgoers. This was an adventure and the missionaries presented answers to questions I had never considered. Everything was new and everything seemed right. So I joined on 29 September 1972.

I mostly enjoyed being a Mormon. I had experienced the "burning in the bosom" promised to all true seekers and, as a shy boy with nothing outstanding to boast of in my life, I felt special for having the inside track on truth. I was ordained an elder in the church on 25 February 1973 after over a year of study and faithful application, and had more reason to feel good as I was assured that I now had more authority than any of the so called spiritual leaders in the world.

It was through the church that I met Ann and we both had many happy times as Mormons. Our family started there and we found the church most helpful and supportive as we struggled with the usual difficulties encountered by young parents. Together we had gone to the temple and had been "sealed for time and eternity" and together we continued to enjoy the "blessings" of temple worship.

There were, of course, down times. However the church was always there for us. Looking back I feel perhaps we needed them more than most but they did not let us down and we have much to thank them for. Indeed it seems natural to ask, if it was so good why did you leave?

ANN:

I didn't know that what I had found was not the real thing, but a counterfeit, a deception. It took me 18 years before I finally had the courage to admit that my faith wasn't working, and that all my efforts to please God only left me feeling inadequate.

MICHAEL:

For all the church had going for it there was one area in which it singularly failed me. I was looking for something when I joined and, with hindsight, I can see that it was the one thing the church was incapable of delivering. Peace with God. When Ann and I became dissatisfied we really did not understand why. We just knew - I knew - that something fundamental was missing from our spiritual experience. It was only as we began seeking with a determination we had never known before that we saw how radical would have to be the change in our lives if we were to go on with God. We were genuinely surprised to be faced with the choice of God or Mormonism.

ANN:

A Christian friend asked us to read the book of Romans in the Bible, in a modern English version, and with no Mormon commentary. There we discovered the grace of God. I realised that the one thing I had never done in my life was to submit in obedience to Christ and ask Him to be my Saviour. I had believed in Him for 18 years, but I had been taught that the way to salvation was by obedience to the Mormon Church. They had effectively put themselves between me and God.

When I set out to read the book of Romans I was looking for a solution to the problems of my faith in the Mormon Church. I wanted to get right with God so that I could be a better Mormon. I certainly got more than I bargained for! Now I was faced with a dilemma. Could I give up some things that had been very precious to me, had been my whole life for 18 years, and leave all my Mormon friends? Or could I compromise and stay when I knew their teaching was false? You know, Jesus promised us abundant life, but He never promised it would be easy.

So many people think obedience is about the ten commandments and that sort of thing. Really it is about attitude. What really is the most important thing in your life? When I thought about it like that, there was no other choice I could make. I chose Jesus and the true gospel, and left the Mormon church. And I can honestly say that I have never regretted it. My life since really coming to know Jesus bears no comparison to all those previous years when I only thought I knew Him.

MICHAEL:

We made the right choice I believe and discovered a God who truly proves his faithfulness. So many scripture promises came true for us when we sought him and discovered that 'If you seek him, he will be found by you' (1 Chron.28:9). Coming from a system that saw obedience to law as the way to God we were brought to rejoice in the fact that 'a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify' (Rom.3:21). The law that had been written in books, that condemned us at every turn, was now writtern on our hearts, and we now knew the difference between conviction and condemnation.

The assurances of God's word were, and are, a blessing to us beyond anything we could hope or ask for. We know that through faith in Jesus we have eternal life as a present possession and a guaranteed inheritance (John 5:24).

I suppose the biggest surprise was that Christianity, far from being the hopelessly confused and frighteningly confusing religion painted by the Mormons, actually makes sense. In all its expressions and in every aspect it is a beautifully harmonious faith. If it is seen by the power of the Spirit, seen for what it really is, it is irresistible, and for honest seekers the Jesus we found is irresistible.

It was the friendship of a faithful Christian that opened us to the influence of the Spirit and brought us to Christ.

[Having moved from Josep to Jesus Michael is now Chairman of Reachout Trust, a UK Christian ministry founded iin 1982 by the late Doug Harris to reach out to those in the cults]

The Cults, The Internet, and The Church

Many years ago a friend and work colleague gave me a copy of Jerald and Sandra Tanner's Mormonism, Shadow or Reality? It is a big, red hardback book which would have proved daunting for most people. But for me it became essential bedtime reading, a treasure trove I still reach for when researching.

I had no idea such a book existed. Indeed, here in the UK, I had barely heard of Jerald and Sandra Tanner. In the days before computers and the Internet, information was scarce if you lived remotely from the geographical/cultural centre of the organisation you had left. As a Mormon I had easy enough access to teaching manuals from the church but as a critic I had to send away for materials as I discovered them; and if you don't known what you're looking for how do you find it?

There was no Amazon, no browsing the Internet for the latest titles. There were no forums, or discussion groups. When you did find quality material you were in a small minority, becoming the one to whom others might look for a lead on what is 'out there' and how to obtain it. For many people, the only sight they got of good books and tapes (remember tapes?) was when attending conventions, where there might be a book table, or from reading about them in newsletters.

Today its all available, overwhelmingly, staggeringly, confusingly available. Through web sites, blogs, forums, social media, online book stores, self-publishing, paperbacks, PDF, E-publishing, the list seems endless. Where before the challenge was tracking down good material and reliable sources, today the challenge is sifting through the mountains of information, discerning the helpful from the hopeless. When you do find quality material you are still in a minority if you have gone the extra mile to find and identify it. Indeed, sifting and curating quality material is more than ever a major part of the work of information and teaching based ministry.

These developments have not changed the basic vision and purpose of ministry, but they have changed somewhat how ministry is delivered. Online newsletters are much easier and cheaper to produce, E-books have made materials more affordable. Web sites, blogs, and social media make the work more immediate. Ministries can respond almost instantly to breaking news, which news is itself readily accessible. Email makes 'conversations' more real time, as do social media and discussion forums.

Some things haven't changed. Nothing takes the place of speaking face-to-face, and nothing will ever take the place of the local church, where we find like-minded people and grow as disciples of Christ. When someone leaves a cult it is vital they find their way to a place where there is life, grace, and sound, reliable teaching from people you can come to know and trust.

The picture of Christian community painted for us in the Bible cannot be replaced but must be replicated. The writer to the Hebrews urged, 'Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.' (Heb.10:25)

Luke, in his second letter, describes the New Testament Church:

'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. all the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.' (Acts 2:42-47)

We must be more discerning than ever as we find and use the mountain of information available on the Internet. The best place to practice that discernment is among people with the experience and calling to teach and lead the church of Christ. By all means take advantage of the riches available to us today, but bring it to the test of Scripture, to the local church, and to prayer.

Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and ‘Church’

Nothing highlights more the very different needs of people coming out of the cults than the respective understandings of 'church' by Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. In an article on the LDS Church website, an overview of membership mentions the word 'church' nine times, including the article's title, and all positively. It speaks of belonging to the church, access to blessings through the church, opportunities for serving in the church. It typically capitalises 'the Church' when referring to to the Mormon Church. Mormons understand 'church' to be an institution, much as does the Roman Catholic Church.

'Traditional' describes the Mormon approach to 'church,' even when Mormonism stands in opposition to other churches in its claim to be 'the only true Church.' This is evidenced in Mormon buildings boasting stained-glass window portrayals of Mormon history (right).

Jehovah's Witnesses, on the other hand, harbour a deep suspicion of 'church,' founded in historical antipathy towards the Roman Catholic Church. Church is apostate ‘Christendom’. Put the word 'church' into the search box on jw.org and you get Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Call Their Meeting Places Church? Jehovah's Witnesses at least understand that church is a body of people, although in every respect the Watchtower Society behaves as if it is an institution.

A JW friend recently explained that Kingdom Halls lack any ornament because 'Jesus went to a synagogue, which was a plain meeting hall.' Of course, the degree of decoration in a synagogue, as with most religions' buildings, depends a lot on the wealth, or otherwise, of the congregation. I recently had a Sikh explain to me, apologetically, that the local temple was not as ornate as other Sikh places of worship. Kingdom Halls can certainly be very plain, (right) though a quick search online will find some pretty handsome buildings as well. Below is the Kingdom Hall on Grandview Highway, British Columbia.

To a Jehovah's Witness, the very idea of 'going to church' is anathema, and leaving the organisation finds them facing a mountain of prejudices to overcome just to step across the threshold of a church building.

For a Mormon, 'going to church' is what comes naturally, an invitation to church no great issue. Even as Mormons, my wife and I sometimes visited other churches, particularly on special occasions. We even visited a Kingdom Hall on one occasion. On Nisan 14 some years ago we were made very welcome but were asked whether our Mormon leaders knew where we were. When we answered that they did our hosts looked truly puzzled.

For each, their expectations of 'church' will be different. A Mormon will look for an institution that will operate much as the Mormon Church does. A Jehovah's Witness will, with trepidation, approach 'church' harbouring deep suspicion, expecting to trip over the devil at every turn. Of course, a faithful JW will not be seen in a 'church'.

For both, it is important we can offer a clear teaching on what 'church' is, and what it isn't. For the Mormon, starting with a high opinion of 'church,' it is a case of coming to a more biblical understanding of an idea they already accept, though misunderstand.

For the Jehovah's Witness, starting with a very low opinion of 'church,' it is coming to the knowledge that Christians already know the arguments about church being people not buildings (see Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses call their Meeting Places Churches?) We need to help them come to understand that, even in New Testament times, there were differences between Jewish and Gentile churches (Acts 15) and Paul recognised:

'One man regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.' (Ro.14:5)

For both, the question of authority is a big one. Early in our Christian life, my wife asked a church leader and friend, 'What do we believe about this?' This is typical of how a cult member might ask a question, expecting there to be an official line. He answered that some people saw it one way, others another, and she should read the Scripture prayerfully and think it through for herself. As she put it, at that point the bottom fell out of her world. The cult member expects all teaching to be wrapped up in a neat package, tied with a bow, and unwaveringly believed.

Jehovah's Witnesses struggle with the idea that Christians can disagree yet remain in fellowship. It is a revelation for them to hear the words of Richard Baxter:

As my wife and I learned, there are those things we hold firmly, those things we hold lightly, and those things we hold away. What makes this possible is a message of grace, and an understanding that unity is not the same as, nor defined by, rigid uniformity. It's a messy business, church, and you only have to look at Paul's letters to Christians in Corinth to see this. Yet, even as he censured them, he addressed his first letter:

'To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.'

We too often take such grace and peace for granted. If we want to recover our wonder at such great blessings sit down with a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness who has left their organisation, and enjoy the privilege of explaining it to them. You will hear it again yourself as though for the first time, and join in their wonder and joy as the dawning truth of it enters their heart.

Leaving the organisation, Joining the Body

One of the many challenges facing a person who leaves the Mormon Church, or the Watchtower Society, is the question of where to go next. Tragically, some are so disappointed and hurt by their experience of their former religious organisation they go nowhere. Many are done with the whole show and go their own way, often into a rejection of God, certainly of 'organised religion.' I understand that.

Eternity in Their Hearts

Many more still feel the pull of eternity, that God has put in their heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11) It is tempting, in these circumstances, to explore this need for eternal things in private religion, seeking the companionship of God in nothing beyond personal piety and disciplines. The danger here is of what one Christian leader has called 'will worship.' It is when what defines me as a Christian is whatever I think it should be, a matter of my individual effort. My faith and my world-view are formed by my own thoughts and conclusions, nothing from outside these to challenge and test my Christian walk.

Personal devotion is, of course, part of the Christian life but the independent Christian, the Lone Wolf Believer, is unknown in the New Testament. Indeed, the whole Bible paints a very clear picture of God's purposes being carried out in community, from the family of Abraham, through the people of Israel, to the Body of Christ, the church in the New Testament and in the world.

The danger of this message of the body's imperative, in the context of cults, is that it might provoke a bad reaction from people who have already fallen for the lie that a believer belongs to an organisation, only to find this organisation has let them down, hurt them. It is important, then, to have a clear understanding of what I mean when I refer to joining and belonging to the body of believers, what it means and what it doesn't mean.

A Christian Community

Our 21st century world seems increasingly fragmented, people living 'silo lives,' dwelling in discreet worlds that rarely, if ever, touch one another. It is a dangerous phenomenon which can leave people feeling isolated and lonely. The psalmist writes:

''Sing to God, sing praise to his name...A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.' (Ps.68:4-5 NIV)

When we look at the people of God in the Old Testament, they are nation, community, family. God says through Moses:

'I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (Ex.19:4-6)

God called his people out of the house of slavery to bring them into covenant relationship with himself and with each other as a holy priesthood. In this role the called out people of God are to mediate the presence and blessings of God to the world around them. This chimes with God's original purpose in creation, to make men and women in his image to have dominion, to steward the earth, mediating the person and will of God to all creation (Gen.1:26-28)

This same thought is used by Peter to describe the role of the New Testament Church, the called out people of God, Jew and Gentile (Gal.3:28):

'But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.' (1 Pet.2:9-10)

These are people who identify with each other as they never would have, except for their calling into God's family. It is a people drawn together with purpose, to proclaim God's excellencies, to testify, by word and deed, the wonderful mercies of God in salvation. What does this look like? This picture of God's people is described in Acts:

'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had things in common...And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.' (Acts 2: 42-47)

Believing, Belonging, Becoming

Paul describes the church with a familiar and helpful analogy:

'For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, as we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.' (Ro.12:3-5)

The church is described by Peter as, like living stones...being built up as a spiritual house...' (1 Pet. 2:5) Note there is a process here, we are, 'being built up.' This process is reflected when Paul describes church leadership in his letter to Ephesus as, 'equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the fullness of Christ.' (Eph. 4:11-14)

The body is 'being built up' by the mature leadership of experienced Christians, described as elders. Peter writes:

'I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the suffering of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.' (1 Pet.5 1-3)

The Bible describes God's people as, 'the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.' (Ps.95:7) Jesus describes himself as the shepherd of the sheep (Jn.10: 1-18) and Peter describes Jesus as the Chief Shepherd, while elders are 'under shepherds' (1 Pet.5: 1-4) This is organic, not organisational. The distinction is critical. We must understand that those who believe belong to Christ, and those who belong are becoming like Christ.

‘Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also, be patient.’ (James 5:7-8a)

This is the church, the people of God, gathered around the word of God, ready to do the will of God, described in the New Testament as 'the body of Christ.' (Col.1:24) This is the family of God, the holy nation, the people called by God as his own possession to be a royal priesthood that mediates God to the world. They are described as devoted to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, and prayer, to the common life. To attack the church is to attack Christ (Acts 7:9).

Paul is very clear in reminding us, 'we, though many, are one body in Christ...' (Ro.12:5) 'In Christ.'

Christ Loved the Church

The unity of the body is nothing to do with being in an organisation, it is everything to do with being 'in Christ.' Paul describes Christ as, 'the head of the body, the church' (Col.1:18) Agreement over doctrine is not about simply finding like-minded people, who read the same books, and speak the same orthodoxy, but about finding and fellowshipping with 'Christ-minded' people and working together to better understand the work of God in the world, through the church.

It can be, and often is messy. You only need to read the New Testament letters to Christians in Corinth, Galatia, and Philippi, to Timothy as he leads a church in Ephesus. There is also the pressure of heresies such as Gnosticism, and legalism, to a point where Christians are urged to 'contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.' (Jude 3) But it is well to remember, 'Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.' (Eph.5:25)

Those who are 'in Christ' belong to the body, the church, and the church is the plan of God. How does one become part of this body, the church? Paul's description of his own conversion, his journey to become part of this body of which he writes so enthusiastically helps us:

'If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and depends on faith...' (Philip.3:4-10)

It is a process, an experience, that is described by Jesus as being 'born again' (Jn.3:3) Peter describes Christians as those who have been, 'born again, not of perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God...' (1 Pet.1:23). John writes, 'Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God...' (1 Jn.5:1)

It is Paul who reminds us, 'Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. 'Test yourselves, or do you not realise this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!' (2 Cor.13:5)

In another letter to the same Corinthian Church Paul writes, 'Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of Christ. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement on himself.' (1 Cor.11:27-29)

The body of Christ is a community that gathers regularly to read and understand God's word, pray, break bread and share the new life they have in Christ, to then go out and mediate the good news in the world. It is a community of people with one thing in common, they are born again, born of God, born from above, and find themselves 'in Christ,' part of the body of which he is the head.

As a body we examine our faith together to test its validity according to God's word. As individuals, we examine ourselves to see that when we take the bread and the cup of the Lord's Table we do so recognising Christ's body and living as part of that same community. Community; that’s a good word for it.