Jesus told us to beware of....."Pink Elephants"

submitted by blog visitor: openwaters415

Got your attention?  I would have said LEAVEN, but might have lost your interest too quickly. We typically use the phrase "nobody wants to talk about the pink elephant in the room". We know what it means when we say that. I think we do that all the time in life, thinking things will "go away" if we just kind of leave them alone. 

                                                  

The kind of churches I have been around for the last many years, with a strong pastoral one man system driving the people as a spiritual CEO, taking a stance as the people's own "personal priest", truly lends itself to this problem of leaven. We are taught throughout the New Testament about the problems of spiritual "leaven" in our lives. Jesus spoke of it. Paul spoke of it. Yet we often don't think of it with much significance, as though it is only something for really religious people or theologians to deal with.

What is leaven?...

Leaven is a symbol of evil DOCTRINE, evil PRACTICES, evil LIFE, and evil TEACHING. It is never good throughout God's word.  Spiritually, it works in the unseen realm to bring impurity and pollute the things of God in our lives. It dilutes the things in the Kingdom of God from their intended original purpose.

Let's take a look at the different types of Leaven: 

1) Leaven of the Pharisees - Jesus explained in Matthew 16:6 what to beware of. He explains what that leaven is in verse 12. He noted that it was the poor doctrine of the Pharisees (as well as the Sadducees). He also spoke further in Luke 12:1 about what the leaven of the Pharisees is........ HYPOCRISY. Don't do as I do --but do as I say. Dictatorial leaders often think that they have some sort of "spiritual immunity" for believing and following the Word. Many times they will expect extra grace towards them when they "get side tracked" or "mess up", but will refuse that same grace to the congregation. After all, "I am God's man (or woman)". This leads us tomightily in spiritual gifts and the supernatural. Yet they were called CARNAL by Paul throughout 1 Cor. 3rd chapter. He mentions their carnality many times. In 1 Cor. 5:6-9, Paul admonishes the leadership to NOT even eat with a brother guilty of sexual immorality because of what it can do to the flock. It is interesting to me that when a Pastoral dictator is involved in sexual sin, and a person from the congregation chooses to leave because of this, how the person that leaves is the one marked as evil or divisive, yet those involved in lewd behavior are the ones who should be disciplined. If the leaders are admonished to be on the look out for sexual immorality and deal with it, how much worse is it when the leadership are the ones involved in it. Sadly, you are told not to judge or "cast any stones", rather than make

"Coming out of Egypt" -A Testimony of Transition

Article submitted by blog visitor: Sonlight29

Some people have asked to hear "real-life experiences" from those who've left Cornerstone.  Here's mine.  I hope it helps those who've left know that they are not "losing it" when they go through the peaks & valleys.  And I hope it gives courage to those who feel God's tug on their hearts and know it's time to leave, but are afraid & questioning.  It was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and I would really rather not live the last few years over again, but I am thankful for what I have learned through them and for the person that this process has helped me become.

As background, so the readers of this realize I am not a "fly-by-night" type of person:  I was raised in church.  Have a great, Godly family.   I've been saved for almost 40 years now.  I've been in active ministry for almost 30 of those years.  My parents were active in ministry & it was not uncommon for us to spend lots of personal time with the Pastor of our church and his family.  I know how a Godly, caring shepherd should act because I saw them first-hand, when they were not on the platform.  I think my solid, Christian background made it possible to excuse away what I now see as the quiet nudgings of the Holy Spirit when red flags would come up.  I could easily separate "the office of the Pastor" from "the man" because my parents had taught me to respect men of God.  However, the men of God that I grew up around were the same "in the office" and as "the man", so I did not have to deal with the discrepancies in their lives.  I am not at all saying that these men were perfect!  But there is a difference between being human and being immoral.

I went to Cornerstone for almost 14 years.  I served actively in a very high position for most of those years.  I saw a lot of "inside" stuff, so to speak.  But then again, most of the 

Jesus -The True Cornerstone

Ephesians 2:18-22

"For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with CHRIST JESUS himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In HIM the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

It’s time for the Body of Christ to get back to it's TRUE foundational roots.  Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone upon which the entire foundation of the church is built and supported.  It is through CHRIST alone that we are:  RECONCILED to the Father, REDEEMED through His Sacrifice on the Cross, EMPOWERED by His Grace, and COVERED with His Righteousness.  Jesus speaking in Matt. 16… "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on THIS ROCK I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

How do I know if Christ is STILL the Cornerstone (Foundation Stone) of a church assembly? 

Ask yourself if they are overcoming the gates of hell or if it's progressing the other way around?  Are they CHRIST centered or Personality/Man centered?  You see, whenever you shift the focus away from Christ and instead center it around a “man”…you are no longer building upon THE Rock.   You are then building upon sand (man), which is ever shifting. 

Remember the Canaanites who served false gods?  One of their known pagan rituals was corner-stone laying and seems to have been their most sacred and impressive ceremony.  Under this important stone of Temples, bodies of children or older persons would be laid, consecrating the building by such HUMAN SACRIFICE.  This centuries old practice of IDOL WORSHIP, is STILL being sanctioned in the "modern church" today.  

Many Canaanites church leaders are still trying to substitute Man where Christ alone should be.  This is the MAIN ROOT of our problems today within the Body of Christ --we are no longer satisfied with the simplistic Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yes, we "say" we already know Christ is our foundation….BUT that foundation is not just something that was laid "way back when" the church first opened its doors.  The Cornerstone of our Faith IS in our Precious Savior alone... the intrinsic center from which the Body is vitally supported from.  THE CHURCH is not an "event" or a "Gifted Person" with a crowd surrounding him every Sunday --it is a LIVING Body completely dependant upon it's Founder/Foundation.  I am here to tell you -You are NOT “extensions of a Pastor’s hands”…YOU ARE AN EXTENSION OF CHRIST.  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” 

The next thing to ask yourself is, “What is the fruit?” 
Fruit is not gifting.  Fruit is not “x” amount of members.  Fruit is not the “big-name” evangelists or singers who are showing up for conferences.  Fruit is not whether people are still “falling out” in "big, beautiful buildings".  According to scripture --REAL FRUIT is seen in their teachings, their love-walk with others. 

REAL FRUIT is identified by asking yourself this one question:  "Am I being continually drawn to follow THEM or am I being continually pointed in the direction to follow Christ -for myself?  It's one way or the other. Whose voice leads your life?  How do they handle themselves when they fall into pressure or questioning?  In a “SET MAN” centered church you CANNOT find the true fruit of a leadership that is submitted to the Headship of Christ.  Why?  Because THE VERY NATURE OF THEIR STRUCTURE is fundamentally in contradiction with the TRUE FOUNDATION of the GOSPEL.  What does this mean?  You see the “good news of Jesus Christ” is THE Gospel; being that we now have access to the Father through HIM and no longer man.  The “set man” theology teaches that the Pastor or Bishop is your covering and you MUST see “eye to eye with them for the Glory to be in the House”.  However, we are to be ONE with Christ….  “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  Then the Glory of God will fill the house…NOT when we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Pastor! 

This “Set Man of the House" philosophy systematically teaches you that empowerment and anointing are flowing from him (the "head") down.  However, Pastors are under-shepherds sent by the Chief Shepherd to guard and guide, not to dominate and dictate the sheep.  Paul said, "...we will in all things grow up into HIM who is the Head, that is, Christ".  So, it's not God, then Jesus, then Bishop/Pastor, then you.  NO –Christ is the Head...period.  "From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament."  These “set man” leaders are usurping the role of Christ in your life; being that they continually point you to follow them instead of pointing you to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit for yourself.  This is a LUCIFERIEN SPIRIT –a seducing spirit. There are

Rejected or Righteous?

submitted by dmac64 /blog visitor

Spiritual Distinctions between a Reject and a Righteous Man:

It is with a humble, even saddened, heart I present the following candid distinction between ONE whom God Almighty has rejected (even in His Love) -and ONE whom the same Loving God has accepted (in His Be-loved).  The record of Spirit-inspired Scripture is again our only true Guide, and I trust the same Spirit of Truth to lead us both into and guide us through these sharply contrasted spiritual realities.  Let's begin. 

From opposing sides of the behavioral spectrum…

Here are some potent distinctions:

One man is Darkness, while one man is Righteous. 

One man is evil-tempered (his proven and displayed temper, that is); one man is God-hearted (although painfully imperfect). 

One man is the choice of the crowd; one man is the selection of God Himself. 

One man is under no persuasion to do the right thing; one man is under no persuasion to hide his confessed (and gruesome) sins.

One man cannot win in the eyes of Almighty; one man cares not if he loses in the sight of all men.

One man becomes a Reject; one man maintains God’s Righteousness within.

One man is Adam; one Man is “the last Adam”.

One man is crucified with Christ; one man is now alive unto God.

One man cannot save his life before men; one man cannot but lose his before God.

     One man is the Reject…  One man is the Righteous.

And, drawing from historical example and the extent of our own common humanity, you or I could easily be “anointed by God” yet -end up AS EITHER MAN.

Got your attention yet?  Sound all-too-familiar?  Did you find yourself thinking of

Walking Away from a Spiritually Abusive Church

After finally making the decision TO LEAVE, I can clearly remember quickly facing the twin emotional and mental road blocks of -"When to leave?" and "How to leave?"  I recall speaking with a friend and expecting some really "deep" wisdom and revelation on the matter.  He simply said, "You want to know the right way to leave?  PUT ONE FOOT INFRONT OF THE OTHER and WALK OUT the door."  At the time, I thought that was the most insensitive thing I had ever heard..of course now after several years, I look back and realize that WAS the sober reality and the most liberating advice to give on the situation.

The most difficult phase of a spiritually abusive experience is usually the exit process.  The question then becomes: Should I leave my church? That question can only be answered by you.  I hope that you find the resources on this website helpful in your journey through the process of recovery from spiritual abuse.

HOW TO LEAVE A PARTICULAR FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS:

The TRUTH of the matter is...There is NO "right way" to leave a church.  BUT there is a way (by departing from your relationship with Christ) you can leave THE Church.  Simply because you choose to depart from a specific church group, does not mean you are no longer part of the Body of Christ -which is THE CHURCH.  New Testament scripture clearly outlines for us on how we are to properly maintain relationships within the entire Body of Christ..not merely to a select body or building.  That is why you will not find any “protocol anointing” taught in the NT.  Church structure is NOT set up by man’s standards of “protocol”…this would be an unstable foundation. (Actually most of our familiar “church protocols” are rooted in culture, “folk theology”, and other various denominational traditions…)

The New Testament is also loaded with examples of Christians who came and went at their pleasure, on their own initiative and choosing. There is no evidence of "permission" necessary from any other person. For example, Aquila moved from Rome to Corinth (Acts 18:1-2), then went to Ephesus with