Cult, 12 Tribes of Israel

[Debp]

2 hours ago, justadisciple said:

They are in different countries around the world.  I have visited one of their communes for a couple of days, and have had members of the group visit our place as well.  I don't know enough about them to say if they are an "evil cult".  They were very friendly with us and I saw a fair bit of sincerity in many of the members even though I do not agree with a lot of their teachings and practices (particularly the whole O.T. focus, their belief that God cannot speak directly and individually to people, them believing salvation only comes if you are a member of the group, etc.).  There is a lot I disagree with them on, but I did not see any evidence of it being a dangerous group.

 

As far as the simple lifestyle, that is not bad...however, it's too bad they have so many odd beliefs.   Cults always add extra things to our faith so they are definitely a cult.  If they would stick to what the Word of God teaches, I think their way of simple living would be acceptable.

I think the way of life might draw alot of people into this cult.

[justadisciple]

2 minutes ago, Debp said:

As far as the simple lifestyle, that is not bad...however, it's too bad they have so many odd beliefs.   Cults always add extra things to our faith so they are definitely a cult.  If they would stick to what the Word of God teaches, I think their way of simple living would be acceptable.

I think the way of life might draw alot of people into this cult.

I am not confident of that definition of a cult.  I mean, practically every church has "added extra things to our faith" and yet they are not usually accused of being a cult.  

[Debp]

4 minutes ago, justadisciple said:

I am not confident of that definition of a cult.  I mean, practically every church has "added extra things to our faith" and yet they are not usually accused of being a cult.  

When I said a cult adds extra things to our faith, I meant extra doctrines that the Bible does not teach.  If a church deviates from the major doctrines of Christianity, they are a cult.

 

 

[justadisciple]

Fair enough. 

[Neighbor]

Hi all,

Rather than respond directly to any question that asks is XXXX a cult? I tend to want to know what is not a cult, by knowing the Bible the word of under guidance and understanding from the Holy Spirit. For if I know that then all the cults are made irrelevant  to my own  relationship with my creator. Then I do not need to ask myself is this idea of the Word of God.

My spouse just in the past few minutes read to me an except that  pretty well covers the entirety  of the subject for me. From the full sermon at https://www.spurgeongems.org/vols16-18/chs1074.pdf comes the summary excerpt below. The summary pretty well guides me in avoidance of all those that come with a new reveal, ones special to them that they will have me to follow:

III. And now, finally, let us utter SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE WHOLE SUBJECT.

First, to the believer: dear brothers and sisters, honor the Spirit of God as you would honor Jesus Christ if He were present! If Jesus Christ were dwelling in your house, you would not ignore Him; you would not go about your business as if He were not there! Do not ignore the presence of the Holy Spirit in your soul! I beseech you, do not live as if you had not heard whether there were a Holy Spirit. To Him pay your constant adorations; reverence the august guest who has been pleased to make your body His sacred abode; love Him, obey Him, worship Him! Take care never to impute the vain imaginings of your fancy to Him. I have seen the Spirit of God shamefully dishonored by persons (I hope they were insane) who have said that they have had this and that revealed to them. There has not, for some years, passed over my head a single week in which I have not been pestered with the revelations of hypocrites or maniacs! Semi-lunatics are very fond of coming with messages from the Lord to me, and it may save them some trouble if I tell them once and for all that I will have none of their stupid messages! When my Lord and Master has any message to me, He knows where I am, and He will send it to me direct— not by mad-caps! Never dream that events are revealed to you by heaven, or you may come to be like those idiots who dare impute their blatant follies to the Holy Spirit; if you feel your tongue itch to talk nonsense, trace it to the devil, not to the Spirit of God! Whatever is to be revealed by the Spirit to any of us is in the Word of God already; He adds nothing to the Bible, and never will! Let persons who have revelations of this, that, and the other, go to bed and wake up in their senses. I only wish they would fol- low the advice and no longer insult the Holy Spirit by laying their nonsense at His door!

 

-From; Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1

THE PARACLETE

NO. 1074

A SERMON
DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, OCTOBER 6, 1872, BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

“I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.” John 14:16.

 

Edited November 29, 2017 by Neighbor

[Neighbor]

It has been my own long road to travel, one amongst the many cults; from Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ, to Dianetics the strange gathering  under the Flag of Scientology.

Their appeal is always to rid one's self of personal accountability and responsibility, to instead give over self to  a man, or a wo-man, butalways a person, that will take that responsibility, - for the price of one's soul. They all deny Jesus is Lord, God, and savior by whom all that enter the kingdom will come.

Most substitute another Jesus, one not of the Bible, often by making Jesus the brother of Satan, or the son of a co- redeemer who intercedes between God by way of priests or elders of some sort, all  for the individual by way of the modern prophet. 

It just doesn't matter whether a cult works up the idea that one is a figment of their own imagination, a new god to elevate self to god then to form new worlds and have spirit children, or is waiting for the mother ship to lite at Clearwater Florida and take the faithful away. It always boils down to a denial of the deity of Christ Jesus, and the sufficiency of His willing sacrifice on the cross. 

All institute some form of denial of Jesus and the insertion of personal works and sacrifice to the cult leadership, the modern prophet.

So I conclude that the key is to study the word of God the Bible, pray, read, think and ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom of the word of God. And then,- practice daily making application of the word that is the Bible. That is the way to be able to withstand Holy inquiry and gain the kingdom that Is the Kingdom of God.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Neighbor

[TheMatrixHasU71]

On 11/18/2017 at 12:36 PM, Yowm said:

Is it this...

https://www.twelvetribes.com/

and this?...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Tribes_communities

I was just reading one of their articles and while they claim that Christians are not under the Law, they contradict themselves as they still enforce a strict obedience to the commandments.

[Neighbor]

54 minutes ago, TheMatrixHasU71 said:

I was just reading one of their articles and while they claim that Christians are not under the Law, they contradict themselves as they still enforce a strict obedience to the commandments.

My Lord Jesus made a famous speech on that subject, in which He stepped up the standard for obedience to the commandments. To obey God's commands is not to be a cult member, nor a legalist,  but instead an obedient Christian.

Christians are not new born, nor born again, into freedom to sin all the more as result of the sacrifice made by Jesus to cover them all. Every saint is to learn to see that sin is born from the within the heart long before the tongue and the hand acts as result of the sin. Jesus lectured that  the sin occurs in the heart even before the mind acts upon it and that the saint is accountable to Him, is guilty, and will be judged  by Him on  even that higher standard.

 It behoves the saint in Christ Jesus to run the race and finish it well so as to  not be deprived of, and embarrassed unto great personal shame for coasting short of all out effort. Obtaining victory without running full speed is a sad sin that will leave  a coasting saint without any garland for the honoring of their  Lord Jesus.

[TheMatrixHasU71]

22 hours ago, Neighbor said:

My Lord Jesus made a famous speech on that subject, in which He stepped up the standard for obedience to the commandments. To obey God's commands is not to be a cult member, nor a legalist,  but instead an obedient Christian.

But that obedience comes from love of God, it is the fruits of our faith in Him. It is our faith FIRST that saves us, not obedience to the commandments. Just as Abraham believed God (first) and then showed his belief by his act to sacrifice Isaac. It was his faith that accorded him righteousness.

This cult, like other "Christian" cults out there would have people being saved by works, through obedience to the commandments. THIS is what the 12 tribes cult is preaching. And do remember too that when Jesus said Obey the commandments, that was because He hadnt DIED yet. All things must be placed into their proper context.

 

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, TheMatrixHasU71 said:

But that obedience comes from love of God, it is the fruits of our faith in Him. It is our faith FIRST that saves us, not obedience to the commandments. Just as Abraham believed God (first) and then showed his belief by his act to sacrifice Isaac. It was his faith that accorded him righteousness.

This cult, like other "Christian" cults out there would have people being saved by works, through obedience to the commandments. THIS is what the 12 tribes cult is preaching. And do remember too that when Jesus said Obey the commandments, that was because He hadnt DIED yet. All things must be placed into their proper context.

 

Well, I don't know about others, but I was not saved by my works nor by my faith.

I was called out to repentance of my sin against God whom I did not even know existed by God the Holy Spirit.