The following is an EXTREMELY confirming and clarifying excerpt of a Bible Study by Beth Moore I did years ago. All the bold emphasis is my own identification of similarities in GCX. I hope you find it just as helpful.From Page 90, "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things,
Beware of the Web" (workbook) by Beth Moore, 2003
"In the following example, circle any elements of Satan's schemes that you see." (All Bold emphasis mine)
"I have a dear friend who along with her husband was caught in the powerful seduction of a religious cult. They were very active Christians who were enticed by a church that profess to practices very close to those of the early church in the Book of Acts. In actuality very few of their practices ended up imitating the early church with the convenient exception of pooled finances. They did not realize how far they were veering from the Word into man-induced legalism and bondage because the leaders interpreted the Scripture for them. They were not encouraged to study the Bible for themselves. Are you beginning to recognize the signs? They lost the active protection of the ongoing sanctification of God's truth.
In the end, this family was seduced into losing practically everything they had except their salvation and one another. My friend is one of the least gullible people I know. She testifies that this cult had a terrifying seductive power to control the mind and blind the eyes. Keep in mind that any kind of mind manipulation that draws a believer away from his or her wholehearted, sincere, and pure devotion to Christ qualifies as a demonic seduction according to 2 Corinthians 11:2-3.
For our present subject matter, pay particular attention to the following dimension of Satan's scheme. My friend said that the hardest part of the cult to walk away from was the closeness of the members to one another. Their lives were extremely intertwined. They did everything together and knew virtually everything about one another.
The separation was "bloody" because they were all skintight. Defectors couldn't simply clip the ties and walk away. They had to tear themselves away. They were not bound in the Spirit. They were bound in their Spirit-mimicking flesh. Dependency counterfeited genuine unity. Their ties weren't sexual, but they were messy. There's our key word.
Have you ever been or ever known anyone who was seduced by a cult? What were some of the common denominators in their experience and that of my friend?
Read 2 Cor. 11:4-6. What did the apostle Paul imply about the message others were preaching?"
