Vengance is Mine Saith The Lord

I pray that each time I post that it is not out of a desire for revenge. I want to say that I am not without sin. I am a sinner that Christ shed his precious blood in order to save. It is my desire that no one else suffer the loss of their relationship with Christ at the hands of a false teacher / false prophet. I hope to speak the truth boldly but out of love.

Sincerely,
Lisa

Deborjah Taylor of Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah Passed Away on October 26, 2009

I have been checking their webpage for a few days and it's interesting to note that six weeks after the death of the cult leader, they haven't announced it on their website. Hopefully they are not trying to hide her death just to keep those tithes coming in !!

Lisa

Wolf in " ANONYMOUS " Clothing finally reveals herself

Hello Everyone,

I have been blessed by the positive support I have recieved for this blog and it's mission to speak the truth about the spiritual abuse and blasphemous teachings imposed on those who followed Deborjah Taylor. We are to forgive one another for the wrongs done to ourselves by another for WHO IS WITHOUT SIN ? No one. BUT, it does not mean that we are to remain silent. We are to warn the brethren when we see a false teacher leading the people astray. We are to expose false shephards who are destroying the flock. We are to follow the example given in the New Testament and NAME NAMES so as not to leave our brothers and sisters to try to figure out who the false teacher is. This will almost always cause the False Prophet and those around her / him to point the finger and accuse the one speaking up, of " spewing hate ". This is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to " muddy the water " so as to take the heat off of themselves. It's to be expected but not feared. See my post titled - " They Told Me If I Left ".

With this in mind, I have a comment that was recently left by the step-daughter of my former cult leader . What follows is first , her ENTIRE comment to me. Then I will respond to each of her comments in bold type.

Lisa,
I am not sure what you are going to do with the rest of your life... Now that your "life's mission" is null as the hate you spew is against a dead woman. DeborJah died months ago from the stress placed on her by those like you. You write that all blogs positive will be removed... What are you afraid of? Some of us came away with a deeper understanding of our spirituality and ourselves. And this blog can't take that away. We can now only take the truth of what was given and continue reaching for the light... For ourselves... by ourselves... one on one with Jahwah.Because that is all it really was suppose to be.Self and Jahwah. I do pray for you and your family and perhaps your next "life's mission" won't be so hate filled and you can finally find peace.

I would like to pass on a message on to Julie though... I really want to thank her so very much. I once loved her like a sister, and sadly that is gone, but the gift she left behind is more precious than all the gold of Ophir... She gave me my soulmate and for that I will be forever grateful. I hope she too has found happiness.

If you have anything you need to say to me, my email address is still the same. May you all find peace through Jahwah's love and mercy.
Aron

Lisa,
I am not sure what you are going to do with the rest of your life... Now that your "life's mission" is null as the hate you spew is against a dead woman. DeborJah died months ago from the stress placed on her by those like you....

Dear Aron , my mission to expose Deborjah ( Doris ) Taylor for what she was ...a False Teacher / False Prophet, will never end. There are MANY wounded sheep left behind that need to be tended to as a result of being spiritually mauled by Deborjah. The ENORMITY of her BLASPHEMY is evident .........the bible says "Fear not the prohpet whose words do not come to pass for I have not sent him". It seems to me all the death curses that she prophesied over others..( My father, Tim Rogers, Rachael's husband Glenn and lastly my whole family when she prophesied "let them die" as a result of us leaving the group )..came down on her own head. The truth WOULD be stressful to someone who made a profit from teaching lies in the name of our Father in Heaven and His Son our Saviour. The peace that passes all understanding was obviously missing. Her death was at the hands of her Creator. I do not have the power over life and death. I am just a sheep who once was lost but now I am found !!!

You write that all blogs positive will be removed.

Huh? ! ? I never said any such thing. I said that any posts from anyone supporting Deborjah's blasphemous false teachings would be deleted. I also said that I would gladly recieve any who were FORMER members, any who had genuine questions or similar experiences to share. This was a neccessary step to protect others from being led astray.

What are you afraid of?

Certainly not Deborjah or you for that matter. Your hatefulness knows no bounds. You left the cult for close to a year. You sent everyone in the group an email saying exactly what I am saying now and it was the truth. You made a big scene of coming to Gary and I wanting him to leave his job and come work for your Port-a-Potty business after your husband went on the road. Gary was to help manage the business in Jeffs place.Gary asked you point blank if there was a chance that you would bring Jeff back.... You assured us that you would NEVER bring Jeff back. You lied. You knew that EVERY instruction brought to you By Gary was from Deborjah and he had to OBEY. You accuse me of spewing hate.......we never did anything to you or your step-mother or your aunt but SERVE you !!! When you and your family were at the Hole in The Rock, after you left the group, you and Gary crossed the parking lot at the same time. You made a big DRAMATIC scene showing everyone with you how you couldn't stand to look at him . He worked like a slave for you and you made a point of telling everyone how you told Jahwah that you wouldn't return to the cult until Gary left. You were so filled with hate for us because Deborjah DEMANDED that we ALL leave your business because you "brought back your BAAL husband and we HAD TO STAND AGAINST BAAL". Deborjah ran your business, just as you complained that she tried to do once before. You knew what would happen to us if you brought Jeff back ,you evn said so , but you did it anyway. You knew we had a baby due in 2 months but you did it anyway. It completely wiped us out financially .Even after the way you treated him, Gary sent you an email inviting you and Jeff to dinner. Your response was sarcastic and hateful. Deborjah even said you were heaping burning coals on your own head.We never made trouble for the group ....we left in silence. You NEVER had to obey to the extent the rest of us did. But then again none of Deborjah's family HAD to obey her, except for Gail.

Some of us came away with a deeper understanding of our spirituality and ourselves. And this blog can't take that away.

This blog will continue to speak the truth and sometimes the truth hurts. If you feel your spirituality is being jeopordized by the truth found here, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your spiritual health and relationship with Christ. He spoke the truth .....it hurt....and he was killed by the Teachers of The Law because of it.

We can now only take the truth of what was given and continue reaching for the light.

I hope you find the light and come out of the darkness that Deborjah's blasphemy led us all into

.

For ourselves... by ourselves... one on one with Jahwah. Because that is all it really was suppose to be.Self and Jahwah

.

The consensus among the former members of this group is that this is simply not true. The main focus of so much of her teaching's were that SHE was THE BUFFER between us and Christ. That the mind is of the flesh and that thinking for oneself is sinful. We were NEVER ALLOWED to have a one on one relationship with The Father.

I do pray for you and your family and perhaps your next "life's mission" won't be so hate filled and you can finally find peace.

I don't think anyone really believes that you are praying for us, you are just insinuating that we NEED praying for. You are right...we all need praying for and are to pray for one another continually. Deborjah taught that you are not to pray for ANYONE outside the group, remember? Fortunately I serve a saviour who ENCOURAGES me to pray for the lost , the hurt, the sinner. I know I don't deserve His forgiveness but I glady accept it. As for my "next life's mission" there will be MANY as I continue to serve Christ , I am sure He will bless our whole family with multiple opportunities to touch the world for Christ. We are always looking for ways to help the "LEAST OF THESE", and thus the joy has returned to our lives. It will take time to heal from the twisted, narccissistic bondage that we spent years under. But I am at complete peace and so is Gary. We have been incredibly blessed since leaving the cult . We are healthy, happy and strong.

I would like to pass on a message on to Julie though... I really want to thank her so very much. I once loved her like a sister, and sadly that is gone, but the gift she left behind is more precious than all the gold of Ophir... She gave me my soulmate and for that I will be forever grateful. I hope she too has found happiness.

( Julies response to Aron )
Aron... In response to your message to me, Julie... You are so very welcome, but in reality I had nothing to do with your union with Rick. Though, I was sorry to hear of your divorce from Jeff. I was under the impression that you were truly in love with him for all the years you were married to him. The truth about the "marriage" of Rick (AKA Kepha ORyan) and I is that we were not truly in love, infatuated in the beginning, but never truly in love. As I got to know him better, I knew I could never love him and then I was forced by Deborah to marry him or I would be condemned to eternal damnation. I know this is nothing, but bunk, now. You will never really know what happened between us during that time because I found Rick to be somewhat of a liar in many areas. He is also somewhat of an angry person as well as emotionally abusive, especially to my young son. He had more problems than I had the tools to deal with. It was not a happy time, and I am sure that whatever he tells you of me is a lie due to his insatiable desire to constantly lift himself up. Hopefully, for your sake, he has changed, but those kind of changes require much inner work and time, which I never saw to be of any great interest for him. And, of course, you were not with the group at that time so you really had no idea of what was going on then. You say you wish happiness for me and I thank you... I am happy. Ironically, one of the greatest lessons I have learned after leaving the group that true happiness can only come from within.

I am back with my children and family after 5 years and am very happy at my designated post, of which, by the way, I should have never left and still remain in a recovery state and probably always will. But, however, I still do believe that everything happens for a reason and that I have definitely walked away from the group a much stronger person. A person that will not be taken on such a long false journey again. I remain very guarded in that way. My relationship is between me and my Maker, not me, Deborah and my Maker. This brings me that peace that surpasses all understanding.

I am very surprised, though, as intelligent of a person as you are, that you still remain ignorant to the definition of what a cult is even after leaving the group for a whole year! It completely baffles me that during that year you were gone, especially after leaving under such a great influence of anger against Deborah, that you returned without ever educating yourself as to what a cult is. I would have known you to be more intuitive than that. I am in great hopes that you don't fall into a trap of carrying on Deborah's reign of terror on unsuspecting victims. Thankfully, I really don't see you as a person that can maintain enough self-control in which to carry on as Deborah, had she lived on. You've never struck me as the type that would have the desire or even the stamina to micro-manage all the other lives in the group as she did.

I certainly don't rejoice in the death of Deborah as I have never been taught that kind of value, but I can say with the utmost of confidence that I do feel a great sense of peace and relief that she is no longer here to terrorize others under such a false cloak of the Almighty. I do wonder what she will have to answer to.

I hope that all of you who are still left there can sort through all of the mess that has been created by Deborah and get your lives back to where they need to be, especially for the kids involved as they have no choices in such life-long devastating matters.

Genuinely,
Julie

If you have anything you need to say to me, my email address is still the same. May you all find peace through Jahwah's love and mercy.

We recieved The Father's love and merciful gifts of Salvation and freedom when he delivered us from the illegitimate reign of Deborjah Taylor who usurped the place that belongs to the one true King and That is Christ himself.....Lisa

Aron Aron Taylor, AKA Aron Bronson, AKA Toni Bronson

The Narcissist ..er... I mean .....The Wolf in Sheeps clothing at it again !

Hello Everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season !! We are having a great time being with family and counting our blessings.

Unfortunately I have some administrative business to take care of in this post but it is imperative that it be done.

I have taken some time to think about how I was going to handle HOSTILE POSTS. I knew it would happen eventually , so it did not come as a surprise when it did happen. The purpose of this blog has always been and will always be to warn others of the spiritual blasphemy taking place in the group JAHWAH'S LITTLE FLOCK OF OVERCOMERS in Moab Utah. This group is led by Deborjah Taylor, AKA Deborah Taylor, AKA Doris Taylor. Having personally experienced the REALITY of her teaching's and the devastation it caused, I have made it my life's mission to never stop warning my brother's and sister's in Christ that THEY WILL NOT FIND CHRIST THERE. I have made it my life's mission to never stop warning those new to Christianity, THAT CHRISTIANITY IS NOT TAUGHT OR PRACTICED THERE. The blood of Christ is trampled upon there ....the freedom found in the shed blood of our Saviour is renounced and the dead letter of the law embraced. She teaches that if we fail to obey her instructions that we and our children under us will not be saved ! THIS IS BLASPHEMY ! Calling oneself a Christian and yet placing oneself under the law that HE died to set us free from is
blasphemy. She teaches that SHE is the BUFFER between Christ and everyone else, hence no need for a personal relationship with Christ. SHE HAS MADE HERSELF THE SAVIOUR.....and that is blasphemy. The danger here is ....when we come face to face with our Father in Heaven and our Saviour on Judgement day ....we will not be able to blame Deborjah Taylor because we do not know Christ. We can't say we weren't warned of the false teacher's sent to lead us away from Christ, because the New Testament is our instruction manual.

THERE IS NO WAY TO THE FATHER BUT BY CHRIST

SO....

ALL POSTS SUPPORTING DEBORJAH TAYLOR'S BLASPHEMOUS TEACHING'S, WILL BE DELETED SO AS NOT TO LEAD OTHERS ASTRAY.

ALL POSTS FROM CURRENT MEMBERS ( Including Deborjah herself ) OF JAHWAH'S LITTLE FLOCK OF OVERCOMERS THAT STILL FOLLOW DEBORJAH TAYLOR'S BLASPHEMOUS TEACHINGS AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO FOLLOW, WILL BE DELETED
SO AS NOT TO LEAD OTHERS ASTRAY.

We will gladly recieve posts from former members and any one else that has genuine questions, as well as those who want to share their own experiences.

Sincerely,
Lisa

Letter from Elisheba ( Un-edited except I have added their real names in parenthesis )

Jordan's Dream

We (the Hawkins) and others were gathered together for a meeting. Jordan (Kristen) was riding her bike and Jachin told her to stop riding because Mom Deborah was there ready to give Jahwah's word. She stopped riding the bike and sat down next to Jachin. Mom began giving the word, Jordan got up and started riding her bike again. Then Jordan and I got up and began to play with Levi (Gregory) and Jubilee (Kierra)and others began to do other things and no one was LISTENING to Mom. She asked and pleaded for us to listen. No one would so she got in her truck and left. After she left, Jordan and Jubilee were approached by a HOG ! The hog was on all 4's at first then it began to walk on it's hind legs erect like a human. It had 2 hands ( human hands ). One was covered in fur like a wild animal with long claws. The other hand was white as snow and had blood red nails. The Hog was trying to punch Jordan in the mouth.

INTERPRETATION
Mom said that the dream is saying NO One is listening to her therefore Not listening to Jahwah !!! The Hog is the devil! He approached the children! The furry hand represents the beast of govt. and when Nebuchadnezzar was turned into a wild animal after Not LISTENING / OBEYING Jahwah. The white hand represents Leprosy !!! SIN !!!

The morning Jordan told Mom the dream, Jahwah gave us Lev. 13 which speaks all about LEPROSY !!! The evening oblation I got the message !!! I was Not Listening to the Father. Mom would tell me to do something i.e. take my colon cleanse ( I would find an excuse not to ). She has been working with our budget. This week she said there was no money to wash clothes. I would have to wash by hand. I rebelled in my spirit and grumbled. I didn't want to listen.

The Father in His mercy showed me that I refuse to do the small things. I am looking at Mom and thinking that the things she instructs me to do is her own opinion and not from Him.

He said if He can't trust me in the small physical things, He surely can't trust me in the spiritual things !!!!

My dear sisters , I don't know if this is true for you but I feel a great URGENCY ! We have to LISTEN & OBEY !!! It is not Mom but Jahwah giving the instruction. Remember at the feast of unleavened bread when he gave us the scriptures about blasphemy against His Holy Vessels. That is where the sin of Leprosy is taking place !!! That is NOT GOOD !!! We don't want a SPANKING from Jahwah !

I could go on and on but I can't write anymore :-) Please if you are not listening and obeying ( even in the small things ) REPENT and JUST DO IT !!! I did !!! Because what I do affects our entire group ! Remember Akin !!!

I love you both dearly !

I hope to talk with you soon

Elisheba (Lanica)

How DID did she control you ?

Hello, first let me start by saying that we met Deborjah through her teachings online. I was a Christian SAHM of 2 and pregnant with our third. My Husband and I had a deep desire to help others and serve Christ. When I foud Deborjah's teachings, they fed our need to DO something to prove our devotion to the Lord. We were naive and ignorant of the gospel of salvation and freedom from works of the law. She was very subtle at first. What you read in her lessons online is the PUBLIC VERSION. It has all the specific referrences to the members of the group edited out before it goes online. The members of the group are routinely humiliated in front of the whole group , but all of that is removed from the lessons BEFORE they go online. She routinely came into my home which is where the lessons were taught and acted like she was a queen. She would not allow anyone child or adult to get up and use the restroom until SHE was ready to take a break. She has had children and adults sitting in their chairs crying because they were about to wet themselves. She once made one of the ladies walk home because she insisted on getting up to go to the bathroom . If she showed up early and everyone was not standing as she entered, she would threaten us with punishment. She BELIEVES that she is the ONLY teacher or mouthpiece of Jahwah. We were so ignorant of the scriptures, that when Deborjah twisted them to keep us following all the laws of the old testament we obeyed. We were continually taught that any disobedience was a sign of distrust and a rebellious heart. Which caused us to try even harder to follow the law to prove that we REALLY loved Jahwah. She would enforce rules on some but not others claiming that "everyone's walk is different, so don't expect everyone's walk to be like yours " That meant that you couldn't complain about how you were being treated or point out discrepencies in what was being taught and enforced on some but not others, PARTICULARLY HER OWN FAMILY MEMBERS, because that was YOUR walk with Jahwah. I was the first one of our group to be excommunicated. It scared me to death. Our family was not ALLOWED to have sugar AT ALL, No chocolate either( because my husband had cavities as did our little girl )I even had to check the ingredients in everything I bought. One day I wanted to do something special for my children so I bought and gave them some dried fruit which had sugar sprinkled on it. We hadn't had sugar in more than a year . I told them not to tell anyone but someone did out of fear and I was busted. There were also some charges that I had complained to everyone about Deborah not allowing me to have a business license. I didn't complain about that since another member of the group owned a Port-a-Potty business in Moab and we would have used her license to buy all of our supplies. I had had my own business license years before and so I wasn't worried. But Deborah needed as much as she could get against me, she was going to make an example of me! She made my husband, who was one of the Elders participate in my excommunication which was to last for three weeks. I was brought into anothers home on one occasion and told to " Sit down, shut up and put your bag of excuses away !" If my husband tried to help me, then he would have gotten a prescription ( disciplinary action ). I was not allowed to speak up for myself or refute any charges brought against me. According to Deborjah, I was rebellious and endangering my salvation as well as that of my children. I was repeatedly told that if I didn't keep all of my children under me in obedience, then they would not be saved. I was constantly under the microscope because I had a hard heart that needed to be broken. My husband was disciplined for coming to my defence when I told Deborah that I needed insulin and she refused to allow me to go to the Dr. She said that she had CURED her sister and she was going to cure me. I was not allowed to refuse. I was told what I could eat, how far to walk every day ( 4.5 miles which was good for me ) when to take my blood sugar etc. After more than a year of her program My blood sugar was still very high all the time. My Dr said that I had liver and kidney damage. I was FINALLY ALLOWED to take insulin she still claims that she helped me. Deborah BELIEVES that she can cure people. There are several instances of health issues among the group that desperately need to be treated but Deborah won't allow it. She needs to have power over people. In some way this old woman needs to be constantly running someones life. One other person who was in one of Deborjah's previous groups, said that being friend with Deborjah is being in bondage......and she is right. She never taught out of the New Testament. It took years to realize that. She teaches that she is in position between all of Jahwah's people and Jawahshuwah ( Christ ), because we needed a " buffer " between us and Christ. What about coming boldly to the throne ? Over the course of five years our family alone tithed more than 30,000 to her. Unlike Christ , Deborah taught that anyone who is not in her group is the Dead , and they are not to recieve any help from the poor fund. Christ was ALWAYS helping " the dead " .....that is how he reached them ! When any of the group needed help from the poor fund, we were made to pay it back. After all those years of tithing we came to realize that not one person outside our group was helped . She will not tell where all the money was spent as if we had no right to know . She will not tell us why all the other groups she has had have left, other than they were all evil and money lovers ( ie stopped tithing to her ). We tithed twenty to thirty percent off the top of everything we earned for five years. We did so faithfully. The FIRST time we asked about why she had changed the tithing rules, she would not speak to us and she called one of the other elders and told her that we had backslidden and that she had an email to prove it. What made her so angry was that we referenced one of her own lessons , which gave a step by step example of how to tithe on gifts you recieve. According to that lesson we were doing it right so how and when did the rules change ? She was fit to be tied that we would after five years , DARE to question her. She controls people through fear. There is no stronger fear than that for your and your children's eternal future. I know this is a long post but there is sooo much that happened to all of us and is still happening to others who are still there. Oh , I almost forgot....there was no sexual funny business going on ! What Carey meant by " pleasure " is that for narssistic personalities, they derive their self gratification by ruling over others. We pray for them to have their eyes opened as the Father graciously opened our eyes. My children still miss the Hawkins children. They were the only other children in the group full time, for five long years. Deborjah taught that all the other children outside our group are full of evil spirits and thus they were not allowed to mix with them. When we left, my heart was broken for Jordan( Kristin ) , Aiyah ( Kierra ), and Caleb ( Gregory ) Hawkins. They would be completely alone , but for my own family's sake , we HAD to go. I pray for their mother Elisheba ( Lanica )as well , that she will come out of the bondage she is in. I am going to post a letter from Elisheba ( Lanica )that she wrote to me and one of the other ladies in our group. This letter shows how even our dreams were interpreted by Deborjah to lift her up and push us down , keep us on our knees worshipping her, not the Father.
Please feel free to ask any questions you like, I will try to answer them in a more timely manner now that I know you are here :-) Lisa

GUILT

Hello all,

This post is difficult for me because it is so personal. But nothing is too personal for a cult leader to use to manipulate their congregation . If you remember from one of my earlier posts, Witchcraft is in operation when you see these three tactics being used, MANIPULATION, INTIMIDATION, AND DOMINATION.
Deborah (DeborJah)Taylor (Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab, Utah), used all these tactics when she forced me to write all the members of my immediate family and reveal that my father had sexually abused me for years. I had forgiven my father years earlier but I was still having problems in my marriage re: self esteem issues, intimacy issues and trust issues. I believed that I could trust my Pastor/Minister/Spiritual Leader or I never would have gone to her for help. At the time, both of my little girls were sick with pneumonia and were very ill, I was scared for them. Deborah(DeborJah)Taylor (Jahwah's Little Flock of overcomers in Moab, Utah)told me that Jahwah had made them sick because I was hiding or covering up for my father's sin. She told me that if I didn't send this letter before Passover that Jahwah was going to kill my two little girls as punishment for my disobedience. I was absolutely devastated. I SCREAMED. I CRIED. I BEGGED. It did no good. I had to decide between my father, whom I loved very much, and my two helpless , innocent ,little girls. I sent the letter, which Deborah(DeborJah)Taylor (Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah)demanded to re-write because my version was not harsh enough "To save his soul".
Naturally my family would have nothing to do with me. By the time we started coming out of the cult JAHWAH'S LITTLE FLOCK OF OVERCOMERS, my father was very ill with cancer. I tried to communicate with him by phone, but he would not return my calls. We returned home to Texas and after getting settled in, I thought I would visit my parents home and try to make peace. But my Father died before I could make peace or tell them I was sorry for letting someone scare me into hurting my family. I was not allowed to attend the funeral or the burial and my Mother and siblings will not speak to me.
The poem you are about to read came to me in my sleep, amidst the nightmares haunted by a wolf in sheep's clothing.

GUILT

Copyright 2009 Lisa M. Wilson

Guilt, like a knife buried to the hilt,
pierces deep, so deep I can not breathe.

The blade meant for Eglon, has instead found me.

I had forgiven,
but was driven,
to deliver the blow,
that would bring him low,
why I listened to the witch
I do not know.

The straight path behind,
has turned into a crooked road before me,
the fog of despair so thick, I can not see.

I am filled with gloom as I stand
at the foot of my fathers tomb.

Guilt, like a blade that my own hands have made,
pierces deep, so deep that I can not breathe.

My soul flows slowly out the hole,
til nothing is left and I am bereft.
All that remains is the shell,
the rest must be in Hell.

If anyone can save me now,
I don't see how.

To posess the Light,
I'll have to fight,
with all my might,
against the Creature of the night.

Maybe then HE will forgive my sin,
and heal the hole left in my soul.

Guilt, like a dagger that made me stagger,
is not from above,
is not of Love.

Guilt, like a sword, is not from the Lord,
who did pay the price that I might have Life.

Guilt, like a spear, brings nothing but fear,
proves in fact that the enemy is near.

As Night gives way to Day,
here among the trees,
I drop to my knees,
my face to the ground,
my Saviour I have found,
never again will I give in,
to the voice that leads to sin.

Guilt, like a knife,
like a blade,
like a dagger,
like a sword,
like a spear,
was defeated once for all on the Cross of Calvary.

Characteristics of a Narcissist

Hello everyone ! after doing a lot of reading about cult leaders and spiritual abusers, I came across one commonality most of them share, Narcissisim. The narcissist is an extemely controlling personality that in effect must be worshipped in order not to feel their own shame. Narcissists are typically people who believe they are greater than everyone else, can do everything better than anyone else, know more than everyone else, have suffered more than or achieved more than anyone else. This definately describes Deborah ( DeborJah ) Taylor (Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab, Utah). It didn't matter what it was....one of the Ladies first attempts at making jelly ( " I'm sure it's not as good as mine " ) to which the young woman replied " I'm sure it's not ", someone once complimented my spaghetti, to which she replied " it can't be as good as mine, I use red wine ", No one could play volleyball right, none of the Ladies knew how to take care of their man the way SHE took care of hers, none of the parents knew how to PROPERLY care for their children the way SHE took care, of hers,no one could sing or arrange music as well as SHE could, no one could handle their money as well as SHE could, and above all ......NO ONE COULD INTERPRET THE WORD OR HEAR FROM THE FATHER AS CLEARLY AS SHE COULD, IF AT ALL!! Just like the true Narcissist, Deborah (Deborjah)Taylor (Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah )declares that every word out of her mouth is straight from the mouth of Jahwah, to disagree with her is equated with blaspheming the Holy Spirit. one of her famous quotes is " Not even the angels in heaven would dare to speak against "The Mouthpiece of Jahwah !" WOW! THAT'LL SHUT A PERSON UP IN A HURRY !!
Below is a list of Narcissistic traits common to many cult leaders and spiritual abusers. Beware of the Narcissist in sheeps clothing !

What follows is a check list of character traits used to identify Narcissistic Personality. If your pastor or someone else you know can be characterized by a majority of these realize you have a major challenge on your hands. This check list should be given to those who have had the closest continual contact with the narcissist. Take into consideration that some people whom the narcissist has surrounded himself with will be blind to all these, as they have either become co-dependent with the narcissist, or have blind loyalty to the ‘position of pastor.’



Self-centered. His needs are paramount and take precedence over the church

No remorse for mistakes or misdeeds. Will not offer heartfelt apologies of ask forgiveness.

Unreliable, undependable. Will change his mind and reverse decisions at will

Does not care about the consequences of his actions—may not even understand the connection

Projects his faults on to others. High blaming behavior; never his fault

Little if any conscience. Will do most anything he thinks will not be discovered. May ask staff to fudge the books.

Insensitive to needs and feelings of others

Has a good front (persona) to impress and exploit others

Low stress tolerance. Easy to provoke into anger

People are to be manipulated for his needs, accomplishing his desires

Rationalizes easily. Twists conversation to his gain at other’s expense. If trapped, keeps talking, changes the subject or gets angry

Pathological lying. Will lie if he thinks it will further his image and if he doesn’t think it will be discovered. When lies are followed up on will imply that the other person is mistaken, and that he never said the lie in the first place

Tremendous need to control situations, conversations, and group meetings

No real values. Mostly situational

Often perceived as caring and understanding and uses this to manipulate

Angry, rapidly changing moods

Does not share ideas, feelings, emotions

Conversation controller. Must have the first and last word

Is very slow to forgive others. Hangs onto resentment

Secret life. Hides money, friends, activities

Likes annoying and provoking others. Likes to create chaos and disrupt for no reason

Moody - switches from nice guy to anger without much provocation

Seldom expresses appreciation unless he is buttering the person up for further use

Grandiose. Convinced he knows more than others and is correct in all he does

Lacks ability to see how he comes across to others. Defensive when confronted with his behavior. Never his fault

Can get emotional, tearful. This is about show or frustration rather than sorrow

He breaks woman's spirits to keep them dependent

Needs threats, intimidations to keep others close to him

Highly contradictory

Convincing. Must convince people to side with him

Hides his real self. Always “on”, playing the part when in public

Kind only if he's getting from you what he wants

He has to be right. He has to win. He has to look good

He announces, not discusses. He tells, not asks

Does not discuss openly, has a hidden agenda

Controls money of others but spends freely on himself

Unilateral condition of, "I'm OK and justified so I don't need to hear your position or ideas."

Always feels misunderstood

You feel miserable with this person. He drains you

Does not listen because he does not care

Is not interested in problem-solving

Very good at reading people, so he can manipulate them

Will exaggerate and brag about past accomplishments

Concerned with getting what he wants NOW—immediately

Will not want to share his pulpit/platform with others

Will be envious of any other staff person who is loved or highly respected by the congregation

Will be overly concerned with the ‘image’ of the church building/bulletins etc.

Feels that he has been taken advantage of over and over again—’knife in the back syndrome.’

Dress may change based on whomever is his latest idol

Spend long hours ‘doing church’, but little will be accomplished.

" They Told Me That If I Left .... "

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read this article. It EXACTLY portrays how Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor(Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers, in Moab Utah)keeps a tight grip on everyone in her group. This is precicely the reason it took my husband and I so long to break free.
The section of this article dealing with breaking people down making them feel worthless, is particularly true of Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers, in Moab Utah).No one was encouraged or helped to see their potential in Christ. It is not an exaggeration to say that Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah), routinely berated members of the group in front of the entire group. You are not allowed to speak in your own defence. What ever is said about you, you have to accept......because it is supposedly coming straight from the mouth of Jahwah. Once my husband tried to come to my defence ( I am diabetic and Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah) would not ALLOW me to go to the Dr. to get insulin. My husband ended up getting a "prescription" for coming between me and "THE WORD". It was a year after she tried to cure me with her exercise routine and special diet, which I was not allowed to refuse, that I was finally allowed to go to HER Dr. By that time the Dr. informed me that I sufered severe liver damage and kidney damage. I was then allowed to go on insulin. I then had to report to her what my blood sugars were every day ( as if I couldn't be trusted to do it) and SHE would tell me how much insulin I was to take. I was a nurse for many years and I knew exactly how to treat my diabetes, but she treated me as if I was an idiot who couldn't do anything as well as she could.
Every time our children would get sick, Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock Of Overcomers in Moab Utah) would tell my husband that Jahwah was punishing us for some sin of mine. She once yelled at my husband that I did not love our kids, in front of another elder. This was because I didn't cook something right or I wanted to take them to a Dr. because natural medicine wasn't healing our girls ( age 2 and 4 ) of pneumonia, or I wasn't submitting to something that she had handed down. She once told me that I was lucky that Jahwah had not killed all of my children. She also told me that Jahwah would not give me any more children because the children that we did have were not in proper headship. All of our children were very well behaved. We were told that if we didn'd have them completely under us in proper headship, then Jahwah would cut them off!! I was petrified. So I tried to get them in line....but Deborah (Deborjah)Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah) constantly took over the raising of our kids, often placing someone else in the group over our kids. We could not refuse.
She frequently came between children and their parents. She frequently came between husband and wife. Since we left Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor and Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah, we have learned of another husband and wife that have separated. That means that my husband and I are the only couple that are still married......and we are only still together by the grace of God.
This article explains in painful detail the Bible Based Cult, Jahwah's Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah, keep their members terrified that if they leave Deborah (Deborjah) Taylor (Jahwahs Little Flock of Overcomers in Moab Utah) they are leaving Jahwah and they will PAY DEARLY.
Lisa

They Told Me If I Left ..........
by Ron Henzel

One of the most insidious features of Spiritual Abuse ...
... is the state of terror in which it leaves so many of its victims.

People who flee Spiritual Abuse are in a double-bind: in the very process of fleeing from the oppression that comes from being part of the group, they are terrorized by the threats of the leadership and various members -- threats of dire consequences, punishment from God, and even eternal damnation.

Jehovah's Witnesses are told that members who leave the Watchtower Society will be destroyed in Armageddon. Members who leave the International Churches of Christ (also known as the Boston Movement) are told that they will be condemned to eternal torment in Hell. In the group I came out of, the leader kept telling us that no one "prospered spiritually" after leaving, and he not-so-subtly implied that many of them were never really Christians in the first place. (Translation: they're going to Hell.)

In one form or another, to one extent or another, spiritually abusive groups elevate affiliation with their "body of believers" to a requirement for salvation -- or at the very least they elevate membership in the group to a requirement for demonstrating that you are a Christian. In either case the result is the same: once you're in, you can't leave -- at least not safely; at least not without jeopardizing your eternal destiny.

After spending a sufficient amount of time in these groups, escaping members are often totally defenseless when it comes to this kind of spiritual terrorism. They have come to the point where because they are no longer able to endure the very real fear and torment of being in the group, and they are willing to risk the potential fear and torment of being outside the group. But they frequently leave with the sincere conviction that their departure is a sign that they are going to Hell, and they have no idea how they are going to cope with that. For many going through the exit process, fears of eternal damnation become a constant preoccupation. Once they are fully out, the result is almost always severe depression, and they are sometimes suicidal.

As for me: I was too afraid to commit suicide, because all my assurance of salvation had been stripped away by my abusive group, and I didn't want to arrive in Hell any sooner than I had to. I kept praying to God that He would give me whatever it was that I needed (repentance, more faith, etc.) to be assured of salvation long after I left.

Another woman who left our group before me remembers drawing a deep breath and saying to herself: "Well, this probably means I'm going to Hell ... but I can't stay!" Another former member moved hundreds of miles away to avoid the inevitable, searing condemnation of the members she left behind, some of whom had been old friends before she joined.



Occasionally, someone comes to us
who is terror-stricken in this way.
Such a person is being tormented by the idea that God has forsaken them because they have left -- or are thinking about leaving -- a particular church, a denomination, a small group, a religious organization, or a local fellowship, and this kind of fear has been instilled in them.

Such a person is terrified by the simple fact that they even found this web site. "Perhaps it's a sign of just how far away from God I've fallen!" they might think to themselves. And they sense the tentacles of Satan wrapping around their souls, and the cold hands of death grasping after them.

Such a person feels as though he or she is somehow permanently contaminated, damaged goods, poison to all other true Christians. He or she might look for a big church, and then hide in the shadows -- or avoid churches altogether. He or she may have begun to wander numbly through, spiritually aimless, occasionally experiencing deep attacks of dread and panic.

"Does God love me?"

"Does God even care about me?"

"Is it too late for me?"

"Please, God -- tell me it's not too late! Just show me what I have to do to know that you love me!"



"But it was so nice at first ..."

Time and time again we hear the same story: "When I first joined they were so loving, so kind, so united. ... They treated me special. ... I never experienced the kind of things I experienced when I first joined them."
And then?

"It was so gradual, and so subtle," they tell us. "It was only after many months that I began to dread going to meetings, or getting together with other 'brothers and sisters,' or seeing our leader. But by then, it was too late! They had me convinced that this was a special work of God -- a special movement of God's Spirit -- a prophetic voice for these times.

"To leave them was to leave God ... and yet I knew that I just couldn't take it anymore! I was always being rebuked for every move I made. I was always either being the object of harsh treatment, or having to stand by and watch as other people endured harsh treatment. If I ever questioned their judgment, they said it indicated that I was rebellious, carnal, unrepentant. It finally came to the point where I couldn't bring myself to walk through that door anymore ...

"But they told me ...!" these people say, "They had told me over and over, even from the early days after I first started coming ... They told me how spiritually dangerous it was to leave. They told me that people only left because their sinfulness was being confronted in the group, and they didn't like it, so they left. I remember hoping that I would never be like them -- and now I am!

"They told me that if I left ..."

My experience was so much like yours. I know what it's like to go personally through the things I am describing here.

So let's look at some of the things spiritual abusers tell us will happen to us if we leave them:


"They told me that if I left,
I would backslide spiritually."

No matter how many Bible verses they quote, no matter how many examples of what happened to other people spiritually after leaving, this is pure bunk, and you don't have to believe it.

Many, many groups have a habit of pointing to examples of those who left and went into a spiritual tailspin. But is this a negative reflection on the people who leave, or the group that they left? Much more often than not, when any group can cite a long list of such spiritual casualties, it's a negative reflection upon them rather than a negative reflection on those who left. And yet how cunningly they twist it around!

Any group that leaves a trail of broken people should be avoided. Unfortunately, we can't see the broken people who lay strewn all around us as a result of these groups, because typically when people leave spiritually abusive groups, they go into hiding and do not want to be found. So all that we have left is the word of the leaders, who testify at length to how "backslidden" these ex-members are. Perhaps they can even come up with particular "sins" these people are guilty of.

Some abusive leaders do not go into details about the supposed "sins" these ex-members are guilty of. Instead, they are so confident of their hold over remaining members that they are content to let them draw their own conclusions. Why did they leave? a member asks. They fell away, comes the ready response. End of story. After hearing that explanation enough times, remaining members naturally come to equate leaving with "falling away" from God.

But when we examine these ideas under the light of Scripture, that light exposes them for the utter nonsense that they are.

We do not come to God by going to a church, to a group, to an organization, or to any other human being on this earth. We come to God by coming to a person. We come to God by coming to Jesus. Jesus Himself said it:


I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
[John 14:6, New American Standard Bible.]

Since we don't come to God by coming to one particular group, it follows that we don't leave God by leaving that group. The only way we can leave God is by leaving Christ, which means renouncing Him, and turning away from the faith.
And when we come to Jesus, we don't have to come walking on eggshells. We don't have to wonder if He will accept us. For He also says:


... and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
[John 6:37b, New American Standard Bible.]

Jesus does not cast people out who come to Him, or drive them away. That is a key difference between Jesus and spiritually abusive leaders.
A favorite verse that spiritual abusers like to quote in order to intimidate people is 1 John 2:16:


They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us,
they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
[1 John 1:19, New International Version.]

Spiritual abusers will point to this verse and then point to those who have left their so-called "fellowships" or "churches" or whatever, and say, "See! The Bible says that these people were never really Christians in the first place, or they would have remained with us!"
But this is a twisting of Scripture. By saying, "they went out from us," John is not referring to one particular church body or group of believers. Instead, he is referring to those who have left the faith itself, and have denied that Jesus is the Son of God (as John points out in verse 22).

In fact, the Apostle John is referring to a very specific group of cultists in the early church who were called "Gnostics" (pronounced "NAH-sticks"). These were people who believed that they had "special" spiritual knowledge that other professing Christians did not have -- much the same way that spiritual abusers today claim to have "special" knowledge, "special" gifts, or insight, or callings, or integrity, or whatever.

The Gnostics were very self-assured people. They could talk a big talk. They knew how to sound so lofty and spiritual that most people who heard them frankly could not understand them half the time, and they made a practice of questioning the spirituality of Christians in regular churches. Gnostics would sneak into a Christian church, start spreading around a bunch of pseudo-spiritual teachings, and draw little followings around themselves. When people questioned them they would turn-the-tables on them and accuse them of not being "spiritual enough to understand." This had a tendency to make other Christians feel inferior, and rob them of their assurance, which is why the Apostle John spends so much time in 1 John assuring his readers that they are the ones who are really Christians, and not the Gnostics.

Eventually these Gnostics would take their little bands and split off to form a new group. It was that situation that the Apostle John was addressing, not the situation of a believer fleeing an abusive group. In fact, were the Apostle John around today, I am convinced that he would find a lot more in common between the old Gnostics and today's spiritual abusers than he would find between the Gnostics and people who leave abusive groups.


"They told me that if I left,
I would join up with the enemies of God."

The leader of one group in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) constantly warns his followers about "the web of darkness" that is lying-in-wait just outside their little semi-communal congregation.

He's not talking about the World Wide Web (although, coincidentally, he discourages his flock from surfing the web because of supposed "spiritual pornography" that is on it, which is supposedly much worse than regular pornography). He's talking about the informal network of ex-members who have either been kicked out or walked out on their own, and who have begun communicating in order to support each other through the terrible process of exit and re-adjustment to the real world outside their little cult.

People in the group become conditioned to warnings about "the web of darkness" waiting out there to consume them once they leave. One-by-one as members leave or are kicked out, their reputations are smeared and their characters are assassinated by leader. Most of the time, the leader doesn't have to say hardly anything. The simple fact that he ordered someone to leave is enough to persuade the other members that the person is in some kind of sin. When someone leaves on their own, it is usually preceded by many solemn warnings about "the web of darkness." Then, when it is discovered through the grapevine that an ex-member has been in contact with other ex-members, the remaining members say to each other and themselves, "See! It's inevitable: once you leave the 'spiritual protection' of our group, you fall into 'the web of darkness!'"

If it were not for the fact that members take this so seriously, and that it causes ex-members many sleepless nights and many bouts with hysteria, we could write it off as perhaps a very bad joke that is in very poor taste.

The goal is obvious: to scare people into staying, and to create a feeling of utter isolation for those who have left or are in the process of leaving. Many people who have leave the group think that while those other people left one day get a phone call from an ex-member, and panic is the inevitable result.

"Oh no!" they shudder to themselves, "It's true! I've fallen into 'the web of darkness!' This means that I'm one of them!"

People who have recently left an abusive group have been known to refuse calls from ex-members who had been out for a while because of this very fear. This keeps them isolated and afraid, and more likely to return to the group in order to avoid "God's wrath."

In my ex-group, the leader spoke of the "network of sick people" who were outside of our group, ready and waiting for us to leave the group so we could "plug back into them." Other leaders use various other metaphors and analogies. It is a very common theme. And a very unbiblical one.

There is nothing in the Bible that says you cannot leave one group to join another group of Bible-believing Christians, especially when you have been abused by the group you are leaving.



"They told me that if I left,
they would have nothing more to do with me."

This can be a very painful experience. Sometimes it involves more than friendships, but also involves families. Some families have more than one generation in an abusive group, or sometimes siblings or other relatives join together.

In its most extreme form this is referred to as "shunning." Several months before writing this, I was standing at the cash register line of a local Christian bookstore. Eventually I noticed that standing only five or six feet to my right was a woman who was still attending the abusive group I left.

A sudden wave of various emotions came over me. Should I try to get her attention? Should I greet her? Should I say anything to her?

For a moment I wasn't sure it was her, but I stared at her long enough to assure myself that it was -- and the sheer length of my stare would have been enough to make anyone on the receiving end of it feel uncomfortable.

And yet, there she stood, standing as straight as a post, her cold, stony face staring straight ahead, refusing to turn to acknowledge my presence.

She was shunning me.

She could hardly have avoided seeing me and my wife standing to her left as she approached the counter. She would have had to walk right by us just to get there.

I began to scan the rest of the store over my shoulder, and sure enough: I saw her husband not that far away, his back strategically turned toward us, looking at some of the merchandise.

Surely at least one of them must have seen us! I thought to myself.

They were shunning us. Just as our abusive ex-leader had warned us.

Of all the painful experiences of my life, this ranked somewhere near the top of my list. But by this time more than four years had past, and God's healing in my life was working to soften this blow.

It is not simply the pain of being cut off from important relationships that is involved here. What makes it all the more traumatic is that those who shun us also blame us. They say things like, "It is you who are shunning us! We are simply acting toward you physically the way you are acting toward us spiritually."

They often know how to say just the right thing to confuse us, to turn the tables on us, and to make us feel guilty. But don't believe it. There's not one shred of evidence in the Bible to justify them shunning you simply for leaving their group. They are simply misusing the Bible in a vain attempt to justify their own sinful attitude towards you.



"They told me that if I left,
I would bring evil into the lives of those around me."

Abusive groups are very good at making their members feel like worms on the undersides of slimy rocks. They spend a lot of time and energy working on tearing down any positive or hopeful thoughts that members may have about themselves in order to foster dependence on the leader. It is their association with the group (and ultimately with the leader) that must provide them with feelings of self-worth and adequacy, or the leaders fear they will lose control.

Therefore, the leaders tell their members that leaving the group is proof that they never really "cleaned up their act," never really "repented of their sins," never really "saw the Kingdom," never really "understood the Gospel," and so on. This arouses all the conditioning and training to think of themselves as scum-buckets that they received in the group.

As a final ploy, if the confession of personal sins was emphasized in the group, the leaders are often known to bring up these past sins, throwing them in the faces of those attempting to leave.

As a result, people leave abusive groups with a pervasive feeling of being spiritually contaminated, of being some kind of "spiritual poison" to others, of being "damaged goods." Ex-members who have received this kind of treatment are often known to become reclusive. They may visit other churches, but remain in the shadows to avoid all personal contact with others.

Sometimes the leader will even contact the church to which the ex-member has fled, and make all kinds of accusations against the ex-members character. This is what happened in my case. In a letter from my ex-leader to my new pastor in December 1992, my ex-leader made all kinds of false accusations against me, knowing that the group would back up anything he said. The letter even advised my new church to "return" me to the group for "correction!"

Fortunately I had a pastor who wasn't born yesterday. He spoke with my ex-leader on the phone, questioned him very carefully, and finally said to him, "So far you have not mentioned anything that would justify Biblical church discipline." My new pastor concluded (correctly) that the real issue was one of disagreement between me and my ex-leader, which my ex-leader was trying to trump up into over-inflated charges of spiritual and moral waywardness.

My new pastor told the truth. He accurately appraised the situation, and called it for what it was. This comforted me somewhat, but not entirely, because over the course of my 5-1/2-year involvement in the group, my ex-leader had portrayed almost every pastor outside of his influence as being either "corrupt," or "spiritually immature." What if he was right, and this was just one more pastor who didn't know what he was talking about, and should have listened to my ex-leader? What if I really was some kind of backslidden Christian who needed to be disciplined?

Recovering from Spiritual Abuse is not simply recovering from a single issue, but recovering from a whole complex of issues that all connect to each other. It takes time to track down each one and disconnect it from your thinking, but over time you can do it. Meanwhile: when they tell you that by leaving their group you will hurt others, just remember how much they hurt you. Would Jesus treat you that way? I don't think so.


"They told me that if I left, something terrible would happen to me."

In one group, the leader spends a great deal of time recounting unfortunate incidents that overtook ex-members after they left his group. Some of them got into car accidents. One man broke his arm. All of these things were supposed to be "God's wake-up calls," warning these people to return.

In another group, an ex-member reported that she had been viciously assaulted. A short while later she received a letter from the group which said, in summary: "What did you expect? You left the spiritual protection of the group!"

This is yet another ungodly threat that spiritual abusers use to manipulate people and try to keep them under their control. Satan and his demons are out there waiting, lurking, seeking out people to devour -- and if you leave this group, God is going to let he get you!

This is a gross and cruel distortion of Biblical truth. Yes, Satan is out there. And yes, he's pretty hungry for Christians (and others) to spiritually devour -- not necessarily physically. Satan's primary goal is to turn us against God, not to make us sick, injured or dead. Anyone who says otherwise is ignorant of Scripture.

But let me ask you something: do you believe that Jesus is God in human flesh (John 1:1), and that he died for your sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)? If that's the case, then you are a person who is indwelt by God's Holy Spirit (John 14:17). God is in you -- and as the Apostle John teaches us, this means that we do not need to live in fear of Satan:


You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
[1 John 4:4, New International Version of the Bible.]

In order for Satan to do serious spiritual harm to a believer, it would take far more than that believer to leave some group. God would have to leave the believer -- and that will never happen, for the Bible says:

... God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
[Hebrews 13:5b, New International Version of the Bible.]

If some professing Christian leader or anyone else tells you that if you leave their group Satan is going to get you --- tell them to buzz off!

"They told me that if I left, I would go to Hell."

This list of things that they tell us when we leave all began with the threat that we would backslide if we left our spiritually abusive group. The other threats on this list are those that frequently follow the first threat: that they would shun us, that God would "get" us, and now, finally, that we'll probably end up in Hell.
But have you noticed how the first threat (of backsliding) is reinforced by the other threats? Ask yourself the question: if you were being shunned by your Christian friends who told you that God was about to whomp on you and send you to Hell -- wouldn't that increase your chances of backsliding?

Now, no Christian should ever desire for his or her brother or sister to backslide into sin, and yet that's exactly the kind of system that spiritual abusers set up -- one designed to encourage those who leave the group to backslide! They remove every spiritual support, and inform their victims that they will fail. It's obvious that they are treating the person who leaves like an enemy (at least by any Biblical standard), and yet that's not exactly how the Bible tells us we are supposed to treat our enemies.

Spiritual Abuse sets up a system in which members become totally dependent upon the leadership. Therefore it is impossible for the leadership to endorse any kind of independence on the part of the membership. So when one of his members starts displaying independence, the leader has to find some explanation -- either the person is just going through a rebellious phase and will eventually come back (after a lot of scolding and threats, of course), or the person is really lost forever.

Often a leader will go through a whole list of "warnings," similar to the ones listed above, and if those do not produce the desired response, the leader tells his flock, "Well, if we were really dealing with a Christian here, he would have listened to my warnings. Since he hasn't listened, he must be a doomed reprobate." (Translation: he's going to Hell.)

Threat of eternal damnation is, of course, the ultimate weapon in the spiritual abuser's arsenal. If that doesn't work, what will? Probably nothing, and he knows it. But it is a weapon that is not so much designed to bring you back, as it is to keep others from leaving.

Remember: the spiritual abuser tries to frighten you because he is frightened. He lives in constant fear of exposure. He desperately wants to avoid being exposed to outside scrutiny, but he also wants to avoid being discovered as a fraud by his own flock. He dreads the day when they will discover that the emperor has no clothes. Consigning you to the flames is his way of trying to bar the doors against any further escapes from his control.

Not every abusive leader uses this weapon to the same extent. The more clever the abuser, the more he will save it for strategic occasions. For example: if someone was especially high up in the pecking order of the group, and that person leaves, the leader is more likely to pronounce the judgment of Hell.

But the simple fact is -- Biblically speaking -- you don't have to put up with it.


"They didn't tell me that if I left ..."

There are some things that some abusive groups (not all of them) do that they do not warn you about. They do these things to cause further confusion in the minds of people who are leaving them.

Sometimes they assign a member to call you on the phone and ask you to come back. This is confusing because this kind of phone call often comes on the heals of repeated attacks on the character of the departing member. There have even been occasions when someone has been consigned to Hell by the leader, and afterwards they get one of these pleading phone calls.

Sometimes the ex-members will encounter their ex-leader, or other group members, and actually have a pleasant experience. The ex-leader may say something that sounds encouraging, and they may exchange hugs. The ex-leader may even admit to some wrongdoing -- although it is usually a very non-specific admission.

I have received two letters of apology from my ex-leader since leaving my abusive group. After receiving the first letter, the wrote me again to tell me that when he apologized the first time, he didn't have anything specific in mind. After receiving the second letter of apology, the leader renewed his personal attacks on me via the Internet.

This type of behavior is attributable to one basic fact: your ex-leader is afraid of you, and he fears that his techniques for making you afraid of him are not working. You are a former-insider in his group. You know what really goes on in there. You know how people are really treated. You are dangerous to him, because you can tell others.

Bottom line: that's what all of this is really all about.


"They told me that if I left ..."

In the final analysis, they tell you these things to make you afraid. They want to make you afraid of God, afraid of Satan, afraid of others (the "enemies of God;" the shunning of the group), and afraid of yourself. They want to leave you with nowhere to turn except back to them. Your ex-leader may have filled you with so many fears that for a while it seems as though everyhwere you look you find some confirmation of his warnings.

For most people, recovering from this kind of bondage is a long process. The bondage itself is a form of conditioning. You developed very strong, habitual thinking patterns in this group which in many cases cannot be cured overnight.

You need to work at relaxing (no matter what your ex-leader said). Depending on your physical condition, you should consider seeing a medical doctor. You need to give yourself time to heal.

One step in the healing process is to realize that you're not alone, that this scam has been perpetrated on many others besides you -- some of them much more intelligent than you or I. You're not alone. The sheer fact that these tactics are so common among such a wide variety of clearly abusive groups might help you see that they can't be of God.

Another step in the healing process is to ask yourself some simple questions: do loving Christians try to make people afraid of leaving them? Do loving Christians refuse to allow people to disagree with them over non-essential issues under the pain of eternal damnation? Do loving Christians hound people, even after they've left?


Back To Spiritual Abuse in the Church & Isms

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil

is for God's people to do nothing.
Paul Carden

And we have done just that so well for too long.

Naming Names - The Example of Diotrophes

Naming Names
A Study In 3 John
by Sandy Simpson, 11/25/03


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Note: Cross references are offered as hyper links. The NASB was used for 3 John references except where noted.
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Title & Background

Itinerant teachers sent out by John were rejected in one of the churches in the province of Asia by a dictatorial leader, Diotrophes. This man had gone so far as to excommunicate members who showed hospitality to John's messengers.

Author & Date Of Writing

According to the NIV Bible, this letter was probably written about the same time as 1 and 2 John, around A.D. 90. The Biblical Studies Foundation makes a very strong argument that 2 & 3 John were probably written much earlier in about 66-67 A.D., so 2 John, 3 John and Jude could have all been written about the same time. A comparison of 2 and 3 John suggested that the apostles John was the author of both letters. John functioned as an elder in his later years, and he begins both 2 and 3 John with that designation. John uses identical phrases in both books "love in the truth" (2 John 1 and 3 John 1) and "walking in the truth" (2 John 4 and 3 John 4). The conclusions to both letters are similar as well. (NIV Compact Reference Bible, (c) 1989, Zondervan Corporation)

1 (1) The elder to the beloved (2) Gaius, whom I (3) love in truth.
2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
3 For I (4) was very glad when (5) brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you (6) are walking in truth.
4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of (7) my children (8) walking in the truth.

Humility & Truth

As in the letter of 2 John, the author refers to himself as "the elder". He was likely the only one left of the Disciples since all the others had been martyred in the cause of Christ. This is yet another demonstration of the humility of the Apostles. John could have referred to himself as the world's only living foundational Apostle. If he had been one of the modern false apostles he would have made sure to blow his own horn in this respect. Jude did the same thing in his epistle by referring to himself as the brother of James and a servant of Jesus, not the brother of Jesus (which he was). Can you imagine someone like Benny Hinn not milking that connection for everything it was worth if he were in that position? The sign of a true follower of Christ is humility.

Notice that John addresses Gaius as he did the lady in 2 John, so we can know by this opening salutation that John was talking about "agape" love, and not some other type. Notice that John is praying that Gaius will "prosper and be in good health." I suppose Word-Faith teachers would quickly pick up on this point and make a case for our praying for health and wealth. The problem is (1) John was not praying for his own prosperity and health as Word-Faith false teachers teach their followers to do and (2) he based his prayer on the fact that Gaius "soul prospers". This shows that prosperity and health can come as a result of a right relationship with Jesus Christ, but that it is the soul that God "prospers" first and that is ultimately what matters most. The prayer of John is for Gaius to have good health and prosperity, and we can pray that for any godly man, but that is not guaranteed, either in the Atonement or by a right relationship with Christ. It's up to God whether to allow the wicked or godly to prosper, be poor, to be healthy or to be sick and persecuted (Ecc. 7:15; 8:14). The Holy Spirit's main purpose is to "prosper the soul", to make our soul rich in the things of the Lord, healthy and mature.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (NIV)
The point is that God does sometimes prosper and make Christians healthy. But sometimes we may also be poor and sick. It doesn't really matter because the Holy Spirit is still doing the ministry of making us rich in the things of the Lord through the written Word, and building us up to maturity and health in the Spirit. Would you rather gain the whole world but lose your soul (Mark 8:36)? We can certainly pray for God to prosper those who are committed believers, like Gaius, but we also are to ask everything according to the will of God. We do not demand, declare, summon or invoke God as the TBN heretics do. That is sorcery. We may ask, seek and knock (Matt. 7:7) if we do so according to His will (1 Jn. 5:14) living in obedience to his commands (1 John 3:22) and as long as we remain in Him and His words remain in us (John 15:7).
Matt. 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1 John 3:22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
The other basis for the prosperity and health of the soul from God is that we walk in the truth. Gaius had a good testimony and others testified in his behalf that he was walking in the truth. What is walking in the truth? Simply put it is walking in the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostles and the prophets.
2 John 1:4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
2 Corinthians 4:2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
John's greatest joy, as expressed in both 2 & 3 John, is to see those who are his spiritual children walking in the truth of the Word, Jesus Christ, and His teachings as taught by the Apostles. His joy was not in their spiritual gifts, in signs and wonders, in how big their churches were, or how much money they collected, but in their adherence to the truths they were taught. This is also God's greatest joy. God blesses us and is pleased with us based on our obedience to His Word.
John 15:10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
1 John 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Notice that John emphasized the word "truth" four times in the first four verses. Today the emphasis in churches is on everything but making sure we are walking in the truth. Rather than bringing people to maturity in churches, the leadership keeps them infants by feeding them the milk of stories, myths, pop psychology, entertainment, and new ideas beyond what is written. They teach them not to judge, not to discern, not to test by the Word of God, not to even use their minds for fear they may become "critical" and miss out on the "move of God". But what God requires is entirely different. He requires discernment, and the only way to get discernment is to become mature in the Faith. The only way to become mature in the Faith is to know Jesus Christ, His Word and obey His commands.
5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the (9) brethren, and especially when they are (10) strangers;
6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to (11) send them on their way in a manner (12) worthy of God.
7 For they went out for the sake of (13) the Name, (14) accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

Ministry Support

This is an excellent short study on how home churches ought to be the primary supporters of ministry efforts. The marks of a
healthy church include these attributes:

(1) A healthy church is willing to support strangers who are doing the Lord's work beyond their own local concerns. This means support in prayer and financially. Of course those strangers must be actually doing the Lord's work, but if they have stood the test of walking in the truth, then we are to help those who take the Gospel to foreign mission fields and out into other avenues of ministry wherever God has called them.

(2) A healthy church will not just send them on their way with a prayer that God will provide their needs and prosper them, but will follow that up with real intercessory and prayer financial support.

(3) Many foreign missionaries are solely supported by churches and individuals back in their home countries because there may not be any way to do "tent-making" where they are doing their mission work. Paul was a "tent-maker" and supported his ministry that way when he had the time to do that kind of work. Many modern missionaries do that also, but Paul and others were also supported by faithful churches to fill in the gaps.

(4) The reason to support mission work is not only to obey the Lord, but to have a share in the harvest. We are fellow workers when we support those who go out. There always needs to be a "home team", a tactical support unit for mission work. The home team supports the troops in prayer and finances, the front line soldiers go to battle, but all are in the same war effort. Prayer and financial support are just as important as those who fight the battle on the front lines.

9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to (15) be first among them, does not accept what we say.
10 For this reason, (16) if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not (17) receive the (18) brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and (19) puts them out of the church.
11 Beloved, (20) do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. (21) The one who does good is of God; (22) the one who does evil has not seen God.

Naming Names

Now we come to the section of this short letter where John begins to name names. What? How dare he do such a thing? Isn't this an example of someone who is not speaking the truth in love? But naming names IS speaking the truth in love. To name people, either for praise or for warning, helps both the Church and the individual.

The most loving thing you can do for a non-believer is to preach the Gospel to them, thereby telling them the truth.

The most loving thing you can do for a believer is to teach them the truth, to disciple them and help them grow to maturity in Christ so that they will be able to know the difference between good and evil (Heb. 5:14) and not be blown about by every wind of doctrine (Eph.4:11-14).

Heb. 4:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Eph. 4:11-14 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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 we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
The most loving thing you can do for a heretic is to tell them the truth, rebuke them and reject them if they are unrepentant.
Naming heretics accomplishes two things:

(1) It protects the Church against wolves who secretly introduce heresies (Acts 20:29, Matt. 7;15, 2 Pet. 2:1).

(2) It rebukes and rejects heretics so that they might possibly be ashamed and return to orthodoxy. There is no way any heretic can be "schmoozed" back to orthodoxy. They must be confronted in the truth in love with their false teachings, and if they do not repent and stop doing what they were doing, they are to be thrown out of the church, no longer to be called our brothers in the Lord. This is what John was about to do with Diotrephes. We are to call attention to the deeds of heretics and warn the church to stay away from them.

Let's look at the character of a false teacher through the example of Diotrephes.

Heretics Do Not Heed The Word - "I wrote something to the church ... Diotrephes ... does not accept what we say"

Diotrephes had a letter from John but would not accept what the Apostle was teaching. This is the first and most important sign of a heretic. They do not accept the teachings of the foundational Apostles, and they add to or go beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6).

1 John 4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. (NIV)
Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (NIV)
Rev. 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (NIV)
Therefore, the first test of a false teacher is the test of teaching and doctrine. If they do not accept sound doctrine as taught by the foundational Apostles through the Holy Spirit written in the Word, then they are to be rejected (Titus 3:10).
2 Tim. 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (KJV)
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (KJV)
Heretics Seek Fame & Position - "first among them"
He wanted the highest position he could get, to be first among the leadership in the church. This is another sign of a heretic. They love to brag, to tell stories about themselves, to get famous, to make a lot of money, to have a higher position than anyone else, to claim they have an anointing far greater than others. This is because they have gone beyond what is written.

1 Corinthians 4:6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. (NIV)
Luke 20:46 "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. (NIV)
2 Tim. 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (NIV)
Heretics Lack The Fruit Of The Spirit - "wicked words ... deeds"
You can always discern false teachers by their deeds. Benny Hinn collects huge sums of money from the poor, the widows, the sick and helpless, then turns around and spends it lavishly on himself and those around him. That is a lack of the spiritual fruit of kindness and love. You can see by his "slain in the spirit" tactics that what he is doing is clearly not coming from a true anointing of the Holy Spirit, nor are the manifestations biblical or even good. That is a lack of the spiritual fruit of peace and self-control. There are many more examples that could be given. Heretics gossip about those who disagree with them behind their backs because they cannot reply to the apologetics presented to their faces. Notice that when John was away the heretics started saying things about him and others because they could not stand the test of truth face to face.

Heretics Accuse The Brethren - "unjustly accusing"

When heretics are confronted with error they are not able to defend themselves biblically, so they resort to name calling, gossiping, back biting, and accusing the brethren with wicked words.

1 Peter 3:16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
I see this almost on a daily basis from those who do not like what I am doing in the field of apologetics on my web site. When faced with truths they cannot answer, they almost always resort to strawman arguments, to broad brushing the character of people they do not know, and even to using filthy wicked words to try to justify themselves and vilify others. They are incapable of carrying on an intelligent debate over issues raised as a result of their false teachings. I could bring you email after email of people who have called me every name in the book who claim to be Christians, including "Satan", the devil, heretic hunter, Pharisee, and some curse words I will not repeat here.
Heretics Are Out Of Fellowship - "does not receive the brethren"

Finally, when faced with opposition, the word goes out from false teachers not to associate with those who oppose them, even though they continue to argue that they should not be rejected as heretics. Yet they are the ones who have gone out from the truth, from the fellowship of believers.

1 John 2:18-20 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. (NIV)
They will not allow their followers to talk to those who demolish their arguments, read their materials, or watch videos exposing them. In fact they even tell them that the articles, audio and video are made up, manufactured lies. I often tell them "Hey, I'm no Steven Speilburg. How am I going to manufacture a tape of an animated Benny Hinn, or a Benny Hinn look alike, saying that Jesus Christ is going to physically appear in his crusades?" Why would I bother to make a false video of Kenneth Copeland saying that "Jesus Christ is the High Priest of MY words?" Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and any other of a thousand Latter Rain heretics dig deep enough holes for themselves without any editorializing from me. But this is the argument that comes down from the leadership of false teachers and is played out in emails from many, many followers, another evidence that the brainwashing process has left these poor deceived souls with very little capacity for deductive reasoning or discernment. Why would any rational human being want to be absorbed into the mind control cult of the Third Wave? Sometimes I think that cynical non-believers have more discernment than many Christians.
Heretics Cause Divisions - "puts them out of the church"

In the end those who bring legitimate concerns before false teachers do not have their concerns addressed and are either vilified or asked to leave. It is interesting how discernment never cuts both ways with false teachers. They rant and rave against "heretic hunters", tell them not to judge them, not to "touch the Lord's anointed", and then even curse them. But when there are people in their church who disagree with what they are teaching and have legitimate concerns, those Bereans are not only told not to question authority, but if they don't want to "play ball" they are told they can leave. Diotrophes was putting people out of the church that the Apostles planted, thereby causing division. This is also a mark of a false teacher. They are the divisive ones.

Jude 1:19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
Titus 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. (NIV)
Heretical movements like the Third Wave are also well known for not making new converts but rather taking people out of good churches to come over to their bad one. If you doubt this fact, go talk to a number of pastors of small biblical churches in any city and ask them how many people they have lost to big Third Wave mega-churches.
Diotrophes, because of his lack of accountability and refusal to be tested by the Scripture, ended up dividing the church and taking away followers of Christ.

Heretics Are Doers Of Evil - "the one who does evil has not seen God"

Those who seek fame and position instead of humbly serving Jesus Christ, who lack the fruit of the Spirit and works of righteousness, who accuse the brethren when their teachings or prophecies are challenged from the Word, who end up out of fellowship with biblical believers and as a result cause division in the Church by getting people to follow them ... are doers of evil. Those who are heretics, doers of evil, have not seen God. They are not our brothers in Christ and they must be rejected until such a time as they repent, change their ways, and demonstrate that they will no longer be divisive heretics.

So is it right to name names? The fact is that this is what Paul, John, the prophets and many others did in the past. This example from 3 John is especially appropriate because John was not just writing a letter to Timothy as Paul was, though Timothy obviously shared those letters with the Church, but he was going to make the information about Diotrophes public. Why shame the man? Because the Church needed to be warned, and he needed to be made ashamed for the sake of his soul. Many Christians today say that we should not name names but just preach the Word and people will figure out what is true and false by themselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is an element of truth to this argument, but it is not entirely biblical. There is a very practical reason to name names. Because we are not just warning people about the doctrines, we are warning people to avoid specific teachers who are teaching and doing these things. There are no false doctrines without the purveyors of those teachings. You can't just broad brush subjects like heresy. You have to give concrete examples, and to do so you must quote from a specific teacher and use what they are doing as an example. Many Christians have been sucked into following people like Benny Hinn and others because they were not warned by name. Some heretics are so good at laying error alongside truth that their teachings must be examined carefully and they must be exposed by name. When a person does things publicly that effect whole churches, they are answerable to that same public in public. This issue is different from private sin which needs to be dealt with according to church discipline among the brethren. Public heresy is answerable in public, as Diotrophes was made answerable before the people he was trying to lead down the wrong path.

12 Demetrius (23) has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and (24) you know that our testimony is true.

Notice that John doesn't just dwell on the negative by naming Diotrophes, but also gives a positive example by naming Demetrius. It is always a good idea to balance what is being said when naming names. It is also crucial that we as believers encourage one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (NIV)
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (NIV)
Acts 11:23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; (NIV)
Romans 1:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine. (NIV)
Here are a few of the indications of a true believer:
Of Good Report - "has received a good testimony"

True followers of Christ have a testimony that is consistent with their life and teachings. They will not blow their own horn, but others will testify freely of their faithfulness to God. They avoid even the appearance of evil (1 Thes. 5:22), they are men of integrity (Pr. 20:7, Titus 2:7-8) and truth (1 Tim. 3:2-7, 2 Tim. 2:15), and they obey the Word of God (Luke 11:28, 2 Thes. 2:15).

1 Thes. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. (KJV)
Prov. 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (KJV)
Titus 2:7-8 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (KJV)
1 Tim. 3:2-7 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men— the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle— I am telling the truth, I am not lying— and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. (NIV)
2 Tim. 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)
Luke 11:28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." (NIV)
Holds To The Truth - "from the truth itself"
Mature Christians hold to the truth. They hold on to their faith as handed down through the Apostles in the written Word of God.

Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (NIV)
1 Timothy 3:9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (NIV)
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (NIV)
2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (NIV)
They do not entertain false doctrines and false prophecies. They demolish arguments and rebuke those who teach falsely, and they reject those who do not repent of false teaching.
Matthew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (NIV)
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (NIV)
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)
2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. (NIV)
13 (25) I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink;
14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face.
Speaking Face To Face

The issues of false teaching are best dealt with face to face. John does not say he will confront Diotrephes face to face, though likely he did that as well. He is talking about warning Gaius and the fellowship of believers face to face about Diotrephes. So warnings by letter naming names of false teachers and praising good ones is good, and warning and encouraging face to face is even better. This puts to rest all the talk about people writing articles warning about false teachers today. Most good apologetics discernment ministries today have confronted false teachers privately by letter, publicly by exposing their false teachings in articles, books and tapes, and face to face in debates and discernment conferences. What more can they do? They are following the example of the Apostles and obey the Word of God in every respect. Remember that public false teaching is answerable in the public forum, before the Church. It is not only our duty to warn Christians to steer clear of false teaching and false teachers, but it is also our duty to warn unbelievers away from them and help them find good teachings and a good church. The more we do this the more we will see maturity in the body of Christ, and people being saved. Unsaved people are not saved by the silky deceptive words of heretics--they are drawn by integrity and truth.

15 (26) Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends (27) by name.

Naming names? Yes, for all kinds of reasons, some good and some bad. We help no heretic by being silent, afraid to say who they are. We also help no one if we do not name names in encouragement and blessing. Too often Christians forget that we are to meet together for encouragement.

Phil. 2:1-4 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (NIV)
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (NIV)
Hebrews 10:25 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. (NIV)
Do you know a brother or sister in the Lord who needs an encouraging word today?


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Cross-references

2 John 1
Acts 19:29; 20:4; Rom 16:23; 1 Cor 1:14
1 John 3:18; 2 John 1
2 John 4
Acts 1:15; Gal 6:10; 3 John 5, 10
2 John 4
1 Cor 4:14f; 2 Cor 6:13; Gal 4:19; 1 Thess 2:11; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Philem 10; 1 John 2:1
2 John 4
Acts 1:15; Gal 6:10; 3 John 3, 10
Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2
Acts 15:3; Titus 3:13
Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12
John 15:21; Acts 5:41; Phil 2:9
Acts 20:33, 35
2 John 9
2 John 12
2 John 10; 3 John 5
Acts 1:15; Gal 6:10; 3 John 3, 5
John 9:34
Ps 34:14; 37:27
1 John 2:29; 3:10
1 John 3:6
Acts 6:3; 1 Tim 3:7
John 19:35; 21:24
2 John 12
John 20:19, 21, 26; Eph 6:23; 1 Pet 5:14
John 10:3