If You’re Seeing These Red Flags, Leave that Church Now (Signs of A Cult)

I have to share with you some very uncomfortable truths, but I'm sharing this with you because I care about you, and I'm tired of seeing God's people abused by religious systems. To be clear, I love the church, and I am by no means in favor of the trendy church bashing that we see happening today. Actually, I think that most of the online church bashing that we see today comes from narcissistic, chronically offended people who use the church as a scapegoat for their own toxic behaviors. So this will be a biblical and balanced warning that will help you to steer clear of unhealthy ministry and church cultures. I'm talking about those church and ministry cultures that devolve into cult-like cultures. You gotta be careful. I don't want you to get swept up in that. One of the things to look out for is that the leader of that movement or church cannot be questioned and cannot be corrected by anyone. In other words, it's almost as if what they say is equal to what God says. Now I need to balance this point because the Bible does talk about spiritual headship. Here in Hebrews 13:17, we read, obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy, And not with sorrow, that certainly would not be for your benefit. Nothing that God does is disorganized. The church is an institution. Jesus wasn't just some hippie who wandered around with no schedule, no agenda. No, he was disciplined and focused, and he had a very systematic approach to the way he did ministry. The church is no different. God established the church as an institution with order, And in that order, there are leaders that he has appointed. So when we talk about church, we have to understand that church is not a democracy. It's not as if every Christian gets to cast a vote into how that church or ministry functions. If a church is not going in the general direction that you like, or the ministry's not going in a general direction that you like, prayerfully go somewhere else. But this idea that the spiritual leaders that God has appointed are beholden to the opinions of the congregation, that's just not biblical. God will give a vision. And a mission, an agenda, an assignment to a key leader and key leaders. And then people can be a part of what God is doing through that ministry if they feel led to be a part of that. So that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about difficult people. I'm talking about genuine believers who see genuine trouble. They see genuine abuse and they see issues that need to be corrected. They have no recourse. You see, every leader should be surrounded by people who are in relationship with them, who can bring these concerns and corrections. And you'll notice that in these cult-like settings, even a question is viewed as an attack. And again, I'm not talking about difficult people, people who ask questions, not because they want an answer, but because they want to debate or they have an agenda to change things into the way they want it. I'm talking about people who genuinely have concerns, something that troubles them, and they say, hey, listen, I'm not trying to cause trouble. I'm not going around the church spreading this everywhere. I'm coming straight to leadership. Here's a concern I have. If that is viewed as an attack, that's a sign of bad ministry health. For the word of God says, not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your servant. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Ultimately, that leader should be accountable to God. Ultimately, they need to have the fear of the Lord, because if they don't have the fear of the Lord, no system is gonna be able to keep them in check. They're gonna be manipulative and hiding in the dark and doing all sorts of things behind the scenes that really, if they wanna hide it, they can hide it. In any healthy environment, there are key people in place in connection with the leadership. There are key protocols in place that allow for questions, allow for concerns, and even some criticisms that are given in love with valid reasoning behind it. So if you're in a place where even a question, don't even question, be quiet, you can't ask that, or it's strongly discouraged, or you start— Here's one of the signs right here. You start asking questions and people around you start becoming very uncomfortable. Why? Because there's a culture of fear and intimidation. And that's what you have to watch out for. One of the other things you should look out for is that they talk, that is the leader or the leaders, they talk as if they're the only or the primary move of God. In other words, this is where God is moving. This is where he's doing his main thing. This is where revival will come through. This is where God has chosen to move by his Holy Spirit. This is where the world will be impacted and anywhere and everywhere else, don't even think about it. And so we see in Mark 9:38-40, how Jesus thought of others in ministry. Teacher, said John, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because He was not one of us. Do not stop him, Jesus said, for no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Let me ask you, in the place that you are, are you discouraged from watching other ministries online? Are you discouraged from reading books that they did not approve? Are you discouraged from connecting with other believers simply because they're not from your movement? Is there talk and dismissive language used toward other ministries? When God begins to move, there's these subtle jabs, and it's not always gonna be super direct. There'll be these very subtle jabs from the pulpit, talking down on other moves of God, explaining why that's not really the move of God, But here we have it. Be careful, because that is cult-like thinking. And here's one of the signs here is, as I'm explaining this to you, you may be in your mind going, oh my goodness, yes, that's exactly what's going on. But then that fear is causing you to retreat and say, oh, but I can't question that. That goes back to the first indication that I gave you. So this whole mindset of, you know, everywhere else is not the true move, or everywhere else is a lesser move of God, And this is where the Lord is moving. This is the hotspot. This is the center of revival. This is where God is doing his thing. Be very careful. Not even Jesus talked like that. And he was the very center. He is the very center of it all. But even he could celebrate other ministries. Even he could celebrate other people in other movements, as long as the agenda was the kingdom of God. So if you're being discouraged from connecting with other ministries, If other ministries are subtly criticized publicly and straight out criticized in private, there's an issue. That's jealousy, that's competition. That's a sign that there is a cult-like environment. Number 3, the members work to the point of exhaustion. They're overworked. They're overcommitted. Now, let me establish this biblical truth first. You should work hard. It's okay. to be tired doing ministry sometimes. Physically, it can be tiring. It's okay to go the extra mile for a church. If you've made, especially if you've made a commitment, like you say, hey, this is where I wanna be planted. I wanna be one of the leaders here. I wanna be someone who's a part of this movement. Okay, then you have a responsibility to keep your word. You have a responsibility to keep your commitments. You have a responsibility to lead by your example And be enthusiastic about the work of which you are a part. On the other side, now we're gonna balance this out here. This is what I'm talking about, that exhaustion that people are worked to, that guilt that hangs over your head for having to miss a church function. There's a difference between being tired with doing good ministry work and being overworked and exhausted because you feel like if you don't do enough, that you're not really going to be close to God, or you feel like if you don't do enough, that you're not really giving Jesus your all. Isn't it interesting that sometimes we can confuse our devotion to Jesus with our devotion to an agenda that was set forth by man? Laying your life down at the feet of Jesus doesn't mean working in the machine that somebody else built. Laying your life down at the feet of Jesus is not equal to doing everything they tell you, no matter what, or you're not true. You're not really devoted. You're not really giving him your all. And they will pressure you so that they can squeeze out all of your time, all of your energy, all of your strength, to where you have time for nothing else, no energy for anyone else. And if you even begin to question it, if you even begin to say, hey, I could use a little break here, then they say, well, you're not truly committed. You're not carrying your cross. You're not a true disciple. You're not counting the cost of what it takes to follow Jesus. Because what does it say in Romans 10:9? If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Here's the danger now. The danger is that sometimes we confuse it by thinking that our devotion to ministry is required to keep our salvation. Your salvation comes by grace through faith, not through keeping up with the agenda of man. You also need to be careful of isolation because this is a part of cult-like culture. Now, there are some indications in scripture that we ought to be separate from others. 2 Corinthians 6:17, therefore come out from among unbelievers and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things and I will welcome you. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? So, okay, there are moments that you ought to disconnect. Bad company corrupts good morals. We understand this, but that disconnect comes when the darkness in others is weakening the shining of the light in you. This idea of isolation doesn't apply to other believers. If you feel like you have to cut off family members because they don't exactly align with the ministry you're in, that's a sign you might be in a cult. When you have people who leave the church and they're all talked bad about, that's a sign that you might be in a cult. When you're discouraged from leaving, Through fear and intimidation, it's a sign that you might be in a cult. I mean, everybody who left was the problem? Everybody who left was deceived? That's isolation. Or they'll say, cut off those family members, cut off those friends who would dare cause you to question us. Yeah, there can be some unhealthy questioning. Yeah, there can be some unhealthy cynicism. That happens. There is such a thing as difficult people. who like to tear down the church. But then there are also people who love you. Good, godly, grounded people, not chronically offended people who get offended just because it's the church doing it. But I'm talking about people who are walking with the Spirit. They love you, they love the Lord, they love ministry, they love the church, and they're seeing some signs there. And they say, hey, that might not be a healthy environment. And you're told to cut yourself off from them. All of a sudden, the people who've been there your whole life, all of a sudden, the people who've helped you through seasons of ups and downs, all of a sudden, they're now the problem. Think about that. Out of nowhere, they're the problem. That's a red flag. This idea of isolation, especially watch, especially how they treat those members who leave. It's always a spirit of rebellion. It's always God's judgment. Some of these churches function like gangs. You leave the gang and they kill you spiritually. They kill your reputation. They try to close the door for ministry opportunities. They wanna make sure that you never get connected anywhere else. You're treated like a villain. That is unhealthy. Something to think about. Another thing to watch out for is that the leader is competitive and self-aggrandizing. Philippians 2:3 says, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. That's biblical truth. That's how we ought to be living. Again, are they putting other ministries down in private, talking down about them? Do they see themselves as God's sole choice for this generation? It's okay to know you're called, but to discount others? I don't understand why the kingdom of God is so competitive, or those who claim to be a part of the kingdom are so competitive. I think it's the better way to word that. I thank God for many of the friends that I have in ministry. I know many men and women of God, highly anointed of the Spirit, who have not a competitive bone in their body. Like, they celebrate other ministries, they bless other ministries, they sow into other ministries, and not just when it's beneficial for them. Let me tell you this, and I want you to be encouraged by this. There are more genuine ministers in ministry today than there are ministers who Operate in this way. So just be watchful. And if you're in one of these types of movements, I want you to ask the Holy Spirit for the courage to get out of there. I pray that the Lord would bring you out of that. And listen, if you're looking for a place to call home, go to encounter.church and check out our different church locations. We're constantly planting new works, and you may find that we're coming soon to a city near you. But right now, I wanna pray with you. And I wanna ask the Lord to give you discernment. And if you so discern what I'm describing here, I'm gonna ask that the Holy Spirit would give you that courage to escape. So Father, in the name of Jesus, I lift that one to you now who is under the abuse of a religious system. And I pray, Father, that you would cause them to discern the unhealthy culture. That you would help them to discern the abuse, that you would help them to discern the practices that are not of your word. And I pray, precious Holy Spirit, that you would give them the courage to escape with them and their family. Guide them, Lord, to a place where your spirit is moving, where they can find healing and restoration. Touch them and strengthen them. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to say it because you believe it. Type it because you believe it. Type a big amen. Well, God is on the move, and one of the ways that He's moving in the earth today is through this ministry. Our ministry has a very simple focus: win souls, build believers. And we do that through 3 ministry expressions: media, That's what you're watching right now. Events, perhaps you've attended one, and church planting. These are the 3 expressions of our ministry, and the kingdom of God is expanding through the work of the Holy Spirit. And so I'm asking you, as your brother in Christ, would you help me out? Would you jump on board with what we're doing? I need your financial support. As this ministry continues to grow, we need more and more supporters to come alongside of us. so that we can see the hand of God move, continue to move as he has been doing. So will you consider right now, today, becoming a monthly ministry supporter? You can become a monthly ministry supporter by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner, and you can give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Maybe you're watching this, and for a while now you've been watching the teachings, you've been receiving from the ministry, and you've been saying, you know, one of these days I wanna become a partner. Will you consider doing that today? We could really use your help. I know there's a lot of scary things going on in the world, and sometimes that makes us wanna grip the finances that God has given to us. Don't be afraid, be generous, release as the Lord leads you, and I believe he'll bless you. And I believe that the Lord will increase your resources so that you can continue to be a blessing. One more time, to become a partner, go to davidhernandezministries.com/partner. To give a single gift, go to davidhernandezministries.com/donate.