The Wizard of Oz

Remember the movie, “The Wizard of Oz?” From this story, you can make a relevant application in regards to today’s church situation and its so-called authority structure.

To recap very quickly, as Dorothy and her companions finally fetched the wicked witch’s broomstick and returned to see the Wizard, they are met with thunderous roars, fire, smoke, as well as yelling and screaming from the Wizard. How dare they challenge him and his authority as they seek to present the Wizard with the witch’s broomstick.

The fire, the thunder, the smoke, and the roars are all very intimidating and cause Dorothy and her friends to cower into submission…….until…..UNTIL her little dog Toto, runs toward a closet area and pulls back a curtain to reveal a little man hiding behind a facade of authority and power; talking through a microphone, pulling levers and flipping switches to make noise, smoke, and fire. All very impressive and a big show until he’s finally exposed and says, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

Do you see the correlation? The so-called Wizard is a power abuser. He’s a depraved man who has lusted after power, authority, and control, and through scheming and planning, he has achieved his lust-filled hearts’ content – albeit through a facade and a very impressive show. When someone uncovers his charade, they become the problem and must be silenced.

Oh how very relevant indeed in today’s local institutional church.

The “Wizard’s” of today (so-call pastors and elders) are no different. Those who position themselves as “having authority, control, and rule” over God’s people do so under a charade and a facade of a supposed and imagined “rule and authority.”


Click here to read the article in full:  THE WIZARD OF OZ



http://www.wickedshepherds.com/

A RELIGIOUS SOCIOPATH

Religious Sociopath's relate to true Christians as wolves relate to sheep. The Bible warns of this. Wolves will come to divide and scatter sheep. The apostle Paul warned Christians in his day for three years, day and night with tears, knowing wolves would come and leaders will rise up within their midst, twisting the truth to mislead so they can get their own following. The apostle Peter also warned of this happening.


It’s not if, but when.

What better disguise for a wolf than as a shepherd of the flock! The sheep tend to think the pastor is there to herd them, guard them, take care of them, and minister to their needs as a shepherd does over his flock. The wolf knows this and conveys it; he exudes it; he radiates love and concern, and he projects humility of wanting to help others, and preaches with charisma that as their Shepherd he needs to be submitted to, trusted, and pitied when others are against him. The Shepherd’s costume is his disguise. He is a false shepherd, a deceitful worker, turning them away from the true Shepherd.

A Religious Sociopath is a highly intelligent person who is manipulative and cunning with superficial charm. Justifying his selfish motivations as permissible because “God wants me to do it for the good of the group,” he does not recognize the rights of others. His motivation is sometimes revealed in the indecent ridicule of humiliating victims, justifying it by saying he needs to “keep order” or to “protect his flock.” If he can get away with the ridicule, he gains more control.

A Religious Sociopath enjoys the opportunities to intimidate and ridicule, relishing the fear followers have of him as a powerful leader with secret delight. When wrongdoing is committed by devoted followers, it is just another opportunity to humiliate them, but he needs to mask his secret pleasure of it.

Religious Sociopath's feel they are entitled to have their way, since it is their right to abuse people. Being extremely sophisticated liars, they decide to believe their own lies at will. They are extremely refined in their quickly thought out persuasive answers, knowing to whom and when they can lie and get away with it. Friends and other people are just opportunities to exploit and control. They do have friends for many years, but the friends all end up as victims because a Religious Sociopath does not truly love others. The love, friendliness, and compassion is feigned. It is actually hatred. There is no remorse for those who are hurt or crushed by them. They don’t truly empathize, but have contempt, disdain, and scorn for others and for God. The sympathy is feigned.

A Religious Sociopath has total control over a group. He quickly claims a very dominant style of leadership, claiming his authority cannot be challenged or questioned, just as God can’t be challenged or questioned. In time, he comes to believe he is a powerful person who knows so much more than his followers. His followers simply have to obey. He is entitled to their obedience. There is no personal respect for the lives of others, their dreams, their relationships. He is indifferent to the damage caused to others, and as needed, blames them for the carnage he, the Religious Sociopath, caused.

A Religious Sociopath preaches and believes the Holy Spirit is using only him, and the Holy Spirit in practice cannot teach others, motivate others, or comfort them. Only the Religious Sociopath can teach and provide comfort; all others need to go through him or the leaders who follow him. He loves deception and is intimately familiar with mind control techniques.

A Religious Sociopath says what it takes to satisfy people for the moment, but does not follow through or deliver on promises. He conceals his deep contempt for sincere Christians as he politely helps them understand what he wants them to do.

A Religious Sociopath is deeply insecure, having his own deep seated fears. He is highly intelligent and only puts himself in situations where his dictator type behavior will be tolerated or even admired. When he is caught, he mildly apologizes to diffuse the concerns as he embezzles pity to escape accountability, and then tries to continue on to cause more damage.

A Religious Sociopath seeks to look as normal as possible, fitting in with his lingo and clothing to deceive, charm, and disarm with his charisma. His true goal is to serve the seven abominations in his heart: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and sowing discord within Christian groups. He will accuse those who oppose him of what he is guilty of to avoid detection. If he portrays this himself, he won’t last. To get away with it, he needs a disguise, he needs to deceive. Shepherd’s clothing is an excellent camouflage, a miry pit disguised as a watering hole.

A Religious Sociopath wants to control every aspect of his victim’s lives for his own self gratification, concealing it within lengthy messages, scripture woven with truth and lies to conceal the true motivations. This brew of truth and perversion allows him to gain the confidence of sincere Christians who know the Bible, and then slowly deceive them with false doctrine over time.

Religious Sociopath's crave the admiration and approval of others, but at the same time hate those who they control with their deception. Their doctrine is motivated by their licentious lust for control; for the need to have even more naive victims who will willingly do what they ask. They feel no remorse for the devastation in people’s lives and relationships, just as Proverbs 26 states.


READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE:  A Religious Sociopath
 
 
http://www.wickedshepherds.com/

"The Eldership Cookbook"

The subject of “leadership in the church” is probably the most talked about, the most widespread, and perhaps the most distorted and lethal of all the twisted teachings that have been trumpeted down through the centuries inside the musty halls of the local institutionalized church.

(Google’s latest results for that term: 33,000,000 million!)

Leadership amongst God’s people is certainly of critical importance, both for clergy and laity alike and the Scriptures are not in the least bit silent on this subject either.

The following article will examine all of the major passages in Scripture dealing with this subject, especially 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

As an introduction, we will use a quote from someone who is considered by many to be the “Godfather” of theologians, John Calvin.  This particular quote from Calvin was chosen because it not only brings into sharp focus and expression the embodiment of how a local church institution thinks and operates when it comes to leadership, but it also corresponds exactly in thought and practice within a wide spectrum of denominations as well, thereby not being limited to “Calvinistic” perspectives.


Here is a local institutional churches mindset on the role and importance of “leadership” in a nutshell as stated by John Calvin:

“The pastoral office is necessary to preserve the church on earth in a greater way than the sun, food, and drink are necessary to nourish and sustain the present life.” 
Institutes, IV: 3:2, p. 1055.

What is wrong with this picture? 

Follow this link - The Eldership Cookbook - to read the article in its entirety.

http://www.wickedshepherds.com/

"OBEY THEM"

Doesn't the Bible say, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them;” “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor;” “Remember them that had the rule over you;” “Salute all them that have the rule over you;” “Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder?”


These are the all-time favorite verses that church leaders love shoving down church member’s throats and then stand there and watch their subjects shrivel up and cower in the dust.

If you are familiar with this blog and our website, http://www.wickedshepherds.com/, particularly the “Institutional Church Series” section, you are aware that some English words found in our Bibles have been incorrectly translated such as the word “church” or the word “office” for example.  You have also been made aware of the fact that these “mistranslations”, “omissions,” or “additions” have been made deliberately in order to mislead the people and to thereby further a hierarchical, ruling class of so-called church officials.


Into the same class of mistranslated words as “church” and “office,” you can now throw in the words “obey,” "rule over,” and “submit to them.”

Just as we have clearly shown you how the word “Ecclesia,” meaning an assembly or community of God’s people was deceitfully replaced with the word “church” (meaning a building or institution) by the KJV translators in order to maintain their control over the people; in like manner, by the help and aid of the Spirit, we will now clearly show you how the above verses of Scripture have also been maligned and perverted to further the agendas of power-hungry, sanctimonious control freaks who are bent on corralling unto themselves a pliant people of unquestioned servility.

We will begin with Hebrews 13:17 as our foundation and make our progression from there.  This verse at first glance, seems to be loaded in favor of those who like to rule over God’s people, which is probably why it is perhaps the most favorite of “church leaders.”  It incorporates all of our three words together in one breath.


We will take a look at each word, and as we go along, it will become apparent not only as to what the true meanings are, but also as to the reason behind the translators substitution of an entirely different word to further their hierarchical/institutional agenda.

Read the article at this link:  "OBEY THEM"


http://www.wickedshepherds.com/

Forsake Not The Assembling

 "For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage."                                                                                                                                                                          
Galatians 5:1

Concerning the "stated meetings of the church," this teaching is usually set forth by the leaders of a given congregation and is presented in somewhat of the following way:

"Any one who is a member of this congregation is expected to attend the stated meetings of the church unless they are providentially hindered."

The "stated meetings" are determined by the elders or leaders of the church and the concept is often found in the church's constitution. Most of the time it is simply accepted with little or no thought as to whether or not this is a Biblical idea that was practiced anywhere in the New Testament church.  It is not until time goes by that one begins to feel the pressure of such a requirement.  People become uncomfortable and the sad part is that they fail to ask the obvious question that should be branded on the mind of every Christian:

"Where is this found in the Bible?"

That question is the point of this paper.  Whenever this teaching is followed, it brings men into legalistic bondage. 

This article will examine Hebrews 10:25, along with naming a popular Bible teacher who preaches this bondage. 

To read the article click the link below:

Forsake Not The Assembling


http://www.wickedshepherds.com/