Theme: Sects (cults)

»Don't you know? Haven't you heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creaor of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 28-31. The apostle Paul writes to us in Galatians 2:2 "lest by any means I should run or have run in vain."

In the light of God's Word, we want to briefly analyse what is actually meant by sect. The German word "sect" describes a religious body which has seperated itself from the Christian church. The sectarist is a member of a sect, a heretic or dissenter. The origin of the word is based on the borrowing from the scholars from lat. -mlat. secta: "followed principle, guideline". If I'm correct in my understanding of the word, it means that a sect or a sectarist deliberately or unwillingly has separated itself and broken off from the principles and guidelines of the Christian faith; of which only has the Word of God as its yardstick. To the left we see a picture of a football player who is tightly holding on to the ball, protecting it from the attackers who want to take it away from him. He runs towards his goal: the finishing line. He has to incorporate all his ability and willpower to make it there, for there is only one ball in this game. It's exactly the same in the Christian faith: in the 1st century the church received the apostolic message, principles and guidelines from Jesus Christ. (Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism) They should run, and so should we likewise, with this identical message; a message which sets a person free from sin and gives them eternal life. It is an extremely serious matter. But just like in every game there are certain rules and whosoever doesn't comply to them, whether to just a few or many of the rules, will be disqualified, loses and has run for nothing.

Everyone screams out "sects", but what's the reason? There are people among them who can't find the answers in the "established" churches, churches which haven't got the answers anyway. Unfortunately, they themselves have turned away from the Christian guidelines and standards and are holding on rigidly to human tradition. God doesn't give his support to such things! Is there really any hope? Yes!!! says God. It is He from which the power of life and truth flows out. The apostle Paul sticks resolutely to the whole message which he received from his Lord Jesus Christ, and will not have run in vain when he stands before God. It is commanded that we run but only as God wants us to. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 we read: "So run, that ye may obtain". Let us be more obedient to the Word of God than to men; than we shall also receive the desired blessing. (rw)