probably a cult

you know, in the last year... in the past few years, I've gotten several whiffs of "he's a cult leader" from the grapevine around the Cincinnati ministry scene.

you know, that's more than ok with me. it's great! Didn't Jesus say, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you?"

But what fools these people are, really. They literally shake my hand and bob their head, saying, "man, you're cool...you're alright... good to see ya... bless you..." And go away telling their proteges not to get involved with us because we seem like a cult... Then I see them again and they're all, "Heeeey brother!" again...

Man, ask me some hard questions! Grill me on theology. Confront my fruit--do people in my ministry live lives of sin, unconfronted? Do we teach falsely? Do we speak against God somehow? Are we bitter in any way that's inappropriate in view of the heart of God for a backslidden church?

Not once. Not once has one of these guys ever asked me anything challenging about my life, doctrine, practise, teaching, family... nothing. I'm available, but nothing. They just stay busy working, try to ignore me, patronize me when they see me, and then slander me subtly, "you'll want to watch out for that. It sounds cultic..." then, "heeeey, Lew how's it going, brother?" Well, get to know me.

If i were a false teacher, If I did tell lies, if I were an elitist snob, if I did work contrary to the Word, would you be faithful to raise a call to the Body? No. You would just skulk around the edges of it, too. I'd go unconfronted. It wouldn't matter unless it touched "your territory"... Well if I am, you'd better stop me. Because Jesus will hold you accountable for letting me go unchallenged to my death. He'll hold you accountable for my death and the death of many others...

There's no integrity in it.

Hey, if someone leans over to you and tells you that someone might be bad, ask them why they think so. Do they have a real reason to slander? To judge? Have they learned, listened, and discerned something real? Do they know what they're talking about, or is it just slander...

Hold each other to this.