April 17, 2005

The Temptation to Love Another

I was recently reading through my email and scanning the subject lines when one stuck out immediately from the rest: Leadership Development Conference (simulcast) on Friday, April 29, 2005. My thoughts were, “not another conference”, but there was something about this that raised some flags so I decided to investigate further. I discovered that this is an internationally broadcast event reaching thousands of people with their message and training methods. The email read:

My church, ______________, in ____________ is hosting a "Leadership

Development Conference" on April 29, 2005.  The speakers include a host of fortune 500 CEOs, best-selling authors as well as leaders of sports teams, military and government organizations. 

The focus of the conference is on enhancing our leadership ability to assist people to reach their full potential, develop world class teams, improve corporate performance and manage and negotiate change to achieve record-breaking results.  One speaker puts it this way:  "You know you are a great leader when people are more productive and proactive working for you than they would be working for or with someone else." 

The cost of the event is $_____, if we buy tickets in groups of six or more.  Otherwise the cost is $_____ per person.  Please contact www.empoweringleaders.com to learn more about the event.  Tickets can be purchased and obtained three ways:

.        Call 1-800-________ (I-Tickets credit card or mail order). 

.        I can get you tickets for you

.        You can obtain tickets at the ___________________ office on Tuesdays and Fridays between 10 AM -4 PM. 

This is a great opportunity for you to make a cost-effective investment in your most valuable business and organizational resource: YOU!  The complimentary notebook of speakers' notes alone is worth the price of admission.  A catered lunch also is included in the price of admission.

It is not unusual to receive emails of this nature, as I have some acquaintances that are in upper level management positions in major corporations in this area and information has been passed on to me before. For other reasons I have also been monitoring the different leadership websites on the internet lately. I have noticed a renewed thrust in the area of ‘leadership training’ with many ministries moving towards incorporating worldly marketplace strategies as part of their ministry package to attract success oriented individuals and to give the image of a thriving, cutting edge ministry.

This concerns me greatly as I have watched the body of Christ which is supposed to be the Bride of Christ being wooed to marry another, a marriage of convenience to a world system that has proven successful as the world understands it. According to the Word of God we have been promised to Jesus Christ to be His bride but we are being seduced and lured away into a relationship with another. We are being tempted to love another and we cannot be married to both.

Many leadership trainers promote self-help principles and teachings that will supplant your relationship to Jesus Christ just by their very use. It is Christ who gives wisdom to all Christians who ask and truly believe, not the world. By accepting, using and promoting these business practices which are but elementary principles of this world you have and are giving yourself over to another. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 we read:

We have not been called to be a part of the very world system that has been given over to Satan, the father of lies, to participate in his evil fruits of darkness. And even if we are called to walk in the world we must be sure that we are living epistles of Jesus Christ and not be caught up in the temptation to compromise our soul for the sake of financial success. The Scriptures are very clear on this matter:

Romans 12:2 

   ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In general, these “leadership” conferences provide an atmosphere of excitement with many new ideas and an intensity which drives the very fleshly passions we are actually commanded to lay down at the cross of Christ. Pride is the central motivating factor in most of these events, with the focus being “I, me and you,” to build up our self-esteem, our self-confidence, our self-worth, etc., etc. You are trained to trust in yourselves and to improve your leadership ability through humanistic and psychological methods which quickly leads one into idolatry in its worst sense because we can’t even recognize the deception taking place; it feels good, it feels right and so on, but in the end it is not biblical but worldly, natural and even demonic in its origins.

I went to the web address provided www.empoweringleaders.com and began to read through the bio’s of the many leaders listed as speakers for this conference. Some amazing things come to light when you take the time to research and discern rather than meekly and blindly accepting the program with all of its “world renowned” speakers, teachers, motivators and self-help gurus. After carefully researching the bios of the speakers drawing from many different websites including their own, I was astounded that this event would even be taking place in a church setting of any kind. Each of the speakers has his or her area of specialty which reveals man-centered approach rather than being Christocentric or Christ centered. Where does God get the glory that only belongs to Him? The list of speakers provided for this simulcast reveal classic examples of a who’s who of the human potential movement.

There are many humanistic and New Age tools that will be provided in this conference to move oneself toward the goal of being a better business person, a better leader, a better team leader and even a better team player. This raises a serious question here. Are we to take the things of the world influenced by New Age philosophies, and Christianize them to become more accepted and successful in the world? Are we not supposed to be separate and come out of the world using the Scriptures as our only tool to advance His purposes by proclaiming the Gospel message to the world? The Scripture does make it clear that we are to take the things which God has given us and invest them wisely, BUT in doing so we are not to use the wisdom of the world to accomplish this. In fact, all truth is “not” God’s truth as many have proclaimed.

The only person on the list of speakers that comes even close to representing a quasi-Christian viewpoint is John C. Maxwell (there may be another or two but it was hard to find anything on the internet that would prove otherwise), so I see him as the main drawing card to bring many unsuspecting Christians to this conference and into the influences of the Human Potential Movement [To learn more important information about John C. Maxwell please take the time to read the articles 'Some Concerns about John C. Maxwell' by Richard G. Howe, Ph.D. and Strange Journeys - Jane Fonda, John Maxwell, Norma McCorvey and Scott Peck - what do they have in common? by Berit Kjos of Kjos Ministries.]. My research on the other 15 speakers on the list only leads me to the conclusion that New Age beliefs and teachings have shaped the messages of most what will be taught at this event.

I would hope otherwise but I am clearly led to believe that what is being brought to the table for all to partake is not good bread at all but is infused with a leaven that is hard to see but has been made easy to swallow. It is really a picture of the garden of Eden once again. Are you going to taste and see their new strategies when God has said clearly what His will is in this situation?  

I wanted to bring this concern to the attention not only the local body of believers but to the body of Christ as a whole. Why are we joining with unbelievers, to be taught worldly wisdom, entering into alliances that are ungodly, in a concerted effort to gain worldly success by producing worldly leaders? Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” [Emphasis mine]

We are so caught up in our own desires that we have become blinded to the temptation to abandon the wisdom of God and accept some small portion of the world’s wisdom in its place. This is really spiritual adultery and idolatry in its subtlest form. We are called to come out of the world and be separate. In this day of trying to fulfill our wants and needs this is a hard word to accept. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 we read:

By your very participation in this conference, with speakers (teachers) that have their foundations built on New Age beliefs which are based on the occult, you are in fact joining with unbelievers in every aspect. What these teachers and speakers bring to the table is rooted in New Age Occultism. You will be learning principles and practices that may seem good and will surely bring worldly success if they are embraced and followed but at what cost to your own walk with the Lord. Is it right for any man or woman to gain the whole world but in the end lose their souls? Please give heed to these concerns and investigate for yourselves. You (we) are called to be Bereans and to use discernment at every turn, to test (judge, critique, discern) all things and to hold on to that which is good (aligns itself with the Word of God).

Please do not misunderstand me concerning those who may teach the worldly principles of success. Some have taught success principles supposing they are in agreement with the Word of God but in fact they are not and that is my concern here. I personally, do not have a problem with people finding or having financial or business success in their lives but the determining factor is their relationship with God and their obedience to the Scriptures.

According to the Word of God our success is not measured by what we have in material or financial gain. Christians must know by whom and where there success comes from (Christ Jesus) giving all the glory to God the Father. Their efforts can not supplant the sole place reserved for our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ and they must abide by the Word of God and not seek after worldly gain. It is hard to interpret Scripture any other way regarding those who have a love for money (and success) and as we read in 1 Timothy 6:6-11 we see God’s truth in this matter as Paul writes:

Steve Muse

Please send us any comments at: smuse@erwm.com