You're listening to The Encounter podcast featuring the latest messages and teachings by David Diga Hernandez.

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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 got to 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, verse 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

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