Beware of bible teachers who preach themselves

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

Some years ago, some women gathered in a living room to do a Beth Moore study. It involved a

Source

DVD of Moore and some workbooks. Back then, Moore was more cloaked in her language about receiving personal revelation. She would say, "God laid it on my heart" or "God impressed upon me" which is still wrong because she was teaching from these impressions, and not the scripture.

In one segment of her study, Moore had shared a long story about how God was directly giving her specific instructions on how to act in a certain situation, and was delivering sentences directly to her ears. For a teacher that says "God laid it on my heart" so often, she was certainly telling a story with a lot of specifics and many quotes from God. In the DVD, Moore repeated the things God had "told" her to do in this situation. The story Moore was telling involved Moore's reactions to God's directions, and Moore sharing the result of having 'listened' to His revelations. Anyone who has seen Moore in television or at a conference or any other venue knows this is how Moore teaches. After her personal story, she applies an out of context bible verse to it and finishes it up. It's like backdating a check, fraudulent and dangerous.

The ladies got done listening to this particular segment on DVD. After the DVD was turned off, a moment of silence passed as the ladies absorbed what Moore had taught. Then one of the ladies sighed and said sadly, "I wish I had what she has."

Bible study is supposed to energize us, lift us, empower us! Yet the ladies were drained, believing that Moore has a 'more special' relationship with God than they did or ever could have, that Moore has more of something than us that is impossible for mere regular women to attain.

A lady spoke up and said, "We DO have what she has, the Holy Spirit! We all have Him inside us!" But they looked at her like she was crazy and did not believe it.

What ended up happening in this study group is that the women talked about Beth Moore, her 'power' in God, her teaching style, her life. In their desire to "have what she has," it made them want to be like Beth Moore, not like JESUS.

You see the problem.


"Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones." (Jude 1:8)