Ambassador College Correspondance Course LSN 24 1961
You Are Too Evil and Vile To Sit With Jesus As You Are.
Where would the Church of God be without everyone being told they were evil, vile and dirty? There was always some qualification being placed upon people in the church who sought Jesus. The more zealous you were the better because that ensuredJesus Christ just might grant you salvation. This concept sure gets the tassels on the legalistic knickers of the Malmites and Thielites all knotted up.
Where would the Church of God be without everyone being told they were evil, vile and dirty? There was always some qualification being placed upon people in the church who sought Jesus. The more zealous you were the better because that ensured
15 comments:
Just as I am is really all anyone actually is. Who do you know that really grew in grace and knowledge in the church? The rules were to grow in lawkeeping and let's keep the knowledge thing to a minimum. Or at least grow in approved from the top down knowledge. Knowledge from the bottom up is rebellion which we all know is as the sin of witchcraft.
These hymns still get to me because they hold a precious sentiment that is real to life and the human experience. As noted recently, what Church of God hymns touched your heart or soul? None! Which brought tears to your eyes? None! A good hymn gives hope and comfort. Church of God hymns had you climbing through the windows leap and breaking through weapons each unharmed. Not to mention that we'd not drink the blood of goats....neeeyyyyyyy rather... We blew the horn and let Zion hear it for God's day was now at hand...again. Ugh! And we couldn't sing in the beauty of the lily Christ was born across the sea because lilies were some dumbass thing or other so we did it in the beauty of the Autumn instead.
And who can forget Onward Christian Soldiers which I never liked even as a kid in the Dutch Reformed Church. Sounded like the crusades and in the WCG it was barf time when we got to "We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity" ...really? What church is this again????
I'll take How Great Thou Art any day along with Beautiful Savior, Amazing Grace and What a Friend anytime. Those, no matter my genuine theological views or doubts are in my DNA in a good way
You can come just as you are .... after you repent.
I’ve heard people justify this by proclaiming that if you fake it, you eventually become it. That’s their “pass go and collect $200” Chance or Community Chest card that supposedly gets them past the natural “just as I am” state.
The problem with this attitude is that it makes these “method actors” look down on everyone who does not subscribe to their Guru’s package of picked and chosen do’s and don’ts. Rituals can add structure and be school teachers, but they do not foster good character or imbue the soul with love. That’s an entirely different and much deeper transformational level, one that goes beyond “Physician, heal thyself”.
BB
I liked The Prodigal Son from the old gray hymnal - but that got dropped. Weird since COGs love it when old WCGers come back.
There are some newer songs that are pretty good as well.
Plus the Hallelujah chorus sung in a shopping mall was very good as well.
we live in a nation where there is ample knowledge that police routinely gun down unarmed black men, men routinely sexually harrass womem in the workplace, children are routinely molested; hell, we are so lawless we cant even do something as simple as drive the speed limit! and the most evil deed of all: the tacit acceptance of such behavior by the silent majority..
then we have the nerve to say "accept me the way i am"? well, thas fine and dandy, but only if you have no intention of living forever...
c f ben yochanan
sounds like a typical protestant type service...leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but you don't know any more than you did when you got there about what God requires of us......oh, that's right, their god requires nothing of them since their jesus finished the work on the cross, therefore they can just be themselves without worrying....yep, just get dunked, or sprinkled, or whatever you choose, and you're covered no matter what kind of life you live.....makes perfect sense.
Well, those are all the stereotypes of other Christian churches which were presented to us as Armstrongites, 2:24. You couldn’t possibly find out that most of those stereotypes are wrong until you actually start attending a non-Armstrong church and learning what really is taught by them. Seeking second opinions by attending other groups was always forbidden. But, this is another area in which strawmen were created from partial truths and outright lies to keep us in line.
BB
then we have the nerve to say "accept me the way i am"? well, thas fine and dandy, but only if you have no intention of living forever...
c f ben yochanan
December 8, 2018 at 8:12 PM
Anonymous said...
sounds like a typical protestant type service...leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but you don't know any more than you did when you got there about what God requires of us......oh, that's right, their god requires nothing of them since their jesus finished the work on the cross, therefore they can just be themselves without worrying....yep, just get dunked, or sprinkled, or whatever you choose, and you're covered no matter what kind of life you live.....makes perfect sense."
Classic Church of God hyperbole and exaggeration. Are both of you so far advanced in your sinless selves or will be without spot or even a wrinkle they day you die? Uh huh... Personally I found that people, repentance, baptism , burying the old self and such did not actually change people much. People don't change much unless on death's door with behaviors that they need reign in or else. The people I grew up with in the "nothing required" church were excellent people, moral, full of the fruits of Biblical spirituality, loving families, stayed married and helped all they could as well as showed up at church twice a Sunday for entire lives.
Personally, and in hindsight, I found way too many members and most ministers to be judgmental in the extreme and far more conflicted than any of the "Jesus did it on the cross" types ever were. That is my experience.
Striving over "obedience" and lawkeeping so the Deity doesn't decide not to let you in causes emotional problems, depression and internalized anger and anxiety. Rod Meredith honestly believe he had never committed a "Major sin" in his life because of his obcessive and mistaken notions of what the NT taught. I never wanted to be like Rod Meredith or thought the Kingdom should be full of his view of things. People are just people and frankly, born right the first time.
Ultimately the Apostle Paul himself was puzzled by his own behavior. "The things I should do I don't. That which I should not do, I do" etc. He even resorted to beating himself literally "lest I become a castaway". This is not good mental health and in time,l if he actually wrote I Corinthians 13, he woke up to the kinder gentler side of the faith which he lacked most of his life.
@ 2:24AM, are you a Gnostic or a Christian? Even if you are a Gnostic, you should be able to admit that the typical ACOG service does not teach you any more than you knew when you got there about what God requires of us. The typical ACOG service teaches us what we need to do to stay on the good side of the ministry, that's all. Bible teaching is very selective in an ACOG service.
One thing is obvious; you grew up in an ACOG, probably the child of a minister. The "professing Christian" churches are filled with problems, for sure, but very few of them are led by men who rape their daughters or who seduce college students or who get drunk in the car in a college parking lot or who commit massive tax fraud.
Another thing is also obvious. You don't understand the motivating power of love. You practice a fear religion, even though the Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear. Serious Christians who love their Savior don't want to crucify Him again and again by sinning. Even more importantly, they don't believe the ACOG lie that they can reject Christ's call today and come up in a "second resurrection" to earn salvation. They cannot tolerate an organization's corruption and lies and expect to be saved. They must act on their integrity NOW, something that is rare to see in the ACOGs, who are busy deploying the "David defense" to rationalize away the dreadful sins of the leaders.
"Just as I am …. without one plea" sounds to me like a description of that publican who beat on his chest without even lifting his head and as for forgiveness as he acknowledged he was a sinner Apparently he hadn't cleaned himself up as that Pharisee had done BEFORE coming to God. Yeah, we used to mock that song, and it was decades later before I actually read the words to the song. Pretty much the same with Amazing Grace, while I loved the music, we all avoided the song, but when I finally actually read the words, they are quite powerful. and I'm sure in some way inspired.
LCG warns about new truths - what about old ones - Paul's gospel of the grace of God Acts 20 v 24
1 Cor 1 v 23 - 24 preach Christ crucified.
1 Cor 2 v 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Was Paul unaware of the requirement to preach the Ezekiel warning message?
Bad Paul? Deceived Paul?
LCG weekly comments:
Be Thankful for the Truth: The Sabbath is a good time to reflect on an important question, Are you thankful for the Truth? It is easy to take the Truth for granted if you are a long-time member or if you have grown up in the Church. Yet, Jesus said that no one can come to a real understanding of the Truth unless they are called and their minds have been opened to see the big picture (John 6:44, 65). The capacity to understand the plan of God, the purpose of life, Bible prophecy and the true way of life is a gift that God is making available to only a few people at this time (1 Corinthians 1:26–27). The Scriptures state these precious truths are a mystery to most people in the world (1 Corinthians 2:7–8) because Satan—the god of this age—has blinded their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Jesus said it is an incredible privilege to be given an understanding of the Truth (Matthew 13:10–17). Paul said that to be called out of darkness into the light of the Truth is something to be extremely thankful for. Before you are tempted to be drawn away by some “new” teaching, take time to reflect on and thank God for the Truth that He has allowed you to understand.
God has the policy of no more demons in His kingdom. Hence no unrepentant thieves, murderers etc will be allowed into the kingdom. We do know what the Protestants believe and teach by their TV programs and books. I know as I've read some of them. Since the ACOG ministers have chosen to feed diluted milk to their members, these books are superior in practical living material than the ACOG sermons.
11.17AM The ACOGs teaching is correct regarding the 'second resurrection' option. God does grant people the right to reject this more difficult first resurrection path. A prayer request will confirm this.
Many Protestant do live a 'good' Christian life, eg the Amish, but they are not going through difficult trials and tribulations. They have it easy, generally speaking.
"Perfect love casts out fear." If one lives by Gods laws, one does not fear the victims, police or Gods vengeance for law breaking. That's all that scripture means. It's not magic, like some sort of Harry Potter wand. And where's peoples sense of reality to come up with such whacky interpretations.
if a guest in your house behaved badly, you would simply kick him or her out; but for whatever reason you think that God should be willing to endure that what you would be unwilling to???
God tossed the devil for his refusal to behave himself, and respect his fellows; how much more would He do so to we what are designed to simply not exist if we refuse to behave ourselves...
c f ben yochanan
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