Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Gerald Weston tells sleepy LCG Members to WAKE UP!



Gerald Weston is back with another encouraging love letter to his followers.  They are becoming lazy and need to wake up! People are tired that Christ has not returned and are becoming lackadaisical.

Are Living Church of God members ever able to do anything right in the leadership's eyes?  Every letter, every article, every sermon is done by lambasting members for not doing something right.
We are now nearly two decades downstream from the transition to a new century, when some thought the world would come to an end due to a worldwide computer breakdown, the result of a programming glitch. But “Y2K” came and went, and here we are.It sometimes seems as though the return of Christ will never come, but the Apostle Paul gave wise counsel that we would be prudent to remember: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). How true that is for every one of us. 
The word “sleep” appears in three different contexts in the New Testament. One refers to a natural, biological necessity, and there is no condemnation for this. It is even described as a gift of God (Psalm 127:2). An example is found in Matthew 25, where ten virgins are described, five wise and five foolish. Some have misrepresented sleep in this parable as a bad thing, as though they all were guilty of falling asleep on the job—but the point of the parable is not to correct all ten virgins, but only the five foolish ones who took no oil for their lamps. All needed rest, but the five wise kept their spiritual lamps filled with “oil”—God’s Spirit. They were living life as they should, staying close to God and maintaining a daily relationship with Him. The five foolish virgins, on the other hand, were resting even while awake.
Christ’s warning that we may find ourselves with insufficient “oil” in our spiritual lives and miss out on the first resurrection is a weighty one indeed. Some have suggested that the parable indicates that half of the Church will be caught off guard when the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord crash down upon us. That should be sobering.
What should be sobering to LCG members is the fact that we are now 80 some years into a horrific string of failed prophecies and outright lies made by Herbert Armstrong and Rod Meredith.  They have sat through numerous church splits and still think they are bound for Petra for final training so they can become gods.
In Romans 13:11, Paul made a similar point to Jesus’ in the parable of the five foolish virgins—but while Jesus’ parable was a warning concerning the state of the Church at the end, Paul warned how easy it is for any of us to fall asleep spiritually and drift into sin, no matter what age we live in. This is the third way “sleep” is used. Paul addressed the problem of people becoming lax, falling into a spiritual malaise, and losing out on eternal life if they do not wake up and repent. “Wake up!” he was saying. “Know the times we are in!” 
I cannot write these words without thinking of Dr. Meredith and how he often warned us of this same danger, putting his whole being into his words. Our human nature so easily drifts off to sleep spiritually. While we cannot work our way into the Kingdom of God, let us not forget another admonition of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Yes, maintaining any relationship takes work, and our relationship with our Creator is no exception.
How can Living Church of God members have a relationship with Jesus when they do not know the inconvenient dude that still embarrasses COG leaders.

I don't think a leader from Charlotte needs to be telling LCG members "revelry and drunkenness" when some of the top leadership and their family members are guilty of this.  But there are and have always been two standards for LCG members - one for the top leaders and their children and close friends and the lower level church members.
Paul warns us of what can happen when we fall asleep spiritually—or perhaps it is more accurate to say that he gives us signs that may indicate spiritual sleep. But he also tells us how to wake up! “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:12–14). 
You may not be caught up in “revelry and drunkenness,” “lewdness and lust,” or “strife and envy,” but there is no room for complacency, either. Being overconfident is also a sign of spiritual complacency and slumber. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
LCG members become complacent because of the endless appalling things they see out of LCG leaders.  Whats the point in trying when the boyish Charlotte play their own game while member suffer?

LCG members are then warned that the god of the LCG is not a happy dude. It is waiting to punish and keep people out of the kingdom.
Even Paul recognized that he had to discipline himself in the race toward eternal life. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27). 
It is tempting to take the easy road, but that is not the one that leads to eternal life. Only the few manage to take and stay on the right road (Matthew 7:13–14). Many of us came from denominations that taught that there is nothing to do—“It has all been done for you.” Similarly, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that baptism is an end, not a beginning. Baptism is not the end! As Paul warned the Corinthians, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea…. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:1–2, 5).
The end is nigh and people need to wake up!
Truly, our salvation is drawing near! For every single one of us, either the seventh trumpet will sound before we die, or the common sleep of humanity will take us before then. In either case, there is never a good time to doze off spiritually! Our present world is clearly hurtling toward destruction, and this should make Paul’s admonition to cast off the works of darkness ring in our ears—“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). Let us be awake, brethren! As the Apostle says, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (v. 12)!



20 comments:

Stoned Stephen Society said...

"You may not be caught up in “revelry and drunkenness,” “lewdness and lust,” or “strife and envy,” but there is no room for complacency, either. Being overconfident is also a sign of spiritual complacency and slumber. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”"

Classic GEW double-speak. How is overconfidence a sign of complacency if you are not caught up in revelry and drunkenness, lewdness and lust, strife and envy?! The ill-logic is stunning. I don't know who is better at it, Weston or Pack? Maybe put a poll?

Anonymous said...

Enough already. Everything in the new testament is based on the mystery religions. Every event in the story of the life of Jesus was taken from the mystery religions. It was all made up. Pure fiction.

Anonymous said...

Christ alluded to the fact that there would be a notion of a delay in His Return:

"But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken" Luke 12:45

c f ben yochanan
please stop censoring me...

Anonymous said...

The end is nigh and people need to wake up!
ASB Comment: While this is a biblical reminder to all Christians this post seems to point to a ministry that is as follows. LCG members become complacent because of the endless appalling things they see out of LCG leaders. Whats the point in trying when the boyish Charlotte play their own game while member suffer? truth
Even if these are true a Christian that is truly connected with God would have no excuse to slack off their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A true Christian is powered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that reflects the Glory of God the Father through His Son Jesus the Christ. If they are praying and studying the truth of the written Word of God they will be able to grow in the Faith needed to maintain the Hope God has promised. It may be that those who are focused on the flaws there could take them to God in their prayers. This is just my thoughts about the power of God but it is something to think about! ASB

Al Dexter said...

Ah, the fictional carrot that Christians have been plodding along after for two millennia now. It does keep the money pouring in though.

Anonymous said...

ASB has a point. The is no greater power than the power of prayer.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gerald, have you ever considered the possibility (fact) that the lazy 5 virgins were without oil in their lamp because they spiritually relied on a church organization rather than relying on God, and you are guilty of pushing this mindset? A Christian fills their lamp by having a close "personal" relationship with God, not by being an acog member.

Gerald, you are the one who needs to wake up! Your job is your idol, it's sad.

km

Anonymous said...

I am a FORMER LCG member that woke up!
Members waking up may not be a good thing for you Gerald.

Anonymous said...

10.07 PM
Fictional carrot? On the contrary. The universe is being carved up and competed for. While you are living in a fictional world of unreality, I'm grabbing as many galaxies as I can. They'II be mine, mine, all mine. Are you aware that their are 200 billion galaxies out there?
Brace yourself to being a janitor or shoeshine boy in the next life.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said " Are you aware that their are 200 billion galaxies out there?"

As of 2019 the estimate is 10 Trillion

Anonymous said...

4.16 PM
The Forbes article claims that it's 2 trillion, and the Wikipedia article writes that it's "a suggested 2 trillion or more."

Anonymous said...

3:31 AM wrote:

Brace yourself to being a janitor or shoeshine boy in the next life.

This is one of the things that bothered me the most about Armstrong theology. Because of its works-based approach to your heavenly reward, the implication was that many would be dissatisfied with their place in the God Family, because they were "only" doorkeepers while other God-beings (who had attended more Spokesman Club meetings and mowed more ministerial lawns, etc.) would be rulers over ten cities.

An eternity of regret and disappointment sounds a lot like Hell to me. Yet, that's what Armstrong promises for most people; an eternity spent wishing that they had worked harder on Earth to qualify for a better eternity.

In any genuine heaven, occupants would not need to "brace themselves" for their role. As such, I must dismiss the ACOG heaven as nothing more than the Hell to which HWA was consigned upon death.

Anonymous said...

4.52 AM
Genuine heaven? So now you want Marxism applied to heaven as well.

Anonymous said...

9:38AM is apparently one of those badly educated Americans who couldn't explain the difference between Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, and communism, even if his life depended on it. As I read it, 4:52AM is describing something more like the traditional Roman Catholic idea of heaven, in which there are varying degrees of glory but every individual soul is fully satisfied in his level of glory, not regretful or envious of others' glory. Fantasy, perhaps, but I would love to learn how 9:38AM draws an analogy to Marxism.

Anonymous said...

10.35 AM
I'm glad you asked. 4.52 AM shows a lack of respect for reality by dismissing the parts of the bible he doesn't agree with, with the label 'Armstrong theology.' The only alternative to 4.52 AMs 'works based approach' is some form of collectivism. Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Communism, Stalinism, only differ in detail, not in fundamentals. I believe Friedrich Hayeks 'The road to Serfdom' nailed this religion, with its various 'denominations.'
4.52AMs post smells of egalitarianism, so I doubt that he subscribes to the Catholic "degrees of glory" in the kingdom

Anonymous said...

4:52 So how do you deal with the parable of the talents?

One thing that Armstrongism never really dealt with is eternity. Everything revolved around the millennium. Even the feast of tabernacles to most Armstrongists only pictures the millennium. That's partly why I dislike going to most acogs for the fot, that's all they preach on. The millennium is a very small part of God's plan for mankind.

They have their festival meanings all in a box and tied up with a bow and you best not suggest a different understanding.

Whether the creation of Adam actually happened 6,000 years ago or not the bible still uses seven symbolically, so the seven days of tabernacles would picture mankind in physical bodies/tabernacles for 7,000 years, with the final seventh day being the millennium. On the eighth day no one is in a tabernacle. So rather than the eighth day picturing the Great White Throne Judgement it would more logically picture eternity when God's plan has finished.

The ruling over five cities or ten cities is most likely for the millennium, our roles in eternity are totally unknown.

km

Anonymous said...

3:31 wrote: “Brace yourself to being a janitor or shoeshine boy in the next life.”

Like another said elsewhere—and I paraphrase—I’d rather be a janitor in God’s heavenly kingdom if it means seeing all the beautiful people I loved and cared for whom God blessed me to grace my sod of a life or like David wrote in Psalm 84:10 “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Amen!

Anonymous said...

I agree with you km, I think the COGs all lost their way a little when the holy day was called "the Last Great Day" instead of how it is termed in the Bible. But positively, from my ucg experience, the 8th day and beyond is being more and more discussed/emphasised. And when you look into the symbolism of "8" in the bible, there's so much to discuss!

What About The Truth said...

KM said:

Hey Gerald, have you ever considered the possibility (fact) that the lazy 5 virgins were without oil in their lamp because they spiritually relied on a church organization rather than relying on God, and you are guilty of pushing this mindset? A Christian fills their lamp by having a close "personal" relationship with God, not by being an acog member.

Gerald, you are the one who needs to wake up! Your job is your idol, it's sad.

Well said KM. Just by reading this little snippet from Mr. Weston you can see why many who follow him are in danger of spiritual starvation.

Did anyone catch this woeful statement by Mr. Weston? "While we cannot work our way into the Kingdom of God, let us not forget another admonition of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”.

The parable of the virgins and the following parable of the talents is nothing but about works getting ones self into the kingdom. Salvation is a gift period. The admonition from Paul is to work out not losing what is already an earnest in an individual Christian and not putting Christ's sacrifice unto an open shame.

Black and white reading of scripture is a death kneel to spiritual enlightenment. Coming from a leader of a church with the name "living" in it is appalling.



Anonymous said...

The last day, that great day of the feast when Jesus cried aloud, was the seventh day, not the eighth as the WCG ignorantly taught. That was the day when living water will be poured out for all who thirst, as Jesus said. The eighth day is when there will be no more flesh. The eighth day pictures eternity.

Kevin aka km