Living Church of God just cannot praise its members and leave it at that. Every word of encouragement is followed by something they are constantly doing wrong.
Winnail starts off by praising LCG members as "workers" on a journey with the church in getting the gospel out, but then has to get in another dig at them for actually not being workers together, but for being haughty, conceited, judgemental, unable to get along with each other, not being humble enough, and rumormongers.
Are people that miserable in LCG?
Keys to Working Together: Jesus referred to His disciples as His “friends” and encouraged them to “love one another” (John 15:12–17). The Apostle Paul referred to those who assisted him in his ministry as “my fellow workers” (Romans 16:3). He also referred to members of God’s Church as “God’s fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9) and “workers together [coworkers] with Him” (2
Corinthians 6:1). These were exciting opportunities that came with important responsibilities. In the Scriptures, we find practical guidelines about how to work together. We are instructed to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” and not allow contentions to divide us (1 Corinthians 1:10–13). We are also advised to learn to get along and live in harmony, to avoid being haughty and conceited or ambitious for a position, but to be humble and do what is right, and to strive to work together peacefully (Romans 12:16–18). We are told that repeating rumors disrupts friendships (Proverbs 17:9), that “a soft answer” avoids stirring up anger (Proverbs
15:1), and that a converted person is approachable and “easy to be entreated” (James 3:17, KJV). If we learn to “love one another” and treat each other as “friends” we will be more effective “fellow workers” both now and in the Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
10 comments:
"being haughty, conceited, judgmental, unable to get along with each other, not being humble enough, and rumormongers." Does this sound more like the power hungry evangelists who lived on Waverly Drive and had offices on the fourth floor of the Hall of Administration? Does this sound like the men who were greedy for power and position, vultures circling over HWA, waiting for him to die? These terms are more appropriately describing the leadership than the membership, as I recall back in the early 70's. Wasn't it a certain evangelist who threw out a nasty rumor about another high official who many people distrusted and thought was too close to HWA?
"not being workers together, but for being haughty, conceited, judgemental, unable to get along with each other, not being humble enough, and rumormongers."
That is a perfect description of the LCG ministers and their wives. The worst spreaders of gossip I ever saw in the church were the minister's wives.
Over 30 years ago.
30 years later those same privileged fat asses are parked in splinter churches and still making the lives of members miserable...well, except for those that are now dead and for Robert Kuhn, who still has a home there but was smart enough to get out of the cult decades ago.
In church culture, 'getting along' means allowing yourself to be eaten alive by the church crazies. How dare anyone defend themselves by raising their voice. Only the ineffective 'soft answe' is permitted, other wise the victim, not the church crazie, is confronted by the minister. In these churches, It's 'peace at any price' for the appearance of harmony.
The ACOGs are paradises for crooks.
Weren't Kuhn and Rader members of a local synagogue? Were they ever really converted to Christianity? Does anyone know the time line here, etc.? Kuhn appears to be still searching via his Closer to Truth programs. If I recall Kuhn ended up living in RCM's house on Waverly. Don't know if he bought it or what. I get the impression that HWA used Kuhn because of his credentials. Of course, as a narcissist, he used everybody. What do you folks know about Rader and Kuhn? Kuhn did substitute one day for RCM at AC when I was there.
Kuhn still owns the house on Waverly Drive. It was Meredith's former home. This is the house Meredith used 3rd tithe money to remodel some of it with.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1396037,-118.1580091,3a,75y,355.89h,91.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ4ckkFh9A-ECSIhwR_13Zg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Historically church crazies are usually the ministry.
Doug Winnail continues striving to "save" his ineffective followers by asking them to "learn to love one another," to improve, to step-up, to become more effective. How will his ineffective followers learn that love? Isn't love a gift from God! What happened? It is like Doug is trying to get them to earn their own salvation into God's Kingdom by works, more effective works instead of giving God the glory, honor and praise for working it all out in their lives. Doug wrote the following:
******
"...If we learn to “love one another” and treat each other as “friends” we will be more effective “fellow workers” both now and in the Kingdom of God. ..."
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Jesus Christ considered Judas to be a friend, too, even while all of the disciples were in an unconverted state. The love they all needed didn't come until after Christ's murder and the arrival of the day of Pentecost. What help? God’s Spirit and its fruit, associated with it.
Gal 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
When will Doug learn that God must provide that fruit and any increase? Love is part of God’s many gifts to those He has chosen to be sealed by His Spirit.
What else is required to bear that fruit of love?
"I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5
Is it possible that Doug is telling us that his followers, as ineffective in the love area as Doug believes they are, are lacking something else that does not allow them to be as effective as he, Doug, desires from them?
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9
Love, is like faith, will only come by measure/proportion determined somehow by God. Love, like faith, is not learned; it is given by God by His Spirit through His Son:
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3, 6.
"But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him." 1 Cor 8:6
When will Doug learn to give God the glory, honor and praise for all that He does in one’s life, rather than place such a huge burden on his followers, a burden that even Doug cannot achieve in his own life?
Time will tell…
John
It would be good if they put this into practice when dealing with Monson et al, rather than have the attitude of "agree with us or get out" (not Weston's exact words, but pretty close to)
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