Never has the Church of God had a more tone-deaf prophet than we have in Bob Thiel. From being the Chief Overseer (slave owner connotations) of his African followers to publishing as many miserable things he can find, he tells us to be more hopeful. His god has to be the most miserable creature a COG minister has ever created. His god is always pissed off about something and ready for gleeful vengeance. Yet, with all of his doom and gloom, he expects his followers to have hope.
How to Be More Hopeful
The New Testament teaches that Christians are to have hope. What are ways to be more hopeful? Pocket, a secular source, recommended an article about that. In this video, Dr. Thiel goes over many points of that article and ties them into numerous scriptures that teach about hope. Dr. Thiel also notes that multiple times, the Apostle Paul taught about faith, love, and hope together. Dr. Thiel also quotes Jesus related to not worrying and seeking first the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, he refers to mysteries of God’s plan that most do not understand. He also reads what the Bible promises will occur in the new earth.
While ignoring Jesus in their ministries, COG leaders expect members to look forward to 3 1/2 years of hell in Petra with all of the leaders fighting over who is in charge. Has the COG ever offered its members any real hope?
16 comments:
Members with discernable Christ like qualities have always been persecuted in the ACOGs, and especially by the ministers.
True. Very true. Anonymous 9:33 PM
Members with discernable Christ like qualities have always been persecuted in the ACOGs
Yes, they like to impute motive, for goodness fake!
Did Bob write the video's blurb himself? We know he likes to refer to himself in the third person.
Im hopeful, that perhaps one day, Booby will find mental equilibrium.
Comment was made saying: "...While ignoring Jesus in their ministries, COG leaders expect members to look forward to 3 1/2 years of hell in Petra with all of the leaders fighting over who is in charge. Has the COG ever offered its members any real hope?..."
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What is real hope & fighting for control to be in charge? Is it like hope of a Mickey Mouse Millennium where "another Jesus" very soon to return and reign on earth 1,000 years becomes reality? Is it hope of "The Great Tribulation?" Hope to qualify for something by good works of self? Is it hope that their Biblical speculations will come true some day? Hope of being like some of the current former WCG righteous (self?) hirelingss: Pack, Flurry, Thiel, Kubik, Franks, Weinland, Winnail?
It kind of reminds me of United's hope. The United Ass. established in 1995 in Indianapolis is now very disunited and has experienced split-ups/factions numerous times since 2 May 1995, when Victor Kubik read the following memo, from a fellow-hireling of the former WCG, to all attending that conference: notice that this memo begins addressing HOPE and ends up mentioning who gets CONTROL.
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CAN IT EVER BE? That cohesive, Christ-led entity that we all want so dearly? Or does Indy seal our fate to factions and factions? The hopes are high, the stakes are critical. Indy will be either a dawning of a New World Tomorrow, or the proof of our folly.
PIE IN THE SKY is what the detractors say. Some of them are us, you know. Our “leaders” have already laid foundations and are even laying superstructure. The meek words of just a few weeks ago… “We’ve just started this in case it’s of any help, but we’ll gladly dissolve it” are seemingly replaced with corporate structure lauding the wisdom of “follow me.” Has “unity” already slipped to a cliché, a buzzword of egotists? I’ve seen that once people invest time, money and gain supporters they “have God’s blessing.” After all, they prayed about it.
Dissolution of their structure for a greater cause becomes too great a defeat. The show must go on.
WHAT IS INDY? It’s a chance for a ground up, New Testament organized body of believers.
WHAT WILL INDY BE? I know what you and I want it to be. But do you know what many see it as? Separate leaders of several pre-formed groups pushing their system at each other, followed by the winner selling it to the ministry. The ministry is invited to view the outcome and cast in their lot, depending on who "wins" and if they like the smell of it.
WHO LOOSES IF INDY FALTERS? The churches back home. The little flocks who are staking their faith in Indy. The loyal pastors who have forfeited everything to wait on Christ and to come learn his will for their next step. I hope He’s there. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Just some concerns and fears…I don’t know what it WILL be, I know what it MIGHT be and what it CAN be. I’ll be there in support. Be careful who gets control. Make sure it’s God.
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To be continued…
John
Continuing…
The memo begins addressing HOPE and ends up mentioning who gets CONTROL.
26 years have now passed since 2 May 1995, and it appears that God's pasture wasn't even with United. Jesus mentioned a pasture in John 10:
:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Now, that pasture has pleasant benefits. United ended up with more of a scattering such as if pursued by some wolf:
:12 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep."
The WCG sheep were scattered and certainly, so have the hirelings! Did the hirelings care?
:13 "The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."
Whether United Ass., or any xcog, did the hirelings prove to really care for any sheep?
Has Jesus been ignored? How about the Father? Has He been ignored? The United leadership was advised that Jesus Christ was not the God of the Old Testament (HWA speculation), that the One we know as God the Father (e.g. Acts 3:13) is the Highest, the Most High, The God of the Old Testament, and not Jesus Christ or the Word, for that matter. But United leadership has chosen to stick with their HWA speculation. Will United repent/change regarding that speculation, and the speculation of "another Jesus" very soon returning to reign on earth?
Time will tell...
John
Bob Theil is a joke always was and still is.
When I was in LCG, Bob Thiel was considered a weirdo by most ministers and members. He always came across as smug and self-righteous. No one knew more than he did, particularly when it came to church doctrines and prophecy. He had a lot of weird ideas that Mr. Meredith would not even consider. He is still laughed at in ministerial circles for the things he does and says now.
Bob Thiel is not someone that people should listen to, he is a false prophet and scoundrel.
Apart from arm flapping and the standard of presentation we've come to expect, the article Bob read had a few good points.
But, as usual, a few minutes of material were blown into a quarter hour. I feel that brief and punchy, like most of Proverbs, would have been a better choice.
There IS one reason for hope from Dr. Thiel's teachings.
We don't have to worry about the Great Tribulation beginning before... what, 2028?
Bob Thiel is a scumbag.
Anon 5:51 wrote 'Bob Thiel is a scumbag.'
In something Bob just put on his website, he "researched" a couple of Messianic Jewish sites and concluded: 1. They aren't COG 2. They are all wrong.
Thankfully they aren't COG!!
That's as thorough as "I looked at Dave Pack's RCG website and Gerry's PCG website. These guys sound like scumbags, so ALL COG websites must have scumbag leaders.
It may be true, but you can't make those conclusions, it's cult stereotyping.
Bob Thiel is a fool with no credibility.
The situation is far worse than that John. Perhaps God's pasture has been with the membership all along and not the elite ministry.
Why does God need these self righteous
men when he has already sent the 12 apostles to the ends of the world and the prophets before them as witnesses to Jesus Christ ?
Only UCG hold the Indy speech in high regard the entire rest of ACOG asked at the time "What took you so long ?"
Anon, May 17, 2021 at 1:19 AM, said:
"...The situation is far worse than that John. Perhaps God's pasture has been with the membership all along and not the elite ministry.
Why does God need these self righteous
men when he has already sent the 12 apostles to the ends of the world and the prophets before them as witnesses to Jesus Christ ?..."
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Yes, perhaps as you said: "...God's pasture has been with the membership all along and not the elite ministry," but if any of them were within that pasture they may have departed as fleeing uncaring hirelings, who are now outside that pasture:
John 10:12 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."
God may not need self-righteous men, but those with heresies may well have been present within the pasture. For example, we may read this:
1 Corinthians 11:19 "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
How is it possible for the hirelings to deny the Lord that bought them? They could deny the Lord by denying Christ our Passover sacrificed for us by thinking they can qualify by earning their salvation by their own works of self (self-righteousness?). Wouldn't that make Christ's sacrifice in their lives of non-effect?
Also, could the hirelings of the United Ass., living group, (kubik, weston, winnail, franks, pack, weinland, etc.), possibly outside of God's pasture, deny the Lord by teaching that Jesus Christ, rather than God the Father, is the God of the Old Testament? Isn't that idolatry to put someone or something in place of the God who claims to do the following?
"For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever." Deut 32:40 Neither the Word, not Jesus Christ, could have said those words.
So, yes, the situation may be far worse than I believe, and ...
Time will tell...
John
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