Well, it is close to LCG Sabbath and time for the weekly smackdown on things LCG members are constantly doing wrong. It seems some LCG members are not focused upon the "truth" that LCG claims to possess and instead are caught up in the "cares of this world." LCG members must constantly be building character in order to be admitted into the Kingdom of God. Members are encouraged to focus their time upon that which is "true, noble, just, and pure".
LCG members have posted here for years about watching leading ministers in Charlotte and elsewhere mistreating members. From Rod Meredith on down through his kids and other ministers; abuse, nepotism, and financial abuse have been rampant. LCG HQ needs to clean its own windows before constantly criticizing its members.
Staying Focused: Jesus admonished His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). However, the temptations and pressures of this world continue to pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom. Jesus also warned that “the cares of this world” can choke the Truth and cause us to stumble and miss out on our calling (Matthew 13:22). This is why the Apostle Paul advised Christians to “walk circumspectly” (live purposefully) and make the most of the time and opportunities to grow “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16). This is also why we need to check our focus periodically—what are we watching on TV? What we are reading? How much time do we spend on the Internet? Are we acting and treating others like a Christian? Are we using our time and talents to glorify God, or just doing our own thing? Let’s follow these biblical admonitions and focus our minds on what is true, noble, just, and pure (Philippians 4:8)—so we can be in the Kingdom of God.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
20 comments:
Any group of Christians who do not mix the Law with grace is not a true Christian, for the grace alone cannot save you and the law alone cannot save you. You need both.
"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."
Romans 7:12 NKJV
So anyone who is against the law can't be holy just and good.
Friday Night Smackdown
That reminded me a Stooges short: Moe slaps Larry and Curly; when Larry says he didn't do anything, Moe responds with, "That was for what you were thinking". LCG leadership looks like they don't think well of there congregation.
". . . building the character needed to be in His Kingdom . . ."
I wonder what goes through the minds of Armstrongists when they see the phrase "building character?" Do they see themselves working diligently over a lifetime to accumulate this thing called character and then presenting it at the gates of heaven to gain entrance? I have never seen a treatise on what building character means to them. And this leaves a vacuum that might be filled with many notions. Some downside outcomes:
The first downside is this, without a good definition of building character and given the tendencies of human behavior:
"Building character" may result in
1. The egotistical becoming more egotistical
2. The legalistic becoming more legalistic
3. The self-righteous becoming more self-righteous
4. The hard of heart becoming more hard of heart
5. The judgmental becoming more judgmental
6. The hypercritical becoming more hypercritical
7. The gullible becoming more gullible
The list could go on. Without a clear understanding of what it is, the process of building character may vector in some undesirable direction - like making a person more of what he already is and thinks mistakenly is the right thing to be.
The second downside is that it sounds too much like salvation is being earned by the character builder. "Building character" is not a Biblical term. It is a general term that has been recruited by Armstrongists for special usage. The closest thing I can find in the Bible to this concept is the word "sanctification" but this is an act of the Holy Spirit - it is something that God does (John 17:17).
To articulate the phrase "building character" with the words "needed to be in the Kingdom" is tending towards something called Performance Christianity. Performance Christianity reduces The Way to stuff that a person does like tithing, church attendance, reading the Bible so many minutes, praying so many minutes, passing out song books - you know the deal. And works of that sort may just as well reflect bad character as good. We will be rewarded for our acceptable works one day, actually over-rewarded, but works have nothing to do with our entry into eternal life - ask the thief on the cross.
I would much rather see the concept of "building character" replaced by the concept of "a heart changed by God." But I think this could only happen if Armstrongists were to revise their entire view of soteriology. Can a leopard change its spots?
******* Click on my icon for Disclaimer
A "rewrite" of a section of Winnai's message that COG groups should consider, replacing the word world, with the word church. ...
However, the temptations and pressures of this CHURCH continue to pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom. Jesus also warned that “the cares of this CHURCH” can choke the Truth and cause us to stumble and miss out on our calling
I don't get it. Is there something wrong with what Winnail wrote? I read the statement twice and it seems to me to be encouraging instead of brow-beating the membership.
They should read on a bit further when quoting PAUL and see what he says about keeping 'sabbaths' (Colossians 2:16-17)
Anon, June 18, 2021 at 8:29 AM, "...Is there something wrong with what Winnail wrote?..."
******
Doug, like his forefathers (scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, etc. like Weston, Kubik, Franks, Pack, Weinland, Coulter. Flurry...even Bob Thiel, a prophet of the God of the OT (& that isn't Jesus Christ), but falsely so-called, etc.) does to know himSELF!! For example;
Doug, ignorant of the spirit (James 4:5) him, wrote: "...temptations and pressures of this world continue to pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom."
Doug, like other former wcg hirelings has been snagged (2 Tim 2:26; I John 3:8) and can preach counterfeits of God's truths. Doug is blind and wants us to be as blind as he currently. Doug cannot preach the value of grace (2 Cor 5:19), because His eyes/mind is still scaled.
Another thing, Doug mentions the evil all around us, but due to continued blindness fails to see the evil ( Romans 7:21) within himself.
Doug is ignorant of the sin he has within (Romans 7:17, 21).
You, Anon, don't yet get it (but someday you will),and ask: "Is there something wrong with what Winnail wrote?"
Doug browbeat us about our lack of focus, our lack of character, as though we are ignorant of evil and God's real Kingdom to come, while continuing to preach things not "of God," like a Mickey Mouse Millennium of another Jesus reigning on earth 1,000 years, some 3rd resurrection, you can commit the unpardonable sin, Jesus is God of the OT, etc.
Doug needs to re-examine his own focus, which is tough to do while being blind, and replace his satanic theories with the truths of God's word, etc.
Anon, that is probably a reply to your question that you least expected.
Still, when will Doug examine himself and refocus? And when will you do the same? Is that so...for each of us? Probably so, but each of us is on a journey, and
time will tell...
John
Anon 10:46 Colossians 2:16-17
Sorry, but you fell into the usual trap of amateur quote mining.
Colossians 2:16 begins with "Therefore", and that means a conclusion is going to be made, the outcome of the premises that were presented in the preceding verses.
You Gentiles, who were without hope, through acceptance of Messiah, are now grafted in to Israel. So - don't let anyone (who? Jews? Or other Gentiles?) judge you about the way you now behave. You're not living the worldly Gentile way anymore, so your old "uncircumcised" crowd is going to criticize you for your "Jewish" behavior. Don't worry about it!
I believe that character building is inherent in the parable of the talents. But you seem to question its very existence. I'm sure you would understand the need for character after I introduced you to a few of my relatives.
It's true the ACOGs are fuzzy on the definition of character. Which is understandable since the ministers lording ways robs its members of much their God given pounds mentioned in the parable of the talents. It's the very exercising of these pounds that's character building.
So the informal church position is one of:
1. Build character, but not too much. 2. Build character but definitely not
more than your ministers.
3. Do not build character in areas which makes one independent from the lording ministry.
So character development is to be limited and narrowed to ensure the present and future supremacy of the ministers.
Building Character NEO? Well stopping telling porkies would be a move in the right direction hey.
And woe unto you who have talents that are not tithable or make any of the leaders or their lackeys feel or look inferior.
Oh and do not use your mind for to the ministers of Armstrongism not being under their control is the worst sin imaginable, Watch out for anyone of "the World" is one of the oldest tricks in the book of cults along with using fear & hypnotherapy through speech rhythms so that the listeners will believe anything told to them while under their influence .
And if you do not believe me use the "evil" internet to see examples of fear & hypnotic thought reform/control and then watch just a little bit of a few sermons and if you are lucky you'll see what I mean, if not :shrug: that is on you and not me.
Armstrong can help you on the road to salvation.
Anonymous said...
I don't get it. Is there something wrong with what Winnail wrote? I read the statement twice and it seems to me to be encouraging instead of brow-beating the membership.
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That was my first impression as well. Seems a fairly normal and what one would expect kind of "think about this" from Doug. I think sometimes we think anything they say not normal and deserves scorn, but this one qualifies as generic reminders if one is going to have their church and Christian priorities up to snuff.
Troll guy, you're over doing it.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
They should read on a bit further when quoting PAUL and see what he says about keeping 'sabbaths' (Colossians 2:16-17)
June 18, 2021 at 10:46 AM
You should understand the context.
Doug needs to take a LONG HARD LOOK IN THE MIRROR so he can CLEARLY SEE THE PROBLEM!! 😇👎👎👎👎👎👎
Doug be deadly wrong!
Building character will not get you into the Kingdom.
If it could, Deadly Wrong Doug would have cited the Holy Scripture that testifies to his evil premise.
However, Holy Scripture says we are are saved by grace:
Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
Acts 15:11
No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved”
Ephesians 2:5
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Deadly Wrong Doug hates grace - he won't preach grace.
Why?
Deadly Wrong Doug is alienated from Jesus and choses to fall far from grace:
Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Seek grace, seek Jesus - while rejecting the alienated, deadly wrong Doug and his evil theology!
Winnail's piece is hugely destructive, as evidenced by this cultic quote:
"However, the temptations and pressures of this world continue to pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom."
Winnail is giving his dupes a booster shot of the fake gospel of works will get you into the Kingdom. As others have mentioned, no where in the Bible is "building the character need to be in His Kingdom" specified. Wiannail's character doctrine is contrary to Ephesians 2:8-9
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Winnail is deceptively reinforcing the people's need for him and the LCG. In effect, he is saying if you want to be in the KOG, you need to build character; how do you build character? By obeying the dictates of LCG and your LCG minister. You build character by reading LCG literature and attending LCG events.
While building character is good - to make it a prerequisite for entry into the KOG is very destructive to people on the COG treadmill of trying to "qualify" for the KOG, in the absence of specifications of the amount of works or character needed. How much character do you need to enter Winnail's kingdom? He won't tell you - but he will constantly insinuate you are not doing enough, you better give more, do more. The character cult doctrine is an evil treadmill that crushes mind an body.
Winnail is trying to steal the free gift of God mentioned in Ephesians 2:8-9.
@ Trypho
on Colossians 2:16-17
who theorizes:
"You Gentiles..not living the worldly Gentile way anymore..criticize[d]..for.."Jewish" behavior [inculcated by Paul/apostles].."
Sorry, this desperate theory not going to fly:
Paul includes New Moons; modern so called 'true restorationist' cults (Adventist, Armstrongist..) don't observe New Moons! You can't go picking & choosing from this Pauline grouping!
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