Inquiring minds want to know: If the members are required to do this, why isn't the ministry? Come on boys and girls, make an effort!
Plan to Grow: The Scriptures reveal we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), and to receive rewards in the Kingdom, we must all be overcomers (Revelation 2 and 3). But growing and overcoming requires a plan and persistence. In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, Jesus lists qualities He desires in His disciples: humility, compassion, mercy, a desire to learn God’s way, and the ability to be a peacemaker. Paul lists the spiritual fruits that God wants to see in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–25). Peter lists courage, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love—unselfish outgoing concern (2 Peter 1:5–7). Write out this list and then begin to focus on a single item each week so you can develop these important qualities. Plan to grow and make the effort to be a real overcomer!
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
I really wonder just how many people have to wrestle intensely with various challenges in their lives or professions! That is the process which leads to becoming a problem solver, or overcomer. It seems that most ACOG members have to do the bulk of their wrestling against their own church! Or with their own attitudes towards their church's "shit".
ReplyDeleteWell that is definitely the operative word for it.
DeleteThe churches of God are just that, the churches of God. They are scattered, and led by men. They do not claim perfection. Despite this, They do have the truth. Because this world does not want the truth, and hates anyone who lives by the truth and God's law, does not annul the truth . Truth is the truth and fact. Christ does not say in Rev 3 that His church in this end-time was not His church. It is still His church, but they have their problems which He warned them about. So there are things the individual saints have to correct. God will sort them out.
ReplyDeleteYou, whoever you are, seem to feel it is your role to warn others not to join any COG. That they are all wrong, But who made you a judge. Oh yes, of course, your boss satan. How do I know that he is your boss? Because of the work, you do for Him. and that you hold to the errors that satan has led people in , and you give honor to people who are open about their worship of satan.
If at any time you had knowledge of the truth of God, remember that that you will not be excluded from the punishment of the sinful, that awaits this world. If you are being an accuser of the brethren, a role that satans has been employed in, remember it is not a role the the Almighty God appreciates, and has also said, that He will not acquit those guilty of knowingly sinning.
If you were deceived into this role, then there is still an opportunity for you to REPENT, but if you are fully aware of what you are doing, then sadly I know that you will be punished also. God is a God of Love, but He is also a God of Justice, But His mercy is greater than His justice, so if you are sincere about repentance , He will have mercy on you. I hope you do repent and stop doing satans work for him.
I was surprised to see Doug cited 2 Peter 3:18 - yet it appears that he does not know what the grace and knowledge of Jesus is - or he is deliberately deceiving LCG members.
ReplyDeleteDoug's lack of understanding or deceit is evidenced by his second sentence: “But growing and overcoming requires a plan and persistence.”
Doug left out the main ingredient for growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus - which Christians know simply as Jesus.
Doug repeats the mistake of leaving out Jesus in his last two sentences, in which he gives the people ineffectual instructions or demands on being a real overcomer.
Doug gave the indoctrination booster by insisting members must become overcomers.
This is one of many fatal doctrine flaws of the COGs - they insist the people must overcome, but don’t tell them the required amount of overcoming, or how to do it.
This leaves the people in a state of hopeless misery and failure - as they struggle to live up to a standard they cannot obtain by their sincere and significant efforts.
Much Christian literature, and even hymns, discuss dependence on Jesus for change and growth - and ultimately sin-free perfect righteousness - as summed up in the often Christian phrase: Overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb!
Sadly, or dangerously, Doug is even insinuating that the Fruits of the Spirit can be obtained by one’s one striving, rather than receiving them as a gift from God.
If COG members are truly interested in growing in the grace of knowledge, I suggest a search for all of the verses containing forms of the words redemption, justification, sanctification, glorification, and grace.
You are being offered the gift of perfect righteousness - all you need to do is believe and accept it.
Of course, GOGs scuff at this essential Christian principle and point to verses they believe state that they must produce works.
However, the Christian's good works and the fruits of the Spirit flow from the righteous, blood-bought victory of Savior Jesus.
Without Jesus, you can never be righteous enough - and the body of work produced by Doug and the LCG demonstrates very little Jesus, but a whole lot of demands.
To be an overcomer, focus on what Jesus did for you - seek his righteousness (look up those verses)!
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
2.48 AM
ReplyDeleteI've heard your song before. My first minister gave himself the right to lord it over his congregation by verbally brutalizing and tearing members down. Verbally attacking them while violating their body space was a favorite of his. This same ministers claimed from the pulpit that any negative feelings that members had toward him were placed in their minds by Satan. He used this and other ploys to intimidate members into not passing moral judgement on his illegal and immoral behavior.
"If your brother sins against you, rebuke him."
This means that Christians, contrary to what this minister claims, have a responsibility to pass moral judgement and defend themselves. People need to obey God rather than man on this one.
Btw, ministers share this ploy and similar among themselves, because I experienced them using the exact same words. Yeap, ministers share these demonic ploys almond themselves.
These ministers will be the ones who go through the tribulation and end up in the lake of fire. Good riddance!
$Pofitable$ Doug, has such a great focus on some list and professing to be one of the overcomes, yet Doug writing to his un-focused and apparently non-overcomer group of people, still cannot say the following about them:
ReplyDelete1 John 2:13 "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father."
:14 "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."
But those scriptures were addressed to real Christians many centuries ago, and they had overcome the wicked one!
What is the problem with the living group? Why can't Doug tell his people that they, if they are true christians, have also overcome the wicked one?
Why does Doug continue to spiritually beat, down-beat, those in the living group, as if he were the greatest overcomer of all...and all of the people need to be like Doug?
If all of those people that Doug is addressing were a clone of Doug, would they also currently be blaming and judging one another for not being the overcomers that Doug thinks they should be?
When might Doug focus on these two verses and encourage people to be Christians, instead of brow-beating them?
Time will tell...
John
While still in his humble beginnings, GTA in 1980 game one of his best sermons of all time, "How to be an Overcomer". The emphasis was Revelation 3:21:
ReplyDelete" To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME and am set down with my Father in His throne ".
Ted's point: WHAT we do or don't overcome and HOW we do or don't do it is the SAME for us as it was for Jesus Christ! Whatever that is I'll let you fill it those blanks. Personally, I don't think the Lord had to write out a list or make a huge comprehensive plan to grow!
9.19 AM
DeleteReports about his lifestyle indicate that GTA didn't practice what he preached. And what about his "child rearing" book, ie, unleash psych violence against babies and kids in order to get they to "obey" their parents and future Fuhrer ministers. The violence even makes Quentin Tarantino blush.
Tomorrow's World magazine: ostensibly 'free', but could end up costing more than a set of Encyclopedia Britannica!
ReplyDeleteAnnon 248am- I could not agree with you more. It does not matter what is said in any of the CoGs, someone on this blog will come along and feel they can judge the intentions of everything that comes out of the groups. Satan is the leader of this group...and that is not what I want to be a part of.
ReplyDeleteSo Satan leads this group, yet you are here commenting. Thanks for being a part of the conversation!
DeleteI once heard a first person anecdote about GTA coming home from a Lakers game inebriated, and upon finding one of his sons stoned on grass, rippimg him a new asshole.
ReplyDeleteOh well, GTA is such an easy target. Actually, so was HWA, but the difference between the two is that no Armstrongites believe anything bad or wrong that they hear about HWA. To them he is a quasi-Biblical figure, and therefore not subject to evaluation or criticism.