Living Church of God On Attending Church As Country Reopens

As the country reopens and restrictions start dropping on groups gathering togehther, LCG has released some well thought out guidlines for church services, masks, and vaccinations.

 

Dear Brethren, 

 

While COVID-19 rages in parts of the world such as India, it seems to be abating in other nations. New Zealand reports very few cases and here in the United States, Texas reported zero deaths from COVID yesterday for the first time. Nevertheless, one of our members in Texas succumbed to the virus a few days ago and she was in her mid-thirties. We know of others who contracted the disease recently and have had a difficult time with it. 

 

It might be easy to let up entirely if we were only a localized church, but we are an international Church, serving people in many different countries, provinces, territories, and states. (Please read the message from Mr. Paul Shumway below, regarding a visit from the COVID Police in Barbados on Pentecost.) One size does not fit all, and we should not stay locked down where it does not make sense. Sadly, everything about this pandemic has become political in the United States and some other countries, making it nearly impossible to trust any one source. So, what is God’s Church to do? 

 

Attending services in a crowded room with poor ventilation for two or more hours is a high-risk situation for spreading any kind of airborne virus. We also know that we have many members who are vulnerable due to age and underlying conditions. We want them to be safe and feel safe, but we cannot hide out in caves and wear masks until Christ returns. We must get back to some kind of normalcy as there are also risks to isolating ourselves and continually wearing masks for too long. 

 

After consulting with others this past week about the evolving situation, we want to loosen up where we can. For right now, we will continue to require masks while singing, and in fellowship before and after services while inside, but we will not require masks during the speaking portions of services where this is reasonableand allowed by law and the facilities we are using—keeping in mind that the priority is to do what we can to protect the vulnerable among us, particularly in areas where transmission is not low. We were looking forward to this in Charlotte last weekend as the result of a regulation change, but our meeting facility changed our meeting room and some 200 of us were crammed into a smaller room in which social distancing was not possible. It made sense to continue another week with masks for the whole service until this Sabbath, when we will be in our regular, larger room. Many areas are already doing this. We will continue to use social distancing in seating, where possible. 

 

In addition, in areas where there is low to no transmission, where mask mandates are totally lifted, and where we are not putting vulnerable people at risk, we want to go back to our normal practice. This does not mean that one cannot wear a mask or that people should be pressured or shamed to take off their mask. Those who choose to wear a mask are free to do so. Any decision to make a congregation mask-optional for the whole service will be made by the pastor after consulting with his Regional Director or Regional Pastor. Regional Pastors should consult with Church Administration when in doubt. 

 

And please, brethren, let us not judge one another regarding vaccination or non- vaccination, on masking or not masking, or what one congregation does based on its unique circumstances versus another congregation. Whatever we do, let’s show love and outgoing concern for one another. 

 

Sincerely, in Christ’s service, 

Gerald E. Weston

Stephen Flurry: You have the right to choose (unless you choose to go against anything we say)

 

One thing the Church of God has always preached, though never truly believed, was that we are all free moral agents who have the ability to choose right from wrong. That sounds logical to anyone outside of Armstrongism, but not to members. To choose to reject utterances from a leader, or understand that certain teachings are piles of crap, or even discern when church leaders are liars, carries a weaponized reaction. To choose differently than the established order was a direct pipeline to the lake of fire and being screamed at by a minister or some ordained flunky, or worse, being tortured by the Germans and placed into concentration camps. No one wanted to see their children hung up on meathooks because of disregarding the words of a minister or church leader.

It also always seems that the most abusive and aberrant COG's out there are the ones who claim members have the right to choose, and that is what Stephen Flurry is doing in the Philadelphia Church of God. PCG is considered by most in the COG movement to be a disgusting legalistic church that is damaging its member's lives (and wallets). 

Lil'Stevie writes:

When you hear the word power in the context of the Bible or God, you probably think of seas parting, dark clouds rolling, lightning striking, the universe—God’s power. But there is another power talked about in the Bible—that God gives to each of us. In fact, it’s a power we’ve had since birth. Though it is not God’s spiritual power, it is a tool that God uses to help us grow, overcome and build righteous character.

This gift is the power to choose. Not even God controls this power (except in Himself, of course). Wow! Could there even be such a thing as that? 

 

This power of choice is so significant that it determines whether you are blessed or cursed. We can choose the way that will result in much happiness, joy and abundance. Or we can choose the way that inevitably leads to heartache, struggle and frustration. 

Right off the bat, Stevie has to subtly threaten PCG members. If they choose differently than him or his daddy, then they are cursed. If they are cursed and leave the church then they will live miserable lives filled with frustration and struggle. Anyone who has left PCG or any other COG group and is totally free from Armstrongism knows that this is a lie.  

There is cause for every effect. That is a law! God says that whatever we sow, we will eventually reap. Whatever the effect, there was an original cause. We must truly realize the power we have in choosing! 

To choose to go against the PCG and its leaders is to go against God himself. Members need to be constantly told that their lives will be miserable and worthless because God has totally abandoned them. God is just waiting for people to choose wrongly so he can make them all miserable.

What are you doing with this power? Is the way you use it setting you up for a productive and fruitful career in God’s Family? 

Here is the just of the matter. To be loyal to the PCG is guaranteeing you a place in the godhead as a future god or goddess where you will be able to pass out judgment and rule over people and possibly even be given a world where you will be its god. 

The Bible shows clearly that without God’s Holy Spirit working in and leading our lives, we will never attain true happiness and success. We need God’s power—no doubt about it! But this article is not about God’s power. It’s about your power—and what you are doing with it!

Stevie then goes on to quote from two books, one from 1930 and the other from 1906. God forbid if anyone in the PCG  ever quoted from a book that was published within the last 5 years or so. But, because Herbert quoted it, it just to be considered scripture, worthy to be added to the continuing book of Acts. These books are about right "thinking" and setting goals.

Lil'Stevie then adds:

Herbert W. Armstrong said in his autobiography that he “often wondered if it is not really better for a young upstart to be conceited, self-confident, cocky—and with it, ambitious, energetic in trying to accomplish something—than to be an ambitionless, spineless, lazy, shiftless fellow utterly lacking in spark, drive, and the zeal to try to accomplish something worthwhile.

Now we know why PCG and so many of the other COG's are filled with such bombastic self-righteous cocky leaders. Herbert said it was ok! And, when you are in the PCG and read something that Herbert said then it is as if God himself put it into his mouth.

Stephen Flurry Is Just As Crazy As His Dad

We have reported here in the past about Gerald Flurry's weird obsession with his idea that Donald Trump will soon be brought back in as President and Joe Biden removed from office. Flurry claims this is a prophecy he got straight out of his big fat bible. Flurry needs this to happen soon because he also is calming that Trump will then turn around and expel all PCG members from the United States where supposedly Jordan will open their borders to these crazy Americans. It does not take much brainpower to realize that Furry is off his rocker, big time.

So where does that leave Lil'Stevie, the heir apparent? Well, he has an entire article up explaining his viewpoint and it is just as crazy as his dad. 

He has a long essay about the supposed corruption, voter fraud, evil democrats, and more that I am not going to post here.

Lil'Stevie ends with this: 

“It is practically an open secret that radical Democrats stole the 2020 United States presidential election,” my father wrote in his article “What Will Happen After Trump Regains Power.” “Polls show that over 70 percent of Republicans believe the election was stolen. A lot of Democrats also believe the election was stolen; I think many of them know it was. Even official totals show a record 74.2 million people voted for President Donald Trump—nearly 5 million more than anyone in American history! … To understand the election fraud in America, you must understand a passage in 2 Kings 14. The book of Kings is part of the Bible called the former prophets. The former prophets are prophets: The men who wrote them were prophets, and prophets are used by God to prophesy. These books contain history, but they are highly prophetic.” 

 

“For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash” (2 Kings 14:26-27). This passage is not only history but also prophecy for the descendants of Israel. Those descendants are mainly the United States, Britain and the Middle East Jewish nation named Israel. “Jeroboam the son of Joash” refers prophetically to an end-time president who saves Israel from destruction.

There are people working to blot out the name of Israel—and many of them work for the Democratic Party and scandal-plagued voting technology companies owned by shadowy private equity firms pursuing the same agenda as the Democratic Party. For President Trump to defeat these people and regain power, he is going to have to fight like no president has ever fought before. This prophecy in 2 Kings 14 is why the Trumpet continues to assert that President Trump will return to power. We do not know exactly how this will unfold, but look for nation-shaking election fraud to be exposed this summer!

If you are inclined, you can read this shitfest here:  The Real Insurrection

The Cult Nobody Seems To Remember

 

Gerald Flurry Tells All Of His Members To Have The Spirit Of Prophecy

 

Gerald Flurry, leader of the Philadelphia Church of God has a new article up about The Spirit of Prophecy. It is another convoluted mishmash of false beliefs created by Gerald  Flurry in an attempt to promote the law and whip his followers into the notion he is the one true prophet to the church. Jesus gets the short end of the stick again.

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 

 

Testimony comes from the Latin testimonium, which is the word used for the Ten Commandments. Webster’s offers three primary definitions: the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law; a firsthand authentication of a fact; and a solemn declaration. 

 

So this testimony the Apostle John wrote about is very different from most: It is a declaration from God in the flesh! 

 

The Temple Dictionary of the Bible writes: “In the plural, this word stands in the Old Testament, especially in Psalm 119, for the divine law. … Testimony is frequently joined with ‘commandments’ (2 Kings 23:3) …. It is used emphatically for the two tables of the law.” This is a testimony from God in the flesh. It was His message when He came to Earth.

Christ said, “I receive not testimony [the same word used in Revelation 19:10] from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved” (John 5:34). Christ’s testimony didn’t come from a man. It is perfect and it’s in the spirit of prophecy. 

 

Thayer’s further amplifies this word: “[T]he testimony of Christ is that which He gives concerning divine things, of which He alone has thorough knowledge … that testimony which He gave concerning future events relating to the consummation of the Kingdom of God ….” That is prophetic testimony! 

 

It is critical that we, like Christ, understand and have the spirit of prophecy!

The article is a huge slobber fest of idolatry to Herbert Armstrong and quotes HWA at every chance they can get. It also makes the excuse for why Flurry left the mother church to start his own group. Of course, it is an attack of Tkach Sr. and high praises for the most significant moment in PCG's history when Lil'Stevie read Flurry's plagiarized Malachi's Message.

After Mr. Armstrong died, terrible spiritual destruction fell on the Church. God started that famine, exactly as Mr. Armstrong prayed it would. And look at what has happened since. “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (verse 18). On July 16, 1989, exactly 3½ years later, my son read Malachi’s Message. The latter rain started at that time, and “brought forth her fruit.” We are that fruit! One man prayed to God and changed the course of everything. Look at the fruits of that prayer. We are here because of Mr. Armstrong’s prayer and God’s blessing. We have all kinds of marvelous new truths God has given—truth that God and Mr. Armstrong didn’t want the Worldwide Church of God to ever have again. He raised up the Philadelphia Church of God to receive God’s new revelation.

Imagine basing your church on demented writings of Jules Dervaes that Flurry plagiarized and the fact that Lil'Stevie read it. It can't get any crazier, except maybe for Bob Theil's fantastical reasons on why he formed his group.

Only one wcg minister continued for about six months to deliver the truth of God. Eventually, he too caved in and accepted wrong doctrines. If you were in the spirit of prophecy, you would never follow that church because they were teaching “Prophesy not”! That’s no small mistake—it’s rejecting God and His law and our testimony. 

 

Mr. Armstrong knew what that leadership was all about. He knew Mr. Tkach was not going to lead God’s true Church. And he saw to it that he didn’t receive any new revelation. He saw an evil that he hadn’t seen six days before. 

 

We are dealing with those who are “according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” We are in a war against that evil being, and Satan is in his worst wrath ever. That is what we are fighting against. Being in a war can result in a lot of persecution. This is why we must understand the spirit of prophecy. 

 

Know We Are at War 

 

Prophecy describes Mr. Tkach being in the bonds of Satan and his son being a spiritual Antiochus. God says these men are liars, and He’s going to expose them. These ministers were in the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 3:9). Satan is the father of liars and a murderer from the beginning because there is no truth in him (John 8:44).

Propehcy has absolutely nothing to say about Tkach, Flurry, Thiel, or any of the other looney tunes leading COG's today other than the fact the Bible states that false prophets will arise to deceive many.

Flurry then gets to the gist of what the spirit of prophecy is in the church and it does not involve church members. It's all about him. and corporate prophecy.

This little group, with a powerful message going around the world, believes in the spirit of prophecy! If you are in the spirit of prophecy and you have the testimony of Jesus Christ, you see the future and you know it is worth any trial we have to endure. 

 

With the spirit of prophecy, you understand that we have a spectacular future when Christ returns. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). We are going to be like God! What a stirring God Family potential!

There's that "we will be gods" myth, again.

He then moves on to his favorite book in the Bible, Lamentations. Not anything that concerns Jesus but a book filled with death and destruction. Hell yeah!

Lamentations is the most horrifying book in the Bible! Some of it is tough to read. It’s not something you sit and read before going to sleep—it would keep you up all night! But it is talking about real events that are going to happen to Israel. For example, Lamentations 4:10 talks about the “compassionate women” of Israel boiling their own children for food! (Revised Standard Version). The Laodicean churches are going to experience that! Unparalleled punishment is coming on God’s own Church! They are self-righteous and lukewarm. They can sound chic today proclaiming their messages of “love,” but they won’t be doing that when Lamentations is fulfilled! God will force them to face their rebellion!

A little later he writes:

The book of Lamentations is a funeral dirge—a poem of the most intense grief and mourning. Yet we must remain encouraged. You need the spirit of prophecy to put all this into perspective. This book makes clear that God will do what it takes to bring members into His Family. If you lack the spirit of prophecy, then you won’t see the beautiful bigger picture in this book—God building His Family!

He does mention Jesus a couple times, but only as it fits his warmongering of death and destruction of the Laodiceans:

The spirit of prophecy is filled with hope. How could Jesus Christ endure the suffering of being marred more than any man—how could He be crucified—if He weren’t in the spirit of prophecy? He knew He was to be a King! He was born to rule this Earth and this universe under His Father. Nobody could stop Him from fulfilling that destiny! 

 

We must have the testimony of Jesus Christ. If we are going to be like Christ and get through severe persecution, we need the spirit of prophecy!

Only Flurry's group has any hope of being the "elect".

But look how God describes His very elect: “The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!” (verse 2; rsv). What powerful poetry! 

 

If you want to be a “precious son of Zion,” you must let the master potter shape and mold you! We are simply the clay in the potter’s hands. This is a powerful truth. These are people who give everything they have to God’s Work. How precious that is! 

 

Live in the spirit of prophecy! If you can get this wonderful vision in mind, there is nothing like it and never will be anything better on Earth during this age of man’s rule! Allow that to stir genuine hope in your life and to stir your motivation and fire your imagination. Give everything to God, even your life if that is required. That is the perfection of beauty! That is what God loves.

While Flurry tells his followers to have the spirit of prophecy it is only to be the prophecies revealed by him or Lil'Stevie after Flurry dies.  It is all about corporate propehcy and has nothing to do with any "spirit" of prophecy. Members are to be subservient and NOT believe they can have the spirit of prophecy.

Can you imagine what would happen if one of Flurry's members popped up and said they had a prophecy from God? They would be out the door so fast they would know what happened. Flurry's "spirit of propehcy" schtick is that his followers develop the understanding that Flurry's prophecies are true. That's the only "gift" they need to have.

There is no need for a prophet to be in the New Covenant church. One can easily see that this is true considering the mishmash of demented weirdo's currently lying to the church in 2021.

MALACHI’S MESSAGE: HOW TRUE IS IT?

The PLAIN TRUTH About Malachi’s Message And THAT PROPHET

Living Armstrongism: Reading Malachi's Message: Part 1 (links to Part 2,3,4 are at the end of the posting)

The Painful Truth: Flurry the Fony?

Philadelphia Church of God Doctrinal Changes

Whiney Little COG Prophet Continues To Be Upset That No One Recognizes He Has The Gift Of Prophecy!

Living Church of God recently had a post by Doug Winnail on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how LCG members should be striving for those gifts.

This has perturbed the COG's resident whiney little self-appointed prophet to the church. He is not happy at the continued rejection by ALL COG members to join his group. No matter how hard he tries he just can't get people to follow him, even when he falsely claims he has the gift of prophecy, through the Holy Spirit, because he dreams. For some reason, he believes that there is no other COG on the face of the earth who is as filled with the Holy Spirit as he and his little group are. He also believes that God is supernaturally intervening in his group exclusively.

The prophet without honor in his own country, Bob Thiel says:

To learn which COG group has that Spirit, check out the following:

Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? 

Remember that the Apostle Paul warned:

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21) 

If you are not part of CCOG and God is not supernaturally intervening via Acts 2:17-18 in your group, what makes you think He must do so later? Do NOT despise prophecies. 

 

PCG's Hilliker: "God made man in His own image and likeness because He wanted more God beings"

Joel Hilliker has an article up for the youth of PCG concerning Pentecost. He says this:

5. With this re-creation, was God doing something quite different? Genesis 1:26-27.  

This time, God was re-creating Himself. God made man in His own image and likeness because He wanted more God beings who could exhibit His own righteous character in His Family. He wanted children who could be trusted with that same universe-creating power of the Holy Spirit, never to misuse it—who could expand the joy of His God Family life throughout the universe. 

 

To complete such a mighty job requires the mighty power of God! 

 

However, power in the wrong hands corrupts. Thus, right use of absolute power requires absolute righteousness! Mankind needed the same character that God Himself has.

6. With this in mind, how did God create man? Genesis 2:7. 

 

God made man mortal. He knew we would have to be put through a training period before we could be trusted with eternal life and supernatural power. This way, if a person chose to rebel, God could just allow him to die and return to the dust of the ground. 

 

But make no mistake: God wanted man to become a full-fledged God being! He wanted to give His children all the power He possesses! That is why He created man.

This obsession by some COG leaders to become gods is weird. They look gleefully forward to a time when they can wield their power unencumbered by the laws of society around them. They look forward to whipping into shape the "pagan" world they think will be in charge of. Stoning disobedient children would please them to no end.  Imagine their glee in "training" Catholics to do their bidding, or Buddhists or Muslims. The trials of the so-called tribulation will be minor compared to this.

There is no end to the silliness of Armstrongism.