It's another Friday in these perilous end times and the brethren in the Living Church of God are being chastised once again. Apparently far too many of them do NOT have their hearts in the amazing and glorious work of the Living Church of God. A church whose presence here in Los Angeles is dismal at the least with virtually no presence that is making a discernible impact. If they can't witness to 10 million + people how can they claim they are always a smashing success? Oh wait, I know...the brethren don't have their hearts in it so the gospel cannot forth and Christ cannot speed up his return. Get your act together, boys and girls!
Where Is Your Heart? The Scriptures clearly reveal that God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and that He tests our hearts and minds (Psalm 7:9) because “a man’s heart reveals the man” (Proverbs 27:19). Our thoughts, goals, and how we use our time reveal what is in our heart—and this is why we are urged to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus’ focus was not on His own desires, but “to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus’ mission was to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to warn the world, and prepare a people to reign with Him in the Kingdom. Jesus taught, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Jesus’ time, talents, and energies were totally committed to His mission—His heart was in the Work of God. If we are determined to follow in His footsteps, we need to examine our goals and priorities and ask ourselves, “Where is our heart?”
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
Perhaps the brethren ARE following their hearts and realizing they have been fed a load of nonsense that ignores the Christ the church claims to follow. If you are a Christian and don't have your heart focused upon that Christ, what is the point? It certainly isn't by gaining points by law-keeping, tithing, or proper church government.
13 comments:
Doug's heart is still in December 2007.
If this was a genuine church and not Armstrongism, there would be no need to exhort the brethren. The Jesus that we as Christians follow is all the impetus we need. The "work" is the revealing of Jesus in us that shows in our lives.
The false Jesus of the cogs will never attract people. They have a false Christ, a false gospel and a works salvation. It's not about what we do...it's about what He already did for us. Until that penny drops and the veil of the law comes off, they are running in place, never getting where they think they're going.
Clarion Call Light
Doug's heart was/is in getting remarried to a Southern Baptist lady to whom Scripture says he was not eligible to remarry. Are we supposed to follow Doug's example of rejecting sound counsel, doing our own thing, and being a bad example to those around us? Or are we supposed to follow Doug's words when even he doesn't do so?
Doug is the man of sin for the Living (dead) Church of God. He brings much shame to that organization. Of all people to make divorce and remarriage rulings in that church!
Does this little dose of Friday afternoon beat down seem to anyone else like the irrational "two minute hate" experienced in the novel 1984?
It's like one more little burst of put down or negativity heaped upon the brethrens' heads just before the sabbath. Someone ought to seriously consider discontinuing this ritual, It is never inspiring!
I'm not familiar with Doug's remarriage situation or divorce and remarriage rulings, but I do know that a Christian is one who follows Christ rather than man. A Christian should always ask that God directly leads them on such matters. I know of cases where God led members to marry outside the church, but was strongly opposed by their minister. This is because for many ministers, their job is a dream come true, and they figure that it's harder to leave their church if a couple are members. This means treating members as chattel with no regard for their happiness. Only the ministers comfort matters. It also means pushing Christ's lead to one side. The same sin Moses committed that disqualified him from entering the promised land.
Doug's call out is quite a serious question to ask. But the real question should be "Where is the ministry's hearts ?"
Do these 21st century Ministry realise they will give an account to Jesus Christ one day. To be anointed as a pastor is an high office with high responsibility and high judgment on them.
Being a pastor is not for LIARS, unbelievers or wavering fools. It is not for bullies, gossips, mockers or cruel hearts. They cannot live a double life.
It's all about character, the heart, a pastors character influences, molds and shapes congregations and entire organisations. If they do NOT have the character of Jesus Christ then they are doomed and will gorever go around in circles.
Yes, where is the heart of the ACOG leaders. It's to become like Kim Jong-un. The comically label this "administering God's government." In that case the North Korean dictator could say the same.
Doug’s heart is stuck in the Old Covenant, as he repeatedly scares the people with thoughts of God testing them so that he can discover the wickedness that dwells in their hearts.
God always knows what’s in our hearts – it’s just part of that omnipotence quality of God.
God tests us, not to weigh the wickedness and determine what measure of punishment to deliver, but to help us better see what’s in our own hearts.
The content of Doug’s heart is revealed in his weekly smackdowns – and it’s not what you’d expect from that chuckling, chortling, persona he often displays.
The content of Doug’s heart is the same as the “heart” of the entire COG movement.
It’s a heart of harsh taskmasters demanding the people work harder and give more money to try to earn salvation that’s always just beyond what their current efforts can qualify for.
As Doug did in this piece, the COG heart is displayed in their constant demand to “seek first the kingdom of God” while rejecting the “and his righteousness” part of the verse.
The COG heart is earning salvation through the works they prescribe to be seeking the kingdom, with no focus on how the righteousness of Jesus has paid for our entry into the kingdom.
Harsh Doug and the COG taskmasters stay clear of these beautifully encouraging heart verses:
Romans 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 - For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Acts 15:8 - God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
To rearrange Doug's closing admonishment, COG members need to examine their churches and ask, “Where is their heart?” - is it focused on Jesus?
This morning, I could not decide on just one verse to offer as a blessing to the starving people of the LCG who are being fed a constant diet of Doug’s cruel words.
Therefore, I selected four heart/Jesus verses to strengthen the members who are not likely to see such verses preached in their “original Christianity” church:
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
John 14:1
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
Ephesians 3:17
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
A Christian should always ask that God directly leads them on such matters.
Exactly! And since God has directly given us Scripture, we can be certain that if we think "God directly leads" us to violate what He has given in Scripture, we must be wrong.
DW, Friday, June 17, 2022 at 9:14:00 AM PDT, said:
"If this was a genuine church and not Armstrongism, there would be no need to exhort the brethren. The Jesus that we as Christians follow is all the impetus we need. The "work" is the revealing of Jesus in us that shows in our lives.
The false Jesus of the cogs will never attract people. They have a false Christ, a false gospel and a works salvation. It's not about what we do...it's about what He already did for us. Until that penny drops and the veil of the law comes off, they are running in place, never getting where they think they're going."
******
The advice of DW above and Trooisto (...Doug’s heart is stuck in the Old Covenant, as he repeatedly scares the people with thoughts of God testing them so that he can discover the wickedness that dwells in their hearts...) go right over Doug Winnail's head as he is stuck in a "holding pattern," like an aircraft circling an airport hoping the fog will lift enough so he can land the aircraft, but that fog is of Doug's own making. Doug is driven by another spirit to preach another Jesus with another gospel.
Doug’s heart cannot, at this time, believe Paul's inspired words:
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Cor 5:19
Doug is probably still into idolatry thinking his Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, while Paul is telling us what God the Father is accomplishing through His Son to reconcile the world:
"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." I Cor 8:6
Doug, and the hearts of other hirelings of the former WCG cannot preach (but they love their $mammon$ more than God) Paul’s words there or the following of Jesus Christ that God the Father accomplished through His Son:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Why can't they preach these words of Paul and Jesus? They have a different heart! They're stuck in a holding pattern of believing in another one of the biggest satanic counterfeits of all time. They cannot believe that God sent His Son to save this world, and it's a done deal. They are so blinded by Satan (2 Tim 2:26), teaching Satan's counterfeits, and can't seem to help themselves, and without God's Spirit there will be no repentance/change is their actions and thinking. Time will tell!
Doug and those former hirelings continue to believe and teach the counterfeit things like what was mentioned by DW and Trooisto, such things as: "You have to do your part...earn your salvation...qualify for salvation...pass test(s)...do your good works, so that get into God's Kingdom and get your reward," etc.
God sent the Jesus of the Bible, among other things, to never condemn the world, but to expose and condemn Satan!
Thanks to Christ's murder by Satan (similar to Abel's murder I John 3:12) and then resurrection by God the Father, the world has been saved, but it will be each man/woman in his/her own order, and to say otherwise is to buy into a satanic counterfeit.
God is working out salvation (Psalm 74:12).
But when will Doug Winnail and the hirelings of former WCG have a change in heart by being granted repentance and stop teaching their satanic counterfeits to a world, whose real god currently is Satan, ruled and controlled over by that merciless god, who hates God the Father so much?
Time will tell...
John
EXCELLENT comments!!
Post a Comment