Rick Shabi has sent out a letter to the faithful about these terribly troubling times and how UCG members should rely upon the certain truth that the UCG has to give them.
For us in the Church, who discern the times and understand the prophetic words of the Bible, these times should catch our attention and wake us up. When Christ was asked by His disciples, “What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?” He clearly showed them what to look for. We see those signs all around us. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11).
For almost 8 decades the church has not been able to "discern the times" or even understand the "prophetic words of the Bible". The prophetic failure rate is broad and troublesome. Troublesome in the fact that many lives have been ruined by the outright lies of COG leaders down through the decades. Not once have any of them been right, including today's crop of bellowing jackasses.
I hope we are all wide awake and aware.
As the world finds itself in this time of transition, the Church of God remains steady and focused on the return of Jesus Christ and preaching the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. The Church of God remains anchored to our Rock and the only source of pure and unblemished truth available in the world today. It is only in Jesus Christ that we have hope.
Anchored to what rock? While Christians acknowledge it to be true that hope is found in Christ, when has the church ever truly devoted itself to him? They sure love to bow at the altar of the law, but seem to begrudgingly have to acknowledge Jesus in the last couple of paragraphs of an article or a sermon.
The world and its leaders, relying on their own ideas and resources, cannot bring peace or stability or a resolution to this world’s ills. Instead, they are bringing it to ruin. It is only Jesus Christ who can save the world from destroying itself.
The COG and its leaders, consistently relying upon their own ideas and resources, have not brought peace and stability to the COG ills. Look at the divisions that UCG has had!
The world needs to hear the truth of God, and we must preach that truth to a dying world. We, as faithful Christians and disciples of Jesus Christ, must live the truth and be ever more closely learning and striving to live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” and drawing close to one another and to God in this special fellowship of which we are a part.
We are His people—the “called out” ones, the firstfruits. Bearing that name and identity carries with it a huge responsibility, but God has given us His Spirit so that we can succeed in the calling He has given us. Let’s make the best use of the time we each have by individually and collectively building the spiritual temple Christ will return to. Let’s be sure we are being diligent in making our “calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10, King James Version).
The fact of the matter is, Church of God members are no more special than any other Christian in the world today. The COG seeks to hoodwink its members into believing that the church holds hidden knowledge that was only revealed to them as truth while the rest of the world is stumbling around in utter darkness. Nothing could be further from the truth!
As for him desiring that UCG members continue to work to make their "calling" secure, any Christian with the slightest bit of understanding of redemption, justification, and sanctification knows that that matter is already secure. COG leaders who constantly whip up members by guilt-tripping them that their salvation is always at stake are the ones who do not seem to understand.
20 comments:
This seems to be one of the characteristics of Armstrongism, because all of the leaders write to their members in this way, rather than simply encouraging them as mainstream churches and pastors do. It always makes me wonder who their target are. The housewife who occasionally catches a smoke while her kids are taking a nap? The husband who stops off at the titty bar with his friends from work on the way home? The pseudo-intellectual who is delving into all manner of conspiracy theories not recognized by the church? The guy who suddenly decides to tithe on net income as a way of coping with fuel costs? Those who doubt official church prophecy? People who sneak a peak at Banned?
The inference one could draw from these missives is that the ministers almost expect their members to be disobeying, or sinning, and think they need to be constantly warned. They don't understand or trust the Holy Spirit, and hence, they believe that they need to compensate with authoritarianism.
ALL of the COGs still believe the false doctrine that they are the ONLY one true "church"!
Comment, relative to the Rick Shabi (chose virtually any hireling of the former WCG leading the United Ass., or other Xcog groups) letter was made saying: "... COG leaders who constantly whip up members by guilt-tripping them that their salvation is always at stake are the ones who do not seem to understand..."
They are driven by another spirit to preach another gospel from another Jesus. Their Jesus is not the God of the Old Testament. Their very soon coming Jesus to reign on earth for 1,000 years is a theory that still has not worked out as they thought. They still strive to believe they must fulfill various requirements/prerequisites to qualify to gain entrance into the K/G, and virtually all of them claim to be God's Church: the churches of god, the greater churches of god, etc. Well, can they all be God's Church? There is not such thing as the churches of God, unless one goes into Rev 2-3 to the 7 eras, congregations, churches of God, and if they still believe in those, then which are they? Philadelphians? Laodiceans?
Rick Shabi does what all of the xcog groups hireling leaders have been doing: striving to continue to impress Jesus Christ with "their works" on how well they are running His Church. Where is God the Father in that? Which Jesus are they striving to impress? Has Satan slipped in another satanic counterfeit of God's Church upon them?
Time will tell...
John
In January 1995 the apostate Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. openly threw out of the Worldwide Church of God virtually everything that Herbert W. Armstrong had taught. This caused the WCG's income to drop so fast and so far that WCG ministers had to be laid off. Several months later some of these laid off ministers started the United Church of Re-Employed Ministers. The number one purpose of this organization was to provide paychecks and retirements for former WCG ministers.
Fearing the people, especially the bad ones, the UCG ministers tried to build a church based on godlessness. Every godless person was welcome to attend, allowed to spout off their own heretical pet theories, and enabled to behave badly toward other people. Godless perverts were kept and supported, their innocent victims got kicked out, and the ministers doing the dirty work for the godless perverts would self-righteously inform the victims that, “The UCG meets in peace.”
All the godlessness, evil, and division in the so-called United Church led up to the big UCG–COGWA church split in 2010. What was left of the UCG has become a habitation of demons, unbelievers, newly-credentialed fake “ministers,” and every unclean and hateful Bird.
Great points in the article and comments above. There is no such thing as the "one true church" as taught in Armstrongism. There is only the Body of Christ, who are the believers in His completed work on the cross and the gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4), which completely escapes them as well. These people are scattered all over the earth in many different churches and denominations, separated only by the times in which they lived. That is what the COGs have never understood and likely never will.
Also, news flash COGs, the gospel was already preached, all the way around the world, in the Apostle Paul's time. Your mission was completed 2,000 years ago.
Trump had problems in trying to make "his election sure"!
Probably the last thought Rick Shabi may entertain is the church is making merchandise of the brethren, by Herbie's tithe lie, which is the tithe law change (Heb 7) was a reversion to a tithe law before Moses. What law before Moses? Where's the law to tithe on war spoils? Where's the law to tithe on what God gives you, before Moses?
DW: Yes!! The gospel was preached long ago in all the world.
"What was left of the UCG has become a habitation of demons, unbelievers, newly-credentialed fake “ministers,” and every unclean and hateful Bird."
...and let's not forget Jelly!
What church did Jelly go to?
The Ball-less Wishy-Washy COG. UCG
Anon @10:54 Exactly! I should have cited the reference of Col 1:5-6. I also agree with you that there was NO LAW before Moses. We even read the Apostle Paul explicitly stating that inconvenient truth (for legalists in Acogs, Adventism, et al) in Galatians 3:17. The law came 430 years later.
I just wish those who believe they must keep the law could see it. Cast off the yoke of bondage and of never measuring up to the law keeping churches and into the peace, security and grace of Christ! Jesus is waiting for you with open arms!
Why a photo of elderly women for UCG ?
DW at 11:54 AM said...“I also agree with you that there was NO LAW before Moses. We even read the Apostle Paul explicitly stating that inconvenient truth (for legalists in Acogs, Adventism, et al) in Galatians 3:17. The law came 430 years later.”
What about where God said, “Because that Abraham OBEYED MY VOICE, and KEPT MY CHARGE, MY COMMANDMENTS, and MY LAWS” (Genesis 26:5, KJV)?
3:57: There were laws before Moses but believed to be no tithing laws. Several scriptures state laws that are to be taught and observed are written. Tithing laws were added 430 years later to support the Levitical priesthood and Levites but there is no record of any written tithing law before Moses.
Anonymous at 8:15 PM said...“There were laws before Moses but believed to be no tithing laws. Several scriptures state laws that are to be taught and observed are written. Tithing laws were added 430 years later to support the Levitical priesthood and Levites but there is no record of any written tithing law before Moses.”
What about where the Bible says, “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him TITHES of all” (Genesis 14:20, KJV)?
I hope Shabi wrote that letter himself as it's better than his 2022 Pentecost sermon. But still lacks any real vision and purpose.
What is his Presidency going to be about exactly ? What are his goals and vision ? He has emerged on the scene as a President who waffles on with padding out the letter and sermons but has yet to provide real meat or personality for the membership to taste. Spiritual meat. God working with you personality.
Meat of direction, vision and purpose. He can buy a few more weeks, possibly months but by Tabernacles time will be running out and the membership will become restless if this atmosphere of waffling continues.
Gen 14:20: Did Abram give tithes by law? If so I want to read the law. Prove all things, the apostle Paul says.
Anon, Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 7:30:00 AM PDT, wrote:
"In January 1995 the apostate Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. openly threw out of the Worldwide Church of God virtually everything that Herbert W. Armstrong had taught. This caused the WCG's income to drop so fast and so far that WCG ministers had to be laid off. Several months later some of these laid off ministers started the United Church of Re-Employed Ministers. The number one purpose of this organization was to provide paychecks and retirements for former WCG ministers.
Fearing the people, especially the bad ones, the UCG ministers tried to build a church based on godlessness. Every godless person was welcome to attend, allowed to spout off their own heretical pet theories, and enabled to behave badly toward other people. Godless perverts were kept and supported, their innocent victims got kicked out, and the ministers doing the dirty work for the godless perverts would self-righteously inform the victims that, “The UCG meets in peace.”
All the godlessness, evil, and division in the so-called United Church led up to the big UCG–COGWA church split in 2010. What was left of the UCG has become a habitation of demons, unbelievers, newly-credentialed fake “ministers,” and every unclean and hateful Bird."
******
Once upon a time the LORD provided some wise words to Ezekiel concerning hireling shepherds and His flock of sheep:
Ezekiel 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up [that which was] broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because [there is] no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek [after them].
This may not be something "new under the sun" for the United Ass. hirelings, and other xcog hirelings, but should they pay some heed to those words?
Time will tell...
John
They laugh at them "John". Mockery is strong amongst the ministry and their wives along with a spirit of jealousy. Jealous of each other nevermind the membership. All into the mix of basic bullying, (a love of bullying) bizarre lying and spiritual burnout.
Nothing new to God whom they forget although his name is on their lips but not in their hearts.
United is no better than the LCG!! They just hide it better!!
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