Whenever you hear a COG minister stand in the pulpit and tell the brethren to seek guidance in their decisions, just who do you think they are referring to as the source of guidance? Sure they say "seek God's guidance" but from where does that come from? The COG has always insisted that proper Godly guidance came only to the brethren through the ministry. Given the track record of the ministry ripping the COG apart in violent acts of rebellion and self-preservation, would you dare go to a COG minister and ask for guidance? Do you actually believe they speak with the authority of God?
Seeing God’s Guidance: Today, everyone wants to “do their own thing.” However, the Bible records the tragic results of this approach (Judges 21:25; Jeremiah 9:12– 16). Instead, we are told to “Seek the LORD while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6) and that God will look to those who are humble and teachable and “[tremble] at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). King David, a man after God’s own heart, modeled the attitude that God is looking for when he wrote, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes... Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:33, 105). Jesus instructed His disciples to “live by... every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus also taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). An important lesson of life is that if we desire to succeed in any endeavor—including in God’s Work— we must seek God’s guidance in all the decisions that we make—because that leads to lasting rewards.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
My first pastor in COG-land was Dave Pack so I learned early on never to seek guidance from the ministry. His mind-control counseling for baptism and perverse marriage counseling was all I could take. Over the years, I witnessed how none of the ministers were above an average intelligence, nor trained or qualified to guide anyone in anything. Their training qualified them in one thing only: to regurgitate booklets. Their paychecks came with a primary stipulation: keep the tithing gravy train flowing.
ReplyDeleteLiar.
DeleteWow- end of May was the last time he used this re-regirgitation. That's less than 2 months. At least in May he waited almost 9 months (August 21 before that). He must be getting lazier and lazier, or believes the sheep have a very short memory. It seems each week with the LCG, instead of a weekly dose of spiritual edification, it is a weekly dose of battering over the head with the shepherds crook..."didn't I tell you already, stop thinking and questioning!"
ReplyDeleteI would have more confidence in the weather forecaster than a cog minister.
ReplyDeleteMost are grossly under qualified to ‘minister’ anything but platitudes and ‘Armstrong speak’.
There are solid Christian counseling services out there, qualified and experienced.
Love this comment and wholeheartedly agree. A majority struggle to manage themselves. Some struggle to dress themselves never mind achieve anything else.
DeleteIt's all about power and control. Ultimate power of another's mind and life. To control and destroy and leave you high and dry. Jesus warned his followers explicitly to guard your hearts and mind in the latter days.
You give them scriptures that they don't agree with or fit their narrative and they don't tremble at His word.
ReplyDeleteGood comment
DeleteWell certainly as a Christian, you would want to make your decisions within the light of Gods Will as an overreaching principle.
ReplyDeleteFor detailed answers on questions that are more complex, there is this amazing device called GOOGLE SEARCH ! LOL!
For FREE , there are mountains of information out there on virtually ANY topic, and with You Tube videos as well for those that are reading impaired.
Seek and you shall find, however, it seems to me that there are lots of people who just want someone else to make decisions for thim, and provide simple 25 word answers to things, or wish to avoid personal accountability.
Many COG people are happy to remain in an infantile state it appears, and have to run to "daddy" for even the most mundane of decisions.
Weird comment angle Tonto, even for you.
DeleteAnother bullet point used to identify a cult! They just love to keep it all psychologically incestuous!
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the old Foxworthy routine: " If you're going to your family reunion, lookin' to pick up chicks, you might be a redneck!"
The ministers deceitfully portray themselves as having the wisdom and understanding of a king Solomon and doctor Phil combined.
ReplyDeleteAs our Dennis has pointed out, there was no special training for the AC graduates that were chosen to be ministers. An indicator of their true level of maturity is observing the two thirds of AC graduates who weren't chosen as ministers. The content of their speeches in spokesman club are no better than other members. And getting to know them makes it obvious that they are no or little better than ordinary members.
Another indicator of their level of understanding is the number of books on human relations that they have read. There's the occasional book reader, but it appears that most ministers have only read a few books. It also appears from anecdotal evidence that some just glean through books. I doubt that some have ever read a book cover to cover.
A king Solomon or doctor Phil? Hardly!
I picked up on this back when I was an AC student, 6:13. The word "entitlement" was not in vogue back then, but I pictured the guys who had racked up enough brownie points to be sent into the field as saying, "Ah, here's my diploma, gotta get me a wife! Where's my lease car?" It sometimes appeared that the guys spent less time picking a wife than they would at the Humane Society choosing a new pet. The same mentality that infected people with the belief that going to church every sabbath and holy day would qualify them to rule over a city or cities, that God was just going to funnel the knowledge, wisdom, and experience into people who fought the good fight and had a crown reserved for them actually infected the students with zero life's experience who were sent into the field. The system promised those guys something it could never deliver. And we wonder how it is that Dave Pack could be making all of his undeliverable promises? That was part of the basic culture!
ReplyDeleteIt's why Dennis harps on faith! To remain in good standing, well intentioned people were compelled to expect things that are just not possible. That wears mighty thin over the years. Faith in things that result from experience and intensive practice with tangible things such as playing basketball or playing the guitar has a better chance of producing positive results than faith in the empty pipe dreams of an obviously false Apostle. The Wizard of Oz was Herbert W. Armstrong!
Stoned Stephen Society, Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 8:07:00 PM PDT, said:
ReplyDelete"...I learned early on never to seek guidance from the ministry. His mind-control counseling for baptism and perverse marriage counseling was all I could take. Over the years, I witnessed how none of the ministers were above an average intelligence, nor trained or qualified to guide anyone in anything. Their training qualified them in one thing only: to regurgitate booklets. Their paychecks came with a primary stipulation: keep the tithing gravy train flowing..."
******
Your comments reminded me of a portion of a sermon regarding Matthew 9 that I heard years ago. Doug Winnail, a babe, is considered to be an evangelist, even though we already have THE EVANGELISTS (and they're mentioned in the Bible); where does Doug , a modern-day Pharisee, fit there? A portion of a transcript of that sermon mentioned this:
"...Matthew 9:10 “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house,...”
So, He’s going to have a little dinner here, whatever, lunch, whatever.
“...behold, many publicans...”
Because, remember, Matthew’s there now, and many of the publicans…
“...and sinners...”
Regular people!
“...came and sat down with him and his disciples.”
Well, you know this “guy’s” doing miracles. He ought to be with the Pharisees and the Scribes and the Sadducees, and the High Priest and monkeying around with them, but He’s not.
11 “And when the Pharisees saw it,...”
These holy, righteous unto themselves:
“...they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”
“We would never lower ourselves to that standard. Look at it! There’s a couple of whores and prostitutes at the table! And this man that’s doing these miracles and saying He’s the Son of God? He’s sitting with them! He should be sitting with us! What are the people going to think? We’re breaking our traditions,” which Christ hated. He hated the traditions of the Jews, because they were not of God at all.
12 “But when Jesus heard that,...”
You know that’s always a bad thing for these guys! Jesus is always hearing them to say this. Or, He knows what’s in their hearts and He comes back on them, but when Jesus heard that…
“...he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
And He looked at them basically saying; “If they were all as holy as you, they wouldn’t need Me!”
Now, He didn’t think they were holy, but He did tell us all that we had to be better than the Pharisees, to get into God’s kingdom, because they did keep the laws as best as they could...
...He says: they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick...
Oh, this doesn’t go over big with them.
Matthew 9:13 “But go ye and learn what that meaneth,...”
So, He tells them: “Go figure that out, what I said,” because they couldn’t understand it.
“...I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
They, of course, didn’t understand that He was talking about them as sinners, because they thought they were holy.
Let me give you an example. Remember back in the old Worldwide Church of God? Remember the attitude of the Deacons, the Deaconesses, the Local Elders, the Preaching Elders? Oh my, now we’re getting into the stratosphere! The Pastors? Now we’re reaching up to heaven itself: the EVANGELISTS!
You pack of self-righteous people, you Pharisees! To go down with the lowly people?
Believe me, you did not know their attitudes. You did not know what they were taught. You were not told. They could only be with you a certain amount of time, because they wouldn’t want you to see into their lives at all. It was always a charade.
I saw ministers act one way in front of the ministry, and in front of God’s people, but in front of their wives they put on this “air.” They couldn’t lower themselves to be human in front of their wives..."
Is there anything new under the sun?
Time will tell...
John