Thoughts? Is this something that LCG will accomplish? The members might, but the leadership...? The leadership seems to present itself above the brethren in spiritual knowledge and actions.
Plans for the Coming Year: As we return from the Feast, where we have just reviewed the dramatic concluding events of God’s great plan of salvation for mankind and the universe, it is a good time to think about your own plans for the coming year. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian brethren that they had been called out of darkness to walk in the light, and to “walk circumspectly, not as fools… redeeming the time [making the most of your time], because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:8–15). We have been called to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10; 20:4–6). We need to get ready for that important role (Matthew 24:42–44). The Scriptures also admonish us to “ponder the path of your feet” (Proverbs 4:25–27). As we look ahead to next year, reflect on what you learned at the Feast and what changes you need to make in your life in the coming year. Set some goals to pray and study and draw closer to God, and look for ways to prepare for the incredible opportunity to help change the world as you reign with Jesus Christ.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
15 comments:
The byline suggested --"The leadership seems to present itself above the brethren in spiritual knowledge and actions."
This is inevitable in ANY hierarchical type of social structure. The AC heritage is one where graduates and ministry are somehow, above, better and smarter than your average member. The COG culture reinforces this consistently, and it has the benefits of maintaining power and money flow.
As opposed to "hierarchy", an egalitarian system of brotherhood would not construct a system where the various gifts of the Spirit, would have a ranking or privilege. Obviously , some people have greater talent or abilities in some areas than others, but in the "hierarchy" top down system, it will, by its nature, encourage people to hold down those below them, in order to maintain ones position in the hierarchy. It also creates a competitiveness to "climb the ladder" and to seek self interested ambition.
What I learned at my LCG Feast site this year is that LCG ministers still operate by double standards. For example, what kind of message is LCG sending when a Site Coordinator announces that water is the only drink we can bring into the meeting hall, but his Assistant Coordinator insists on bringing coffee and is allowed, even while an usher tells a mother with small child that she cannot give her child apple juice in the hall and must leave.
LCG teaches that the Feast "pictures" the Millennium. If so, the LCG Millennium will be full of double-standards and hypocrisy.
“LCG Members Exhorted To Not Walk As Fools But Redeem Their Time”
Too Late. There is no redeeming their time. All the time they foolishly wasted in the LCG is gone.
My goal for this upcoming year is to NOT divorce my wife. Then after she remarries and divorces again, I will NOT take her back and remarry her. My goal is NOT to attempt to do anything that God considers to be an abomination. Another goal is to NOT be a hypocrite by appearing to act holy and Godly while lying and breaking God's law in front of people, or causing discord and hate among the people. Simple goals for year.
Anon @2:37 WOW.
To kind of piggyback onto what Tonto said, these men seem to have followed an eerily similar pattern. For whatever reason, they have Daddy issues, saw HWA as their surrogate father, put him on a pedestal and will NOT consider that he was anything other than their "Father in the gospel" and all good things. Facts be damned. There is not one among them who has the courage to face the truth about just what kind of man he was and want nothing more than to become him in almost every way. The ego on that man was every bit as disgusting and oversized as it is on Dave, Gerry, Bob, Ron, et al. Yet somehow, they think the more like Herbert they can be, the better, human decency and genuine Christianity matter not, except as a talking point. How can I be more like my "father" is somehow a passing of the torch (or mantle, if your our littlest false prophlet) which matters more to them than truth.
I dare one of these little boy's to have the stones to actually face the truths about HWA and his "the true gospel has not been preached for 1900 years, until god revealed it to me". What a filthy dirty lie, all devised to inflate Herbie's ego. In that way, these men have indeed become just like their daddy, but why they want to be like him is utterly beyond me.
If we're supposed to "pray and study and draw closer to God," isn't Mr. Winnail telling us what to change - without our needing to think about it?
What feast site did you attend?
Doug’s goal should be to quit idolizing his confederate heroes. He’s so upset that their statues came down. A statue is an idol Doug. Try and practice Gods law, and not walk as a fool.
The $profitable$ Doug Winnail, something he never has to remind himSELF of, wrote:
"...We have been called to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10; 20:4–6). We need to get ready for that important role..."
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Is that "another Jesus" Doug plans to be ready for: the one where Jesus arrives shortly (yesterday?) and reigns on earth for 1000 years, the pretend MMM?
It appears that Doug is not ready as he cites 2 verses that relate to events with over a 1000 years between them, and he doesn't know it.
The earlier event is Rev 20.
:4 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
Was there any mention of the word "earth" there? And yet those words are true, but when will Doug explain that those to be kings and priests, after being resurrected and meeting Jesus Christ in clouds, then follow Him to the sea of glass (Rev 15) where Jesus has been reigning for the past approximately 2,000 years? The pretend MMMillennium on earth 1,000 years won't work as Doug believes/teaches.
The other event takes place over a 1000 years later when the 7 Vials are poured out.
Rev 5:10 "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Recall all enemies had not been subdued, made a footstool, b/c Satan messes up the planet again after that vile, evil, thing exits the pit...after 1,000 years, I might add!
Doug is not ready for any important role here on earth, and neither will his followers be. What do you think they will be doing for that 1,000 years? Learning to be kings/priests on earth over a 1,000 years later? Being educated?
To be continued…
John
Continuing…
Doug is $profitable$, but he is not ready. Anybody want Doug to be their king/priest over them today? As an aside, why is Doug $profitable$ today?
Portions of a 1998 transcript on Fasting reminded me of the following regarding Ezekiel 34:2.
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"...What have I been saying about this? I’ve been telling you that these other organizations out there are not God’s Church. There are Firstfruits out there. I have told you those ministers are not ministers. Most, every one of them, are “angels of light!” If you were Satan and wanted to infiltrate the Church, where would you put your “men?” Exactly: at the top!...I have told you, in past sermons, how these men have gotten together to get the following of the flock for their own paychecks and that’s all they’re doing. I don’t care if they are sincere. They are sincerely wrong!
God’s not directing any one of those groups, or any one of those men, and they’re feeding off of the flock. That’s why they can’t get together, and they won’t get together, because they’ll lose power! They’ll lose their own little authority. They’re a bunch of hypocrites. Let’s see them for what they are.
If they were supposed to be God’s ministers they would have all come together and said: “How are we going to feed the flock together? Aren’t we all in this together?”
They can’t do it, because God’s Spirit isn’t working with them; is it?...They’re just taking from them! They’re living in their own little world: in their own little righteousness!...Well, they’re not their sheep. They’re the Father’s sheep, and they’re Christ’s sheep and Christ is going to lead those sheep. They’ve been bouncing off of all these mountains out there, and all of these valleys out there, and they have not been in the pasture! They have been scattered just the same way God says that they would have been, and that they are, and we can see that in history right in front of us..."
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Anyway, when will the prepared, $profitable$, hireling Doug redeem some time and finally come to admit that Rev 20:4-6 and Rev 5:10 are not talking about the same event or even the same time, and feed God's flock with some strong meat in lieu of feeding off of God's sheep (Ezek 34:8) like other hirelings of the former WCG continue to do to this day?
Time will tell...
John
Agree.
Recently I was talking to a COG member who was telling me how a college student unaffiliated with the cogs has become interested in their COG. I'm sure the student was drawn in as I was to the "interesting" doctrines of the COGs. Of course, this student and I had never heard the other side of these doctrines. The student is from a loving Christian family, just like I was, and this has created the same turmoil with parents. I'm sure this student doesn't yet know the extent of the COG's condescension toward the student's family; that they are not Christian and do not have the Holy Spirit; that their time is not now but it will be probably after the COG idea of the Millennium.
This will probably be slowly understood until it is fully believed. I pray that is not the case.
I look back on my many decades in WWCG, GCG and then LCG with a deep feeling of regret in wasting so much time trying to live with the constant cognitive dissonance born out of the hypocrisy, mixed-messaging, twisting and manipulating of scriptures and other unbiblical activities that I saw on a daily basis come from the “The One True Church”. And my numerous Feast of Tabernacles did not bestow upon me a wealth of new knowledge. Perhaps a few little things now and again to think about, but a week of intensive bible study would have given me far more.
I think of the amount of time I wasted being too critical of others, not focusing on the right spiritual values and generally not pouring my effort into loving, Christ-like activities that I should have filled my time with instead.
I will never get those wasted hours, days, months and years back. I wish I could. But every day I try to make up for them and will keep doing so until I no longer can. It is never too late…and I say this to all those I left behind in LCG - IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. I pray for all those still attending in the COGS. For the years ahead we will need a very strong foundation in order to stay strong in our faith. Sadly the COGS only gave us a foundation of quicksand.
Anon1204, well said. I feel the same, but maybe experiencing something more akin to the old covenant helps us better understand and appreciate the new covenant.
To Anon 2:24, I completely agree with you. We may not be able to redeem the time wasted, but we can move on stronger and with far more appreciation for the new covenant. We know first-hand exactly why the old one had to be replaced and the immense importance of that change.
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