Sunday, December 4, 2022

UCG Rick Shabi: Are the righteous garments he wants members to be wearing nothing more than filthy rags?


 

United Church of God has been on a roll lately preaching to their followers about the right kind of "garments" they should be wearing.

Over the last few Sabbaths in the Home Office/Cincinnati East church there have been sermons given on “garments” Christians should wear. Among them are the garments of praise, joy and a cloak of zeal for God’s work. You might want to take the time to listen to them if you would like to build these traits back into your life.

If they actually preached about the One they claim to follow they would automatically have those traits and not need to be reminded of them continually, but that is another story. Of course, as with all COG's everything that happens in the church and with the members has to point to one thing, ZEAL for the work.

When "zeal" is lacking in the membership, income drops and the elite suffer. That's the real goal for maintaining zeal in the church.

How can UCG members be filled with joy and praise when they never hear much about that inconvenient dude they call Christ other than he preached about some kingdom to come. In COG speak, that kingdom and the meaning of justification, sanctification, and grace, never the twain shall meet. The emphasis is placed upon a mythical kingdom where everyone sits around on thrones of power singing Dwight Armstrong hymns as they weld superiority as a living god over the lazy Laodiceans at their feet. Of course, in COGland this is an endless thankless task of continual work that exhaust members to the point their zeal quickly disappears.

Coming off the Thanksgiving season, Shabi and UCG are focused on "thankfulness", a garment that all members should be wearing. When they leave that garment in the closet they become unthankful and Satan has a toehold on their lives and the church suffers. It's always the member's fault, remember?

There are fundamental attitudes we must develop and that we must “wear” in our lives. At the root of rebellion, sin, disregard and disrespect for God and His way is a lack of thankfulness. Of Satan, God says, “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you” (Ezekiel 28:14, emphasis added).

What about the root of rebellion that the top leaders of UCG/COGWA were consumed with when they plotted and schemed while on the Worldwide Church of God payroll to hijack as much money and members as they could when they started UCG? What about the rebellious sin in all of that? Was it a salvational issue for the souls of potential UCG members or really about keeping the money stream going for the elite of the church who claimed to be god-fearing ministers?

Shabi continues:

At the core of what we do, we are reminded that we are God’s Church and that we are committed to the truth of God. We must speak it, but as importantly (if not more so), we must live it and demonstrate it in our lives. Christ made the foundational statement that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). 

Jesus did make that statement, but it does not mean the ministry of the UCG believes it. Look at how many sermons are preached, articles written and Bible Studies given on keeping the law as compared to sermons, articles, and Bible Studies on grace, justification, sanctification, and even redemption. And they knew him not.

As part of His body, all of us must be dedicated to living, becoming and speaking the pure, plain truth taught by Christ and preserved for us in His Word. “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). 

And yet, do they REALLY follow it? Can they ever do anything without dragging the law into it? 

That we will do, as we follow Jesus Christ, the Head of this Church, and seek His will and guidance in all we do.

If only! 


28 comments:

Anonymous said...

UCG is a boring Armstrongist cult;
let's get back to tracking crazy Pack, Thiel & Flurry!

Anonymous said...

..... Jesus Christ, the Head of this Church.......
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
This church? No. UCG doesn't teach 3 feasts - Ex 23:14-16. They don't know (??????????) that tithing laws came and went with the Levitical Priesthood - Heb 7:11-12. Jesus Christ is outside knocking on the door.

Anonymous said...

You are right about one thing, UCG is a BOOOOOORING church. Boring leaders, boring ministers, boring beliefs. It is not until you step away that you see what sad shape UCG is in.

Anonymous said...


"There are fundamental attitudes we must develop and that we must “wear” in our lives. At the root of rebellion, sin, disregard and disrespect for God and His way is a lack of thankfulness."

At the root of rebellion, sin, disregard and disrespect for God and His Way is NOT a lack of thankfulness, but, instead, your TOTAL REJECTION of Jesus, Who shed His own holy blood for you to bring you, by grace and faith,to the NEW COVENANT and to freedom from slavery to sin and to reconciliation to the Father. Jesus fulfilled the law.It is over. The law can't save and never could.

Also, we do not develop attitudes and "wear" them. When you are born of the Spirit,and Jesus lives in you, you will bear the fruit of the Spirit, and these "attitudes" will arise out of your heart and be a light to the world.

Anonymous said...

most things that come out of an ACOG are pure crap. The things that aren't, they spoil with their doctrines and modifications.

Anonymous said...

The UCG is a nursing home for those who have spiritually retired.

Anonymous said...

I hear UCG is STILL teaching Herbie's tired old Anglo-Israel theory! boooooring...and a mortal heresy!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Flurry, how is the 'Geriatric-Jeremiah' doing?

Anonymous said...

To the bored ones...if that's how you feel then LEAVE. But of course that'll never happen as you'll miss the MONEY and POWER. Ha!

Well done to Rick Shabi for preaching stunningly powerful sermons in recent months.

Anonymous said...

Stunningly powerful sermons????????????? In UCG?????????????? By Rick Shabi???????????????????

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Who expects athiests to appreciate anything 11:37 ?

Anonymous said...

Oh sweetie, you sound dumber than Bob Thiel is. Most of us here are not atheists. We just know what it’s like to be free from a legalistic cult.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Orthodox Armstrongism is more exciting at its Lunatic-Fringe (Pack,Thiel,Flurry..)

Tonto said...

The WCG thrived on drama, and iconoclastic flamboyant leadership that claimed "inside knowledge" about the future.

Take away a lot of the internal politic drama, and the "shaman guru" statuses, the claims of being to read the "tea leaves of prophecy" and by comparison , UCG is definitely more boring.

The demographic of UCG is something like 70 years old, and people with more than 35 years or more of being on the drama treadmill. Older and wiser, most UCG folks are tired and worn out, and just not interested anymore in the COG Circus much.

Guys like Thiel, Flurry or Pack, try to use the same hoopla that once upon a time worked, but claims are one thing, and results are quite the other. Without results, they are just hollow man, empty suits.

UCG will stagger on, without about a 7% annual attrition rate, and will end up being half its size in 10 years, and with congregations only centered around the 32 cities of Major League Baseball, or the NFL only.



Cathy said...

"To the bored ones...if that's how you feel then LEAVE. But of course that'll never happen as you'll miss the MONEY and POWER. Ha!
Well done to Rick Shabi for preaching stunningly powerful sermons in recent months."


How are the bored ones getting money and power? Also can you share what is stunning in the powerful sermons you are hearing?

I wish we heard such things. In our congregation we get very little scripture, but lots of things from the internet. Politics and the world falling apart is popular. They don't even cover the meanings of the holy days anymore.

Anonymous said...

To 12:33 PM 12/5/22 Cathy - Sounds like you have Rick Beam or Ken Martin as a minister!! LOL

Anonymous said...

The only thing that the UCG has a zeal for is godlessness.

Anonymous said...

Hi, what is the story on Rick Beam and Ken Martin?

Anonymous said...

Fake frauds who are still in UCG. Who ya fooling ? Hypocrites.

Anonymous said...

Fun fact the word translated as “filthy” in that verse actually means menstruous so imagine how unclean our righteousness is to God ie basically like a used tampon! I guess that’s why Paul wrote he hoped to be found in Christ and to have His righteousness not his own (Phil 3:9).

Anonymous said...

RIGHT versus WRONG

The “righteousness” of the world's (Satan's counterfeit) churches is not right at all. It is simply wrong.

They are Trinitarians who are into ham-eating, Sunday-keeping, observing customs like X-mass, Easter, and Halloween, and have really weird ideas about heaven and hell. They teach that the laws of God are an evil burden that are bad and were done away with. Many of them are now even supporting the LGBTQ+ agenda.

Then, they try to pass off their own ignorance, sin, and utter depravity as righteousness. But it is not right. It is simply wrong.

They want to fool their own selves as well as other people.

Anonymous said...

To 7:59 pm 12/5/22 - both are known for spending significant amounts of time reading crap from the internet or newspaper during the announcements or sermon time. Beam is nowhere near as toxic as Martin. I personally heard Martin ridicule and mock Native Americans from the pulpit. Beam would never do something like that but his fascination with trying to twist current events into some sort of biblical manifestation is always painful and annoying especially when he just goes on and on about it during the announcements. That's not what that time during the service is for. Announcements are just that, announcements, not an opportunity to deliver a second sermonette about personal views on things you read online or in print that are from questionable sources to begin with.

Anonymous said...

3:09:00 PM / 10:59:00 PM -
Can you share the background/dirt on them? Just didn't see anything anywhere on this blog and curious

Anonymous said...

Ken Martin has died.

Anonymous said...

Dec 4 Anonymous said...
Stunningly powerful sermons????????????? In UCG?????????????? By Rick Shabi???????????????????

Rick Shabi happens to be an outstanding speaker. This talent helped him getting named as head of UCG. Just listen to any of his sermons.

Anonymous said...

So, he's an effective orator. That means nothing when the subject matter is all raw, untreated sewage.

Anonymous said...

"So, he's an effective orator. That means nothing when the subject matter is all raw, untreated sewage."

That is exactly my problem with him, Sure he can preach good at times, but it is useless crap devoid of Christ being part of the message. Not the Kingdom of God preaching Christ but the redemptive, sanctifying, and justifying Christ,

Anonymous said...

Obviously you haven’t heard many sermons from Rick. He’s Christ centered and preaches on Jesus’s Kingdom of God gospel