We are approaching the Church of God version of what they call Passover and those fun boys in Cincinnati have a new plan for the season. In COGland, the Passover is the yearly cleansing ceremony when all the past sins of the previous year are wiped clean. Apparently, this year they are to re-pledge to do better in order to find their faith strengthened. Perhaps if they focused their ministry on the New Covenant and what it accomplished they would realize that that strength they long for is always there for those who understand it. It's not something to be renewed once a year.
When it comes to planning, we are all in a most important time of preparation as we approach the Passover, and recommit and recount the fact that “Indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). This simple statement is full of profound meaning.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites were to choose and then sacrifice the finest, strongest, very best Passover lamb that was without blemish or defect (Exodus 12). God told them to take the best and kill it, so symbolically the consequence of sin could be understood.
When Christ was put to death for our sin, the Father God was offering His very best. Jesus was in the prime of His life—sinless, flawless, perfect (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Father gave his most excellent and only Son to die the death each one of us deserves so that we could have forgiveness and be brought back into a right relationship with Him (Matthew 26:28). What a marvelous plan!
Planning is certainly a focus. So as we plan for this coming Passover, we contemplate, reflect, and re-pledge our loyalty to our Father and Savior, and have our faith strengthened by the love, sacrifice and profound gift of God.
—Steve Myers, Operation Manager, Ministerial and Member Services
10 comments:
You are disgusting filth! Mock the Passover and see what God is going to do to you!
Post said:
"yearly cleansing ceremony when all the past sins of the previous year are wiped clean. Apparently, this year they are to re-pledge to do better in order to find their faith strengthened."
MY COMMENT:
Of course we can ask for forgiveness and practice repentance on any day of the year. Yet, we see that the New Testament church kept the Passover, and as late as the second century AD, that Polycarp was persisting with the practice that was taught to him by the Apostle John, of the QUARTORDECIMIAN , 14th day of the first month practice.
I dont understand the poster's derision of this practice. Nearly every religion has "high days", even Catholics and Protestants have Easter and Xmas and the like, and Islam , Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha etc. Even the USA has "fourth of July" as a marker.
The Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread and the other Holy Days, are not intended to be "magic" , but are indeed , good sign posts for the Sabbath Community in finding lessons, community, and family, as well as a regular reflection reminder. Nothing evil or incorrect in that.
Expect the UCG to bumble on for another year like it did last year. No good will ever come of it.
11:21, I don't think they are mocking the Lord's Passover. They are showing up inadequacies in how some in the ACOG view it and handle it.
I gave a sermonette one year around Passover and dared ask the question “what did you improve on this last year?” Made folks pause and think that kicking ourselves annually without having some idea of where you might have gotten better might actually be beneficial. Masochistic Christianity seem to be the COG mantra….. never understanding that constant berating from the self and pulpit just destroyed the right need to see ourselves. I also agree with many on here who ask where is Christ actually in these groups. Pseudo thinking …. New Testament church always embracing an Old Testament attitude and approach.
It’s funny, in that COG-odd way, that the COGs think that they observe the Passover.
Actually, it’s to the COGs’ credit that they don’t keep the Old Covenant Passover.
While claiming to keep the Passover, the COGs actually acknowledge the New Covenant biblical principal surrounding Jesus forever changing the Passover, even as he is forever our Passover Lamb.
Those, including the COGs, who claim the early Christian Church kept the “Passover” are wrong.
Passover evolved under the New Covenant from the moment of the example Jesus set at his last Passover.
Although many early Christians worshipped in synagogues, among the Jews, and actually kept the Passover in a form much closer to the Jewish traditions than the COGs have ever dreamt of, these early Christians also added the bread and wine elements Jesus introduced before his sacrifice.
Thereby, the Christian observance, from year one, became monumentally different from the Hebrew or Jewish Passover, even though there is tieback from the Christian observance to the historical Hebrew event of Passover.
While the puffed-up COGs brag about keeping the Passover that they really don’t keep, they condemn Christians for celebrating Communion and Easter.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mandate how often Communion must be celebrated.
Therefore, different Christian groups observe Communion, in a manner very similar to the COG version of Passover, at different frequency intervals.
Most Christian groups don’t include foot-washing in their celebration; however, Catholics actually include foot-washing in their annual observance – just like their oppressor COGs do.
The leavened-to-the-gills COGs condemn Christians for celebrating Easter, while ignorantly ignoring the fact that at Easter, Christians annually recount the story of Jesus’ last Passover, and his crucifixion – in addition to the biblically recorded event of, and celebration of, the resurrection of Jesus.
Unlike the COGs, Christians don’t just leave Jesus dead, sacrificed as the Passover Lamb, Christians take it a huge step further in the celebration of the victorious event of Jesus’ resurrection - which is the depiction of eternal life being given, as a gift, to all Christians.
The COGs’ vilification of Easter as pagan is tied to their failing belief that Jesus is not a sufficient Savior who saves.
Instead, the COGs indulge in the heathen practice of insisting one most “qualify” through works of the law – literally, save, or at the least, co-save themselves – literally be their own savior, or at least their own co-savior.
The COG version of Passover, replete with the practice of not acknowledging the resurrection of Jesus, is a pagan denial of Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God who actually took away the sins of the world and actually raised his people to eternal life.
Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
11:21 Sleep. They never sleep. Well known that those who practise deceit and wrong never sleep.
Then the is peace...they never will have peace....
Is it not fatal to yourselves to put a post out mocking the Passover ? Anyone, anywhere can read this.
You disrespect the Passover in the first sentence, so what is YOUR version of the Passover ? A big laugh ? Be loud and abusive ? Pretentious and obnoxious? Make lots of noise during the Passover service? Show zero respect for what Jesus went through ? Give out vile remarks wanting an argument on the Passover evening.
But of course no one knows Jesus like you ? How many people over the years have you and cronies tried that on with? Do you not know it's been warned for years ?
Do you have a Prince Harry style fatal wish ?
As I wrote before, will this post prove fatal ?
Time WILL tell.
They are completely lacking in empathy and are as cold as ice. It shows in the pathetic attitude towards everything Jesus went through. To mock the Passover ceremony service is a true sign of SPIRITUAL SICKNESS. SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOUR. I will never back down from defending the Passover.
If a person doesn't believe in observing the Passover anymore, that is between them and God, walk away be at peace but to Deliberately target the Passover with mockery is DARKNESS and NOT LIGHT. Complete and utter darkness.
Comment was made saying: "...Apparently, this year they are to re-pledge to do better in order to find their faith strengthened. Perhaps if they focused their ministry on the New Covenant and what it accomplished they would realize that that strength they long for is always there for those who understand it. It's not something to be renewed once a year..."
******
Renewed is possible, but certainly Remembrance of Passsover may be more appropriate.
We observe Passover as a remembrance. Huh? So many in the xcogs continue to try and earn their salvation by their works of self. Repledging? And why the new phrase "Father God?" Why write that way? Does Steve Myers think he is clarifying exactly who God is? Jesus, as a Son and a Servant, said "My Father" and also referred to “My God;” He did have a Father, who was/is God (Acts 3:13). Jesus knows His God is His Father.
FWIIW, here is a partial transcript of a sermon on Christ our Passover 29 April 2000 and how it mentions Rembrance:
******
“… Romans 3, and this where it specifically says Passover, or “passing over” in the margin.
Romans 3:25 “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission…”
The passing over
“…of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
God knew what He was talking about. We just didn’t. We didn’t, and thank God for this: Hebrews 10! Thank God for this, brethren.
Hebrews 10:18 “Now where remission…”
Or, passing over
“…of these is, there is no more offering for sin.”
Once it has been done, once it has been done with you, once that Spirit is in you and is sealed, once that Passover has come upon your head, and you came through that “Door,” Jesus Christ, it’s over! He’s done it! You’ll never die eternally. You will live eternally forever with your Father. It never goes away. It just: it’s always there for you.
Do we have to keep the Passover every year to forgive us of our sins and maybe work on the next year and kind of do all that, and? No!
We do have to keep the Passover for a remembrance of what we just learned this year. He is your Passover Lamb, and without that you’re dead. The whole world’s going to be dead! Satan’s going to be dead. The demons are going to be dead. They have no Passover Lamb. The Great Day of the Lord, Armageddon, all of it: they died!
When they’re resurrected they come under the Spirit: at least the people, the sheep, do.
What did He do for us? We should ask: “What have we ever done for Him? What did we ever do for Him? What could we ever do that would be worthy enough to do anything for that?”
Total free gift, never to be taken away! Sacrificed, killed, murdered once, and was accepted for all humanity!...”
******
So, really, what does Steve Myers, still wanting to impress God with how he expects to earn salvation by his own works, think he is going to accomplish by focusing himself and the United followers on themselves by re- pledging? Won’t God have done enough? Shouldn't focus be on God and His Son, and what they areaccomplishing to save all humanity and subsequently destroy Satan and his angels?
Thankfully, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, only had to do what He did once!
Is Christ our Passover a done deal? That “Passing over” applies to all human beings, each in his/her own order as God has so determined. Satan and his angels will not receive a “passing over” of death. So, is that true?
Time will tell…
John
Post a Comment