For many decades various church leaders, evangelists, ministers, and a lot of others made a mockery of Christians and Catholics who recited the Lord's Prayer during worship and labeled it as vain repetition. To them, it was empty words used by so-called Christians that God never listens to.
This brings us today to the greatest COG leader to ever exist in human history, so awesomely spectacular that he was planned by God during the creation of the world to come in these perilous end times to lead the true remnant into glory as gods and goddesses in some mythical kingdom he has dreamed about.
In a post today to commemorate his version of the last day of Unleavened Bread, the Great Bwana to Africa, and a few Caucasians, has up an article about wandering in the wilderness. Like most COG groups today they are still wandering about after leaving Jesus behind on the gym stage, Elk's Lodge/Masonic Lodge platform, union hall, or the local movie theater rented for church services. Imagine placing their trust in the One they claim to follow as much as they place their entire trust in the law.
God's doubly blessed and self-appointed minister writes:
Nearly every day I pray a slightly modified version of the above more or less as follows:
Father in heaven, let us trust in You with all our hearts and lean not to our own understandings. In all our ways help us acknowledge You and You will direct our paths.
Have you ever noticed how Armstrongite prayers at church hardly ever mention Jesus leading them into following him and finding peace and grace? JC only pops up at the end when the prayer ends by mentioning him (sometimes).
If you sin, at the time you do so you are not obviously trusting in God with all your heart.
Interestingly, notice the verse that comes immediately after Proverbs 3:6:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)
This is really rich coming from someone who claims to be the end-all authority on almost every imaginable subject out there? Mayans? Bob has the answer. Doctrines? Bob has the answer, Catholicism? Bob has the answer. Church history? Bob has ht answer. The King of the North/South? Bob has the answer. The law? Bob has the answer. End-time events? Bob has the answer. Jesus? Bob has no idea.
So, we see that not trusting in God, but trusting in ourselves (vanity) can lead to evil. But that fearing and trusting God is the way to depart from evil.
We have all witnessed over the last 10 years or so what trusting in ones self has led to in the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god", particularly with the current den of corruption, adultery, and misuse of funds going on in Africa. Never has the church had a more vain narcissistic man than we have today in Bob Thiel.
Bwana then proceeds on by mentioning Christ, yet shows a complete lack of basic Christian understanding:
We all have lost the struggle with sin at times, but through Christ we can overcome.
Why in the hell did he include "at times"? Basic Christian understanding knows this to be ALL the time. But, when you are a perfect COG leader who is one step below Jesus and not capable of committing major sins, its pretty difficulty to admit one is such a grievous sinner as Bob is.
Jesus was tempted as we are and understands:
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
No matter how much you feel you messed up, you still can boldly go to the throne of grace to obtain mercy.
Basic New Covenant understanding specifically states that all who follow Christ have been made perfect. There is no need for constant penance and self-flagellation over doing something wrong. Admit it and move on and never look back and worry about it again.
All of these endless lists of dos and don't that COG leaders try and impose on their followers have absolutely nothing at all to do with following Jesus into the unknown with confidence and peace.
Bwana goes on to state that his followers should isolate themselves from sinners around them
Christians are not to run with the crowd and go along with the world. Sin grows (James 1:15) and spreads (Romans 5:12).
When it comes to sexual immorality, the Apostle Paul wrote:
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
One flees sexual immorality by not getting oneself in a situation that could be somewhat expected to possibly lead to it, or immediately leaving a situation if it appears possible.
Apparently, this does not apply when it comes to his African leadership. Families have been broken apart by adultery and Bob flings it all aside as lies by disgruntled former members. Instead of healing broken families and casting aside adulterous and corrupt leaders, Bob embraces them because numbers are more important than human experience.
Then, like any good COG leader, he gets to the real point of the story...MONEY!
Stop sinning so you can give money and support Bob's glorious "work" which in actuality is no more important than a pimple on Satan's butt.
As Christians, it is just not enough not to sin, we are to do the work of God. Furthermore, consider that when you pray God is not limited to what He can give you–in other words do not neglect to pray for major change, not to just not sin, but to do and support His work.
Christians need to do the true work of God no matter what it costs. This involves personal growth, trusting and loving God, loving others, and supporting God’s end time work.
COG members, particularly those in the improperly named "continuing" Church of "god", need to stop wandering about in the wilderness that their leaders have led them into. Break the chains. Free yourselves. Life is indeed beautiful OUTSIDE your splinter group!
Of all the cog "leaders" today, Bob takes the cake in the theological idiocy department. My gosh, he is now only quoting one word in a passage? Too bad that one word isn't Jesus. He has turned proof texting into an art form. I heard new term recently that applies perfectly. Bob is proof specking, i.e. taking a fragment or just a speck of a proof text to bolster his doctrinal delusions. Ironically, I learned it from Elce "Thunder" Lauriston. He is a former SDA evangelist, turned Christian and he now helps current SDAs and COGs come out of their biblical comas. I highly, highly recommend his youtube videos.
ReplyDeleteBob, I tell you this repeatedly, in the hope you will eventually wake up. The "work" of God is to believe in the One Whom He has sent (John 6:29), not to pretend to yourself and others that you are an actual prophet, leading an actual church, doing an actual "work". You are deceived and are deceiving others. It would be un-Christian not to try and help you see the severity of your theological, doctrinal and biblical errors. I'm sorry but this is one of the worst articles you have ever written! Please come out of the cog fog and become a Christian. Or at least give up on this "continuing" church nonsense!!!
@ NO2HWA,
ReplyDeleteYou said in this article, "Have you ever noticed how Armstrongite prayers at church hardly ever mention Jesus leading them into following him and finding peace and grace? JC only pops up at the end when the prayer ends by mentioning him (sometimes)."
I once read an article somewhere written several years ago by a real mainstream Christian minister, who said that those who are outside the faith and do not have God's Holy Spirit cannot or will not mention the name of Jesus as they really don't believe Him or have real faith in Him. As I said, this article was several years ago, so I don't remember the entirety of it, or who wrote it. So, basically in a nutshell, I think what the author was stating is that people like these fake CoG ministers are not real Christians and perhaps they find the name of Jesus to be an embarrassment, so they are reluctant to use it.
DW said: "Bob takes the cake in the theological idiocy department"
ReplyDeleteWhat do you expect from a man who has no real theological education. All of his theology is from Armstrongism booklets, HWA and Rod Meredith. Even his so-called diploma in theology from that diploma mill in India was a self study program where he wrote his paper using Armstrongite mythology as the basis of his material. A couple of classes here and there at Fuller is not the basis for a sound education in theology either. Heck, Bob could not even complete 4 rears at Ambassador and only did a few classes here and there.
Anon 2:25 PM overestimates Bob. Bob learned nothing from Rod Meredith. In fact, Bob believed he could teach Rod Meredith, and that unless Meredith declared himself an Apostle the fact was that Bob held a higher rank than Meredith.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that Bob is better educated in exotic Mayan and Catholic prophecies than in sound Christian doctrine.
Absolutely right Anon @ 2:25. I have joked that Bob got his Thd from a school that advertised on the back of match book! The Rajneesh School for Profits, uhh, Prophets. Sure Bob, sure.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it is darned near impossible to pray for a half hour to an hour every day without becoming repetitious. We made jokes about the Catholics taking a couple laps around the rosary, but ended up repeating ourselves in Armstrongish ways, and kind of creating our own versions of the rosary. We've also talked many times about the WCG sermons that went on seemingly forever when the point or topic could have been very effectively made in 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny. So many of the stupid things that we were herded into decades ago by the Armstrong gang are still being done, and have become much more excessive and ridiculous because everything is now in the hands of amateurs. It was already not so hot back in its heyday, but gosh, it has definitely degenerated to "nostalgia act" status in which it exists today. Alas, I guess I should talk. I've been groovin' out to my new "Best of Ricky Nelson" CD all day! At least my form of nostalgia isn't ruining lives.
Bobalona Bobylon
ReplyDeleteHis Booklet-Theology carries the full download of Armstrongist-baggage, including the embarrassing Anglo-Israel-theory
ReplyDelete1. Words are alive.
ReplyDelete2. We live out the seed, plant, &
harvest of our words for good or
bad both believers & non-believers
3. The Lord's Prayer is filled with Life.
4. If we ask Jesus, He can step in to
turn what would have been a bad
harvest by humbling ourselves into a
good harvest.
Is Boob going to start selling HOLY WATER as a fund raiser soon? Could act as a "chaser" for his vitamin supplements!
ReplyDeleteEvery sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
ReplyDeleteWhat about playing football? Is that against the body or not? Was Paul an idiot, or is football allowed?
...it is darned near impossible to pray for a half hour to an hour every day without becoming repetitious...
ReplyDeleteYeah, and all the prayers opening services sound a lot the same too.
This entire article reads exceptionally awful. What are you on ?
ReplyDelete