Rick Shabi writes:
In the midst of a flurry of activities in the Church—and our individual personal lives—it is good and appropriate to take time to reflect on and remind ourselves of the meaning of the Feast of Pentecost as it approaches. Today is “Day 40” as we continue the count toward this special Holy Day.
On that day in A.D. 31, God’s Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples who were gathered together before God “with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). In those words, we find an essential description of what God desires in His people. They are “with one accord in one place.”
UCG and its leadership did not care about being "with one accord in one place" when they spent a year while employed by the Worldwide Church of God plotting how to divide the church and take as much money as possible with them. Unity has NEVER been an ideal UCG sought after. Just look at the COGWA debacle!
As people of “one accord,” God’s people must be united and led by His Spirit. They are committed to the truth as given by God. They are unified in mind and purpose, learning and living His way of life in complete submission to Him. Recognizing Christ as the first of “the firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20) they follow in His footsteps, yielding to Him as He prepares them for eternity, working with Him and becoming His bride.
It is a high calling and all of us have been called to this purpose. Pentecost reminds us that firstfruits to “God and the Lamb” follow Him wherever He goes. Because they are “in accord” with Him and each other, they are not defiled by false ideas, have no deceit in their mouths and are “without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4-5). We are part of His body—that “one place” He works with us all as we learn and endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
"no deceit in their mouths" That's pretty rich coming from the leadership of UCG considering the deceitful things they did to start UCG in the mid-1990s.
As firstfruits in these physical bodies, we are reminded that our days in this physical life are numbered (Psalm 90:12). This should focus us on the preparation of our hearts and minds—our spiritual lives that God is working in us—constantly leading us as we go about the physical activities of life.
19 comments:
Now that right there was exactly how NOT to interpret Scripture. If Rick, et al, are perfect, please tell us how you got there? If you claim perfection of character and sinlessness, God calls you are a liar and the truth is not in you.
If you claim perfect obedience and a sinless nature, you don't need Jesus. Hence, one of the main problems with the legalistic cults. Why would you need a Savior if you can get there on your own works and commandment keeping? These people would have been much better off if they had actually lived in Old Testament times. In fact, most of them act as if they do. Jesus will profit them nothing.
“UCG and its leadership did not care about being 'with one accord in one place' when they spent a year while employed by the Worldwide Church of God plotting how to divide the church and take as much money as possible with them.”
The UCG bunch might have learned that trick from the apostate Tkaches and their accomplices who were employed by the WCG and collected paychecks from it for about nine years or more while secretly plotting to totally change it and destroy it.
"Pentecost reminds us that firstfruits to “God and the Lamb” follow Him wherever He goes. Because they are “in accord” with Him and each other, they are not defiled by false ideas, have no deceit in their mouths and are “without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4-5
Good advice! Follow Him right into the NEW Covenant !
3:07. UCG is too busy following HWA than they are Jesus. If he did not write it they won’t do it. They prefer being slaves of the taskmaster instead of living in freedom with the Saviour.
For one thing Pentecost was not 31 ad but 30 ad. Dr Hoeh changed the years. Also Pentecost is the harvest Feast and is the First resurrection all these groups have totally deceived Gods people.
If we are to believe the Armstrongist Doctrine of God, isn't it odd that neither the Father nor the Son were present for the inception of the church? And the Church is the Body of Christ. Instead, the two of them must have dispatched an impersonal energy to attend - like a long distance phone call. And the Spirit "gave" them (church members) the ability to speak various languages. Wait, there is a problem. Does an impersonal, non-sentient energy have the will to decide to "give" somebody something? Where are the Biblical literalists when you need them? If the Holy Spirit gave somebody something then the Holy Spirit has a will.
There is something amiss here. Let me conjecture. I think maybe God was there in person at the inception of the church - and the Person was the Holy Spirit. And any Armstrongist interpretation of Acts 2 would be rooted in the Arianistic Doctrine of God that used to be prevalent in the Church of God Seventh Day and other Millerite organizations - a doctrine of God that gratuitously demotes the Son to subordinate status and the Holy Spirit to the role of impersonal energy. The Millerite view derived from Arianism doesn't really seem to comport with the first Pentecost.
UCG has never been of "one accord" since the first days they were founded, they promised transparency from the beginning and instead started hiding things right off the bat.
Pentecost celebrates the time of the Holy Spirit entering into believers. 3,000 people were added to the church that day. It has nothing to do with the crap Armstrong claimed it did. It is time to throw out his heresies and follow Jesus for once!
Rick has the wrong Jesus who supposedly died on Wednesday in 31 AD. The real Jesus died on Friday in 33 AD, was dead parts or whole of 3 calendar days and 3 nights including part of the darkness Friday afternoon. There is no Biblical evidence the 3 days/nights including Jonah's were all full, i.e. 12 hours each. The high day of John 19:31 was the weekly sabbath but also the Jews' passover, thus a high day. And Sunday was the third day from the crucifixion - Luke 24:1,13,21. But this is all too disconcerting to Armstrongites.
6:19 wrote: "But this is all too disconcerting to Armstrongites."
Anything that has to do with really following Jesus is too disconcerting to Armstrongites. If Herbert Armstrong preached it then just has to be true.
The COGs are the last place to go for an example of unity. Everything about them speaks of disunity. Disunity and separation are what they know...for many decades...from the beginning.
Think of all the ways they separate and disrupt unity. If everyone thought exactly the same there would not be no need to speak about unity, but because people do not think the same, then unity is an issue and people must agree to be united in spite of the differences.
As an organization, they separate themselves first from the majority of Christians. They further separate themselves from seventh day sabbath observers due to hierarchy and holy days (among other things). They separate themselves from some sabbath keepers that don't do all the holy days. They separate themselves as the only real Christians from Messianic Jews who observe the Sabbath and hoy days, but they don't "understand" the Armstrong explanation for the meaning of the Holy days, so they too are not counted among those that are real Christians. The COGs themselves separate over hierarchy and power.
They also have been great at separating families, separating husbands and wives, separating parents from children/grandchildren, separating siblings, etc.
Separating lifelong members like the Hendersons for disagreeing over home bible studies.
Separating decades long friends in their splits.
Separating people from the local community.
Separating people from meaningful celebrations.
Separation and disunity are where their expertise lies.
And they talk about unity...
I like Ron Darts messages on Pentecost.
Evidence of Pentecost is speaking in other tongues and an active deliverance ministry that would be irresistible to people - getting out of wheelchairs, etc.
Ah yes. Another Pentecost always on Sunday. Except which Sunday when the first day of ULB is on one? Most seem to go with counting from the weekly sabbath which is before the feast even starts while others count starting the day after the weekly sabbath day on the last day of the feast which makes the count start after ULB has ended. Yet, all will say "the weekly sabbath in the feast of ULB" when asked "which sabbath do you start the count from?"
Then you have to old timers who stick with the Monday start.
None of them can use the scriptures or history to prove, but nothing wrong with all of these hwa students with none who can get it right because hey, they got it right in their minds and they don't care what you think.
One thing is true. hwa and all of the big wolves including the "nice" ones like dart made a killing.
jim,
That's a very interesting take. The ACOGs really are based in contention and lack of unity. You hear so much about unity and "because we're family" and the gladhanding and our social activities primarily being with those in our particular brand of Armstrongism that you forget about the heartache and splits and disunity.
"Man was not made for the Sabbath."
- Jesus
God created the Sabbath for rest. The Sabbath can be on a Sunday. Otherwise, it is a pharisee legalistic spirit.
11:28: The counting issue is resolved when UB is 14-20: Eze 45:21; Deut 16:2-4; Mat 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7. The feast commanded and singled out on the 15th is the so-called NTBMO.
Pentecost Prayer...
Lord, we pray for activations, demonstrations, even revelations that bring transformations for the nations.
We need the demonstration of Your power. As Your Word says, "Signs and wonders will follow those who believe. We will lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. We will cast out demons. We shall raise the dead. You said, Jesus, "That we shall do even greater works than you did in healing. We receive the Great Commission and not the great suggestions.
Amen and Amen
Praise the Lord. Praise the Most High God!
Jesus' focus was not on numbers and dates when He was on earth ministering..His focus was setting people free from sickness, disease, infirmity, forgiveness, the love of the Father, repenting. There is nothing about Armstrong's focus or character that reminds me of God or Jesus. He was a prideful, arrogant, controlling man who took expensive trips & property while telling people to give up their homes, cars, & property. He had sex with his poor daughter Dorothy for 10 years according to court documents. I read this a long time ago. He told her something like this that he "needed to teach her to prepare her for marriage."
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