We have long discussed here how many of the African churches hop from one organization to another, particularly when it comes to Sabbatarian groups. This was especially evident in the Great Bwana to Africa Bob Thiel's little group.
Christian missionaries in Africa have long recognized that this is an ongoing issue with churches that identify as Christian. Groups go from one organization to another when they find more money and tangible items like, food, computers, building materials, etc being provided as ways to induce members into switching sides. But, Bob being a Bob, has denied his little group would NEVER do such a thing. After all, these are TRUE followers of the one TRUE church on earth today led by the one TRUE man.
While I am sure that the members of these groups are very sincere in their beliefs and understanding, it is the leadership of these groups who tend to be the ones looking for the latest and best opportunity from American-based church groups.
The above screenshot is from the Church of God Scattered Flock, run by Gary Liebold, based out of Seminole, Florida.
One of his church leaders in Africa admits his group has jumped from one Armstrongst Church of God to the next:
Currently, Church of God Scattered Faithful in Kenya has 53 persons attending church services, including 17 baptized members, 14 who are interested in and awaiting baptism, and 22 who are children below 17 years old. Most here came from the Worldwide Church of God, Global Church of God, United Church of God, and the Living Church of God. Our last church affiliation was the Living Church of God, but we left the Living Church of God over doctrinal issues. Since then, we have been renting a meeting place.
This isn't unique to African churches though. American Church of God members do the exact same thing, though they are not looking for tangible gifts, but for those who have the right "truth".
All of them look for whoever is keeping the best truth of a man. Not being a follower of Jesus, but of the man, Herbert Armstrong. What can we expect when we have this kind of nonsense slathered on our brains almost weekly:
13 comments:
How is it that, although they call themselves "scattered," the tithes all get sent to Seminole, Florida?
This Gary Liebold may be more gullible than Bwana Bob. A quick Web search shows that the author of that article bragged to a different audience less than a year ago that he had returned to the Catholic church. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
Comment was made saying: "...Church hopping in Africa will continue from one Sabbatartian group to the next. American church hoppers will continue to jump from one organization to the next as the group leaders die off leaving their groups rudderless. ..."
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In light of John 10, that all makes a lot of sense, although with or without a group leader dying or living, rudderlessness is in vogue among all of them.
John 10:12 "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep."
Where's that wolf? Could it still be among them: in their scattered condition? By their fruits one knows it/them. What are the sheep munching on? Lots of blaming/judging among each other continues from 16 Jan 1986 (yes, even earlier) to this day.
The scattering is a fact of life, perhaps so is the word "laodiceans" in Revelation 3 as though that chapter speaks about them as though they are, not gathered together, but all separated from one another; whereas, the previous 6 church eras are spoken of as the "church in" with some city specified.
Is there a real pasture someplace? Jesus spoke of such a thing:
John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Could it just be that all of these scattered individuals/groups are outside that pasture. A real pasture should be of benefit. Of course, a pasture usually has good food to eat. What are the scattered "sheep" munching on for spiritual food? Milk solely? Junk Food? If it were "very good" they'd stay there and not hop around. Hopping is a symptom: not a cause. Other details are found in Ezekiel 34 and elsewhere.
Perhaps it could just as easily be called ditch-hopping, as in:
Matthew 15:13 "But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
Someday a gathering will be successful:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him," 2 Thess 2:1
Subsequent verses speak about a falling away. Did that falling occur right under our very noses and we didn't notice it? Those verses also speak of a revealing of some man of sin. Did it happen? Who is the man of sin?
Apparently, the hopping shall continue, and...
Time will tell...
John
In the end , all churches are local. The idea of an overreaching corporate OVERLORD , is not only impractical, it is to be found nowhere in the New Testament as well.
I would not be surprised if the cog movement and indeed all Armstrongism move to Easter keeping in the very near future. They are after all like bunny rabbits hopping from one group to another in search of that elusive holy grail or ‘egg’ of certainty.
ATTENTION ATTENTION
Now listen here you apostate, riff-raff, dissidents at Banned. Herb bragged to his family and friends that he would be third in God's kingdom. So it's not Herbert W. Armstrong, Mr Armstrong, HWA or Herbie etc. He now needs to be addressed as:
1. Herbert Three Armstrong, or:
2. Herbert W. Armstrong Number Three, or:
3. Number Three.
He can also affectionately be called Three
Be sure to practice praying to HWA with statements such as "We thank thee number Three."
I could never understand why people never rejected that flowchart when it was published. Herbie is NOT an intermediary between us and Christ.
The idea that Herb and the rest of the tards leading COGs today would be sitting at Christ's right hand in the millennium was and still is, blasphemous bullshit.
Many denominations have the same or informal chart. Denominational church leaders are often viewed a junior gods within their group.
The Jehovah's Witnesses leaders achieve this by claiming that God exclusively communications to His church via their nine man governing body. Err, but wait. They also claim that Christ is a created being, which exalts their leadership even more.
As their dissidents point out, their leaders claim that they alone have a direct phone line to God is the source of their power over their members. Which is why the ACOG leaders childish scramble to claim as many titles as possible. I think Dave is winning this contest.
Anon 4:47 PM PDT
Or perhaps be known as Brother number 3.
Didn’t work out well for Cambodia under Brother number 1 did it.
“We thank thee number Three”…….they do this in North Korea but the thanks are to their ‘Dear Leader’.
It’s quite frightening how many churches and religious groups have very similar structures to totalitarian societies in this age.
JWs have a structure that Stalin and Hitler would recognise. Perhaps we got off lightly in wwcog, as painful as it was for many.
Is Gary Liebold the one who left Restored and appeared on Youtube?
Gary Liebold is with the Church of God Scattered Faithful. https://cogsf.org.
He was also with this group for a while: The Church of God (La Iglesia de Dios) http://www.t-cog.org
And was also part of Gerald Flurry’s group Philadelphia Church of God.
Church hopping has benefited him well
He was also with Don Billingsly's group Church of God Faithful Flock
Nope, that will never happen. My husband hasn't kept Christmas or Easter for 40 years and would die on that hill before doing so again. Thousands of people feel the same as we do.
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