Those reprobates in Living Church of God are not reading their publications or watching their tired and worn out topics on the videos. It's the same old preaching on the same old stuff from 50 years ago. Have they ever thought to refresh and update their sermon notes?
The January/February Living Church News is now being mailed to all members and prospective members. As Mr. Richard Ames always admonishes us, members should be sure to read our publications and watch our telecasts to know how Christ is leading His Church.—Gerald Weston
If Christ were actually leading the church wouldn't it be blatantly obvious to all members?
Will Grand Chairman Weston of LCG also include into the Jan/Feb "Living Church News" the latest report of Charlotte H.Q. "Wall Of Shame" bullying bulletin board updates-->
ReplyDelete"I thought you might find this interesting.
I went on a tour of LCG headquarters in Charlotte, NC. The tour guide showed us around the entire building.
While I was there a woman who worked there in the office showed me this bulletin board they have for when they receive Tomorrow's World emails. She said that they get so many prayer requests and [some are] "ridiculous" so they hang them on the bulletin board and make fun of them.
One, in particular, she pointed out to me was from a man who politely asked them to pray that God sends him a wife.
They mocked him and made fun of him and hung his letter on their "wall of shame" for all to see in order to degrade him and attempt to humiliate him for bringing such a request to their attention.
They mocked and made fun of people who contacted them and asked for prayers for healing and all sorts of different issues they were facing.
The lady told me she sits at the desk and laughs at people's emails and how ridiculous and idiotic they are.
She told me a story about how a mail truck caught on fire down the street from headquarters and all the mail burned up except for one single envelope of theirs that they proudly display on their beloved bulletin board.
She told me that God protected their mail and preserved the letter lol.
Obviously, they burned it themselves with a match and hung it up there.
They are such cold-hearted people to make fun of people asking for requests like this."
https://armstrongismlibrary.blogspot.com/2023/09/living-church-of-god-mocks-prayer.html?m=1
In recent years ice cold mockery has become a major problem across the COG.
DeleteI would say the apathy of the ministry towards this growing characteristic is a tolling death bell.
Some of these topics were probably exciting to some of these old-timers forty or fifty years ago, but they get stale after a while:
ReplyDeleteLiving Church of God articles currently found on their website:
The Danger of False Conversion
God's 7,000 Year Plan
How to Give Godly Offerings
Three Times a Year: God's Plan for His People
Why Do We Count 50 Days to Pentecost?
The Sacrifices of the Day of Atonement and God's Holy Days
The Two Goats of the Day of Atonement
The Beautiful Truth of the Last Great Day
How to Count Pentecost
The Meaning of the Feast of Trumpets
How to Approach Deleavening
Is Good Friday in the Bible?
Etc., etc., etc.
Three Times a Year: God's Plan for His People
ReplyDeleteAnd yet they still take up offerings SEVEN times.
Oddly enough, as an AC student, I was negatively evaluated for studying the church's literature more than studying the Bible itself. A faculty member told me that 1/2 hour of Bible Study mean't the Bible!
ReplyDeleteThose comments from Mr. Weston shows you the specific problem with the churches, i.e.,
ReplyDelete"It's about me", our work, what good WE are doing for people.
What he should have written was, "We should watch and read so that OUR FAITH IS BUILT UP" -- not so that LCG can get self-affirmation that it is being led by Christ.
This accords with what Paul wrote when he said, "Who are we but ministers by whom you believed... neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything (of consequence)." (1 Cor 3:5,7)
Anon, Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 1:21:00 PM PST, said:
ReplyDelete"Those comments from Mr. Weston shows you the specific problem with the churches, i.e.,
"It's about me", our work, what good WE are doing for people.
What he should have written was, "We should watch and read so that OUR FAITH IS BUILT UP" -- not so that LCG can get self-affirmation that it is being led by Christ.
This accords with what Paul wrote when he said, "Who are we but ministers by whom you believed... neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything (of consequence)." (1 Cor 3:5,7)"
******
Anon,
You made some very profound observations regarding the publications and telecasts of Weston's lcg group.
It appears that the hirelings of the former WCG, now scattered among numerous splinter organizations are walking in the footsteps of WCG. How?
By making an idol out of the things they accomplish with their hands.
When the United Ass. was established at the 1995 Indianapolis Conference it was brought up that those who would become members would need to have something physical in their hands that members could focus on to prove that "a work" was being accomplished, and thus justify their reception of $finances:$ tithes and offerings.
Hence, The Good News magazine (United Ass. has since abandoned this magazine with that title) began to be published and distributed asap. Why? Two of the 5 physical senses come immediately into play: touch (fingers/hands touch magazine), sight (eyes see magazine), oh and ears (hearing via telecasts, cassette tapes, etc.).
The United Ass. needed to "prove" their importance of establishing another "church" organization in cogdom, doing "the WORK, and a magazine needed to be the work of their hands to show members that "something worthwhile" was being accomplished.
Anon, as you noted, Weston and his group, trying to justify their existence, essentially is saying: "..."It's about me", our work, what good WE are doing for people..."
In ancient physical Israel we find others of Judah/Jerusalem, who used their hands to make idols:
"Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:" Isaiah 2:8
Publications and telecasts and can easily become like idols: the work of someone's hands.
It appears the lcg group may have made an idol out of their entire work, and Weston is asking his followers to focus on "the WORK," which is treated like it was a god.
Weston via Ames says his members can "...know how Christ is leading His Church," but what if Christ is working elsewhere, and has nothing to do with the lcgroup? Do publications/telecasts convince Weston that he now knows Christ is leading his lcgroup?
Has Weston, similar to Doug Winnail, just made a god out of "the WORK" of their own hands? Virtually all of the splinters of the former WCG do the same, or similar, things with their $income$.
Is Weston and the group he associates with really helping his followers to know Christ? Whether Weston or Ames, will their members actually come to know how Christ is leading His Church as part of the lcgroup, or the United Ass., or, by another spirit, will the lcg group's members become familiar with another Jesus and another gospel?
Time will tell...
John
Also look at the attitude of Paul here:
ReplyDeletePhilippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
He's like, however and anyhow as long s Christ is preached. These groups think they have key of.... (oops sorry)
Question: Does doing the "work translate" into loving your neighbor as yourself away from HQ or services?