After the improperly named "continuing" Church of "God" that claims to be the one true representation of 1st century Christianity, there is the United Church of God that thinks their church is God's one true church. But is it?
We have already seen the huge debacle with the Church of God a Worldwide Association breaking off due to the slow creep of Laodiceanism they saw creeping in the UCG. Then, last week in a letter to the fateful they seemed to admit the church is having problems:
The only way to survive those times as His people is to be very close to God. When the pressures of society and Satan bear down on us, it will then be too late to develop the relationship and trust in God that we must have. If we don’t actively make the right choices in our lives and ask God to strengthen us and deepen our conviction to Him now, we will fail.
Unity of heart requires us to put away selfish ambitions and the desires of this world that divide us, and this must happen now. We must yield ourselves to God, let His will be done and trust His will is being fulfilled—and we bind together as His family.
Apparently, prayer and reading the Book of Deuteronomy will save their asses. Forget Galatians, Romans, and Hebrews, the law trumps all.
Brethren, I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it at this: let us all commit to real, heartfelt prayer—beginning now and continuing throughout the rest of our lives.
Remember to keep up with the recommended reading of the book of Deuteronomy. Combining that reading with prayer will help us all to understand and implement God’s will in our lives.
25 comments:
Whatever is wrong? with any church, from any denomination, trying to encourage the reading of any aspect of scripture.
Is Timothy acceptable?
2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Are you perfect? Nor is UCG.
That is stretching it quite a bit to try and say UCG is succumbing to the pressures of the world from one little phrase. We all have pressures from the world regardless of whether we are in one of these groups or not. Let us all be honest and not act like the mainstream media.
Unconfirmed speculation has UCG finally starting the New Testament part of the "Bible Reading Program" this winter - perhaps starting in Acts.
It's been a long time coming.
When I was working at Ambassador College long ago, one of the ideas that constantly received attention was the idea of being “balanced.” If someone was balanced, they were person loyal to Armstrongism. If they were unbalanced they were not and let your imagination run wild as to what that might mean in specific terms. So, the view I express here should resonate with those who lived in the “balanced” era. I think it is possible to look at a certain section of the Bible in isolation and get an unbalanced view of matters. What if all we had was the book of Ecclesiastes? I think you can see the issue.
There is something in Source Criticism called the Deuteronomist Bible (see “Deuteronomist” in Wikipedia). It consists of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Jeremiah. The Deuteronomist Bible does a couple of things prominently. It dwells on the Law and the Covenant. And it portrays God in a certain way. God is a transactional God to the Deuteronomists. The logic of transaction is “If you do A, I will do B” and is as inexorable as a computer program. While that has contextual substance, when taken in isolation, it can lead to a legalistic view of God. But God transcends human notions of legality. (The Deuteronomist Bible was salient feature of Basil Wolverton’s Bible Story. I believe the indoctrinating power of Wolverton’s work is greatly underestimated.)
So, to temper the Deuteronomist pericopes we have the books of Job and Jonah and also many of the Psalms. I see in Job’s “friends” a personification of the Deuteronomist approach to God and the Law. “If you are punished then you have sinned.” God in the last chapters of Job rejected this approach. This connects with an event involving Jesus. When scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman who should be stoned according to the Law of Moses, Jesus said that the person without sin should cast the first stone. Jesus exemplifies this as the way the Law should be applied and Jesus is the one who gave the Law to Israel. The examples of Jesus and Job elucidate the intended spirit of the Law.
Scout
The UCG: 29 years of godless behavior.
"We must yield ourselves to God". God being UCg? So, UCg, why do you disagree with Deut 16:16-17? There are only 3 feasts and 3 offerings, not 7 feasts and 7 offerings as UCg teaches. They took up an offering at their "Feast of Trumpets" last Thursday but there's no command to offer money on their feast which is not a feast but a sabbathon and the Hebrew never calls that day a feast, but is a fixed time - "moed"-Hebrew. Lev 23:2 should read ..........even these are my fixed times (moeds): 3 feasts, 3 one day sabbaths in the 7th month, and the weekly sabbath.
As do all cults, these splinter remnants continue to redefine words and concepts in accordance with their own control techniques and brainwashing needs. "Being close to God", via their substitution axiom, simply means that one does implicitly what the church teaches or tells them to do in an unquestioning and obsessive compulsive manner.
HWA assigned "eras" to the group attitudes of churches in particular cities on an ancient trade, mail, and evangelistic route, and arbitrarily took Philadelphianism, the best attitude, for his own church. Laodiceanism was also used, but only for fear-mongering purposes, and to great effect.
It really doesn't matter what any of these churches say or do. The time and date stamp has expired on Armstrongism, and they will never reach the lofty heights, number of members, level of income, or fame and notice that was experienced during the HWA years. His "hook", the prophecy mold, has faded into ineffectiveness because it has failed so many times already due to constant embellishment and overusage. I'm afraid some really nasty shit is on the horizon, but it has everything to do with a divisive authoritarian politician, Global climate change that is now on autopilot and because action against it was so fought and thwarted, it is too late in the horrible cycles that have been initiated to be able to terminate the progression, and the boiling over of the primary hotspots on the international geopolitical scene.
Buckle up! We're in for a rough ride, but it has nothing to do with a lame little quasi-spiritual philosophy based on one man's approach to Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
ORIGINAL POST STATES-- there is the United Church of God that thinks their church is God's one true church. But is it?
RESPONSE-- It is my understanding that the UCG does not claim to be the one and only "true church" and have not found any such declaration on its fundamental beliefs page. Rather it says "We believe that the Church is that body of believers who have received, and are being led by, the Holy Spirit. The true Church of God is a spiritual organism. "
You are correct Tonto. UCG does not preach they are the one and only true church. Quite the opposite.
This is a good point. They ignore times, calling it "seasons". With that logic, they could take up offerings every day of the feast. God specifically said three times. He did not say every holy day.
You nit pick over a twig. I was brought up on the teachings of
three feasts with three offerings and the freedom to decide. Is that the hill you want to die on?
It is easily chopped up over the 7 Holy days instead. Many a church that taught three offerings ect have not made it to 2024.
This another example of the use of code words in ACOG-land. HWA would on occasion write about members being close to the world and not being close to God. Considering what was said and not said, "close to God" meant doing more prayer and Bible study so that members could tolerate the church crazies and being abused by the ministry. Otherwise they would lose members and their tithe money, which the Marie Antoinette ministers craved. But if members are too close to God, this lowers the ministers power level. So their ideal member is a Laodicean.
I didn't even begin to understand and recognize code words and dog whistles until I read Dianetics, and some Church of Scientology literature. Then, with a second example of cultish behavior, an awesome illuminating lightbulb came on!
Now, why did I do this?
How do you know? Do you have the ability to read hearts and minds?
I absolutely agree here. I've had issues with the offerings ever since. Deuteronomy 16:16 does not say what they try to make it mean. It is clear it is three times in a year and not every holy day and not at the beginning and the end of unloving bread or the feast of Tabernacles etc. these churches have really turned into money machines unfortunately
thanks for advising. I do find it odd given this position, they can still go out of their way to condemn believers who attend church at easter etc, I just find it odd that's all but no doubt they crank out an explanation
8:57 PM, If you actually meet the people in the UCG and see for yourself how they behave continually, it tells a lot. It shows what is really in their hearts and minds.
When the temple existed giving offerings at Passover season and Tabernacles season was obviously a main event.
CGI had offerings taken up at every Holy day but it was the individual's responsibility to decide which three they chose to give offerings at.
UCg thinks because Tabernacles (FOT) is a pilgrimage feast, and "Trumpets" and "Atonement" are feasts, many in "ancient" Israel traveled to where God put His Name for the entire "season", some in Jerusalem for all of Atonement and FOT and even some perhaps in Jerusalem for almost the entire 7th month, rather than travel to and from home between 'feasts' which may be 2-3 or more days travel time away from Jerusalem. And so the "times" of Ex 23:14 and Deut 16:16 can be "seasons" even though only FOT is the name for the third "season".
But no. Trumpets and Atonement are sabbaths which may be observed like the weekly sabbath. I would guess most Israelites left for Jerusalem after Atonement. And there is only one feast in Nisan: 14-20 (to the beginning of the 21st).
Anonymous 8:57, ignore this guy, he's a COGWA troll who shows up anytime there is a post about UCG where he's guaranteed to use the word "godless" somewhere in his comment. When you ask for example's he never provides any, he just simply tells you to go meet them, or join them if you want, he supposedly doesn't care either way. He broad-brushes and slanders thousands of people from his keyboard.
I hope the Holy Spirit hits this verse with full force and causes scales to fall of eyes and ears to be unplugged…
“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NKJV
Saying something God did not and adding to the Bible as if the “Lord is speaking through me!” Is the definition of taking God’s name in vain. And is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
It looks like the UCG troll at 11:11 AM has arrived to lie and slander like usual. They are soooo godless. Many people went to the UCG because it was one of the loosest splinter groups around and allowed them to behave as badly as they wanted to. And they certainly did want to behave very badly.
The UCG troll at 11:11 AM sounds agitated. Does this indicate that yet another split is coming in the so-called “United” church because of all their godlessness (which they refuse to repent of)?
Anon, Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 11:34:23 AM PDT, replied to Tonto saying:
"...You are correct Tonto. UCG does not preach they are the one and only true church. Quite the opposite..."
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But Tonto's quoting of the United Ass. fundamental beliefs page plainly said: "We believe that the Church is that body of believers who have received, and are being led by, the Holy Spirit. The true Church of God is a spiritual organism."
Well then those who believe that fundamental belief have to believe they are part of God's one Church, b/c there is not such thing as the "greater churches of god."
And if they don't believe they are part of that one Church, God's Church, then they need to get away from the United Ass. and search for God's Church elsewhere.
Oh, but that's probably why the cogwAss. exists.
But, isn't the fundamental belief of cogwAss. the same as that for United? Or, at least, have a very similar such belief?
In any event, all of the xcogs present a scene of confusion: something Satan is into. Surely they all can't be God's Church, even if they profess that they are.
Ephesians 4:4 "[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."
Surely, those of the United Ass., and those of the cogwAss., do not consider themselves to be part of that same "one body," the one and only true Church, where all members are given that same grace?
Or, are they?
Time will tell...
John
Anon, Monday, October 7, 2024 at 1:34:41 PM PDT, wrote:
"...I hope the Holy Spirit hits this verse with full force and causes scales to fall of eyes and ears to be unplugged…
“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NKJV
Saying something God did not and adding to the Bible as if the “Lord is speaking through me!” Is the definition of taking God’s name in vain. And is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit..."
******
Anon, are you saying something God did not and/or adding to the Bible when you conclude that one blasphemes by taking God's name in vain? Just asking: b/c Deut 18:20-22 did not say what you are concluding. Taking God's name in vain would break a commandment, but also be blasphemy?
Besides, even if it were true, Jesus Christ says: "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:" Mark 3:28
We know God's thoughts are higher than ours, but are Jesus' thoughts also higher too?
Time will tell...
John
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