One thing the Church of God ministers have a hard time doing since the implosion of the mother church is keeping members under control and doing what ministers demand. Church members have wisened up through the decades, and many now keep COG leaders at arm's length and do not jump at their every command. Church government nonsense is highly abused in the church.
John Brisby is not too happy that some of his followers do not kowtow to him.
It includes, especially, the making of necessary administrative decisions for managing group assemblies! If God commanded that we appear before Him in a convocation, some way, somehow, decisions have to be made to confirm those physical meetings. God did not choose to provide each one of us with a weekly message delivery service, as by an angel. No, He delegated that authority through lawfully-ordained ministers. When one of Christ's true ministers "makes the call" to pick a meeting place and a time for assembly, then God accepts that human appointment—binds in heaven what has been bound upon earth—and then acts Himself to appear in that particular place, at that prescribed time, to meet with the faithful.
The truth of the matter is that Bisby commands this because he can collect money; he even admits it!
This is a hard saying for many in God's church today who hate the concept of church government and prefer instead to practice their Christianity "on their own." This command of God to meet Him in a place which He shall choose upends the whole notion of claiming that they do not really need a human ministry. In practicality, someone must collect the tithes in God's name, use God's money to serve an organized religious work, and someone also must publish where and when to meet God to fulfill the Sabbath command in full. The fact is, God did it this way intentionally to force each one of us to step out in faith to "pick" where God is working.
If you fail to convoke with an assembly of church members on the Sabbaths because you reject "organized religion" in general, watch out! God indeed did organize His Church—give specific instructions for its practical operation today—and give authority to someone, somewhere, somehow, to speak in His name and to fulfill those physical requirements for the group. Likewise, if you are failing to convoke in a church service because you simply do not know where God truly is working, that is not a sustainable position, long term. If you are not sure, you are not sure. But, God expects each one of us to search out where a faithful assembly is located, and then to act to make ourselves part of it. Sitting on the sidelines because of chronic indecision is not acceptable. Again, you cannot fully keep the Sabbath unless you are convoking with God in His appointed place.
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