It is well known that Mark Armstrong had no desire to take over daddy's church when Garner Ted died, but his mother made him do it in order to keep the income stream alive. This also was documented on several websites over the years.
Almost all of the present-day COG leaders will talk about anything except Jesus. That dude seems to embarrass the hell out of them all. Talk about the law, talk about prophecy, talk about sin and grievous punishment and they can wax eloquent, but rarely does the name Jesus ever dribble out the side of their mouths.
To them, Jesus is an effeminate weak man who is powerless in their sight. They can't get past the image of a long-haired white effeminate looking man and that's all they see when they see or hear the name, Jesus.
Say Christ to them and they immediately see a bearded, sweaty, masculine, carpenter toiling in the hot Palestinian heat as he builds some furniture or is walking down the dusty road to preach his next sermon or perform some miracle. These things turn them on, but not so much his preaching and very much not what was accomplished at the resurrection. Grace, justification, sanctification, and mercy are the things that the effeminate Jesus does. COG leaders need a pissed-off Christ leading an army of loyal COG followers just itching to destroy half of humanity.
So what is left to talk about when the law topic has been used up? For some COG leaders, like Mark Armstrong, Gerald Flurry, and Bob Thiel, it is prophecy and politics. Though with Mark Armstrong it is politics, politics, and more politics. It is easy to see where the leaders in the mother church, Church of God International, got their sermon topics from! Daddy's legacy lives on!
In Friday's update to his dwindling small flock, Mark Armstrong he had this to say:
August 13, 2021
Weekly Update
Greetings from Tyler,
Real life has become a science fiction thriller that we wouldn't even watch. It's too predictable, not believable, and hokey beyond description. It has ugly proponents who think they're movie stars, telling us what we should and should not be doing, They might change their minds in a day or a week, but we're supposed to hang on their every word, ESPECIALLY when they make no sense!
Two governors in particular are in the crosshairs of the media, the CDC and authoritarians everywhere. That would be De Santis of Florida and Abbott of Texas. Who do they think they are, saying that there will be no mask mandates or “vaccine” passports in their states? They apparently realize that their citizens have had about enough. We've been chased around over the last two years, many are willing to do just about anything to make it stop. Take the shot, present papers, whatever. People want their freedom back, and the ticket (we're told) is to fulfill whatever requirements are demanded.
Both De Santis and Abbott are standing in the way of the tyranny that is promoted as if for our own good. Not so long ago, we were considered responsible enough to look out for ourselves. But not anymore! No, we have been told, scolded, prodded and then punished. Our representatives will look out for us. Except they seem to be reeling with newfound power that has turned into a game of Simon Says. Whether it makes sense to you or not, YOU WILL COMPLY if you want to access any number of goods and services. It's not the mark of the beast, but may be a precursor. The “let no crisis go to waste” crowd has determined that they'll make life miserable and block participation in commerce unless all requirements are fulfilled. Where it ends, if it does, is anybody's guess.
Who knew the CDC had all kinds of law-making power? Apparently, they can order everybody to do whatever they say. Otherwise, you'll be in line for some kind of punishment, yet to be determined. The current administration is working on that, and they have nearly every recognizable corporate entity to do their bidding.
You can hardly believe your eyes as you watch French policemen randomly check diners' proof of “vaccine.” Unbelievable. You don't suppose this nonsense is coming here? It's already here. How in the world is anybody expected to accept all the bullying we're being subjected to, while tens of thousands of third world refugees are being shipped into American cities and towns? That's the argument many are making. Busloads are transported to cities and towns to take advantage of whatever the local church charity has to offer. Half a million have come in since May according to the mainstream news. The government is in effect paying “charities” to infiltrate the immigrants into American society with no requirements whatever. Meanwhile, citizens have mandates.
Rand Paul says, “They can't arrest us all.” He's urging people to stand against the “petty tyrants” and just say “no.” If you think the vaccine is a good idea, get it. But don't do it because some bureaucrat says you “have to.” If some business says you “have to” in order to have access, let them know they just lost a customer. Well, you might have guessed, Senator Paul has been “deplatformed.” That's but a small example of what we've been talking about. A medical expert, Dr. Dan Stock gave a succinct six minute speech that apparently went viral, having been forwarded like crazy. He said that we're getting federal agency advice that contradicts science. He said “vaccinated “ people can get and transmit the virus without becoming “symptomatic.” He said several other things that are contrary to the party line. At the end, he offers to become an expert witness should anyone find themselves in a legal scrape over the “mandates” flung out across the land. Youtube has deleted his video for violating “community guidelines,” though it's still available at certain websites you never heard of. It's gone “viral” already. The mainstream news knows nothing about it.
“Challenge accepted.” That's Amazon promising to save the planet. There are now “global warming” commercials that feature young children leering disgustedly at the camera, and they're madder than Greta Thunberg. They know that unless all transportation goes to re-chargeable batteries, the future will be horrific. Nobody seems to care where that charging energy comes from. We're just subjected to dirty looks from children, angry about global warming. They know best and they're none too pleased. Thanks for “accepting the challenge” Amazon. Major corporations are lauded for having “accepted the challenge.” They're going to save the planet ten years early, no less. Nothing has to make sense, you just do what they say and you'll be fine. You'll still be able to access the business community as long as you've jumped through all the hoops. Otherwise, let's just say things will be difficult.
There's no way to candy-coat the news coming out of Afghanistan. As American forces withdraw, the Taliban floods in, killing those they don't like and taking slaves of the women folk. Everything was telegraphed in advance. The Taliban was ready to roll in as soon as American forces departed. Whatever brave talk there was about the Afghan army maintaining civility is out the window. Twenty years of arming and training the Afghanistan army and now those guns and vehicles are in Taliban hands. Afghanistan is about to be back where it was before 9-11, and that's the depressing reality. Those Afghans who cooperated publicly with American forces are being flown to the United States. The rest of the population is in trouble. Which explains why they're so happy and excited when the Taliban shows up. Whoever has the guns is an honored guest. It's a cultural thing.
Is China about to annex Taiwan? That's a rising concern . Who's going to stop that from happening? At this point I wouldn't blame you if you gave up reading this Update. The fix we're in domestically and internationally is horribly depressing. Sometimes maddening. When Arnold Schwarzenegger this week said, “Screw your freedoms,” it elicited a response that I'd rather not have. But that's in essence a tenet of the indoctrination we're being told to accept before they figure out how to force compliance. Maybe a mark in the hand or forehead?
Mark
While this plays right into the NewsMax crowd, where Thiel, Mark, and Flurry gather their news, it has absolutely nothing to do with anyone's path towards God, finding rest in Jesus or salvational assurances.
