Leave it to Gerald Flurry's "boys" to tell the men in the Philadelphia Church of God on how to be real, men who are soon to be "gods."
Leave it to the immature boy-men, who have never held a real job, worked outside the PCG cult compound, or interacted with normal human beings in society, to tell older men how to act and rule their households. These are boy-men who have had everything delivered to them on silver platters because they are married into the PCG hierarchy. These inexperienced boy-men have their education entirely from Herbert Armstrong booklets/materials and the teachings of Gerald Flurry. None of them have any sound theological/biblical education. None have been to a real college.
These immature little boy-men write articles for the PCG rags on a regular basis now that Lil"Stevie has taken over since his father has suffered several strokes and mental lapses.
In the latest article by Joel Hilliker on Biblical Manhood, he pontificates that men in PCG need to be confrontational. Ministers and wives need to be confrontational with members and men need to be confrontational with their kids and wives.
Hilliker slobbers at the feet of Herbert Armstrong as the epitome of being an example of "proper" confrontation. Armstrong was sooooooooo confrontational that he was able to stay the hand of Satan from persecuting the church. Once Herb died, the gates of hell were opened up and Satan won the battle. Satan is one powerful dude in the eyes of so many in the PCG.
Other parts of the Bible describe what this “mystery of iniquity” was. Dozens, even hundreds, of top leaders in God’s Church were committing iniquity and plotting to fundamentally transform the Church—yet it was a mystery. It stayed underground and dared not show itself. Why? Because of “he who now restrains.” That sinister force was completely restrained and held in check by one man!
Once God took that man out of the way, nothing was left to hold back this widespread evil influence. It took over and destroyed God’s Church.
Speaking of this prophecy in Malachi’s Message, Gerald Flurry wrote, “There have always been people in God’s Church whom Satan can use unless they are controlled. … Christ used Paul to hold back this satanic force in his day. … It is a ‘mystery of iniquity’ because it was hidden. It dared not show itself because of ‘he’ who restrained it. He was a man who was seen and whose authority was feared—Herbert W. Armstrong.”
Hilliker thens needs to reenforce the idea to the emasculated men of PCG that it is their duty to start closing the gates of hell and reign Satan in like Herb did.This shows how determined Satan is to infiltrate and destroy God’s Church. It reveals that people in God’s own Church—which could include any one of us—can be used by Satan if not controlled by God and God’s government. It also reveals the need for vigilance and for restraining evil!
Men, this danger also exists in our lives, in our relationships, in our families, in our work and in our era of God’s Church. Realize that this is a core element of biblical manhood: A godly man restrains Satan’s influence!
How did Herbert W. Armstrong restrain? He restrained through his example, for sure, but he also restrained through direct confrontation. He had a God-commissioned office, he had authority, and he used it. People knew that and feared it. And through that confrontation, God blocked the volcano of evil that was boiling beneath the surface of His Church.It is amazing how the PCG has deified Herbert and turned him into a sinless powerful god who was stroger than Satan.
Hilliker then tells the emasculated men of PCG that they MUST be confrontational and embrace it!
We need to develop godly authority. We need to learn how to confront evil. We need to build the courage to restrain Satan’s influence. We need to become men who deal with iniquity with godly boldness.
Come on PCG men! Be manly men! Seize Satan by the balls and confine him! Keep him outside the compound!In fact, we need to embrace confrontation.
We need to fulfill our manly duty to embrace conflict when God shows us it is necessary. If God is leading us to restrain evil, we should not shy away from confrontation: We should seize the opportunity.One of the first ways that the men of PCG need to be confrontational is by confronting people on what they wear, particularly at church. Hilliker then quotes the fake "evangelist" Lil'Stevie:
Here is a practical example. In our Pastor General’s Report, we have reprinted an article a few times by Evangelist Stephen Flurry called “Upholding God’s Standard in Dress and Appearance.” One of the subheads is simply: “Confrontation.” It says this: “[U]pholding God’s standard in dress and appearance also means that we—both ministers and wives—must confront problems as they arise. If we shy away from confronting problems—in this case, problems that are visible to all—then our congregation’s standard in appearance will only sink lower.Apparently the pussy-boy ministers and fathers have been afraid to be confrontational.
“A couple years ago, my dad told me that we ministers tend to avoid confrontation whenever possible. ‘But the nature of this Work,’ he said, ‘dictates that we be people who will confront’” (emphasis added).Open rebuke is the key to love! Though ministers should not lord it over their congregations, or so he says. The track record on that proves otherwise!
Do you know what is even more beneficial than expressing love for another person? OPEN REBUKE!
In this article to Philadelphia Church of God ministers, Mr. Flurry was not saying that they should bulldoze through the congregation, squashing everything in their path. He was emphasizing the ministers’ duty to uphold God’s law. The nature of God’s Work, of God’s Church, of God’s way of life, demands that we confront! We must be willing to take on problems and stand up to evil! This is an important aspect of the love of God!
This is why the ministry has been given to the church! Who knew that was the purpose of the ministry. Its obviously not to heal the sick, care for the marginalized and be loving shepherds. No way, Jesus!“Open rebuke is better than secret love,” Proverbs 27:5 says. What good is love if it isn’t expressed? It doesn’t benefit anyone. You might feel very loving toward someone, but if you’re not expressing it, it does that person no good. You know what is more beneficial than that? Open rebuke. At least then the person might actually profit from what is said. And sometimes, rebuke can be extremely helpful.
God gives His ministry for this purpose, to help His people overcome evil and become perfect (Ephesians 4:11-13). They address these problems through delivering sermons and Bible studies, through personal counseling, and by stepping in when necessary to point an issue out as it is happening. When God is using a minister to correct some type of sin, it is not a comfortable thing. But that man is a tool for God to pour out His love on us! God is using him to try to help us turn away from things in our lives that are hurting us and toward the godly righteousness that will bring blessings!Ministers of PCG are not the only ones to do this, their wives must too! Keep those girls in potato sack dresses and in the kitchen working!
But ministers are not the only ones who have this obligation.Evil apparently is pounding at the gates of the PCG compound and its member homes. I can't imagine living in such a state of fear all the time.
God confronts evil! When Lucifer became wicked and tried to usurp God, God met him head-on and kicked him and his demons out of heaven! Revelation 12:12 shows that this type of confrontation happened not only before the Earth was created (Genesis 1:2), but again in this modern era. In fact, God confined Satan and the demons to this planet on or around the very same day “he who now restrains” was “taken out of the way.” God says woe to you who live on the Earth, because Satan is here among you now! People in God’s Church saw that horrific fact in action. We witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of failing to restrain evil.
God allows us to live in this woeful state—having Satan cast down among us—for a reason. He wants us to learn to confront evil!
Clearly, this is not just a job for a minister. Confronting evil is crucial for everyone who follows God! And confronting evil is not restricted to trying to overcome sin in your own mind. In some cases, you have the duty to intervene and confront evil in the lives of your wife, your children, or other members of God’s Family.Since all PCG members are trying their hardest to become like the god they follow, it is their duty to "provoke" each other.
Each of us is striving to become like God, and God confronts evil. He tells us over and over in the Bible that we must do the same. “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Provoke means to incite or even irritate. That is not comfortable! “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18; also Luke 17:3). “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1). Temper criticism with praise; be kind—but still, take action. “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). The English Standard Version renders this, “admonish the idle”—”comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”The emasculated god-men in PCG need to start being confrontational at home before they turn that provoking fire upon the world around them.
Obviously the emasculated men of PCG need an extra pair.
If you are a father, you must confront your children. Satan is broadcasting non-stop to influence, tempt and even force people into evil, destructive thoughts and actions. He is working hard, constantly fighting the positive influence that God and you are exerting on your child. He is not afraid to confront you!
If you are not confronting your children, you do not love them! Read Proverbs 13:24; 19:18 and 29:15. God says if you spare the rod—a very direct form of confrontation—you hate your son! If you love him, you will chasten him promptly. The father who loves his child springs into action when he sees evil.
Women, you are not left out of this process either, though you are to be on the receiving end:Our world is dominated by Satan’s influence. Because of this, your children are vulnerable—perhaps already suffering from serious sins. Children everywhere languish under parents who tackle those evil influences with insufficient force, or ignore them altogether.
If you are a husband, you cannot fear confronting your wife. The man who fears confrontation will one day realize that his wife is actually the leader of his home. Confronting your wife is not the same as confronting your child. She is an adult; she is your bride; she is an heir together with you. But it is the same in the sense that in both cases, you should confront it! You should exercise your authority to lead your family away from harm. You should restrain iniquity.Hilliker ends with this. Obviously Cal Culpepper and his gestapo failed to get this message:
When you confront someone, whether your brother, your wife or your child, be slow to wrath (James 1:19-20). Mr. Flurry writes in his booklet on James, “The wrath of man contains none of God’s righteousness. So that means we must always let God’s righteousness direct our anger, or we will make many mistakes. We absolutely must rule our emotions.” Your impatience, your frustration, your bad temper is worthless to God! Do not discipline your children with these emotions; they are only destructive. And in general, when you rely on your own human emotion, you are going to make a mistake.
So yes, godly confrontation must be done the right way, with courage, clarity and humility. Yes, it requires you to eradicate carnal thoughts: pride, frustration, wrong emotion. Yes, it requires you to take personal correction yourself. But do not let the hard work of godly confrontation dissuade you from doing it! It is your duty as a man! Don’t fear the hard work required. Fear the sin, the evil, the suffering that results from neglecting confrontation! Let God use you to restrain that iniquity! It is your critical duty of biblical manhood. Embrace love-motivated confrontation.Its this type of bullshit promulgated as "truth" that cause so much abuse in the church. It causes the suicides, the divorces, the kids thrown to the curb, the kids turning to drugs, and a multitude of other issues.
There is nothing godly in this message from Hilliker even if he says God or quotes scripture.
