PCG: In Order To Progress Spiritually, Even Thought The Spirit Is With You, It is Not Enough

 In Armstrongism it is a never-ending battle to ever please its god. Even when the Holy Spirit is with the person it is not enough. It is an endless list of rules, do this, do that, and maybe, just maybe, that cranky god will bless you. It is no wonder so many in the COG are repressed and lonely. What hope do they have? If they trusted the Spirit to guide them they would soon be free of the shackles of the law and the stupid rules and regulations the COG's enforce on their members. But no, they prefer the safety of the rules, constantly afraid to step out in freedom.

In order to progress spiritually, we must be led by the Holy Spirit of power, and really use that Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t take over—we must use it. And if we let God work in us, real spiritual growth will take place! Daily we have to overcome with God’s Spirit! The inner man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). 

 

You can’t really give your life to God, build the character of God, and do the Work of God until you have the Spirit. Even when it is working with you, that is not enough. It must be in you and empower you, or you don’t get the job done. You don’t will and do. You may will, but you don’t do what God wants you to do or achieve what He wants you to achieve. Gerald Flurry, The War of the Wills

LCG: Civilization Is Unraveling! Only Those Zealously Doing The Work Will Be Protected

 

More from Gerald Weston. 

Let the fear-mongering run amok! 

Where would the COG be today without its fear-mongering? 

Instead of resting in peace with the one they claim to follow, regardless of worldly situations, Weston and other COG leaders live in a constant state of fear and trembling.

Whether the pandemic, war, supply chain issues, or the high cost of filling our tanks, these problems are all self-inflicted, in the context of the world at large, though you personally had little to do with it. Civilization is unraveling, and people see this. It is during times of instability and desperation that leaders come to the fore who can look good at the beginning, but who may take the world down a destructive path. Napoleon, Hitler, and Mussolini came to power as problem solvers, but their leadership did not work out well in the end. 

 

It is comforting to think that mankind will muddle through this time of instability, that we will have a “soft landing” for inflation, or that Russia and Ukraine will cut a deal, and Europe will get back to normal. It is comforting to think that famine will be averted in the Middle East and Africa where Ukraine and Russia supply most grain products. Comforting as such thoughts may be, this is not likely reality. 

 

We do not know every twist and turn along the way to the supreme crisis at the end of the age that will usher in the return of Jesus Christ to save humanity from foolish, sinful ways, but we know that we will see conditions far worse than they are today. The Bible indicates there will be a time of short-term prosperity (Revelation 18), but ultimately, many of us will live to see the greatest time of trouble the world has ever known (Matthew 24:21-22; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1).

Yet, there is hope for the people of God. Revelation 12 speaks of a time in the future when God will protect His zealous ones in a wilderness place on earth. After Satan tries one more time to knock God off His throne, he will be cast back down (vv. 7-10). He will immediately go after the true Church of God (vv. 12-13), but God will take His people to a place of safety on earth (v.14). This is not a “rapture,” a doctrine in which many falsely place their hope. Heaven is never spoken of as a “wilderness” in Scripture. This is a place on the earth where a small flock will be saved from Satan’s clutches and will experience a deliverance similar to what the children of Israel saw when they fled from Egypt (vv. 15-16). 

 

The last verse of Revelation 12 confirms that the prophecy is not about physical Israel, but about the Church of God. Not all true Christians (and that is far fewer than most people realize) will be protected during the three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman [the Church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (v. 17). Clearly there are two groups of true Christians spoken of in these verses—those who are zealously doing the Work for which they are called (see Revelation 3:8-10) and those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, but are self-satisfied and complacent (compare Revelation 3:15-19).

LCG And Its Incredible Impact Around The World!

 

Gerald Weston sent out a letter to the faithful today that told them what an incredible impact the church is having on the world. Bob Thiel was seen whimpering in the corner by the crooked bookcase. It is interesting that whenever LCG comes up with statistics of their amazing work, Bob Thiel has to post his stats and make them better than LCG's.

Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ, 

 

Do you realize how much of an impact this Work that you are a part of is having upon our world? We know that we are incredibly small in number, but it might surprise you that about half our membership lives outside North America. In addition to our offices in the U.S. and Canada, we have offices in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, along with smaller in-home offices in other locations. Tomorrow’s World magazines are printed in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, and our Tomorrow’s World telecasts are produced in Canada as well as the United States. 

 

Our Tomorrow’s World subscription list continues to grow toward 600,000, and our combined English, Spanish, and French YouTube subscribers are also closing in on the same figure. This only scratches the surface of all our initiatives. With your help, we are doing a significant Work, but we are still a very little flock (Luke 12:32).

Notice how Gerald Weston skirts the issue of mandatory tithing in the LCG that keeps these things rolling out. He makes it seem like the church is filled with members who "freely give" instead of forced tithing.

We are often asked how we do all this without charging for our resources. As I explained at one of our recent Tomorrow’s World Presentations, we do not build “church” buildings, as that would consume vast sums that can go to preaching the good news of Christ’s coming Kingdom and warning the Israelite nations and the world of the disaster we are bringing upon ourselves. We follow Proverbs 23:23, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it,” and Christ’s instruction, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Therefore, instead of building elaborate facilities, we rent rooms and halls to fit the needs of local congregations. That is why you will generally not see marquees with “Living Church of God” on the streets of your city. But if you are interested in locating a Sabbath-keeping congregation near you, or speaking with a minister in your area, just let us know. You can call or write us or go to lcg.org and click on “Attend With Us” at the bottom of the page.

If the LCG and most any other COG had actual buildings IN communities, they would have a better response. They could show the world and the community that they actually care. Instead, they continue to isolate themselves with exclusivity and look at those daring to walk into a church service as outsiders.