Even though the emperor
realises that they are right, he proudly walks on with his lords-in-waiting,
holding the train that isn’t there at all. Only because he is too proud to admit
that he has been cheated.
________________________________
Sound familiar? Can we see
the old familiar story coming alive in the Unification of All the Churches of
God by the end of August 2013 as spoken of by Haggai the Prophet and misapplied
by The Emperor of the Restored Church of God? Can we see the Council of 16 in
the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Can we see ourselves outside the hype
as the child simply noting what actually is?
"Ummm....he gots no clothes
on..."
As the clock ticks away on
the now silent Apostle David C Pack's debut of his new garments, that he has
made up in his head, having exchanged them for the filthy garments of having
soiled himself wasting time in the Global and Living Church of God, the
children gather for their final view of the finished product. I don't feel any
doubt as to what we will see when the Emperor puts August 2013 behind him.
There will be a shiver of uncomfortable coolness and a terrible temptation on
the Emperor's part to find a way to still be nicely clothed but not quite as
originally promised. Will we hear the time worn excuses of "God is mercifully
giving the splinter people more time to consider their ways", "I never said
'I' was literally Joshua the High Priest spoken of in
Haggai...it's spiritual!", or "You people assumed ......"? In a short time we
shall know.
What you probably won't
hear is "I apologize. I get excited about stuff in the Bible and I was
wrong." Nor will you probably hear, "I don't know what I was thinking and am
sorry for going a bit overboard on this."
You can be sure you won't
hear...
" remember when I said
...now, if I became
deceived, I will never tell you what I'm going to tell you now...I am telling
you if I go off into strange ideas, misconduct, rebellion, you name
it, don't follow me. I want to tell you that now, because if I start
doing that I'm gonna try to get you to follow me! I'm gonna come to you and tell
you it doesn't apply, it doesn't mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's OK to
follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I'm
saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don't follow me if I go off
into weird ideas, or if I get off into other things that are total absolutely
unscriptural conduct, because if I do I'm gonna paint it with a different face
and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I'm saying
brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become
deceived, I'll forget it, and I'll want you to forget it...And
I hope you'll remember it well enough to quote it right back to
me..." ?
Why did none of you quote
this right back to me? I told you I had the potential of going off the rails.
Oh I know I said "but brethren, I'm not going anywhere..." but that was just
so I could tell you to watch out for me and be careful of my weird and strange
ideas because I have some, but then not really look too closely at me because
you're safe and I want to explore my weird and strange ideas. . I know how I
think and I got ya! You council of 16 are fine friends! Why did you not say
something....?" (Michael Venish did but that didn't work out so well for
him).
Tick...Tick...Tick
Lessons the Church of God
learned in August 2013
For the love of
God...please stop setting dates for anything!
Maybe we to whom it applies
need to reconsider the Rogue Minister Leader Problem
Perhaps continuing
theological and pastoral skills classes for ministry should be mandatory and
where our minister gets to listen instead of doing all the talking.
If the minister gets bored
with his fast running mind, we still need to be sure he doesn't just make shit
up to keep us overarching
Perhaps there is something
to be learned from the good ol' boy, who, after hearing Joe Tkach's Big Sandy
screw what we all believe sermon, stood up to lead songs and said..."Well wasn't
that the biggest load of crap you ever heard. Let's all rise, take our hymnals
and sing to the real God."
Maybe it's time to trade in
all this religion, which seems to be what the Emperor tells me all about, where
to be, how to be and how much to turn in, for an inner spirituality that has
nothing to do with what others think, feel, do or demand.
Maybe I need to do the
Huxley..
.
“Sit down before fact as a
little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly
wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn
nothing”
....and admit the Emperor
is has no garments at all.
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