Joel Hilliker, part of the elite at the Philadelphia Church of God compound has lived a life of privileged over the years, as has all the "men" working at PCG's headquarters. He and the rest of them have never known hardship or real distress. Yet, Hilliker thinks he is qualified to tell other men on how they need to be able to endure hardships.
While being part of the 1% of the PCG he has
this to say:
Endure Hardness
2 Timothy was the last book Paul wrote. He wrote it from prison—an
uncomfortable place—right before he was put to death. Despite the
hardship, 2 Timothy is Paul’s most inspiring book.
The apostle admonished young Timothy, “be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8). Doing your duty before God involves some affliction! Paul suffered
to do God’s Work! Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. Paul was beaten with 39
stripes five times; beaten with rods three times; stoned and left for
dead; shipwrecked three times; he suffered in dangerous journeys,
perils, weariness, pain, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness. He lived a
rough life as a minister of God!
Fluury's god expects everyone to struggle and be in constant battle...except for the elite in Edmond. Men of the PCG are required to struggle for the good of the PCG. This translates into working over time so you can send in more money. Mortgaging your homes, farms and businesses so you can send it in to PCG.
God put this man through a lot! But Paul told Timothy, That’s the way it is! That’s the life we’re called to! God intends
for your life to be difficult. He doesn’t intend for you to live your
life of snuggling in your comfort zone. He wants you to struggle,
battle, overcome, conquer! He wants you to do what needs to be
done for the Work of God and the Family of God. “Thou therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). This
is manly advice: Don’t be weak—be strong!
Men of the PCG NEED problems in their lives! These asswipes ignore the simple quality of Jesus where he says he will carry your burden and make the yoke light. He says nothing about living a life of finding constant affliction.
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (verse 3). There is hardness that benefits you. We need the problems, challenges and afflictions life presents.
How skilled are you at enduring hardness? God wants you to embrace
this struggle. When you do—and you learn to rely on Him—He can develop
His character in you!
“God has ordained that this life will not be an easy life—for a very
good reason. He knows that, if we have no severe trials and tests, we become spiritually soft and flabby!” says the July 1967 Good News. “A comfortable man is a complacent man. A comfortable man doesn’t want to change—doesn’t want to alter the status quo!
Why should he? He is quite happy to let things continue as they are.
Why change—when everything seems to be going along so very smoothly?”
Hilliker feels that he and his cult are constantly facing one trial and persecution after another. These guys have never known persecution because they are the PERSECUTORS! Look at the lives of church members which have been destroyed by sick ministers of the PCG. Look at the families broken up because some ministurd tells a family to kick their child out of the house. Look at the parents and grandparents who now ignore their children and grandchildren.
“God Almighty knows that we need problems, temptations,
trials, necessities, weaknesses, persecutions and afflictions to stir us
to action—to stir us up enough to overcome our spiritual lethargy! … He
knows that we need to have continual trials, tribulations and
persecutions in order to toughen us up spiritually—in order to show us
how weak and helpless we are so that we will always look to Him and rely
on Him for everything!” (ibid).
Challenges reveal your heart (e.g. Deuteronomy 8:2-3). They teach you
about yourself, reveal your weaknesses, and show you the areas where
you need to be stronger, more like Jesus Christ!
You must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Men who are part of the PCG need to know that their lives will constantly be uncomfortable. They will never be able to do anything right. They will never be able to please Gerald Flurry or his god. Its a no win situation for these men.
