Musings...

As far as I can tell, those who have been able to break free from the original Worldwide Church of God and subsequently all those splits (UCG,GCI), splinters (LCG) and slivers (PCG, RCG and way down the line CCG) , are the only people who have actually grown in the graciousness and knowledge that was always emphasized that we had to grow in. You certainly don't see it in any of the leadership and congregations we tend to examine here on Banned.

We later came to realize that the Grace and Knowledge was that according to others view of it all and not allowed to be something of our own realizations and homework.  You grow as you are told to grow and the knowledge you grow in must be approved from above.

Mostly now the various COG Grand Masters simple are caught up in "Crowing and Over-gumming", if you get my drift.  David C. Pack is master of the crowing and over-gumming concept.

I'd like to think that most of us here at BannedHWA are here because we care and are concerned about the spiritual, emotional and even physical well being of those still trapped by their own fear, guilt and shame abundantly stoked by their theological leaders, falsely so called.

The bottom line seems to be that we'd like those beginning to react to the feeling in their stomachs to realize that is what is really true as to what the reasonings in one's heads might be as they are pummeled every week in church with the latest shoulds, must nots and you better realize this, messages.

Here are a few things I believe we'd all like those questioning their involvement and place in any COG congregation, watching their own particular three ring circus unfold to realize or make real in their thinking.

Your minister is not really a type of any Moses, Joshua, Zerubbabel or spoken of in the scriptures Old or New. That's simply crazy and delusional thinking with religious content. 

Your minister is not one, both or supervisor of the Two Witnesses of Revelation who will work a marvelous work in your day that you won't believe.

In time, you won't believe you fell for that.

There can't be 300+++ Splintered One True Church

Your minister's approach to Bible Study of "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little," is called proof texting and by it all manner of mischief can be conceived of and shows he can't  even accept the fact that Isaiah 28:9-10 , in context, promotes no such cut and paste method of drawing proper conclusions

Narcissistic men, in positions of leadership, can well hide in a church environment because their illness looks like a weird form of obedience, dedication and sincerity.

Organizations are full of lessor yes men and women who don't and won't protect you from what they suspect is so themselves, if they have a position and enjoy wielding fake authority.

All of these men will grow old and die with nothing of what they predict or fashion themselves to be ever remotely comes to pass

Properties purchased and colleges built with your tithes and offerings  plainly show your leader doesn't believe his own press about "time is short".

These same properties, in time, will be sold to others to use for the exact opposite purpose you thought you supported them for in the first place.

If you can step back a bit and admit your doubts you'll end up wondering "what was I thinking?"

Dreams do not a theologian make

"And yes brethren, I am an Apostle" also does not an Apostle make

"God knows that 'that man'...." always means "ME" when the minister is letting you in on his ill drawn conclusions about himself easily

"But I'll save that for next week" always means "Please don't leave the church"

Too many words and phrases in a sermon like, "overarching", "Awesome", "Never before understood", "I never realized this until writing this sermon", "Will leave you gyrating in your seats", "Will stun you' and "I don't think I have ever given a sermon quite like this one" and so on simply means, "I'll keep you praying,  obeying, paying and staying anyway I can".

...and so on. You know it when you hear it.

We are a mixed group here having come out of the homogenized environment of the Worldwide Church of God.  Good for us.  We're not evil. We're not scoffers (Noticing is not scoffing. Scoffing is what those not wishing to be called out on their abuses call noticing.)  We are ok to ask, "Where is the promise of his coming" because , well...it's been 2000 years and that's not our common view of "things which must shortly come to pass', and "behold I come quickly."

No one is going to any ever burning or burn you up Lake of Fire for not belonging to this or that True Church of God and it's ok to each have our own unique experience and outcomes with the Worldwide Church of God, the Armstrongs, Tkaches and all those that followed.  We all process our shortcomings, experiences, perceptions and lessons learned differently.  

If everyone who participates here on Banned got together for a pot luck, with the singles bringing the watermelon of course, it would be one amazing night out!

Church of God Evangelists: "They bailed out, ran for the men’s room"

There is no room for mercy in Dave Pack's dominion for any evangelists in the Church God's which may want to join his movement in the future.

I’ve wrestled with, what if evangelists come back into the Church? Do I just receive them as evangelists? I would pray about it…Father, what do I do? These are senior men. They wake up. Do they just come back, and they’re over our ministers? And the answer is absolutely not. On the surface it almost seemed insane. They were terrible. You would be rewarding, endorsing, underscoring, and validating making no proof of their ministry in this time that is in the context there, II Timothy 4, of the last days—evil men and seducers waxing worse and worse. Here’s what the evangelists did: They bailed out, ran for the men’s room; but a lot of them are going to wake up, they’re going to feel horrible, and they’re going to go on to wonderful positions. And before we got here, that’s what a lot of us did.…

BOOM—now you’re over London...It doesn’t make any difference whether people want it or not……

And the Restored Church of God 

members will be there to restore it...

Dave and his crew are going to be busy, whether you like it or not!

So, you’re probably thinking, in the kingdom of God…And this is where you’ve got to get this out of your head. We all used to think and talk and meditate on this…you enter the kingdom of God, you’re an administrator…Not just the ministers are or the deacons and the elders are—they are under you. You administer. You are up above cities. So, there are hundreds and hundreds of people today…Now, I’ll come back to that in a moment. Then there are great numbers coming out of the ground to help us—and the entire number drastically increases…

Now, does God want women in the very first phase of the kingdom?..Just like the men, once you have received salvation, you are administrators, ladies—one way or the other—it won’t make a “lick of difference,” as they say, whether you’re a man or woman. The numbers explode.

……I’m trying to paint a picture here. Get out of your head that we’re coming to a time when just the ministers guide everything. You are going to join the administrative governing structure of the kingdom. There will be plenty of people when the kingdom starts out so small you can barely see it on the end your finger. Remember the picture. I’m trying to create a difference in your mind.

We’re going on to salvation. It’s different. Everything is different. You’ll have enormous authority in cities over all those who are learning about the kingdom and coming in. Later on, just—BOOM—now you’re over London. BOOM—now you’re over Johannesburg. It doesn’t make any difference whether people want it or not……