Musings...

Scoffing or making a simple an obvious observation?

Calling those who simply noticed that the "soon", "shortly" and "quickly" of prophecy have proven to be not so soon, shortly or quick, scoffers,  rather than those who sincerely notice and observe reality, is a common approach to a church or Apostle being mistaken and unable to admit it. 

While science done well MUST correct its mistakes. Ideas about how it all is in religion is more likely to cover them up and blame those who bring it to their attention. 

 The real problem is that the Church is not given to admitting it is mistaken on much of anything so new explanations must be given for why, in this case, "soon", "shortly" and "quickly" don't really mean soon, shortly and quickly as men count soon, shortly and quickly.  

"God is giving us more time" is an oft spoken apologetic for being mistaken and unable to admit it. 

First of all know that the first century NT writers meant soon, shortly and quickly as men count it.  "Just around our corner" was the intent. It was only after soon, shortly and quickly went "later", "longer" and "slowly" that new explanations for the concepts had to be invented.  This is what the writer of 2 Peter, not actually Peter,  but a much later writer  annoyed by the deaths of most original church members and those who were wondering where Jesus was after all the promises of his immediate return, was addressing. 

This audience reading this,  would know well the Apostle Paul's belief in the immediacy of the Second Coming in I Cor 15 and does not be repeated.  He eventually learned, as do all to this day, he also was not going to be of the "we who are alive and remain" crowd. 

Let's have a look at how "shortly"  going long was handled. 

2 Peter 3: 

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,"

First realise the author was referring to the last days as in their time. No one would be interested to know or teach that this is for thousands of years into the future. And no, it is not dual. He labels those who notice the problem and make the observation openly as scoffers.  They are noticers in fact. Honest, open and sincere noticers and willing to say so.  The rise of scoffers also prove it is indeed more the last days than ever!   Nice touch...

4"And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

This was and still is a reasonable observation. Calling someone a scoffer is what you do when you simply can't admit or acknowledge that the observation is accurate

5"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"

Now the sincere and honest noticer is labeled "willingly ignorant". I have never in my life met someone, religious or non-religious, that was willingly ignorant.  They may be delusional or sincerely mistaken but not by deliberate choice.  This is somewhat like the the charge that "those who believe in evolution simply don't want to obey God. They want to sin," which is to put it mildly, BS.  Who would do that if they really knew there was a god watching? No one I know. Noticing the evidence is not willingly ignorant or scoffing either. 

6"Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"

7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 

This is the beginning of the switch to the concept that the present time is merely a continuation of past events still unfolding. 

Now the real apologetic. First of all, when the original statements of "soon", "shortly", "quickly" and the concepts of "the hour now is" etc were voiced, there was NO indication or teaching that we should remember that God does not see time as we do.  And that His soon, shortly and quickly are not like ours so get that straight from the beginning.  

No...that comes only as apologetic for it not actually being soon, shortly or quickly as advertised. That is the purpose of this passage. Not to admit the obvious,  but to justify and turn sincere observing church members I assume, for who else would care?, into scoffers. Which by the way also proves time is short. 

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Once again the call not to be ignorant and they don't get it. 

"Now you tell us" might be the lesson of the day here. Why the church was not told that God's days are not their days is because there was no need to make that up back then. Now, after short has gone way too long, there is a great need to issue an apologetic blaming the observer for being ignorant and scoffing rather than being wise and observant of reality.

Also, noticing church members might consider this as slack on God's part, but like days and time, God's kind of slack is not the same as theirs. 

This is the original apologetic of "God is giving us more time" and it is the fault of the scoffing and faithless church member, who in reality is simply noticing and observing the facts. 

Lesson: Those who notice and make proper observations are not scoffers in the real world. How much easier and more credible to say "I/we were sincerely mistaken" than to accuse them of being ignorant and unaware of just how "my ways are not your ways" they were, which is also another apologetic for against one making accurate observations about how things actually are. 

Far more often than the church wants to admit, "there is a way that seems right to a man.." that is right and the wisdom of the noticer, wise. 

IMHO

"B9

UCG: As It Tries To Reinvent Itself It Seriously Believes That They "Stand Out More And More"

Vic Kubik has a message up to the faithful of UCG as they head into another conference where doctrines will be discussed and discussions on how to reinvent the UCG in order for it to be an effective and robust ministry.

What brings success, particularly in a world turned upside down by a pandemic? When businesses, organizations and even sports teams face dramatic change and upheaval, new opportunities appear. New strategies and focus are developed and put into action. Core principles remain unchanged, but tactics—how things get done—can be refreshed, re-energized and put forth with renewed power.

UCG believes it has held fast to core principles that they have inherited from the mother church.  Funny, I know!

We in the spiritual Church of God are no different. While holding fast to our core spiritual principles, we prayerfully and effectively use the tools that God gives us. We continuously look for ways to improve.

UCG believes that with the COVI-19 pandemic that people will soon be flocking to find faith.  That may or may not be true, but they certainly have no need to look towards a COG for that. 

This is even more so when we see dramatic changes in how people perceive the authority and relevance of the Bible. People who believe and follow biblical principles have declined, especially in the pre-COVID-19 times. As the Bible predicted, scoffers replace believers in greater numbers. As a result, what we teach and how we live will stand out more and more! (Matthew 5:14)

UCG is looking forward to reshaping itself into something significant and impressive, something that 25 years has yet to accomplish. 

What does this mean for us in the United Church of God? As we commemorate a quarter of a century of learning, growth and progress as a fellowship, it remains absolutely critical that we continue to individually and collectively surrender ourselves to God. As a body of disciples, we must continuously develop and lay our plans before Him (Proverbs 16:3). We must always be seeking to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in the most effective way possible.

Now, as we move forward—as a fellowship humbly seeking to know and do the will of God—we have an opportunity to rededicate ourselves through God’s precious Holy Spirit living in us. It is time to deeply consider what Paul wrote: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2, New Living Translation, emphasis added throughout).

UCG loves to look back in awe at the past when they were part of the mother church. The church was growing, millions reached through literature and the voice of the church "thundered across the globe." Yet in 2220, UCG is a little blip in the grand scheme of things. No one seems to know who they are, no matter how hard they try.

People wanted answers, and many believed that they could be found in the Bible.

In those days, the Bible widely held deep respect. And the voices of the Church of God thundered across the globe in multiple languages. Millions listened. Some took it to heart. 

But then events changed. Fear of nuclear war faded. Today, even as we deal with a globe-girdling pandemic, leaders foolishly dare to mock God openly. As deadly COVID-19 cases begin to decline, we heard a major American governor presumptuously declaring, “God did not do that. Faith did not do that.” An astonishing indifference toward the Bible has grown. 

It is in this world that we must do the work that God has given us.

UCG hs suffered horrendous upheavals in the church, thousands left to join other groups and people still are leaving today. Yet they consider themselves a "vibrant" fellowship. A fellowship that began with deception with power-hungry men eager to maintain their paychecks. 

As we collectively look forward beyond our first quarter of a century as a vibrant fellowship, what is next? We know that God has blessed us, and that God is with us. 

They equate their apostasy from the mother church and the current upheavals in the church as "spiritual" growth into unity.

Throughout the nearly 2,000 years of the spiritual Church of God, disciples of Jesus Christ have experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows, growth and apostasy, division and unity. But thank God that Jesus Christ, our Standard and the living Leader of our fellowship, is “the same yesterday, today, and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8). When we follow God and put Him first, we grow together in unity 

In the immediate days ahead, this world faces tremendous uncertainty about national economies, about the potential lasting impact of the coronavirus, about increasing tensions and conflict. This world needs the truth of God more than ever! 

With that in mind, consider this fact: in the days before A.D. 70 and the calamitous destruction of the Second Temple, the 1st century Church of God faced tumultuous times. 

Back then, Jude, a younger brother of Jesus Christ, had to warn brethren “to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people” (Jude 3, NLT).

Even though it is just one more wimpy Church of God, blinded by the dream that they are doing some fantastic work. 

 Toward the end of the first century, the multi-national assembly of God shrank to small groups, but—as Jesus prophesied (Matthew 16:17-19)—the spiritual Church of God continued, as it will until the day Jesus returns to this earth!

Kubik then makes this astoundingly absurd comment:  

So, fast forward some 1,900 years. To the shock of thousands in the early 1990s, belief and teachings that had been carefully researched, gleaned, recovered and restored from the Bible and safeguarded for decades AGAIN came under attack.

 Carefully researched?  Six months in a public library with "theology" books from the late 1800's to around 1930 by a man who was not working to support his family does NOT produce a sound theological system or understanding. UCG has NOT safeguarded anything. Seriously, how absurd is that?

The United Church of God, an International Association, was then humbly founded as a fellowship to follow and safeguard these teachings, holding high the banner of the Bible. Today we are linked together in unity, bonded by these precious truths.

UCG also believes they are the only ones "holding high the banner of the Bible."  Apparently, the millions of Christians around the world who take scripture seriously and are doing wonderful things for the world around them and ignorant fools. UCG believes the work these people do is insignificant to the amazing work UCG does.

Now, as we look forward, as much of humanity turns its back on the precious truths of God—even in the midst of pandemic—we all need to be filled with zeal for God’s truth. We must again yield ourselves to God and renew our choice to “think differently,” to repent, to be zealous and on fire for the truth of God. It is time to renew and re-energize ourselves.

UCG members have been lackadaisical over the years in supporting the work of UCG, but now they have a renewed chance to make a difference as they give more money. 

Even better, since they are the most amazing Church of God ever, they stand out for all the world to see.

Think on this! Each one of us holds personal responsibility in supporting and fulfilling the Great Commission. Because of who and what we are, we will naturally stand out. Sometimes that can make us uncomfortable—but we must courageously embrace that feeling of discomfort! 

We understand the incredible human potential of God and Jesus Christ bringing sons and daughters to glory in the Kingdom and family of God! (Hebrews 2:10)

 Kubik then goes on to list articles of faith for UCG members.

 The first true article of faith is to believe that God exists, and that God rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We in the Church understand that salvation is a gift, that by grace we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8). But we also hold the enlightened understanding that real faith energizes and produces good works! (James 2:21-26)

Most of Christianity understands this.  Kubik is now coming to this understanding?  

These good works must include fulfilling the Great Commission, with our deeds being a living example of God’s way of life in action.

After 25 years, UCG is finally realizing that the methods that they have been using to get their word out have not been working. It is time to reinvent themselves and impress us all! No one has been paying them any attention. Boring programs on cable. Boring canned sermons in church and yet they think they are marching forward with an effective and decisive gospel to preach.

As we seek to rededicate ourselves, we must honestly examine how we can do things better. As an organized fellowship, we must examine the formats and platforms that we use to teach. Our messages—from personal example, to television, to the pulpit—need to be convincing, compelling and challenging. While our core truths cannot and must not ever change, we can change how we conduct our lives and our outreach to effectively and decisively preach the gospel.

The world has gone mad and the UCG thinks they are going to fix it. They need to start with the Church of God that has gone mad, across the board, with one self-appointed upstart after another. They will never have an effective message until they clean up their own cesspool. 

We must proclaim the truth to a world going mad, and we must ask for the strength and insight to do it boldly with conviction, commitment and courage! 

Are the top leaders of the COG really as special as they want us to think they are?

A couple of comments that came through yesterday on the kind of leaders the Church of God has had and still does. Since they are buried in the comments of previous posts, I put them here with the link to the specific posting.

RCM was a practicing liar and many others at lcg hq knew that also--including prominent ministers who actually admitted it to me and others in private. RCM had multiple outbursts of anger and rage--once he said himself that he didn't think a demon made him do it... he was just in a bad mood. He made racist comments to many and loved money and power far more than God. I knew him very well... he used to call me to pick him up for lunch--I spent literally hundreds of hours privately with him... just him and me. As my position at lcg hq was a prominent one for several years. So I knew RCM better than 99.9% of lcg members and better than most lcg hq employees also. He was a sad and pathetic person who once even told me some pretty bad things about his own wife--Sheryl. He told me that sometimes he basically regretted marrying her. He told me horrible things about Wallace Smith--because he was jealous that Wally's TW programs got better responses than his. I remember thinking... this is the leader of the Church??? Something is seriously wrong here!!! Well... he is dead now and his reign of evil is over. 

April 30, 2020 at 6:49 PM.  Roderick C Meredith Dies

LCG and all the COG splinters are human corporations disguised as churches. Their leaders are practicing commandment breaking sinners who should be marked and put away from harming the brethren. How do I know? I worked at their headquarters for many many years... I knew the top leaders at all the COG groups--they came to me for council and advice about many things over the years... I stayed in their homes and they stayed in mine. I had private conversations--one on one with several of these different COG leaders. I won't give my name because this isn't about me but if I gave my name many of you would know me. I was told by three of these leaders once that I was one of the most important people in God's Work on Earth... anyways you get the point--I know these people. I last spoke face to face with one of these "leaders" in private not long ago. I tell you in truth--these so called leaders are selfish and arrogant money lovers who worship their power and positions more than they do God. They are total politicians and have committed sins that you wouldn't believe... and they NEVER confess nor acknowledge what they do--they're too busy pointing the finger at everyone else's sins or stumbles... or sometimes just falsely accusing innocent people. If I wrote about 1% of what I've heard these leaders say or evil things I've seen them do--I'd be writing here for a very very very LONG time! Folks... wake up and get away from these hypocritical and evil false leaders ASAP... if you don't... you're gonna regret it more than you could ever imagine one day down the road. Love is not a boot on your face... Love is true and revealing... Love warns and love hates evil--especially the evil of proclaimed leaders who are blind leading the blind into the pit. For those with ears to hear and eyes to see--I say wake up and search out the TRUTH while you still can... but time is running out.

April 30, 2020 at 12:37 AM. UPDATED: Gerald Weston: Sends Out Rules For Sabbath Observance At Home