PCG on why church members are important

The Philadelphia Church of God has a new article up that regurgitates some stuff Herbert Armstrong wrote decades ago. It is about the "vital" role of members to the church and is from HWA's incredibly boring book, Mystery of the Ages.

Like many things written by church leaders over the decades, it has NOT aged well. It starts right off by making a ludicrous statement:

The individual lay member has his vital part in proclaiming the good news (gospel) to the world. How? Not by going out and himself proclaiming Christ’s message to the neighborhood or to the world. That is done primarily and directly by God’s apostle through radio, television and in print!

There is no better example of Christian values than by the everyday actions of a Christian in his/her everyday life. If they actually believe what they say they believe then they live it and it is apparent to those around them.  It doesn't take some globe-trotting "apostle" who has "prepaid" for his visit with world leaders so he can preach about a "strong hand from someplace." Who needs to hear that kind of crap? That message has had zero impact upon the world while the everyday lives of Christians have made such an impact that Christianity has been an active force for 2,000+ years.

The author, Christ’s apostle [Herbert], can say emphatically that the apostles, evangelists, pastors and elders could not carry on the Work of God without the loyal backing and continual encouragement of the lay members. 

 

Neither can the individual lay member develop and build within him God’s holy, righteous and perfect character without the operations of the apostle, evangelists, pastors and elders. All these various members God has set in His Church are interdependent—mutually dependent on one another. They form a team—an organized spiritual organism—utterly different from any secular and worldly organization!

Christianity, and most religions, all operate as "spiritual organisms". Most are mutually dependant upon the interaction of followers with religious/spiritual leaders. This is not something new that Herbert pulled out of his hat.

Then they get to the real reason the church needs members. Money! 

In general, the whole operation of the Church costs money. Facilities and methods are available to the Church for performance of its commission that did not exist in the first-century world. Without the tithes and generous freewill offerings of lay members, the Church commission could not be performed in today’s world.

Oh, ye of little faith! No church needs an extravagant campus. No church needs a multi-million dollar concert hall. No church needs private jets. No church needs faculty rows and housing for its elite ministers on the cult compounds in Edmond and Wadsworth. No church needs any of that. It doesn't even need its leaders going to speak to leaders of nations in the world. 

Oh, and don't forget, church leaders need the support of the members because of the INTENSE persecution they all suffer.

Without the fervent and prevailing continual prayers of all members, the Work could not be accomplished. Without the continual ENCOURAGEMENT of lay members and those over them locally, those of us operating from headquarters could not bear up under the persecutions, oppositions, trials and frustrations.

Every "persecution" PCG faces and COG's as a whole are because of their own perverse actions. When they run off at the mouth and say dumb things, treat members like crap, and make utterly asinine prophecies, they have no right to claim persecution, opposition, trials, and frustrations. These idiots brought it upon themselves. 

Also in reverse, the lay members need just as urgently the encouragement, teaching, counseling and leadership from headquarters and local pastors.

Oh no, they don't! Considering how awful the leadership is in so many of the COG's and the fact that 99.50% of them actually have no training in real counseling presents to church members things they do NOT need. 

The “loner”—the “individual Christian,” who wants to climb up into the Kingdom some other way than by Christ and His way through His Church—is not being trained in Christ’s manner of training, to rule and reign with Christ in His Kingdom!

While it is true that Christian is a "communal" faith that creates the need for community in order for the faith to grow it is not a training ground for "proper church government" nor for becoming god as Christ is god.

The Kingdom of God will be the God Family—a superbly and highly trained and organized family of God beings. The Church is God’s special school for training those He has selected and called to be trained in His Church—to be kings and priests, to rule and to teach—for their part in that Kingdom. Only those so trained in the Church will be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God.

Pure bunk. Millions of Christians down through the centuries who have never been part of an Armstrongist COG are immediately cast aside by such flippant remarks. If the soon-coming Kingdom of God is going to be comprised of current COG leadership and certain members then the licking flames of the lake of fire would be more compassionate. Can you imagine 1,000 years being ruled over by the Flurry clan and their followers? Or, Dave Pack and his ministers? Or, even Bob Thiel. Nothing could ever be more frightening!

The sad thing is that over the 80 years existence of this version of the Church of God we have had piss-poor leadership, horrendous abuses dished out on members, hundreds of false prophets, heretical teachings, and morally bankrupt leadership. 

Never has the COG NOT been an example of first-century Christianity than it is today. 

See The Vital Role of a Church Member

 

Crackpot COG Prophet Now Thinks He Is A Movie Critic And Rips Groundhog Day (the movie)

Fauxaphoney Phil Bob

It is always fun watching self-appointed prophets of the Church of God, who in between all of their prophesying and dreaming, have to find something evil about everything in the world around them.

Fauxaphoney Phil Bob, the Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians has his homeopathic knickers in a twist over Groundhog Day (the Movie). Besides claiming the quaint custom of the Pennsylvania Dutch is a pagan, he rips into the movie Ground Hog Day to prove how self-righteous and pissy he can be.

There is an odd observance on February 2 each year in North America that is called Groundhog Day:

Groundhog Day … is a popular American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2nd. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks; but if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. 

 

While the tradition remains popular in modern times, studies have found no consistent correlation between a groundhog seeing its shadow and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather. … The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, centering around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, has become the most attended. (Groundhog Day, Wikipedia, accessed 04/25/20)

So, no this is not a biblical holiday, so why mention it?

Oh, the horrors! It's not in the Bible, boo hoo! Neither is 99% of the things in the world but that is not an issue to Fauxaphoney Phil Bob.

Next, he attacks the movie itself:

Fauxaphoney Phil Bob writes:

Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors displayed what was warned about in the last days by the Apostle Paul:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (2 Timothy 3:1-2, NKJV throughout)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (Galatians 5:19)

Phil Connors loved the world and wanted to pursue the works of the flesh. He did not care much about the following that the Apostle John wrote when his time loop began:

16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:16-17)

It is just an f'ing movie Bobbie, just a movie. It has NOTHING to do with Paul's blabbering about the last days or even John's writings. Not one single thing.

Fauxaphoney Phil Bob continues with this:

Do you ever feel that you have to deal with the same problems over and over again? Do you ever wonder if there is any point to it? 

 

We know that there is as:

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) 

 

Now, back to the synopsis:

Eventually, Phil sees his own shadow, so to speak, and changes from an inconsiderate, callous egocentric into a thoughtful, kindhearted philanthropist, refining his understanding of human decency, which, in return, makes him an appreciated and beloved man in the town. … 

 

He wakes … and finds the time loop is broken; it is now February 3. Phil is a different person than he was on February 1 … 

 

Yes, the trial ended once he learned what he was supposed to learn, then he awoke to a different day. Notice what will happen to Christians:

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Getting back to Groundhog Day, Phil learned a version of the following:

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. (Proverbs 3:27) 

 

He not only learned it, he practiced it.

A well-done movie always has a "moral to the story" just like Aesop's fables, Bible stories, and fairy tales. Goodness usually prevails, unless you are a COG self-appointed prophet and evil is lurking around every corner waiting to devour unsuspecting COG members that fail to follow their dreams and prophecies.

COG members are always being tested by their angry god to see if they will qualify to get into its kingdom. COG members are never good enough to just rest in an assurance that they have if they actually followed that inconvenient dude that Fauxaphoney Phil Bob and others claim to follow.

Fauxaphoney Phil Bob adds:

Yes, unlike Phil Connor in Groundhog Day, we are striving for an unperishable crown. 

 

Just because you may have been a Christian for a long time, do not think that if you give up you also cannot become disqualified. 

You can't, that's a fact, especially if one is following Christ. There is no disqualification, period. But, since COG leaders do not follow Jesus and instead bow at the feet of Moses they are blind to the rest that lies just beyond their reach.

Remember, Jesus said:

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13) 

 

So, if you ever wonder why you keep going through a lot of the same tests and trials, consider that you are to endure and learn lessons. 

 

With those lessons learned, you will be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

Any Christian who has the slightest inkling about what Jesus did and accomplished totally understands tests and trials are not things to weed out the weak and the chaff. They know that none of their works will ever gain them entrance into some godly kingdom, but that the assurance and faith in that work already done for them has guaranteed it. You can rest assured of that.

Don't let Fauxaphoney Phil Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, and other mentally ill COG leaders make any claims otherwise. 

You can read the entire post by Fauzaphoney Phil Bob here.

 

Jesus returns this Friday! It's time to do or die!