Church of God International Medina: Why Will It Not Admit To Its Brethren COVID Is STILL An Issue In The Church?

 
This post appeared on CGI Medina's website

6-2-21 

 

Hello Brethren, 

 

I wanted to provide an update for those of us that may be intending to attended this Weeks services. 

 

As has been mentioned for some weeks now and as of the 5-26-21 posting, we have alerted you of a variety of different sickness that have emerged among us. Unfortunately, a few have been hospitalized, while others are in varying degrees of recovery at home with their families. As with any group situation, be it at church, work, school, or just out and about, it becomes important we remember to maintain precautions we originally have been adhering to for the last 18 to 20 months. 

 

So, I’d like to remind us to keep in mind the " House Rules" we have been following: 

 

1) If you (or your children) have the slightest sign of any symptom of sickness––please stay home. (We are webcasting) 

 

2) Masks remain optional 

 

3) Social Distancing is recommended. 

 

4) Wash your hands regularly 

 

5) Hand disinfectant is available throughout the building––feel free to use it. 

 

6) Please cover you mouth if you should happen to cough 

 

7) Remain courtesy to others as much as possible––let each have there space. 

 

8) Hand shakes, fist bumps, hugs, etc, are personal choices––please respect each others choices / preferences. 

 

9) Keep in mind if you have any comorbidity concerns, you may want to stay home for a few weeks and watch the webcast .. 

 

10) Potlucks are temporarily suspended for the time. 

 

Thank you for your continued cooperation in helping us maintain the freedoms that are so precious to us. Please keep your brethren in your prayers as they recover back to fellowship and once again pick up the good fight of Faith and the advancement of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ

Commercial Break: The Game is on! The Math is Absolutely Correct!

The 302

"Ok, so what? It's still on the tracks mostly."

 Impressions of Sermon 302  (I don't believe it can be posted but I did take the time to listen as agonizing as it was)

Dave Pack is currently on sermon 302 continuing to show how easy and simple it now is to see where "they" didn't understand but now "he" does, the details of when Jesus will return. Currently it is this coming Fall for many reasons that Dave pulls out of his....mind.  

Dave notes that it was five years ago that he actually dreamed he would be giving 302 or 303 sermons on this.  I'm sure he noted that to subconsciously tell himself and the congregation this is normal and was actually shown to him to be the path to truth from God.  Shades of Bob Thiel.

Clearly Dave is running out of material and is focused on rambling around in the NT scriptures making them clearly mean whatever he needs them to mean. And I do mean rambling. From Joseph of Arimathea to the nuances of Greek words that prove it really means this and not that, the sermon is a mess. I could not imagine sitting through it in real time without wanting to simply leave and find better things to do. But that's just me. 

Dave sounds more like he is trying to convince himself than others. In one particular reference to 2 Peter , he mumbles , almost to himself, his way through the "in the last days there will be scoffers.. saying "where is the promise of his calling" to get on to a verse past that he liked.  He either didn't mean to run into that verse or it irritates him because, of course, scoffing is all he deserves at this point. He seems to do a lot of talking to himself at times. My sense is that down deep, his confidence is waning and he is asking himself, "where is the promise of his coming...?"  

His use of NT scriptures on how soon the NT portrays Jesus return in those days and to whom it was actually written is tortuous and scripture mining and proof texting in the "now lets go over here, now lets over here" in classic WCG mix and match style when they don't actually.  Dave sees obvious connections to his ridiculous views where there are none and never could be. But we knew that. 

So, the Good News for RCG is that "the math is absolutely correct" (I have stated in the past that real sermons should not have math in them) and his Jesus is coming in the Fall of '21.  I suspect it "absolutely has to be Trumpets..." , "We missed it but now I clearly see it's Atonement", and "How could we miss it?  It's so simple and now I see it. Last Great Day!  That's because, brethren, it's a "Great Day!  It's so clear!"

However, fudge factor is in place as he does note several times and with several NT examples we all know that we wait no matter when as others did. God doesn't count or see time as we do. And things have to go longer than supposed so there can be scoffers. I would remind us that it's scoffers to the mistaken ones and observations to those who notice Jesus has not returned as advertised. 

I prophesy that in the end and when it is time to pass on, and it will come, Dave will say  "I have fought a good fight. I have kept the faith. Therefore there is laid up for ME, a Crown of Righteousness....  I can't speak for YOU!"

The views expressed are mine. Others may have found themselves gyrating in their seats 1 hour and 50 minutes later...

Mark Armstrong Is Leading A Sinking Ship Thanks To His Political Stances

 

If you thought the political crap from Bill Watson and Bob Thiel was mind-numbingly tiresome, Mark Armstrong has exceeded them by miles. Every single thing he writes is a political crapfest of Republican against Democrat, liberal against conservative, and doom and gloom. Everything is wrong with the world he lives in and he is MAD! Like Bob Thiel and other self indulgent COG leaders, he cannot find anything good to write about. He would do better to channel his opinions into writing for Newsmax or some other ultra right site than pretending to be spiritual by spiritualizing politics when god is brought in at the last sentence, but that is how COG leaders have operated for decades.

His entire financial existence is built upon rebroadcasting his dad's videos and republishing his writings and expecting people to still support a dead guy. 

Check out some of his weekly updates here.

From Church of God News:

The church is in the midst of a major make-over of its old websites for The ICG and the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association – but will there be any changes to reverse the decline of the ICG itself? 

 

When Garner Ted Armstrong died in 2003, the ICG had around 90 congregations and was on around 30 television stations and cable outlets. His son Mark took over the day to day operation of the church and the production of the television outreach program. He was not ordained, and had no interest in ministry. 

 

Tom Kerry and a number of other ministers considered him unqualified for leadership and left in 2004 to form the first split in what eventually became known as Church of God Ministries International. 

 

Under Mark Armstrong’s leadership, two-thirds of the congregations have now been lost, and there has been no television outreach program for years. His personal involvement is a weekly blog and an occasional article for the quarterly magazine, both of which have little or no Christian content.