Crackpot Prophet Forgives Those That Mock Him…So He Claims

The Great Bwana and Savior of Africa and the Laodiceans heretics is talking down to us about forgiveness and mercy. Imagine a COG leader doing such a thing. Its Impossible, I know! Just smoke and mirrors.

Mercy and Forgiving Someone Who is NOT Sorry
We have all been hurt or offended by someone. As Christians, we know we are supposed to forgive. But what about forgiving someone who is not sorry? In this message, Dr. Thiel goes over ideas about forgiving the unrepentant from secular writers Harriet Lerner, Robert Enright, and Laura Davis. He then quotes the Apostle Paul and some passages in the Book of Proverbs. Dr. Thiel further quotes Jesus, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle James, and more from the Apostle Paul explaining why it is good for your well being to forgive and show mercy even to those who do not apologize to you. Mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law that Christians are to have.

Jesus, the Bible and Church of God Preachers

 

God is Greater than the Bible!

Back in 2013, Peter Enns penned a post titled God is Bigger than the Bible. It was a reaction to the growing awareness among Biblical scholars that our concepts regarding the God of the Bible have evolved over the many millennia in which people have been thinking, talking, and writing about him. Enns concluded: "Studying the Bible and Israel’s past is a regular reminder to me that my object of trust is God, not the Bible. That’s not knocking the Bible. It’s acknowledging that the Bible–even where it talks about God–is not a heavenly tablet dropped from heaven, but a relentlessly contextual collection of ancient literature that takes wisdom and patience to handle well." He went on to say that "God is bigger than the Bible–and frankly, I see Jesus in the Gospels already sounding that note when he began reshaping common views of God based on Israel’s traditions..."

Indeed, the very concept of Divine revelation implies that mankind is reliant on God in part (or in whole) for our understanding of him. In other words, our limitations in this respect are implicit in the way that the Bible informs us that God's message was imparted to humanity. Moreover, the whole notion of Divine revelation suggests that there is so much more that hasn't yet been revealed to us. Finally, the revelations which we refer to as Scripture suggest that God is greater than our ability to comprehend him, and that creation itself has much to reveal to us about his greatness and plans. Hence, there is so much more to God than what is revealed about him in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures!

This notion that God is so much greater than anything we can imagine is backed up in the pages of the Bible. Scripture informs us that God told Samuel that God doesn't see things in the superficial way that we do (I Samuel 16:7) - suggesting a much deeper insight into things than we are even capable of! Paul told the Romans that the earth and sky reveal God's hidden qualities, power, and nature (Romans 1:20). His words harkened back to what David had written in a psalm many years before that. David wrote: "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers — the moon and the stars you set in place — what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" (Psalm 8:3-4) Hence, we see in David's awe, and what Paul wrote to the saints at Rome, that God's creation has much to reveal to us about him - much more than the words in any book could ever impart to our understanding of him!

Likewise, God knows that humans understand things by comparing and contrasting them with other things (after all, God created the human mind). Hence, the question he asked of us through the prophet Isaiah is particularly meaningful in this context. We read there: "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" (Isaiah 46:5) In other words, God is beyond anything that we might compare him to within our reality - the realm that we inhabit. This, in turn, causes us to wonder about God's reality - the realm that he inhabits, and we remember what Solomon said about the temple which he had constructed for God. He said: "even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!" (I Kings 8:27) Indeed, this verse represents the entire theme of this blog - that God cannot be contained - NOT by a building or a book!

Indeed, when we consider what John said about his account of Christ's life, we see the absolute absurdity of the notion that any book could do complete justice to the subject of God (even one that is inspired by God). He wrote: "The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book." (John 20:30) At the conclusion of his account, John repeated that Jesus had done many other works that were not included in his account and noted that "If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25) And, finally, the notion that our present understanding of God and his will is imperfect (I Corinthians 13:9-12) suggests that God has more to reveal to us! In other words, the Bible must be regarded as imperfect and incomplete in terms of what is revealed there about God and his will.

In Isaiah, we read: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me." (Isaiah 45:5) Indeed, the language here harkens back to the language of God's fundamental law as outlined in the Ten Commandments. We read there: "You must not have any other god but me." (Exodus 20:3) Hence, even a book that reflects God's will and character is NOT God, and the only sensible conclusion that we can reach is that God is greater than the Bible!

Lonnie Hendrix

PCG: Doctor's...Good enough for me but not for thee as major illness hit the church

 

The Philadelphia Church of God is a dying aging church filled with people over 65. There have been a lot of reports coming out of the cult compound in Edmond that many HQ personnel, ministers, and regular church members are suffering from major illnesses.

For the everyday folk, those people are told to stay home and put their faith in some kind of god that Flurryism follows. That god will heal them from all trials and tribulations, and if it doesn't then the members need to look at it as a test of their faith.

For the Flurry clan, most of these rules do not apply. They hit up doctors whenever they want, just like Herbert Armstrong did while telling us to wait for that anointed cloth to arrive.

Brad Macdonald had this to say the other day:

At first he brought up how earlier that day they heard about how some members there locally (in Edmond) are “really struggling with some pretty major health trials.” One is Janet Dattolo (wife of Fred Dattolo–yes, that Fred, the minister whom Dan De Gennaro held responsible for the death of his daughter Janet and who also gave a sermon warning singles). Brad said Janet Dattolo is having more difficulties and pain because of her cancer. He briefly mentioned that others had the following happen: a stroke; a fall; kidney failure (John Krueger); diabetes (Andrew Locher). These were “just a few of the brethren here locally” he said. But added that he is “sure there are others out there.” And there are brethren around the world, he said, “who are experiencing similar health trials.” (No mention of how the “shun doctors ruling” is contributing to their suffering.) 

 

He quoted verses in I Corinthians and said God “uses trials and tribulations to grow our faith and develop patience and test our patience and grow us in godly character, to shape and mold us into perfect god beings.” 

 

This kind of verbiage is exactly what HWA spouted to members repeatedly while he was trotting off to doctors. This whole study made me sick because of the way members have been brainwashed since day one into not going to doctors but “trust Christ” and are now suffering much more than if they had availed themselves of one. Exit and Support Network