A rational person would think that Church of God groups would be really cautious about writing articles on how to determine what is a counterfeit church, especially considering how fractured the Church of God movement is, with every single one of the groups preaching a different message. But no, they have not learned to keep their mouths shut. Every single one of them, in their self-righteous glory, think they have the inside track and everyone else is wrong, even other COG's.
The latest entry in the "one true church" schtick is Church of God a Worldwide Association (COGWA). Clyde Kilough has an article in the latest
Discern magazine
, How to Spot a Counterfeit Church.
What would you do, how would you feel, if you discovered your religion was counterfeit? Most of us have been “given” our religion by our parents, or maybe we “shopped” for one we liked. Is it possible that, in all innocence, we possess a fake belief?
According to Jesus, it is!
When asked about signs of His coming and “the end of the age,” the first thing He said was, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:3-5).
Watch out, He warned—there are a lot of religious scammers!
Actually, it was already happening in His day, and several times He took religious leaders to task for leading people astray. How did it happen? By substituting fraudulent traditions for the truth of God!
Matthew 15:6-9 records Jesus’ hot words for them: “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
The Pharisees’ tactics are still common practice—because they still work!
We see this at work today in the likes of James Malm and his Wiccan sidekick Constance who envisions herself as a discerner of the Word, in Dave Pack, Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, and most of the other church leaders in the Church of God today. Pharisaical laws, damaging legalism and outright lies make these leaders the epitome of the Pharisaical tactics mentioned above.
The apostle Paul stood amazed at how fast it happened. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7).
How serious was this? He twice repeated this in verses 8-9: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
Paul further cautioned, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
And in perhaps the strongest words possible, Paul warned, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
For well over 80 years now, the Church of God has been filled with deceitful workers and hundreds of false apostles and prophets. Every single one of them liars and deceivers of the brethren. The sad part is that they all put on the air of righteousness and members fall for their vile schtick and get wrapped up in their lies. Look at the followers of Thiel, Malm, Pack, Flurry and the others. Given the track record of upstart false prophets in the COG, these men should never have a single follower, but they do. They try to transform themselves into workers of righteousness, yet they are agents of darkness. This includes Clyde Kilough and his fellow workers of darkness. He and his team of men threw a tantrum and split off from United Church of God, preaching their own version of what they claim is the truth. They imagined themselves as teachers and holders of the keys to the kingdom, so much so that they formed their own group and yet they preach a different message than any of the other COG's.
Kilough then writes this:
Look at the thousands of denominations in the world today representing differing interpretations of what Christ did and said. Isn’t that a problem? Why doesn’t that raise red flags and make people question the authenticity of their beliefs?
Look at the hundreds and hundreds of Churches of God in the world today, representing differing interpretations of what Christ did and said when they decide to mention him. Yet, the majority of COG members do not see this as a problem. Somehow they all see themselves as unified by some illogical thread. They never stop to examine the authenticity of what they claim to believe.
Some say all roads lead to heaven, and we’ll end up in the same place. True or false? This was the same Jesus who promised, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). If you believe that, it raises some hard questions:
- If He promised it would never die, then wouldn’t the Church Jesus built be out there somewhere today? Is there a true Church?
Most Church of God leaders and members have never really studied church history. The only version of it they know is what their respective church leader has spoon feed them as the "authentic" version. Any real student of church history knows the fascinating story of the growth of Christianity and the church through the centuries. It has never died out nor did it need to be restored after being lost by an impotent god for 1,900 years.
- He didn’t say, “I will build My churches” (plural). Would Christ claim that they are all His, when the Bible says, “For God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33)?
If Kilough and other church members truly believe that "God is not the author of confusion" then why are there 500-700 different splinter Churches of God? Why did they contribute to the mess by starting yet another group? Is that not confusion?
- Many have said, “All these churches can’t be wrong!” But can they all be right?
Surely all of the Churches of God cannot be wrong? Which one is right? Every single one of them picks and chooses which teachings they want to keep and thus setting them apart from the next COG.
- If there are counterfeit churches, ministers and teachings, how can one know which is genuine?
Which COG leader is right? Thiel? Malm? Pack? Kubik? FLurry? Are they genuine or are they liars and deceivers of the brethren?
A search for truth leads us directly to another key issue of discerning counterfeit doctrines.
Toward the end of the first century the apostle John was waging a battle for the truth against forces that were intent on changing the doctrines and practices of the Church. Enemies were not trying to create a new religion. They were trying to change the Church Christ had built into something else.
Every time a Church of God splits off this is exactly what has happened.They pick and choose which doctrines they want to keep and reshape the church into what they want it to be.
John clearly identified one of their main targets—the commandments. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). In verse 6 he continued, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
No Church of God leader or member has ever kept the 10 Commandments or any other other commandments. It is an impossibility. To say they do is to deliberately lie. They cannot be humanly all kept. The Jesus they all claim to follow has said over and over that they cannot do it and won't do it.
How did He walk? He kept the 10 Commandments, which have been in effect since the creation of man! John was confirming Christ’s teaching, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love. … You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:10, 14).
Kilough, Malm, Thiel and all the others have never kept the commandments. When they deny the one they claim to follow and place the law above that ever so inconvenient dude they are not "abiding in My love."
People can say they “abide in Christ,” but do they keep the commandments? That’s the test, isn’t it? If you are looking for the Church Jesus built, start looking for those who are striving to walk as He walked. Sad to say, “commandment-keeping” immediately crosses a huge number off the list.
Seriously? Are we to look at the hundreds and hundreds of self-appointed prophets and leaders as followers of a "Jesus" they know nothing about? The 10 commandments are no more a "test" than the Sabbath is. Because these men all deny the Christ they claim to follow, they are immediately crossed off the list.
What is the truth? Are the many nonbiblical doctrines and practices we see today—indisputably and easily proven to have been brought into Christianity long after Christ established it—a sign of genuine or counterfeit Christianity?
What is the truth in the COG? Every group has hundreds and hundreds of nonbiblical doctrines and practices. The Philadelphia Church of God is different than United Church of God, which is different than the Restored Church of God, which is different than Church of God International, which is different than Intercontential Church of God, which is different than COGWA, which is different than "continuing" Church of God.
Where does truth reside now? The Churches of God love to mock the different divisions in Christianity and even call them "so-called" Christians, yet their own church is so fractured now that it is irrelevant with none of them doing any worthwhile work that is changing lives.
Where are the fruits of the spirit? Where are the good works? Where is Jesus?
