In Living Church of God their record has been skipping in the same place for a quarter of a century now. Perilous times are knocking at the door. It's just a few short years away. Within 5-10 years, etc. Then, add to that the same message that they heard incessantly from their mother church for decades. Keeping the members scared is well well-worn-out tool of the church.
Plus, there is an incessant mantra that members are NOT ready. They are always asleep at the wheel. They won't be ready when everyone flees in the night.
Because the members are always such miserable failures, they need to start planning now on how they fast on the Day of Atonement, otherwise, their god is not going to listen to them.
I wonder when the weekly message from Winnial will ever be positive. "You are loved by God". "God's grace has set you free", "you are beautiful in God's sight", etc. No "buts, no warnings, no fear factor, no law-keeping threats.
Let grace abound:
All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. Romans 5:20 MSG
Winnail's incessant whining:
Prepare for the Fast—Part 1: We are clearly warned that “in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1–5), and those days will come “suddenly” (Deuteronomy 28:20; Isaiah 29:5; 30:13; Jeremiah 6:26). We are also warned that Jesus Christ will return unexpectedly(1 Thessalonians 5:2–3) or else all flesh will perish (Matthew 24:20–22). Jesus said His disciples need to “watch” and “be ready” (Matthew 24:42–44), but He also warned that many will not be ready for His return (Matthew 7:21–23; 25:1–10) because they have become distracted by trials and the “cares of this world” (Matthew 13:18–23). Numerous scriptures warn that we must come out of this world that is hurtling down the road to destruction (Acts 2:40; 2 Corinthians 6:17–18; Revelation 18:4). A major reason for the Fast for us—as a Church and as individuals—is to draw closer to God(Isaiah 55:6; James 4:8). Take time to pray and meditate on these scriptures as we prepare for the coming Fast.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
Prepare for the Fast—Part 2: The Bible reveals there is a Judgment coming and that Jesus Christ will judge the world when He returns (1 Chronicles 16:33; 2 Timothy 4:1). That judgment will be especially severe on the Israelite nations, which have “forsaken” God and no longer have a “fear” of God as they “do their own thing” (Jeremiah 2:11–19; Judges 21:25). They will lose their blessings because they followed misguided leaders who urged them to disobey and despise God’s laws (Leviticus 26:14–17) and to view God’s word—the Bible—as a “strange thing” (Hosea 8:12). The rejection of God and His word has spawned the moral decline, hatred, violence, corruption, and promotion of behaviors like homosexuality and transgenderism that God calls abominations (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:18–32; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10). However, God reveals what He is looking for in those who will be spared the coming judgment: people who obey His commandments and who are humble and teachable and “tremble at [His] word” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13; Isaiah 66:2). Another reason for the coming Fast is to redouble our efforts to develop and show these fruits in our lives.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail