Is the CGI Jamaica Showing the COG's How To Really Do Church?

Ian Boyne, from the Church of God, International based in Jamaica, has sent in the following story about his Jamaica congregation.

We have reported on many instances how many COG congregations are losing members.  Ian wants to demonstrate that this is not always true for some COG congregations.  He has stated in the past that he is preaching "Reformed Armstrongism," an improved way of doing church without all of the negative aspects that weigh down most all the various splinter groups today.

While many of us may feel that the best reform Armstrongism could have is to be totally disbanded, there are some who see otherwise.  If the legalism, abuse, and control of members lives are eliminated and true spiritual growth can be had that allows doubt and questions to have a place in members lives, then perhaps there is a chance for something good to develop.  If that is the case then it needs to totally sever ties to Armstrongism by acknowledging the past with all of the mistakes and pledging to never allow it to happen again.  Good fruit only comes from good trees.

317 ATTEND CAMPAIGN IN KINGSTON CGI CONGREGATION

BY IAN BOYNE

“Should You Keep the Sabbath?”  was  the campaign topic which brought out 114 visitors last weekend, in the Kingston  Church of God, International congregation, making it a total   attendance of 317.   I spoke for two hours(sure to draw comments here!)  with everyone sitting in rapt attention and  afterward I answered questions for another hour. 

We are certainly bucking the trend reported here of low  attendance figures at COG  campaigns. 

We went Facebook live with the campaign, pulling in initially over 2,000 views.   Much  interest had been generated in the campaign following the dramatic resignation of a former  high-ranking Seventh-Day Adventist  scholar , and professor ,Dr. Clinton Baldwin, who was  trained at the SDA’s leading seminary, Andrews University  in  Berrien Springs,  Michigan . He had announced his resignation on my popular television show Religious Hardtalk, which features controversial religious topics. 

Baldwin, an Adventist for over 50 years who pastored 33 churches,  had challenged Adventists on the issue of the Sabbath and stirred quite a controversy in the SDA church, which is Jamaica’s largest  denomination.  We  used the opportunity of this interest to arrange a campaign which drew out  many prominent Adventists,  including ministers and elders who wanted answers to counter Baldwin. It was also an opportunity to present the holydays to this audience,  as this Sabbath (June 3)  there will be a follow-up presentation on “Why you Should Keep the Holydays”. 

On Monday night I  had  a follow-up to the Sabbath presentation going into Col 2: 16, Galatians, (particularly Galatians 4), Romans 14 as well as arguments about the Resurrection appearances of Jesus and  the first day  in  Scripture. I quoted from a number of scholars, all non-Sabbatarians,  to  to question traditional anti-Sabbatarian exegesis.   

Last  Sabbath I dealt with  the main lines of arguments against Sabbath-keeping, providing a detailed reply to them and making a  strong  case that the use  of Sabbatismos in Hebrews 4 argues convincingly for the continuity and restatement  of the seventh-day Sabbath. Many commented to me that they were very impressed with the quality of the argumentation. 

On Pentecost we will also have another campaign and  will host an entire congregation of Church of God 7^th Day believers  for them to  hear  the case for why this is not  the only day of salvation and  how the feast days  picture  God’s plan of opening up salvation to all. CGI Jamaica  is excited about  its  evangelism  thrust    and  the bretheren are on fire  to share  the true  Gospel.  

Bob Thiel weighs in on the death of Batman

Adam West has died.  West was the  Batman that most of us grew up with...unless you had some asswipe of a minister that said it was dancing with demons to watch his show.

Almost-arrested Elisha, Elijah, Joshua, Famous Amos, Habakkuk, Second witless witness, future martyr, and the most disappointing "son" Rod Meredith could have ever had, wants to assure every one of us and all of the deceived people of the world that Adam West will have a place in Thiel's kingdom.

Elijah Theil relates a story where he and his wife saw Adam West speak years ago and then goes on to wonder if West was a Christian.

While I rarely post about the death of American celebrities, since it has been a long time since I did so, I thought I would today.

As far as Adam West goes, I do remember him when I was very young playing Batman on television. A couple of years ago, essentially by accident, my wife and I saw him live at an event in San Luis Obispo we were attending. He spent time discussing his life and his career. He also discussed that he played the Batman character the way he did because Batman was simply a comic-strip character and he felt he portrayed that angle in his acting. I do not recall him mentioning anything about religion, but do remember him wanting to have a ‘star’ on the Hollywood walk of fame. At the time he did not have one. As it turned out, he later got one, and by chance my wife and I saw it when we stopped in Hollywood on our way back from a trip to San Diego a few months ago. 

As I mentioned, Adam West did not discuss religion when we saw him. Perhaps he had some type of Christian faith, perhaps not. 

If not, is he and the others like him  doomed? 

No. 

He then jumps to one of the most idiotic comments he could make about West.  Thiel speculates that West may or may have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit.  Who in their right mind thinks of that kind of stuff when they hear someone has died. Only a self-righteous Church of God hypocrite, apparently.

Jesus taught:

31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:31-32).

It is reasonable to conclude that Adam West (and most others who have already died) did not commit true blasphemy against the Spirit, so can be forgiven.

The only people I have ever seen "blaspheme the spirit" have been self-appointed Church of God leaders who lie and claim that God has personally set them apart to be his right-hand man.  These men claim that through dreams, visions, and nightmares, that their god speaks to them by the power of the Holy Spirit.  I can state for a fact that no "Holy Spirit" has ever spoken to these men or guided them.  When they lie like this, then who really is the one blaspheming the Spirit?  It certainly is not Adam West!

He then ends his Thiel spiel with this:

My prayers go out to his family. 

Initially, I was not going to cover Adam West’s death at this page, but then decided that some might be interested in understanding how we in the Continuing Church of God view the fate of for those that died and are not part of the true Church of God.

The greatest blessing Adam West has to his credit is to have never been a part of the Church of God or to have ever heard of Bob Thiel and his personality cult.

What Does Bob Thiel and Timothy Kitchen Have In Common?

It is always fascinating reading the shear nonsense that various cult leaders and members post on their Facebook pages and websites.  The COG has always had an inner cabal of members who thought they had the inside track to secret knowledge.  That secret knowledge led to some crazy people over the decades saying and doing a lot of weird things. These weirdos also attracted equally weird followers, just as they still do today.

We have Bob Thiel, who after a couple of nightmares brought on by some bad Mexican food, declared that God spoke to him in those nightmares.  God apparently had run out of men to run yet another COG so he had to resort to Bob Thiel to be his end time man. After stabbing his "daddy" Rod Meredith in the back, Thiel declared he was a prophet and Chief Overseer of the best Church of God in this end times.

Then there is the Kitchen clan who have elevated Herbert Armstrong and his writings right up there beside Jesus and the Bible.  No man in human history has ever been used more mightily than Herb Armstrong.  No book in the history of civilization has ever been written that is as powerful as The Mystery of the Ages.  It sits right next to the Bible in its importance.  No human writings are worth preserving more than Herb's.

So what do these guys all have in common?  They both believe that The Nevada County Scooper is a legitimate source of news and truth.  Almost-arrested Bob Thiel got all giddy with excitement last week when he reported how the Bilderberg's were meetings in Sierra City, CA so that they could visit the grave of Adolph Hitler, who was reported to be buried nearby.   Days went by as he was mocked by scores of people for falling for such stupidity.

Now we can add Timothy Kitchen Jr. to the Nevada Scooper fan club! Tim Kitchen Jr. is reporting that President Trump has finally put an end to the jets flying over the country and leaving those evil chemtrails.

Kitchen writes that Trump is ending the chemtrail spraying and that they will now turn off all the"smart meters so we can bake from the sun."   Kitchen even invokes the Bible to support this belief.

Both of these numbnuts apparently do not have the common sense to understand that the Nevada County Scooper is a satire site.  Satire, boys...satire.

We Didn't Start the Fire

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/06/04/the-christians-making-atheists/

Growing-up in the Church, I was taught that the worst thing one could be was a non-believer; that nothing was as tragic as a doomed soul that condemned itself by rejecting God. The religion of my childhood drew a sharp, clear line between the saved and the damned. All that mattered was making sure someone found themselves on the better side of this line—and the Atheists and Humanists didn’t have a shot.

In light of this supposed truth, the heart of the faith (I was told), was to live in a way that reflected the character and love of Jesus so vividly, so beautifully, that others were compelled to follow after him; that a Christian’s living testimony might be the catalyst for someone’s conversion. The Bible called it “making disciples” and it was the heart of our tradition. As the venerable hymn declared, we Jesus people were to be known—by our love.

What a difference a couple of decades make.

Just ask around. People outside the Church will tell you: love is no longer our calling card. It is now condemnation, bigotry, judgment and hypocrisy. In fact, the Christianity prevalent in so much of America right now isn’t just failing to draw others to Christ, it is actively repelling them from him. By operating in a way that is in full opposition to the life and ministry of Jesus—it is understandably producing people fully opposed to the faith that bears his name.

In record numbers, the American Church is consistently and surely making Atheists—or at the very least it is making former Christians; people who no longer consider organized religion an option because the Jesus they recognize is absent. With its sky-is-falling hand-wringing, its political bed-making, and its constant venom toward diversity, it is giving people no alternative but to conclude, that based on the evidence of people professing to be Godly—that God is of little use. In fact, this God may be toxic.

And that’s the irony of it all; that the very Evangelicals who’ve spent that last 50 years in this country demonizing those who reject Jesus—are the single most compelling reason for them to do so. They are giving people who suspect that all Christians are self-righteous, hateful hypocrites, all the evidence they need. The Church is confirming the outside world’s most dire suspicions about itself.

These people aren’t stupid. They realize that bigotry, even when it is wrapped in religion or justified by the Bible spoken from a pulpit is still bigotry. They can smell the putrid stench of phony religion from a mile away—and this version of the Church, frankly reeks of it. People are steering clear in droves, choosing to find meaning and community and something that resembles love outside its gatherings.

With every persecution of the LGBTQ community, with every unprovoked attack on Muslims, with every planet-wrecking decision, with every regressive civil rights move—the flight from Christianity continues. Meanwhile the celebrity preachers and professional Christians publicly beat their breasts about the multitudes walking away from God, oblivious to the fact that they are the impetus for the exodus.

And one day soon, these same religious folks will look around, lamenting the empty buildings and the irrelevance of the Church and a world that has no use for it, and they’ll wonder how this happened. They’ll blame a corrupt culture, or the liberal media, or a rejection of Biblical values, or the devil himself—but it will be none of those things.

No, the reason the Church soon will be teetering on the verge of extinction and irrelevance, will be because those entrusted to perpetuate the love of Jesus in the world, lost the plot so horribly, and gave the world no other option but to look elsewhere for goodness and purpose and truth.

Soon these Christians will ask why humanity has rejected Jesus and we will remind them of these days, and assure them that they have not rejected Jesus at all—they just found no evidence of him in the Church.

The Passivity of Church of God Members

Does this not sound like a typical Church of God member?  We all did this at one point in time.

The problem with many Christians in our day is their attitude toward the Bible.  They will read their Bible, not expecting to be taught of God from it, but will get their teaching from their pastors, preachers, and commentaries, and then go to the Bible only expecting to find proof for what they have already been taught!  (The sad part is that many of these religious cult leaders will actually put their stamp of approval on such passivity).  

The problem begins when one comes across a passage of scripture which would seem to contradict what they have been taught.  How many of us at times such as these reach for our commentaries or run back to our “pastors” or “elders” and ask them to explain the verse to us rather than calling out to God for help and wisdom.  What do you think your “pastor” will tell you?  

You already know what answer they will give.  That’s why you run to them! 

This is NOT how it should be.  Each Christian has a command from God to "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. 

Every Christian needs to ask themselves if they know for sure why they believe what they profess to believe, and to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3:15

The fact that so many in our day accept a teaching or practice just because it comes from my church or “my pastor” is very troubling in light of the apostle Paul's words: 

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.  

Acts 20:29-31

The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. 1 timothy 4:1

The apostle Peter warns of the same: 

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." 2 Peter 2:1-2 

How many times has the Lord Himself warned over and again of false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing.

They all knew that apostasy would creep into the church very shortly after their departure.  Even a rudimentary study of church history will show that this is exactly what took place.  Christianity absorbed more and more from its surrounding cultures and religions until the pure stream of Truth was thoroughly polluted.  

What is most troubling about this is the average Christian’s reluctance and ambivalence in asking questions about the issues of some of their teachings and practices.  This satanic brainwashing and buffoonery has deceived, and IS deceiving millions of unknowing, often unthinking people into actually believing that:

- Obeying your Pastor is the same as obeying God!

- That “going to Church” is the highest form of worship and is commanded by God!

- That all of your spiritual leaders are clothed with divine authority!

- And that when it comes to a marital issue, a wife is to listen to and follow her Pastor’s counsel, rather than her own husband!

Indeed, the wolves have been placed in charge of the hen house, and are doing their best to keep the hens ignorant of the slaughter of Truth that is going on.   

BRAINWASHING: How church leaders prevail in their deception

In the Church of God, it is cool to be passive.  Let Bob Thiel, James Malm, Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Vic Kubik and Jim Franks think for you.  It is so much easier.  No decisions have to be made. No wallowing in the areas of doubt and questions.  No contemplating the gray areas of life.

Gerald Weston: Rod Meredith was the ONLY man brave enough for God to use

Gerald Weston has a post up on the LCG site where he states that Rod Meredith was the only man in the Church of God who was zealous enough to start a church and lead it.  None of the other men out there with their own personality cults have God's blessing.  Weston claims that Meredith was the ONLY ONE who had the balls when the church was changing doctrine that had the guts to step out and preserve the truth once delivered. No other human leader today qualifies or has ever accomplished as much as Rod Meredith.

Dr. Meredith’s funeral last Sunday gave a fitting tribute to a man to whom we all owe a great deal. It is so easy to take many events in life for granted, but we should never forget the contribution Dr. Meredith gave for each of us. It is true that if he had not stepped up to the plate at critical times over the last 25 years, that God would have worked through someone else to preserve His Work, but the fact is that Dr. Meredith was the one brave, bold, tenacious, and zealous enough for God to use in a special way. Guests for the funeral came from Australia and Belgium, as well as from all over the United States and Canada. There were visitors from various Church of God groups and some former Ambassador College students. A large high school auditorium was booked for the occasion and it turned out to be the perfect size, with most seats filled. A copy of the funeral is being produced for the Internet and in DVD format for member viewing. Last weekend was also a special singles activity in Charlotte. Over 60 singles from North America came for an annual event known as the BRiC weekend (Building Relationships in Christ). All reports indicate it was a huge success. Please pray that God will bless His Work and His people as we gather to worship Him in the coming Day of Pentecost. We certainly need His blessing and the guidance of His Holy Spirit at this time.

–Gerald Weston

That statement must be causing Bob Thiel butt-hurt!  Imagine that out of all the hundreds of splinter group leaders out there God only used Rod Meredith.  Rod was the ONE and ONLY brave soul out there to follow God. Ouch!

SaveSave

Is UCG Ready For Prophesying Youth and Speaking In Tongues?

Vic Kubik gave a Pentecost sermon this past Sunday where he talked about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church.

On Pentecost, I gave the sermon and I look to a time that is described in the second chapter of the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit was powerfully poured out on the Church and that power was the game changer as the Church suddenly grew from 120 to 3000 and then by another 2000 shortly afterward. This great outpouring was promised to the “Last Days” yet to come. What happened at Pentecost in 31 A.D. was only a type of what will yet happen.

Can you really imagine this happening in the United Church of God?  They cannot even remain united as a church or a conglomeration of Churches of God.  If they cannot do that then how do they expect the Holy Spirit to descend upon them and do a work?

2 1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
    Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
    Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

12 Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

13 Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.” 

Acts 2 continues on with this:

Peter Speaks Up

14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

“In the Last Days,” God says,
“I will pour out my Spirit
    on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
    also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
    your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
    I’ll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
    and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
    and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
    the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
    the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help

    to me, God, will be saved.” 

Can you imagine any Church of God where young men and women stand up and say they had a vision and have the church respectfully listen to them?  The upper echelon guard will immediately kick them out for causing division.  How can some lowly young boy or girl receive a vision when God only speaks through the ministry?

Given the horrendous track record of failed prophecies by Church of God leaders over the generations, perhaps we need some new blood prophesying.  They certainly could do better than our current gaggle of lying false prophets. That would certainly take the wind out of the sails of the windbags like Thiel, Pack, and Malm.

41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

43-45 Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

46-47 They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Is any COG ever going to see thousands of new members joining their ranks? Absolutely not!  When not a single one of them follow they man they claim to follow, how can they be baptizing people into his name?

Can you imagine all of the COG's sitting down for a common meal and fellowship and following Jesus?  Absolutely not!  The Churches of God will not even attempt to live in harmony, and this includes UCG and COGWA.

Does the world look at the Church of God and like what they see?  If their own members cannot like what they see in their own churches, then why in the world would the rest of humanity find something delightful in a Church of God?  UCG. COGWA, PCG, LCG, RCG and the improperly named "continuing" Church of God do not have anything delightful to share.

The Journal: News of the Churches of God Issue 195 Is Now Online

Issue 195

The latest issue of The Journal: News of the Churches of God is now online.

This issue continues to reminisce about the "glory days" of the church/college when everything was superfantabulous and everyone lived and loved in harmony, though the wall was starting to fall down at this point.  It starts off with an article that talks about the 1997 Graduation of the Ambassador University in Big Sandy, Texas, the last graduation the college would ever see.

There is an article discussing Rod Meredith and his "influence" upon the Church of God.  Of all "evangelists" the church has ever had, Meredith has left a trail of destruction, tears, and death in his wake.  It is disconcerting to many to see this man held up on a lofty pedestal as what a "true Christian" looks like.

There is also an article discussing Meredith's "Last Straw's" that caused him to apostatize and leave the WCG and start his own church--two of them in fact.  Meredith is portrayed as being justified, as usual, in forming his own personality cults.

There are several other tributes to Meredith by other people, including a whitewash story by Larry Salyer concerning the start of Global Church of God and how he and Meredith justified their actions.

Then there is this from Geoffery Neilson, God's OFFICIAL South African Prophet:

Remembering Dr. Meredith
Here is a poem in memory of Roderick C. Meredith (21 June 1930–18 May 2017): 

As in the days of David, Israel’s King, 

Who was greatly aided by Mighty Men 

When attacked by arrows and slings 

Springing from enemies the devil sent. 

So in this age men mighty in God’s Word 

Worldwide have used that sharp Sword. 

Taught what they from God’s Apostle heard: 

The end-time descendant of David, sent by the Lord. 

Of those men mighty in Bible truth, 

Roderick C. Meredith was notable, 

Irrevocable in zeal from his youth. 

His length of service unapproachable. 

The Golden Gloves champ stayed in the ring 

Until his fight against God’s adversary was won. 

Surely that’s what the angels in heaven sing. 

May we likewise hold fast, over-come, 

Reach the promised immortal rung 

And live forever with God and His
Eternal Son. 

Geoffrey R. Neilson First full-time employee in the Radio Church of God office 18 April 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa 

So there you have it!  The official proof that Mr. Golden Gloves fought the good fight and defeated the adversary.  Woo Hoo!

There is the usual nonsense from Alton Billingsley. This time it is the death of America. Apparently, the only cure America has is to read Mystery of the Ages.  I am sure Gerald Flurry will appreciate that.  This will give  him the opportunity to mail out his edited version to gullible people that proves he is an end time prophet (HWA said in the MOA that there were no prophets alive in these "last" days.)  Oops, How could HWA have been SOOOOOOOOO wrong????

There is an ad by Ray Daly on why COG members should not be tithing to support ministers and that the ministers and church leaders should be getting their hands dirty by working in a real job.  Can you imagine delicate Thiel getting his hands dirty?

Of course, today’s ministers would say that they are not of the Pharisee pattern. If they’re right, then from whence do they come up with their having the right to receive a tithe from their assemblies?

They do not get it from Paul. Yet he was the “leading minister” in the pathway established by Jesus Christ. Paul clearly tells those elders who today’s ministers claim were the ministers of the true church that they, like the Pharisees, “ought to work with your own hands.” 

In other words, unless independently wealthy, they were to get their hands dirty. In reality, they were told to not expect the assemblies to support them. 

The Journal would prefer that readers subscribe to the print edition:

To subscribe, simply send a check or money order. Contact THE JOURNAL for subscriptions and renewals at P.O. Box 1020, Big Sandy, Texas 75755, U.S.A. See more subscriber options including prices on page 2. See also THE JOURNAL’s Web site, www.thejournal.org. Thanks for reading THE JOURNAL! 

Proclamations from Religious Authority Do Not Change the Facts

How Dendrochronolgy Disproves Noah's Flood

How Meteorology  Disproves Noah's Flood

                                        

How Zoology Disproves Noah's Flood

How Paleontology Disproves Noah's Flood