Kitchen Family Suffers Humiliating Setback In Jerusalem

 

Right before the Feast last year the Kitchen brothers headed off to Jerusalem with some other devotees they had gathered over the years. Using the Feast as a gathering point and expecting the imminent return of Christ they assumed they would be ready to present the words of Herbert Armstrong they had so religiously saved on their website. 

THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD is now gathering in Jerusalem to keep the FEASTS of God! Come join us. Stand counted with the Church who backed and supported Christ and His apostle, and has endured much persecution for THEIR LOVE OF THE TRUTH. You are not alone.

WELCOME BRETHREN! ASSEMBLE IN JERUSALEM. LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT THERE IS A PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEIR GOD AND HIS TRUTH!

In the service of Jesus Christ,

Samuel W Kitchen

We have requested all people who support Christ's apostle Mr. Herbert W Armstrong, and who are holding fast to that truth which was faithfully taught and handed to the Church through him by Christ, to come to Jerusalem and to keep the Feasts of the Lord. With world events as they are, this might be the only opportunity to come. Come let us serve God together! Come away from different sects and groups and come together as the Worldwide Church of God we all are called into!

Well, as any of us could have told them, that creature they call Christ was not returning. Those they went over with took off on their own to form their own new split. The Kitchens website had huge issues and a lot of HWA's teachings went down the circling drain.

They are now back at home and are trying to recover from their HUGE mistake as they struggle to reestablish themselves.

Here is what Timothy Kitchen Jr wrote:

December 21, 2022 at 7:18 PM  · 

We have seen it time and again.

One rising to the top and proclaiming himself the leader, proclaiming to do a work, all in the name of "God".

My Father taught my brothers and I, that one does not do that and BE God's chosen instrument in doing HIS, God's, Work.

We examined the various groups that followed the very pattern set by Satan the Devil, in his rebellion against God, and was taught how God operates according to what is written in God's Word, the Bible. This being the only true source of how God works.

The other day I listened to a sermon from the archives that addressed this issue of those leaving the church and starting their own brand with their funny little names etc. And how it mimicked Satan the Devil and His rebellion against God. He used "The Philadelphia Trumpet" as an example along with the many others though the years that rebelled against God and started their own brand name. There are thousands of various different groups each proclaiming to do "God's Work" yet never grasping what God's Work truly is!

We were warned time and again not to follow Satan's way of doing things. But sadly enough, some just don't "get it". Though some of us were taught from childhood in the way we should go, by faithful parents obeying God's commands in raising children.

I admit I, personally, had got off the right track. I prayed that God take me and do what He will after seeing the path I was on. Because I had enough of walking that way.

I made a choice to go overseas with my brother, because I didn't see too much over here. I felt that God moved me to leave, but it was not for the same reasons as some others had.

What happened over there was needed. I needed to see myself and others in how God sees us. Attitudes was made evident. The dross came to the top. Were we Philadelphia in attitude or not. And we as a group were not. It was apparent. It was a wakeup call for me and others.

A sifting was happening. Christ said to Peter that the Devil wanted to sift him like wheat. God's Church is to be sifted. In the book of Job, Job was sifted as well. God allowed it, for a reason. To test what we would choose. God, or our own way of doing things, the latter is exactly what Satan did!

Sadly those close to me chose to branch off and do their own thing. And because I chose to go with them overseas, the website was attacked. The hosting company we were using limited their storage capacity from unlimited to 50GB of storage while we were overseas and the website was deactivated because we exceeded the new limit. Right now I am working on getting it back online, God willing. And have only had doors opened where it was in line with God. God has been spending the last few months getting my life on track, and I have been off track when I put myself under someone else. (This reminds me of the time when Mr. Armstrong unintentionally put his son over the ministry, thus cutting them off from himself.)And when I get back on track with God in my own life, then the website or anything I put my heart to would be in line with God. God had to pull me from the fire so to speak and start over as a master to the steel.

The website is being worked on, and God willing, be back online soon. And this time it will be back in line with God. Satan has attacked God's Work over the years. And by human misguidance has fallen from time to time. I admit where I have stepped off track. And because of my error has opened the website to be shut down for the time being. But with God's help, as the Church in times past has done, get back up and move forward with God's help and power. I pray to do the same here in what time we have left. The time we have left is not for judging others, but to be a family. Yes, to use righteous discrimination concerning doctrine and what is being taught, and what comes into our homes and minds. To Hold fast to what we were given, that which is good in God's sight. To be True Philadelphians. In actions, not just words. To follow God not men.

If we read the words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:14 that Jesus Christ is THE AMEN, which means "The Truth"! Not just anyone's truth, GOD'S TRUTH! The Truth of God is what is being addressed here! The very truth revealed in this End Time, the true God, the Way of God, the Government of God, the faithful and true witness since the beginning of creation, which hasn't changed!(Mal 3:6; Heb 7:24, Heb 13:8)

We individually must apply God's law and Truth in our lives. To learn our history and not deny it, admit where we have got off the track, our error and change and move forward in what we have been given. To be living Truth as Jesus Christ is. Which is what will go on forever. Because Truth is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus Christ is that Truth, and it is from the Father through the Word of God through His Apostle. We are here to learn God's law and way of living, to develop the righteous character to be able to choose the right way forevermore! It starts at home, and this is where I'm starting. And with God's help move forward more boldly than before.

- Timothy Kitchen Jr

LCG: Be like us as we LOVE the law. We may love Jesus too, but not quite as much as the law.

 

The Living Church of God, like most other COG's claims to keep ALL the laws, yet they and the rest of the COG's pick and choose which laws they want to keep and make excuses for the rest of them. Every group has its own special set of laws they follow while not keeping others. They just never seem to grasp the condemnation that comes from law-keeping as they should. Break just one little law and you break them all. It is an impossibility to keep them all. No one and I repeat NO ONE in ANY Church of God has ever kept the law completely. Not even Rod Meredith who said he had never committed a major sin since baptism. To say they have is to prove themselves liars.

Do You Love God’s Law? We live in an age when many professing Christians believe God’s laws are a burden or out of date. Many in our secular world have no knowledge of God’s laws. Few today understand that God gave His laws to the Israelites so they could be lights and examples to the world (Deuteronomy 4:1–10). Yet Bible prophecy reveals the time would come when future Israelites would reject God’s laws and view them as “a strange thing” (Hosea 8:1, 12)—which is where we are today. However, David loved and meditated on God’s laws (Psalm 119:16–18, 97–104, 129), and David will rule over the tribes of Israel in the coming Kingdom and teach them God’s ways (Ezekiel 37:24–25; Hosea 3:5). Many professing Christians and peoples in our secular societies today will be surprised when Jesus Christ and His saints return to teach the world the laws of God (Isaiah 2:2–4). This is the future for those who love God’s law.
Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail

Jon Brisby Claims What You Eat And Wear Is Salvational

When Raymond Cole appointed Jon Brisby as his successor he had no idea the depth of spiritual depravity that Bisby would sink to and force upon the brethren. A lot has been posted on this blog over the years about Brisby's theological heresies. One of the most commented articles on this blog remains active today with over 2,000 comments.

The following was sent to me by someone with connections to the Church of God, the Eternal where they describe the latest nonsense from Bisby that he is forcing upon his shrinking flock.

Jon W. Brisby the pastor of Church of God, the Eternal in a 4 part sermon series entitled Dietary Apostasy, claims that what you eat is salvational. This group left teaching spiritual principles long ago, and now instead chooses to focus on the physical. Making their appearance look perfect. Wearing the correct suit and ties, having proper beard lengths, and making sure what your eating in front of others is a good example for a healthy body to name a few. I'm pretty sure none of this is the criteria that Jesus is going to judge us by, but it is the criteria by which Jon Brisby claims to be the faith once delivered by Herbert W. Armstrong. Not Jesus mind you, that which Jude spoke of, but HWA.

We talk about Bob Thiel, Gerald Flurry, and Dave Pack here a lot with their dangerous theology and teachings, but there are smaller groups out there that are just as bad or worse. 

When you open Church of God, the Eternal's main website the very first thing you are bombarded with is Jon Brisby's book, A Peculiar Treasure. This is Bisby's version of Mystery of the Ages where he attempts to price he is holding fast to HWA's teachings and doctrines, which he is not. It is amazing how so many of these small COG leaders have to use HWA to prop up their ministries. Without HWA none of them would even exist.

CGI: The Death of CGI’s Bronson James

 

The Death of CGI’s Bronson James

Late last week, the Church of God International announced the death of longtime Pastor, Bronson James. In their In Memory of Bronson T. James, they noted that “Bronson, 76, was a long-time servant of God's people. He was one of the pioneers of the Church of God International ministry. He pastored churches, served for decades on the CGI's Ministerial Council and Board of Directors, and was instrumental in the creation and production of the Armor of God television program. He was hired by the CGI in 1988 to manage the Letter Answering Department, and he continued working at the home office, taking on various other responsibilities, until he moved to Detroit, MI, in circa 2002.”

After leaving the Worldwide Church of God, I had the opportunity to meet Pastor James and listen to him speak and sing in 1986. I was immediately impressed with both his sincerity, warmth, independent spirit, and oratorical abilities. Over the years that followed, I became aware of the fact that Bronson was adamantly opposed to the preaching of Anglo-Israelism, and that he had made his opposition to that doctrine very plain to both my father and Bill Watson. Moreover, as one of the few African American ministers in the church at that time, his open opposition to the teaching of Anglo-Israelism was a source of some difficulty and embarrassment for many of the White Anglo-Saxon ministers within CGI. To his credit, Bronson continued to extend the hand of fellowship to his deceived brethren in the ministry, but he steadfastly refused to preach it to his own congregation or endorse it when others chose to preach it to their congregations.

In September of last year, I wrote privately to Bronson expressing my own strong distaste for the teaching of Anglo-Israelism. I said: “I am of the opinion that this belief has been completely discredited by science, history, linguistics, and Scripture. Moreover, I believe that the underlying premise of the teaching has proven to be racist, and that its disqualification necessarily renders any prophetic interpretation which depends on it to be invalid.” And, although we both understood that correspondence to be confidential at the time, I don’t feel the same need to protect that communication that I felt while he was still living. Indeed, I think that it is more important to make very clear that Pastor James did NOT support the teaching of this pernicious doctrine!

It didn’t take Bronson very long to respond to me. He wrote: “Thanks for reaching out to me! To keep my response short and to the point: I'm in agreement with your correct perspective on the issues you presented. I have confronted Bill on his point of view going back 20 years or more. British/Israelism is totally un-Biblical. I don't teach it or allow it taught in the Detroit congregation. I try to respond to a growing number of Believers in the Body of Christ who see the error of that teaching. I eventually see a split materializing in this matter. But those who hold fast to the Truth of the Bible will not be drawn into this untruth. Thank you for expressing your difference even with your own father on this matter. Be strong in the Truth you know!”

Pastor Bronson James was a voice of sanity and reason within CGI, and he will be sorely missed. Nevertheless, I believe it does a disservice to the man and his memory to gloss over or dismiss his determined opposition to the messaging associated with the teaching of Anglo-Israelism. The TRUTH is that Pastor Bronson James believed that British-Israelism was “totally unbiblical” and should NOT be taught from the pulpit!

--Lonnie Hendrix

 

 

LCG Armoring Up Against The Devil

 

If only the Living Church of God talked about Jesus as much as they talk about Satan, the devil, and demons then they would not be in constant fear of evil controlling their lives or influencing them. LCG and many COG members believe they are in a constant spiritual battle to not have their minds taken over by demonic forces.

On Wednesday, Mr. Wallace Smith recorded a telecast entitled “Armor Up Against the Devil,” offering the DVD “The Occult and the Spirit World.” He discusses the spiritual war for our minds and a call to repentance and the encouraging news that Christ will help us to fight against Satan in this battle. Mr. Peter Nathan reports that the U.K. postal strike is impacting the response to the semi-annual offer of the new Germany in Prophecy booklet. We are presently receiving only one-quarter of the expected responses. The strike is also impacting income, although the majority of U.K. income comes online. The Mail Processing Department here in Charlotte mailed out more than 1.6 million pieces last year. I’ll save some exciting news from the Work in the Spanish language for this week’s video update. Teen Camp Texas registration is now open, so be sure to apply early.—Gerald Weston

Christians for millennia have always understood these basic points about Satan and demonic forces which the COG fails to understand.

They unwittingly serve God’s purposes (Judg. 9:23).
They were terrified of Christ and the gospel (Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24; James 2:19).
They obeyed Christ (Matt. 8:32).
They obeyed the Twelve (Matt. 10:1–8) and the Seventy-Two (Luke 10:17–20).
They cannot separate believers in Christ from the love of God (Rom. 8:38).
They can be restrained by the Holy Spirit (2 Thess. 2:6; 1 John 4:4).
They have been judged already by God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) and will be again in the future (Rev. 20:10).