Speaking Truth

ht: Dennis

Are You " Lukewarm, Wishywashy" Tired and Listless?

If you are you need a healthy dose of Elijah Message

The Apostle is on a tear this morning about the Elijah work and sinful, filthy, pagan embracing, commandment breaking, do-gooders in the Church of God.  I think he is a little ticked that no one is paying any attention to him.  He certainly is NOT an apostle nor is he here with any Elijah message.

Elijah did not preach some watered down message about a coming Christ or kingdom! NO indeed: he preached repentance and a turning back to the Holy One of Israel!  He did this with POWER and AUTHORITY ; the AUTHORITY of God’s commandments!

 Any man who comes up with a prophetic interpretation and then uses the teachings of the pagans to support that position IS a false prophet! (Three guesses on who this is aimed at: Bob Thiel!) Any man who teaches to tolerate and overlook sin IS a false prophet and will be destroyed by Christ if he does not repent.

Elijah was a true man of God, because he was passionately zealous for his God! He was not a fearing to offend wishy washy spiritual wimp, nor was he preaching a tertiary gospel about a coming kingdom:  He preached REPENTANCE and OBEDENCE to ALL of God’s commandments!
The primary commission of God’s people is tp teach all men to keep ALL of God’s commandments (If Malm is setting himself up to be some kind of Elijah he is mistaken and a liar!)

Or are we  lukewarm wishy-washy and  careless about God’s commandments.  Do we boldly declare what sin is and boldly preach repentance from sin?  Or do we present self help messages and speak of a coming kingdom that will solve all our problems, without any real reference to the need to keep ALL of God’s commandments?

Do we even keep God’s commandments ourselves with any degree of zeal?  We walk all over God’s Holy Sabbath day and His Holy Days and we exalt the traditions of men; above the word of God.

Those who are NOT as passionate as Elijah was, could never do an Elijah work!  If we are not filled with that same spirit of passionate love for God and his Law  it would be impossible to do a similar work!

If Elijah were to appear today: He would be rejected and called: Extremeist; Self-righteous; Pharisaical, Over Righteous;  and the COG Groups would demand of him:  Just who do you think you are to criticise God’s church and people as being less tan spiritually perfect?  If he were to try to turn them to the Eternal they would just declare: We are spiritually rich and have need of nothing,  you are crazy to disagree with us!

Van Robison on "Why Are So Many People Religiously Seduced?"

Why Are So Many People Religiously Seduced?

When I was 18-years old and in the Air Force, I heard the "World Tomorrow" broadcast on radio for the first time (about 1961).  The voice on that program was either Herbert W. Armstrong or Garner Ted.  They offered "FREE" literature, booklets and a "Bible Correspondence Course."  I was intrigued that I could get this material for "free."  I was captivated by what I heard on this radio program and so I sent for various "free" booklets and the Bible Correspondence Course.  Little did I know at the time, that what I was hearing and reading was the "mind-set" of Herbert W. Armstrong and those who influenced him.  I was young, gullible and naive and thought I was learning "Biblical truth."  I read the material and devoured it with zeal.  I was indoctrinated and programmed to believe a great deal of false doctrines and teachings, based upon Herbert W. Armstrong.

After my honorable discharge from the Air Force, I made a beeline for Pasadena and within a few months became an employee.  Twelve years later, my wife and I and two children took an exit from this cult, and found great relief of mind to no longer be associated with a religious organization that controlled the lives of so many gullible and naive people and families.  Many years later and thinking about it, I still wonder what it is that causes people to be seduced by man-made religions (?).  Perhaps it is partly that people need social contacts, need something that is missing in their lives and find comfort in just being a part of something.

Another strange aspect is that there is something in many people, that seems to find comfort in being told what to think and what to do with their lives.  Maybe it is the lack of having parents in their lives, as I did.  My dad and mom divorced when my two sisters and I were very young children and we lived with our loving Dad and then he passed away early in life at about 32-years of age.  We were lost sheep in the world.  Perhaps it is that reason that I found comfort in the Worldwide Church of God and one of my sisters found "truth" in the Mormon Church.

Sometimes perhaps we are driven by reasons we simply don't understand, at least at the time we become involved in cults.  Perhaps the need is fellowship with other people.  Whatever the reason, the odd and strange thing is that in time many will exit these church groups and yet others will stay within for life.  The same is true of so called "main-stream" churches.  One can find on the Internet websites by ex-church goers of almost any group, including not only the Worldwide Church of God and its many clones, but also ex-Roman Catholics, ex-Mormons, ex-Jehovah Witnesses, ex-Church of Christ, ex-Seventh Day Adventists, ex-Gospel Assembly, ex-Pentecostal, ex-Charismatic, ex-Baptist or name your religious flavor or fill in the blanks.

What drives many to exit while many others never do?  There are many ex-Christians who have turned to atheism.  There are some former atheists who are now Christians.  Indeed life is strange!  Many are convinced God does not exist, while many others are totally convinced He does.  Why is that?  Some are Deists, meaning that they believe in God based upon observation in the world and universe, but not in revealed knowledge, such as "the Bible." And then of course there are religious beliefs outside of the realm of so called "Christianity" (which I call man-made Churchianity).

The religiously indoctrinated mind is in my opinion a closed mind, meaning that this person can only think and "reason" within the parameters or walls of their particular programming, and cannot entertain alternatives.  I have found that so called Bible apologists are in this category and it would seem apparent that their house of cards comes tumbling down, unless they believe that "the Bible is infallible and inerrant."  Their faith in Jesus Christ is based upon "Bible infallibility."

Perhaps one of the strangest things to contemplate is why so many people are like sheep that bah bah bah to religious leaders, thinking that these people represent God Almighty/Jesus Christ for no other reason than that they stand in pulpits and spew and spout forth their personal  opinions on what "truth" is.  Is it because humans are taught from birth to "obey" and to NOT THINK?  It is the same with the world of politicians, politics and human governments, and none of them have the answers to human issues, human problems or represent God on earth, even though they may proclaim that they do.

I would suggest that one of the greatest weaknesses in human beings is to follow men or women who speak in public and vocalize that what they teach is what "truth" is.  Millions fall prey to those who stand in pulpits.  Millions fall prey to those who speak from political platforms.  However, if indeed Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then no one else is.  Does anyone grasp this?  For those who think the "apostle" Paul was God in the flesh, and infallible and inerrant, does it seem strange that in the four Gospels, Jesus NEVER mentioned the name of a man named "Paul?"

It is a great human failing to follow men who themselves will wind up kissing the grave and all the financial sacrifice to support these clowns, will wind up blowing in the wind.


Van Robison

Lou Maschio: Going "Knockers for the 'Vigilant' Church of God"

I received a letter today from a reader giving me some information about Lou Maschio, the guy that runs the Christ's Knock web site and  the originator of the Vigilant Church of God.  One would get the impression by reading the Christ is Knocking web site that the Vigilant Church of God is a powerful ministry run by thousands of members doing a mighty work.

It looks like the VCG is not as big and important as they let on.  Is it just another living room church that seeks to con members out of money?  Is it another out of work COG man who is eking out a living by living off of gullible church members money?  Armstrongism has a long history of men doing this.

There is not a lot of information about Lou Maschio online and weeding through his incredibly BORING films and articles is  mind numbingly dull.

Like so much in Armstrongism, first appearances are deceiving.  Read on:

Thought you might be interested in a small fish in a small pond already mentioned in one of your blogs early last year.

Lou Maschio formed his Vigilant Church of God to Seize the Hour and Knock for Christ as Christ's spokesperson. He is another one that believes Jesus Christ directly communicates and inspires only him.

He joined the RCG in 2002 where he was ordained a church elder in short order. While in RCG, he was the proverbial pompous, brown nose type (you know, sitting in the front row, raising his hand every opportunity, laughing at poor jokes, kissing butt repeatedly, etc).

When Lou came into RCG, he was unordained with a very brief history in the greater Church of God. Although he somehow claims differently at times (when advantaged to do so) to have roots in the WCG, he was never a member; and in fact did not become a member of any organization until 1998, when he went into the PCG. It was there he was baptised. It took about two years for their autocratic leadership to begin to direct Lou, at which time he left to go off on his own.

He began to distribute some of his own sophomoric material to the general public in the Chicago area, although he was loosely associated with Don Roth and his group for a couple of years until joining RCG.


Now that would not be a problem, were it not for his current agenda.

He has acquired a small following claiming to be knocking, and asking scattered COG members to "rise". Anyone that was with PCG in the early 1990's would hopefully see that this "knock" ideology was preached by Flurry long before Lou reused it with a twist. He has also somehow managed to translate some of his propaganda into spanish,as well, with uneducated, Latin America the obvious target. It is clearly a stategy to decieve some of the most simple.

The Seize the Hour videocast is an irritating, amateurish flurry of over-dramatised speaking theatrics, complete with exaggerated head bobbing, including an introduction that reminds older men of old Italian WWII recruitment films.

A late development concerns his name. Previously Lou Maschio, but now "Frank" Maschio. The website has changed all bylines to "L Frank Maschio". This should afford him more opportunity to rewrite his own past, as Lou Maschio will not be as searchable.

I don't think there's any other modern  instance in the churches of God of someone claiming to be THE minister for Christ that has had such timidity, and been as pigeonhearted so as to use a fake name in order to keep his personal life inconspicuous.

You can see from his history that he seems to be one that has never taken direction, but certainly wants to give it.