Did you know that
Jesus Christ was an apostle just like HWA was? Did you know that
Jesus Christ can change HWA's teachings to suit new revelation? Did you know that
Jesus Christ is using Rod Meridith's mouth and pen to add new doctrine to the church? Apparently though,
Jesus Christ made a few mistakes in what he revealed to HWA over the years and now has to correct those mistakes. That's ok, he's an apostle just like HWA!
Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, as an apostle, never had more authority to put
doctrine into the Church, using men like Mr. Meredith to write articles
to explain doctrine, than Christ, as an apostle, has today. As Mr.
Armstrong had authority to put doctrine into the Church and have Mr.
Meredith explain that doctrine in sermons and articles, so Christ today
has authority to put doctrine into the Church and have Mr. Meredith (or
any man God may choose) explain it in sermons and articles, because
Christ is every bit as much an apostle as Mr. Armstrong was, even more.
As Mr. Armstrong, as apostle, had the authority to correct his own
mistakes in doctrine or change his own judgments, so Jesus Christ today,
as the chief apostle, has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's
doctrines or change his judgments. And just as Mr. Armstrong was able to
teach new doctrines or judgments to the Church through evangelists, so
Christ is able to teach new doctrines or judgments to the Church through
the evangelists who lead organizations and Church of God fellowships.
An apostle can correct an apostle's doctrines. We know an apostle can
correct an apostle's doctrine because Mr. Armstrong (an apostle)
corrected Mr. Armstrong (an apostle). He corrected and changed his own
doctrines, on Pentecost being a Sunday or Monday, on divorce and
remarriage, and other things. If he can correct his own doctrines, then
another apostle, an apostle living today, can correct Mr. Armstrong's
doctrines.
Jesus Christ is our living apostle today, as always. Jesus Christ has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrines.
How does Christ communicate such correction in doctrine to the Church?
There is one difference between Mr. Armstrong's apostleship and Christ's
apostleship as far as the way they communicate. Mr. Armstrong spoke
(and wrote) to the Church verbally. We could hear his voice when he
spoke to the Church in person or on recorded audio or video tape.
Jesus Christ does not communicate to the Church in words we can hear
with the ear directly from Christ's mouth. But Christ communicates to
the Church, in writing, through the Bible. He also communicates with us,
as Mr. Armstrong did with the Church, through evangelists and pastors.
Mr. Armstrong, for example, taught evangelists and pastors at Ambassador
College so they would have the true doctrines to communicate to the
Church. Likewise, Christ is able to teach evangelists and pastors today
to give true doctrine to the Church. How? The same way He communicates
with the membership, through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit which
helps us understand the Bible.
So if Mr. Armstrong was wrong about a doctrine, Christ, as an apostle,
has the authority to correct Mr. Armstrong's doctrine by communicating
that correction to evangelists in the Church today by inspiring those
evangelists to understand the Bible where the Bible shows that Mr.
Armstrong was wrong.
In addition to Rod Meredith being able to change doctrine, David Hulme can do it too. David Hulme??????????????????? ROTFLMAO! That's about as silly as saying a non-ordained self-appointed prophet can change doctrine or bring forth new doctrine.
Church of God members don't need to worry about who is an apostle. It's up to Jesus Christ to find the apostle and use him....women need not apply though.
Think about this: If the authority for a servant of God on earth to put
new doctrine into the Church depended on that servant holding the title
of "apostle", wouldn't God put more exact criteria in the Bible for
defining an "apostle"? But the Bible doesn't give an exact definition of
the term. We see from examples in the Bible who is called an apostle
and who is not called an apostle (Luke 6:12-13, Acts 14:14), but we do
not see an exact definition we can apply today to know if a Church
leader is an apostle in God's sight or not. Why? Because WE DON'T NEED
TO KNOW. Christ is our living apostle, and he can put doctrine into the Church through evangelists in the Church.
According to this guy anyone from an apostle down to a regular pastor can change doctrine if he sees a need to. The membership need not worry about what the minister is teaching because
Jesus Christ and God put it in his brain.
So it doesn't matter if the administrative leader of a Church of God
fellowship is, in God's eyes, an apostle, a prophet, a pastor general, a
presiding evangelist, or just plain "pastor". If that man sees in the
Bible that a doctrinal correction needs to be made, he should make the
correction, teaching the membership new knowledge, and when he does
that, assuming he is teaching accurately, it is God and Christ who are
putting new knowledge into that fellowship because God inspired the
Bible and through the Holy Spirit opened that leader's mind to see the
new truth in the Bible. (I am talking about leaders of fellowships or
organizations, leaders who report directly to Christ, not pastors
serving congregations under the supervision of a human leader in a
larger organization.)
How can a member, such as you or I, know if the correction is right or
wrong? From the Bible. There is no other way. There are no shortcuts to
Bible study. If an evangelist changes Mr. Armstrong's doctrine, he
should give his biblical reasons for it. Then you and I can study the
issue and determine the truth according to the Bible.
