Gerald Weston: I don't care what others think, I have proven this is the only church where God is working today

Gerald Weston: "... proved to myself then—and still can today—that God exists. I proved to myself, and still can, that the Bible is His word. And when it comes to the true Church, I know what the Bible says and cannot deny where God is working"  Weston then goes on to use one of the favorite scriptures used to keep the members in line.  Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Church members were to always have faith.  Faith in the leadership, faith in the church, but not much faith in themselves.  Members were constantly being berated that they lacked faith and that God was eternally pissed at them.

Hebrews 11:1 has been turned into a weapon.  Members are in constant fear that they do not have enough faith.  Gerald does though,  he has reached the maximum amount of faith a human can achieve.  Dumb members still struggle to even come close.

So that no one misunderstands, we should not have blind faith, as so many in the world have. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 admonishes us: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (KJV). Yes, we must prove all things, and that is why we routinely instruct individuals seeking baptism not to believe something because that is what they always believed (or assumed). They need to prove to themselves the existence of God, that the Bible is His instruction book to mankind, and that this is the true Church. These things are provable! It is not good enough to have “always believed in God” or that “I grew up in the Church and know it to be the true Church.” Many atheists sincerely believe there is no God, Muslims sincerely believe truth is found in the Koran, Protestants sincerely believe their form of Protestantism is the religion of the Bible, and Catholics sincerely believe they are the “true Church.” Believing something and proving something are two different concepts.

Many times over the years, when events became difficult or confusing, I personally went back to review these three pillars of faith. I proved to myself then—and still can today—that God exists. I proved to myself, and still can, that the Bible is His word. And when it comes to the true Church, I know what the Bible says and cannot deny where God is working, based on what it says. It does not matter to me what others believe; I KNOW what I believe and why!

So I am not advocating blind faith, but Hebrews 11:1 is not talking about evidence-based faith. Notice again what it says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Yes, faith is the evidence! It is not based on evidence, but isthe evidence.

Gerald Weston: LCG Members Incapable Of Discerning Proper Television Habits and Other Issues

Are Living Church of God members ever able to do anything right?  Even after baptism they still cannot do what is right in Gerald Weston's sight.  For 80 years now the church has been preaching down to its members. The god of Armstrongism is a hard one to please and because of that member's salvation is always at risk.  That god is just itching to cast them into the lake of fire for every imaginable indiscretion.  This is unless you are children of the Meredith, McNair and other upper echelon families.  They get a free pass on everything. Members, not so much so.

To savor the things of God requires studying God’s word from a humble and deeply respectful heart (Isaiah 66:2). Our nature, even after baptism, must continue to convert to a new way of thinking (1 Corinthians 2:9–11). When the prophet Jeremiah tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” he is speaking to all of us (Jeremiah 17:9). When God tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,” we need to take notice (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). As we saw earlier, even though were being directly taught by Jesus Christ for three-and-a-half years, the Apostles could still be deceived. So where does that leave us? We must learn to savor the things of God, not the things of man.

We are confronted every day with an array of decisions. Whether to watch television and if so, what programs to allow into our minds (Psalm 101:3), and also, what is an appropriate amount of entertainment when balanced against Bible Study, prayer, physical exercise, genuine interaction with family, and more. How much time should we spend on social media, and what is appropriate communication and interaction with others? Frankly, some of the things that come to our attention do not reflect the mind of God.

We will not tell you everything you need to do, but you had better do what we tell you to do!

There has always been a desire on the part of members and ministers alike to have every question spelled out as “right” or “wrong,” “okay” or “not okay.” Consider this however: God is not creating robots. He is creating children who think as He thinks. He gives us basic principles. Some are spelled out, as in the Ten Commandments. Statutes and judgments also help us to understand His mind on an array of issues, but He also wants us to learn to think as He thinks in an ever-changing array of circumstances. This requires not a never-ending list, but a mind that discerns—that savors—the way He would choose.

Laodiceans seem to have a problem with compromising. In other words, they are not very discerning when it comes to the nuances requiring righteous judgment. They do not savor the things of God. This is a challenge to all of us. Can we look past a list of do’s and don’ts to discern the mind of God in matters that are not always clear and spelled out? Can we willingly apply His standards, without always having to be told what to do? Our lives may depend on it!

Gerald Weston: Cracks Down on LCG Members Celebrating Birthdays

Gerald Weston cracks down on birthday parties for LCG members.  God forbid if LCG members have a few minutes of joy!

One subject that never seems to go away is that of birthdays. Some in the Church want nothing to do with them, while others engage in festive parties. It is evident from the scriptures that people knew how many years they lived. We know how long Methuselah lived, as well as Abraham, Jacob, and the kings of Israel and Judah. Obviously they were keeping track. However, not once do we read of a birthday party for any of God’s servants. The only places where birthdays appear in the Bible are in relation to heathen rulers. Pharaoh’s birthday celebration resulted in the death of his chief baker (Genesis 40:20–22). Herod’s birthday celebration resulted in the death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:6–12; Mark 6:21–28). Although birthday parties today seldom end in death or dismemberment (we would hope!), these unflattering examples are the only indisputable birthday celebrations recorded in the Bible.

The Encyclopedia Britannica records the following: “As late as 245 Origen … repudiates as sinful the very idea of keeping the birthday of Christ ‘as if he were a king Pharaoh’” (11th ed., article “Christmas”). While Origen was certainly not a true Christian, his comment reveals the attitude of the early Church toward celebrating Christ’s birthday and gives us a clue as to how original Christianity felt about birthdays in general.

Yet, some members begin celebrating the birthdays of their children from their first year onward. No child at that age has any idea what is going on, but by the time she is 16 she understands that it is “her day” and she expects a party and presents. Is this a lesson we want to teach? Are we able to understand the difference between marking or recognizing the day of one’s birth and celebrating it in a party atmosphere? Are we able to make wise judgments, based on the word of God? Do we follow the customs of this world, as sheep going to the slaughter? Or can we savor the things of God?

Is Weston going to stop Lil'Jimmy and the rest of the Meredith kids from celebrating birthdays?  They've done it for years.  LCG members have been doing birthdays for decades