Is it possible to have a true friendship with another in the Church of God?

Everyone longs for true friendship with another.  A close friend you can confide in with your deepest thoughts and concerns.  A friend who will stand by you and support you in the best of times and when struggling through the worst of times.

Those in the Church of God claim to have the truest friendships that the word can ever exemplify.  Friendships in the COG are deeply true because friends are united in a single core of belief.  The "truth" binds hearts to one another. But, does it really?

Friendships in the COG tend to be more "acquaintances" than ever being deep and loyal.  Acquaintances will slap you on the back and have a beer with you, but will in the next moment vilify you if you ever dare to question doctrine or the church.  Just look at what happened to the Scarborough family in Living Church of God.  They were publicly vilified, lied about and smeared with one accusation after another.  When church leadership lowers the boom, friends scatter like cockroaches when the kitchen light is turned on.

We have all heard the stories in various blogs, newsgroups, and websites on how when a person decides to leave the church because they have proven it wrong that their friends immediately turn their backs on them. They will see their friend at the store, or in the park, or walking down the sidewalk and the so-called friend will ignore them and look away.  Facebook is filled with numerous secret or hidden groups where hundreds, if not thousands of former church members share horror stories on how they were treated, with some of the vilest things coming from the ministry, who are supposed to know better.

Is it truly possible to have a Proverbs 17:17 friendship in the Church of God?

The Dynamics of Friendship:  

God has given us vital keys in the Bible to help us meet our most important needs as human beings—including how to cultivate friendships. The Scriptures reveal that if we want to have friends, we must learn how to be friendly and remember that true friends are supportive during difficult times (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24). A friend is someone we can confide in and share important thoughts and concerns with (John 15:15). Real friends may not always agree with us, and sometimes they will tell us things about ourselves and our plans and actions that we may need to hear, but might not want to hear (Proverbs 27:6, 17). The Bible also cautions that we should choose our friends carefully because we will be influenced by the company we keep (Proverbs 12:26). Abraham chose to be a friend of God by obeying His instructions to leave a former way of life (Genesis 12:1-4; James 2:23) instead of being a “friend” of this world and its ways (James 4:4). Jesus told His disciples, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). Let’s seek to be a “friend” of God by following His instructions, and a true friend to those who will not influence us in the wrong direction.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

Gerald Weston: How Dare People Give Presents! They Should Give That Money To Us!

Gerald Weston dares to criticize Christians who keep Christmas claiming they all "give presents  to everyone except the One they think they are honoring." Well if that is not calling the kettle black I don't know what is!

Here is a church that ignores almost everything about Christ and yet dares to question others. Here is a church that worships the law more than the Christ they have forgotten.

Weston makes it clear where the money being spent on presents should be going...into LCG's pockets.

Is it not interesting that at this time of year, people will give​ presents to just about everyone except the One they​ think they are honoring? Christ is forgotten! We should not give to Christ for the purpose of​ celebrating Christmas, but neither should we neglect Him. Because many are deceived and still observe Christmas customs, their donations drop off at this time of year.

Dear Brethren and Co-workers, we still have a great Work to do. God​ is not calling everyone today (John 6:44; Matthew 13:10-17),​ and I often ask the question, “If God is not calling everyone, why is He calling anyone?”​ The clear answer is He has called us to do a Work! We must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God and warn our peoples of the consequence for rejecting God and His commandments. We must do what we can do, but in the end, it will be God doing it through us. As our predecessor Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong used to tell us, “We must work as though it all depended on us, but pray as though it all depends on God.” In the end, God will do through us far more than we can ever imagine, and He will reward us far more than we can imagine.

Thank you again for your faithfulness. May God truly bless you! Sincerely, in Christ’s service, Gerald E. Weston

P.S. Please remember that any contributions dated in December that are postmarked on​ or before 12/31/2017 will be counted as 2017 donations,​ and may be tax-deductible in 2017, even if we receive them in January 2018. So be sure​ any December donation is dated and postmarked no later than December 31. If you prefer to use our online donation system found at www.lcg.org/donations.shtml, the cutoff for 2017 donations will be 11:59 p.m., December 31.