GCI Update: Points to Ponder, in the style of Jeff Foxworthy

From a reader....


                          GCI Update: Points to Ponder, 
                           in the style of Jeff Foxworthy

https://update.gci.org/2018/06/ordering-our-worship/

-- Putting the fun in dysfunction…
and the turd in liturgical (even tho there is no “d”) --

You might not be a real church….

1.    …..if your “congregation” functions like a small group with high levels of interaction and sharing of the leadership/facilitation role, as opposed to a well-planned and executed worship service.  If you’ve got people speaking in tongues and blurting out random “prophecies,” then you may need to reel in the chaos and re-order your worship services.

2.    …..if your primary worship service is on Saturday.  Lord knows that strong, vibrant and growing churches do NOT meet on Saturdays!  If you’re still trying to glorify God by meeting on Saturdays, then you need to get a freaking clue.

3.    …..if your church meets at an awkward time of day.  Meeting at 2:30 PM or some other weird time will require a course correction since God does NOT honor worship services set at awkward times!

4.    …..if your church gathers in a hall that is difficult to locate and out of the flow of normal activity.  Meeting in a small, dark room at the back end of “Billy Bob’s Tavern” is probably not the best venue for attracting potential church-goers in your community.

5.    ….if you are renting space in a church building owned by another denomination, but there is no prominent sign displayed with your church’s name.  Any congregation that meets in a “Church of Religious Science” building, for example, should expect to attract tons of people if you just put up a freaking identifying sign.

6.    ….if you have a rotating speaking schedule with multiple preachers.  What this means is that you are likely in “maintenance mode,” lacking cohesive leadership and vision for your church.  The lead pastor should preach a minimum of three times per month, and it is even better if they preach five out of six weeks and genuflect as often as possible.

7.    …..if your lead pastor also fills the role of chief deacon, then the members need to step up.  No lead pastor should ever be caught doing deaconly things like setting up chairs, greeting people as they walk in the door, handing out bulletins and other such nonsense.  Tell the lazy-ass lay members to pick up the slack!

8.    …..if you have worship leaders who are not musically gifted.  Anyone who cannot carry a tune in a bucket, is tone deaf or does not play a musical instrument well, should not participate in your music ministry. Having NO singers or musical instruments is better than having bad ones!  You can always put on a CD, after all.

9.    …..if your weekly worship service is structured in accordance with GCI’s past tradition. It’s time for a “come to Jesus” meeting if your worship service still has a sermonette and announcement followed by a sermon…especially if you’re still meeting on Saturdays.  Go ahead and have those difficult conversations, by telling your leadership team they suck.  Just say NO to Saturday-worship and old HWA traditions once and for all!  You’ll be glad you did!

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The Stone of Herbert Cries Out For Mystery of the Ages..."the second-greatest book on Earth, second only to the Bible"

Gerald Flurry says:

Mystery of the Ages is the synopsis of the entire Bible—the Old and New Testaments. It is the only book on Earth that explains the Bible. It has the answer to the stone’s cry. Mr. Armstrong believed Mystery of the Ages was the second-greatest book on Earth, second only to the Bible. We have the same belief.

Look again at Habakkuk 2:11: “For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.” Habakkuk 2:11 is the single greatest new revelation that God has given the Philadelphia Church of God so far!

God is honoring His Church in a wonderful, wonderful way!

We heard the cry of the stone—Jesus Christ made sure of that. We knew we wanted Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock, a symbol of how Mr. Armstrong built the greatest work ever on Earth! He built it on prayer, going to God continually. He had a prayer rock, which is the focal point of all this symbolism. And now, God has shown us that this rock symbolizes King David’s new throne. 

Did you know that Herbert Armstrognandhsi rock made possible and paved the way for Jesus to return again!  Without HWA Jesus would still be stuck in the third heaven.

This stone is tied to the man who wrote Mystery of the Ages. God is putting a dramatic spotlight on the man who prepared the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. God is honoring this man and telling us to follow his example. There is no stone on Earth like the prayer rock used by God’s end-time type of Elijah. He prepared the way for the Second Coming, and we are here to raise up the ruins.

Is Grace Communion International a trusted theological voice?

Grace Communion International recently moved its world headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It is a time of opportunity for another fresh start and that begins with a new web site.

Here is one of the things they posted:

Grace Communion International places great emphasis on the gracious triune God (Father, Son and Spirit). Our pastors and the people they serve point others toward the Triune God so that union and participation with Christ happens.

We are inclusive informers, teachers, and pastor-theologians who pursue God’s Word (the written Word, the Holy Scriptures and the Living Word Jesus). It’s our quest to follow where He leads.

We are passionate about equipping, training, and proclaiming the relational nature of God. Our goal is healthy churches who want to be a part of God’s renewal.

We are intentional about developing leaders; and new, growing, and multiplying churches. We lead with belief into the liberated love and life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our consistent effort is high support, high challenge, and grace always.

Grace Communion International is a trusted theological voice, who has proven that we are willing to lose it all so that we may gain Christ. We see our people, and others who join us, embracing and sharing the love of God in genuine ways.

While GCI was certainly willing to lose it all, I just wonder about the "trusted theological voice" can really be trusted?

Many ask—“What are your distinctives—what makes you different, or superior?” The bottom line is that we aren’t in competition with other Christian churches. We are simply striving to be the healthiest expression of Christian church that we can be.

"Healthiest expression of Christianity?"

By the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit we seek to proclaim the Good News in all of our communication and in the way we interact with others. The Gospel about Jesus really is good news and that’s what you will hear and experience in Grace Communion International.

LCG: We Are Being Persecuted for "Courageously Preaching the Truth"

"Her Majesty reacts to  LCG 's continual whining about being persecuted..."

Poor Gerald Weston. He believes that the Living Church of God has been suffering much persecution after he gained power. Stations are not letting some of LCG's programs to be aired.  But never fear!  Weston says they will continue to be a forceful witness to the world.  If he is referring to his witnessing here in Los Angeles, you would be hard-pressed to find anything from LCG available.

June 20, 2018

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers,

The assault against religious freedom is massive throughout the so-called Western world, and too many professing Christians fail to see what is at stake. Censorship of religion is real. We at Tomorrow’s World experience this first-hand. We see our world transforming on a daily basis.

I received a letter recently from someone complaining that our message is not strong enough. Little does he understand how many Tomorrow’s World telecasts are turned down in his country for reasons that would be laughable five years ago. For example, our program mentioning the miraculous weather at Dunkirk was banned because we did not mention global warming. What global warming had to do with events in 1940 is anyone’s guess.

Another program was turned down for saying that abortion and pornography are sins. Programs on family are censored for not promoting “non-traditional” families. Apparently, upholding the traditional family and not recognizing same-sex “marriages” is no longer permissible. The list could go on.

Weston clams they have to warn the unrighteous in the world, yet his HQ is a hotbed of unrighteousness.

Please do not misunderstand. Tomorrow’s World will continue to preach the truth and will not back down from doing so, but sometimes one station or another will refuse to air our message due to their own constraints. We are called to courageously tell the truth. We are to preach the good news (gospel) of the Kingdom of God as a witness to the entire world. This requires a call to repentance from sin, which means we must define sin in a world that no longer understands what sin is! “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). Yet, those behaviors can be changed, as seen in the next verse: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (verse 11).

Just like his predecessor Rod Meredith, Weston has a burr up his butt about a certain group of people.  One guess as to who they are...the gays!

The behaviors listed in this Bible passage are the very ones promoted today, and anyone who fails to celebrate them will pay the price in this society. It is in this context of political correctness that we see our freedoms of speech, expression, association, and religion eroding away. How long will it be before it is impossible to tell the truth by way of mass media?

One baker in Colorado experienced firsthand the power of the LGBT movement when he refused to bake a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. He did not discriminate against homosexuals in general, but he refused to use his talents to create a wedding cake for a celebration with which he disagreed as a matter of religious conscience. He also refused to bake Halloween cakes as they too went against his conscience, but no one protested that. Thankfully, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in his favor, but only after great damage was done to his business and personal finances. Also, the decision was based on narrow factors, and other court victories will be needed before small business owners who hold strong religious convictions can breathe more easily.

What happened north of the U.S. border is not encouraging.

Trinity Western University, a small evangelical university in Langley, British Columbia, found itself on the other end of a Supreme Court of Canada decision. The court decided that they will not be allowed to confer law degrees, because all their students must sign a “community covenant” that prohibits sexual relations outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. The law societies of Ontario and British Columbia decided that no one who signs such an agreement is fit to practice law in Canada. Or, to put it another way, you cannot openly agree with biblical standards and be a good lawyer! Why? It would not be fair to the LGBT community.

Some wonder why we talk so much about the LGBT movement. This is why. It is a defining issue of our day. It is not a matter of private individual behavior, although that is something that must be repented of if one cares to be given eternal life in the Kingdom of God. However, LGBT activists are out to destroy ALL biblical foundations of morality. This is more than a culture war. It is a war against God! These anarchists are not interested in discussion. They are not interested in diversity. They are interested in removing all biblical restraints and silencing all opposition, and this is why the decision on the Trinity Western University case is so chilling. If these radicals can silence individuals who hold strong contrary views, they can control the judiciary—which they already do for the most part. So while they call for “tolerance” and diversity, it is only tolerance and diversity for their views.

My friends, the speed with which our freedoms are collapsing in country after country is shocking, as the noose tightens on anyone holding godly values. How much longer will we be able to openly proclaim the truth? How much longer before a loving God must step in to save mankind from itself?

We don't know how much time we have left, but it is getting rough for us now!

People often ask, “How much longer do you think we have?” The simple answer is, we do not know. What we do know is that events in this world are moving rapidly in the direction the Bible indicates (see Matthew 24:32–39). Morality is plummeting. Marriages and families are in shambles. The forces of evil are growing stronger. The Middle East is in perpetual turmoil. The majority of nations are lined up against the Jews in Israel, and Jerusalem is a troublesome stone to all nations (Zechariah 12:3). Europe is coming to a crisis state, where a strong leader will step in and the Beast power will rise up. It is evident from a historical perspective that time is short.

The prophet Daniel speaks of our day. “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. . . . Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1, 3).

The prophet Malachi also refers to the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him” (Malachi 3:16–18).

then Weston gets to the gist of the matter.  He wants money.  It has been a task laid upon church members to support the church.  If you do not, then Jesus cannot come and you will be left behind to suffer horrible indignities. Give him money and his god will NOT be ashamed of you.

Dear Members and Co-workers, the task laid upon us is great. It is great, both collectively and individually. The time has come when each of us must stand up and be counted, just as the Colorado baker refused to violate his conscience in the face of persecution. As Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. . . . For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34–35, 38).

God has called you to be part of His Work at the end of the age. The challenges ahead will be great, but, for those who fulfill His will, the reward will be far greater. Thank you for your prayers and generous support.

Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston

Does Weston even have an original thought in his head?  This is the same crap that Armstrongism has been preaching for decades as a tool to scare people.  With all of the beauty in the world and in peoples lives, both in and out of his church, you would think he could write an uplifting article on the goodness of God every once in a while.  That might inspire members to give some money.  This doom and gloom crap is turning them off.

PCG: HWA Prayer Rock Was Crying Out From Oregon During Copyright Trial

What does Queen Elizabeth and Stephen Flurry have in common?  They both made a monumental decision on the same day.  One made a horribly bad decision and the other made a proper decision.  One guess as to who made the right decision!

When Queen Elizabeth made the horrendous decision to return the most "precious thing on earth" to Scotland, the Stone of Scone, a different stone started crying out to be discovered!

The PCG loves to use the court trial, where they were humiliated into having to pay for the rights to publish HWA's works, as a symbol of something they call god working in their midst. All through the court trial, the Stone of Herbert was crying out to PCG so they would win the court case.  Jesus heard the stone crying in the damp woods of Oregon and personally appeared to the PCG to intervene in the trial and to let Flurry's emissary find the Stone of Herb. Jesus needed Flurry to find the Stone of Herb in order to take possession of it and eventually deliver it to Petra for 3 1/2 years and then into Jerusalem so he could come back and sit on it.

I seriously want to know how PCG members can sit there and believe this crap?

Habakkuk 1:6-11 discuss the resurrected Holy Roman Empire conquering America and Britain. This united European power will conquer the people who have the old throne of David and the old stone of destiny (Hosea 3:4). The stone sitting in Scotland is about to be seized by the Holy Roman Empire, and there is no telling what will happen to it beyond that. But God has given a new stone to His Church!

Remember, in the August 1996 Trumpet magazine, I said I believed the stone of destiny in Scotland was “the most precious physical thing on this Earth. I also believe that Queen Elizabeth just made the worst decision of her life! And the British government has made the biggest mistake in its history! [England’s] actions have scorned the omnipotent living God. And there’s going to be a terrifying penalty unless they repent.” I wrote this just before we entered our court battle over Mystery of the Ages.

The stone of Scone was moved out of Westminster Abbey on Nov. 15, 1996. It was officially placed in Edinburgh Castle on November 30. That was the same month my son contacted a copy- right lawyer about the legalities of reprinting Mystery of the Ages.What is more, the process of finding, acquiring and moving

Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock from Oregon to our headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, took place during the court case years (sidebar: “Timeline of Events,” page 49).

Habakkuk says the stone was crying out! The revelation about the new stone of destiny brings another spiritual dimension to this prophecy.

You can certainly see that the Stone, referring to God, was crying out to His people as we fought in the court case. He was crying out for us to act and fight for His truth! But God is also revealing that while Christ was fighting the battle for us, the literal stone—the new stone of destiny, Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” We heard that cry and retrieved the stone. Though we didn’t know it then, Jesus Christ was about to establish a new throne and a new stone!

What a marvelous blessing! Even as we were fighting forMystery of the Ages, we were being given a new stone of destiny, which led to us receiving a new throne to proclaim God’s wonderful truth to the world! When the stone was crying out of the wall, God was stirring us up and getting us ready to receive the throne of David!

Let me make it abundantly clear what the double wonder is. While we were fighting a six-year court case, the new stone— Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” The rock is Jesus Christ personified. He was crying out for us to retrieve this prayer rock, which was to become the new stone of destiny. This stone symbolizes the throne of David and God’s promise to him, which will climax at the Second Coming of Christ.

We also have a descendant of David to sit on that throne— which means that we have the new throne of David. Britain no longer has the throne of David.

The new stone, which symbolizes the new throne, is the first wonder of the double wonder.