The Church of God - Busy Making Atheists?

This was posted on a COG-related facebook page yesterday.  Thre are many parallels in the posting that echo what went on and still goes on in the Church of God today.  All of the crazy charlatans in the COG are doing this same crap and they are driving people away from from the church and God. Who really needs the god of Armstrongism? Where is love found in the church these days as it is busy condemning anything snd everyone? The Church of God is losing members today at a record pace and its leaders are too stupid to realize why.

The Christians Making Atheists

Growing-up in the Church, I was taught that the worst thing one could be was a non-believer; that nothing was as tragic as a doomed soul that condemned itself by rejecting God. The religion of my childhood drew a sharp, clear line between the saved and the damned. All that mattered was making sure someone found themselves on the better side of this line—and the Atheists and Humanists didn’t have a shot.

In light of this supposed truth, the heart of the faith (I was told), was to live in a way that reflected the character and love of Jesus so vividly, so beautifully, that others were compelled to follow after him; that a Christian’s living testimony might be the catalyst for someone’s conversion. The Bible called it “making disciples” and it was the heart of our tradition. As the venerable hymn declared, we Jesus people were to be known by our love.

What a difference a couple of decades make.

Just ask around. People outside the Church will tell you: love is no longer our calling card. It is now condemnation, bigotry, judgment and hypocrisy. In fact, the Christianity prevalent in so much of America right now isn’t just failing to draw others to Christ, it is actively repelling them from him. By operating in a way that is in full opposition to the life and ministry of Jesus—it is understandably producing people fully opposed to the faith that bears his name. 

In record numbers, the Conservative American Church is consistently and surely making Atheists—or at the very least it is making former Christians; people who no longer consider organized religion an option because the Jesus they recognize is absent. With its sky-is-falling hand-wringing, its political bed-making, and its constant venom toward diversity, it is giving people no alternative but to conclude, that based on the evidence of people professing to be Godly—that God is of little use. In fact, this God may be toxic. 

And that’s the irony of it all; that the very Evangelicals who’ve spent that last 50 years in this country demonizing those who reject Jesus—are the single most compelling reason for them to do so. They are giving people who suspect that all Christians are self-righteous, hateful hypocrites, all the evidence they need. The Church is confirming the outside world’s most dire suspicions about itself. 

These people aren’t stupid. They realize that bigotry, even when it is wrapped in religion or justified by the Bible or spoken from a pulpit is still bigotry. They can smell the putrid stench of phony religion from a mile away—and this version of the Church, frankly reeks of it. People are steering clear in droves, choosing to find meaning and community and something that resembles love outside its gatherings.

With every persecution of the LGBTQ community, with every unprovoked attack on Muslims, with every planet-wrecking decision, with every regressive civil rights move—the flight from Christianity continues. Meanwhile the celebrity preachers and professional Christians publicly beat their breasts about the multitudes walking away from God, oblivious to the fact that they are the impetus for the exodus. 

And one day soon, these same religious folks will look around, lamenting the empty buildings and the irrelevance of the Church and a world that has no use for it, and they’ll wonder how this happened. They’ll blame a corrupt culture, or the liberal media, or a rejection of Biblical values, or the devil himself—but it will be none of those things.

No, the reason the Church soon will be teetering on the verge of extinction and irrelevance, will be because those entrusted to perpetuate the love of Jesus in the world, lost the plot so horribly, and gave the world no other option but to look elsewhere for goodness and purpose and truth. 

Soon these Christians will ask why humanity has rejected Jesus and we will remind them of these days, and assure them that they have not rejected Jesus at all—they just found no evidence of him in their Church or in them.  JOHN PAVLOVITZ

Ron Weinland Reveals The True Name of Jesus

Over the last couple of years, the Church of God has bee subjected to various self-appointed prophets, apostles and Pharisees have been warning us of doom and gloom they soon hope will to strike this nation, Canada, England and Australia. The thought of famine, pestilence, war and death excites these guys to no end.  It is like it is a fetish to them.

From raving lunatics like Pack, Malm, Cox, Flurry and Thiel, these near-death prophecies are the basis of their threats and demands that they lay upon their followers.  Unless their followers heed every single thing they say, salvation will not be granted by their gods.  Their god and the thing they call "jesus" is eternally pissed.  Grace, mercy and redemption are not part of their vocabulary.  Such things actually infuriate them.

This brings us to another Church of God false prophet who claims his "jesus" is soon to return.  The difference in this prophet's "jesus" and the one that some of the others claim to follow is that this "jesus" is a created being that never was part of the heavenly realm that most of Christianity understand and believes.

This prophetic fool is none other than Rond Weinland, the official certified Church of God felon.  In his June 8th letter to his rapidly imploding little flock, he attacks Christian and Jews for their varied beliefs in a Messiah. He has a fit over the Trinity, the council of Nicea and the Catholic Church, claiming they are all a mess and wholly not unified because of their beliefs...unlike the Churches of God who are 100% united across the board in their understanding in all doctrines and biblical interpretations!

Weinland, like the above lying false prophets, is looking forward to war as he writes:

That is why this world is about to be plunged into the worst times of all human history, whereby God declares that if He did not intervene that mankind would indeed annihilate himself. It has only been now in this prophesied period of the end-time that mankind has developed the means of doing just that through the use of nuclear weapons.

That time has now come when such weapons are going to be used. And once it begins, only God can stop it. It is important to know that there is enough power in such weapons to destroy all life from this planet many times over.

Weinland next writes about his "jesus" and the Jesus that Christianity and most Church of God's believe in.  According to the Second Witless Witness, the Jesus of Christianity and most COG's is Jesus Christ.  This Jesus is the Catholic Jesus and not the "jesus" of the true church.

Only One True Christ

This brings us back to the subject at hand. Indeed, God promised that He would give to mankind a Messiah—a Christ—through whom He would save the world. From the beginning of the Church of God on the Pentecost of AD 31 (Acts 2), the disciples taught about this Messiah, this Christ, who had died and was resurrected to life again, now having everlasting spirit life. They taught that he was the one who was now with God the Father and who was now working with Him to prepare for a Kingdom that would come and reign on this earth for 1,000 years (Rev. 20). But traditional Christianity chooses to ignore such scriptures and does not teach about this period of time because it does not fit their doctrine and beliefs.

The overwhelming majority of people simply do not question what they have been taught from youth. They do not understand that only two churches arose after the time of Christ’s death and then continued for many hundreds of years before other churches emerged on the world scene who also came to call themselves Christian.

First, there was the Church of God, which is known throughout scripture in the New Testament and is referred to in exactly that way—the Church of God—God’s Church. Indeed, the oldest Christian church is the Church of God, which God brought into existence on Pentecost AD 31 and has continued now for nearly 2,000 years.

However, in AD 325 another church began to emerge that began to use the stories and writings of the apostles to teach about a different Messiah—a different Christ. They chose a name to identify him as the one who was born on Christmas Day, and the one who was resurrected on the Sunday morning of Easter. But none of this is true. Nevertheless, they gave him a name and they became a very great religion on this earth. The name they gave him is that of Jesus Christ.

The problem with Christianity and the Churches of God is that they do not follow the "jesus" that the Second Witless Witnesses believes in. This "jesus" is the one that Felon Weinland revealed to the world in 1994, the year Felon Weinland and his dingy wife apostatized from the mother church. 1994 is an earth-shattering date in the history of the church as God was FINALLY speaking to his true prophet.

Although God’s Church has remained small through time, just as God said it would be, the Church of God has been teaching and publishing the truth of Christ’s return for just over 80 years now. But a more precise timing for that return was not known until God gave a very specific countdown to His Church that began in December 1994. The incredible event that began this countdown is the very event God foretold through the apostles Paul and John. Paul declared that this future prophesied event would be the sign of Christ’s coming—of his return. This is fully covered in the most recent book I’ve written, Prophesy Against the Nations.

It is the responsibility of God’s Church, as a watchman, to warn about a great world war that immediately precedes Christ’s actual return. That specific warning has now been going out to the world for nearly 70 years. In the countdown that began in 1994, there are very specific measures of time that God has given as to when he can send His Son to become the King of kings in His Kingdom. There are only very specific periods or moments in time in which God has shown that His Son can return.

The date of 1994 is vitally important to the end time Witless Witness in that is leads directly to March of 2019 or Pentecost 2020 as the date of the return of his "jesus".

The countdown that began in 1994 has specific periods of time in which God can bring this age of mankind to an end and then establish His Kingdom under the reign of His Messiah, the Christ, for the next 1,000 years. God has revealed that this final end-time count to Christ’s return must fully align with the timing of certain annual Holy Days and that within that alignment there must be the fulfillment of very specific segments of time.

Note that the "jesus" of Felon Weinland has failed to return several times now:

The first count in which this event could have occurred was on the Pentecost of 2012 or the Pentecost of 2013. But it did not happen at that time. The next and far more meaningful “count” and alignment for Christ’s coming is on Pentecost, June 9th of 2019.

You can know if that is the time Christ will once again stand upon the Mt. of Olives if a third world war has broken out by February or March of 2019 at the latest. If not, then the next possible return will be the Pentecost of 2020. Beyond that and there will be a space of more time that will be a matter of a few years. The world is just that close to a final world war—a nuclear war breaking out on earth. It is that nuclear war that is the trigger for Christ’s coming and the purpose for his intervention in the affairs of mankind to stop that war.

See the easy out the Felon gave himself for 2020?  If his "jesus" does not return, more time will be available for a few years more.  Every single self-appointed Church of God prophet has been saying this crap for 8 decades now. Thier "jesus" never seems to come during their expected dates.

The "jesus" of Weinland keeps failing to return because of some many variables at work in his church and the world today.  It is his church members fault that they are not ready and its the world's fault that they just cannot seem to royally f___ it all up. Weinland's "jesus" has to sit there and twiddle his thumbs for a few more years.

The book, Prophesy Against the Nations, explains the prophetic countdown that began in December 1994 and the intricate plan whereby God will fulfill specific timing and prophecy for this end-time. The eventual precise timing God will use to fulfill these prophetic events is somewhat fluid due to current choices being made by people in God’s own Church and by leaders in this world. That is because there are great variables that exist because of the kinds of choices people have before them, and this has strong bearing on how and when God will bring all things together in order to complete the fulfillment of all end-time prophecy. Nevertheless, God is using specific segments of timing in order to usher in His Kingdom on earth where the Christ will finally become the prophesied King of kings over all nations.

There is now a final cleaning of the true Church of God.  It is time for Weinland's god to spit out more people. After all, it is COG members fault "jesus" cannot return to earth and wreck vengeance upon Weinland's critics.

A Final Cleansing for God’s Church

Since the final countdown for Christ’s return began in 1994, God has been preparing His Church for that return. As part of this process, God has also been restoring and revealing far more truth to His Church so that His Church is indeed ready for that return. Part of that process of God revealing truth is also a process for revealing error—in order to cleanse the Church and get rid of error.

Herbert W. Armstrong, an end-time apostle of God, although not received by the world as God’s apostle, was raised up by God in the 1930s in order to begin this process of restoring truth in His Church. God did this because over the prophetic era of the Church known as Sardis, much truth had been lost. As a matter of fact, truth began to be lost not long after the last of the original apostles died. That apostle was John, who in his later years was imprisoned for a time on the Isle of Patmos by the Roman government. It was there that the last book of scripture was revealed to him—the Book of Revelation.

But after 1800 years of persecution that came from different governments of man, beginning with the Roman Empire, as well as persecution and death from those who even called themselves Christian, the Church of God began to lose truth it was originally given. Once the printing press was invented and many other organizations with many varying beliefs concerning Christianity arose on the scene, it became even more of a struggle for the Church of God to hold onto the truths it had been given from the beginning.

So God raised up an end-time apostle whose job and commission was to begin restoring truth once more. God was doing this all in preparation for His Son to be sent back to this earth once again. It was revealed to Herbert W. Armstrong

Herbert W. Armstrong was also shown in the late 1940s that a company of ten nations in Europe would have much to do with the events of this end-time. He spoke of these ten nations that would arise at the end and that they would have (1) a common government (first the EEC and then the European Union), (2) a common currency (the Euro which came on the scene in 1999, 13 years after his death in 1986), and (3) its own military which has now become a reality as well.

But the world did not truly listen to God’s apostle nor has it ever really listened to His prophets and apostles.

Now we get to the final truth that Felon Weinland needs to reveal about his "true jesus".  Felon Weinland has bought into the "one god" teaching and this explains that his "jesus" is a created being He also goes on to explain how God became the Father.

It wasn’t until 2005, after Herbert W. Armstrong died in January 1986, that God revealed more error about this Trinity teaching to His Church. Mr. Armstrong knew that the holy ghost or holy spirit was not a being—not a separate God being, but he had not come to see the rest of the error in the Trinity teaching, which was that there is only “one” being who is God who has eternally existed. Christ had a beginning in life only after being born of Mary because the One Self-Existing Eternal God (Yahweh Elohim) had begotten Mary with His Son. By this act He added to His name—that of being God who then became a Father.

So God’s Church teaches that Christ has not eternally existed as the Trinity teaches. Scripture is filled with much evidence that there has only been One who has eternally existed and that He is the Almighty Self-existing Eternal God. No one else has ever had such self-existing eternal life in them—only One has.

“I am the LORD [Yahweh or the Eternal], and there is none else, there is no God [Elohim] besides me: I girded you, though you have not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am the LORD [Yahweh, the Eternal], and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:5-6).

Did you know it took until 2005 for God to reveal to the church that "jesus" never eternally existed and that he is nothing more than a created being?  I don't know what planet Weinerdude is on, but there have been people who have taught this since the beginning of Christianity!

In 2005, God gave to his final apostle and His Church to know that Christ was not of the Trinity either. He has not eternally existed, but had his beginning of life and existence from a birth that the One Eternal Self-existing God gave in begettal to Mary as his mother.

There is one last final teaching that Weinerdude needs to give to the church and that is TRUE name of his "jesus".

Only One Christ & One Last Error to Correct

As this post stated at the beginning, the world is filled with very divergent and conflicting beliefs about the Messiah—the Christ. This is true in both Judaism and in traditional Christianity. Traditional Christianity does agree on one primary thing and that is the name they have given him—Jesus Christ.

That is a different Christ than the one the disciples spoke of in scripture. The first book of the New Testament makes it clear what the Messiah’s true name was to be, but the church that became great in the Roman Empire after AD 325 changed that name and influenced its change in all scriptures as well.

God declared what His Son’s name was to be and it is not the name chosen and given to him by traditional Christianity.

It is important to understand what God told Joseph before His Son was born of Mary. God made it clear to Joseph, and to all who will listen, what the Messiah’s name was to be. This will first be quoted for how it is stated in the New King James Version of the Bible.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’ {Isa 7:14} which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son. And he called his name JESUS” (Matthew 1:18-25).

The name God gave to His Son as given through an angel to Joseph was not “Jesus.” Jesus is supposedly a transliteration of the actual word, which in English is “Joshua.” “Jesus” (Iesous [ee-ay-sooce’]) is supposedly the closest sound from Latin or Greek that could be used for the name of Joshua in Aramaic or Hebrew. However, it is not an actual translation of the word. The name of Jesus does not carry the actual meaning of the name of Joshua, yet that is the name God instructed to be given the Christ.

Joshua the Christ is coming to save us!  What amazing new truth!

Clearly the name of Joshua (Immanuel) is about “God being with us,” giving Christ power to help “save” His people—to help save us from our sins. Christ was the very Word of God made flesh as it speaks of in the Book of John. It is about the very Son of God, who is of the same Word of God (“logos” – the very revelatory thought and mind of God).

Indeed, after nearly 2,000 years God is about to send His Son as the Messiah—the Christ—to first save mankind from self-annihilation, and then to establish the Kingdom of God over all nations. The last great error to be removed from God’s Church in order that it be made fully ready for Christ’s coming is the correction of his very name. The name “Jesus” Christ represents all that began to be taught in error in a church calling itself Christian after AD 325. That name represents the teaching of that church in doctrines like the Trinity, Easter, Sunday worship, Christmas, and much more that is in error to God’s Word.

The one whose feet may well be standing once again next year upon the Mt. of Olives, after nearly 2,000 years, is Joshua the Christ—the true Messiah sent from God to save mankind.

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!

SaveSave
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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.