Living Church of God has an entry on its website about the soon coming persecution of LCG members. It is a call to action for LCG members to stand up for their faith and to defend it against those that persecute the church. Doug Winnail's comments are in sharp contrast to Gerry Weston's recent jabs against LCG members for living duplicitous lives and for not reading church literature so they could actually understand what the church believes.
Defending Your Beliefs: The Bible reveals that God’s people will be persecuted for their beliefs (John 15:20) and that deceivers will try to undermine and discredit those beliefs (Matthew 24:4-5, 24). However, the Apostle Peter wrote “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Peter did this on numerous occasions (Acts 3-5) and so did Stephen (Acts 7-8) and the Apostle Paul (Acts 22-26). So how can we prepare to defend our beliefs? Peter urged believers to “add to your faith virtue, [and] to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5). Paul urged Christians to “test [examine, prove] all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). He also encouraged believers to diligently study the Holy Scriptures so they can properly explain and apply them (2 Timothy 2:15). Studying one doctrine at a time is a good way to start. To avoid being misled, Christians must be able to recognize whether a teaching agrees with the Holy Scriptures or not (Isaiah 8:20), which is what the people of Berea actually did (Acts 17:11). We are living in an age that is becoming increasingly hostile to biblical beliefs, so we need to prepare to defend what we believe.Have a profitable Sabbath,Douglas S. Winnail
