LCG: Due To Baby Boom In Church It Is Trying To Figure Out How To Manage Its Burgeoning Young Population!

 

Burgeoning? I can see the issue with their aging population, but burgeoning? Notice they do not define what burgeoning is in regards to their youth. In a typical LCG church one or two kids may add 10-20% to their count. But burgeoning?

This week we held online Council of Elders meetings. Several Council members had recently contracted the COVID virus, but all the men (and their wives) had either recovered or were well on their way to full recovery, and the men were able to participate in the two days of meetings. Mr. Rob Tyler attended all the meetings even though it was late night/early morning in Australia. Mr. Ames missed the last meeting due to some surgery needed on his left hand. 

 

One interesting dichotomy that came up during our meetings was how to meet the needs of both an aging population and a burgeoning young population in the Church. Some congregations are experiencing a baby boom as the result of a good number of marriages over the last several years. The Church and ministry need to meet the challenges of serving both young and old. 

 

Mr. Peter Nathan was in town this week and did some recording for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles Behind the Work video. A list of Tomorrow’s World presentations can be found on TomorrowsWorld.org. Your prayers for their success will be appreciated.—Gerald Weston

David C Pack: Gaslighting the Brethren

 

The following is combined from two Restored Church of God sources:

"At the start of his own splinter group called the Restored Church, David Pack talked about restoring all of Herbert W. Armstrong's old teachings from the time of HWA's death in 1986. David Pack talked about bringing responsible understanding rather than reckless speculation. David Pack said that he wanted his RCG members to be the most informed people on the planet. This sounded so good.

Over the years, things changed for the worse.

Now, Dave Pack is busy making unbelievably huge changes to HWA's teachings. Dave Pack brings nothing but reckless speculation on a weekly basis, and no responsible understanding at all. The RCG cult members now look like some of the biggest suckers around. This has gone so badly.

People who went to the RCG cult ended up getting mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, financially, and financially brutalized.

One of the problems with these characters like Dave Pack who come in God's name is that one never really knows for sure how crazy they will become after one has worse-than-wasted so much time, effort, money, money, and money on supporting them that it becomes psychologically very difficult to admit that it was all simply a really, really, really, BIG mistake to trust a religious con-artist." From Anonymous  

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Understanding David C Pack's teaching style:

• Kicking the can down the road
• Moving the goal post
• Carrot on a stick
• Lucy and the football
• The emperor is naked
• Chicken Little: The sky is falling
• Riding the prophetic merry-go-round
• Biblical Groundhog Day
• Cracked the DaVinci Code
• Sees himself all throughout the scriptures
• Delaying the inevitable
• Finds a way to be right about something that was wrong
• Gaslighting the brethren
• Biblical sleight of hand
• Playing a shell game with the scriptures
• Bait and switch
• Present Truth excuses falsehood
• Change the meaning of words to fit the current understanding
• Rewriting the Bible as he reads it to you
• The man cannot stop talking
• Arrogance has never been so insecure (Needs accolades from his acolytes immediately after the message. They stand in a semi-circle and parrot, "powerful, powerful" "so very clear")
• "The man of sin has been revealed" (Again and again)
• "Now I understand"
• "What else could it mean?" "Impossible. No other way to read it." (If you don't have another theory, then there cannot be one. Except when there is later)
• "It fits perfectly" (Until it doesn't)
• "Daniel is finally unsealed"
• "Revelation is finally unsealed"
• "The series is over"
• "Did you think the series could be over before we learned THIS?"
• "The Mystery of God is ended"
• "Would God let me get this wrong?"
• "I tell you on God's authority..."
• "God didn't want XYZ"
• "God gave us more time"
• "I knew it wasn't going to happen..." (Regarding his own teaching just before the deadline)
• "I discovered" but "we got it wrong"
• "Some people left right before the very end. They answered the matter before they heard it" (Part 366 was yesterday)
• "If you don't believe this prophecy, then you don't believe your Bible"
• Reads a passage of scripture that supports his theory, but stops before the next verse that counters it
• XYZ number of "proofs" that are rock solid until they fail
• The antecedent is so very important in understanding a verse...but only when he says so
• Calling any point of logic or opinion a "proof" that actually proves nothing
• A calculator and calendar proves his theories (Harold Camping would agree)
• Obsession with "something" in the moment (ie eagles, rainbows, fog, wind, Elul, Adar, Abib, almond trees, fig trees, oak trees, land sabbath, Seven Days of Passover, nighttime, winter, Ester's fast...)
• "All the ministers agree" (Except they do not. Especially the ones that leave soon after. Some former ministers told me that for YEARS they knew DCP was full of baloney.)
• "None of the other ministers saw it"
• "I've never heard of XYZ" means nobody on the face of the earth ever saw, noticed, or understood a passage and its meaning before
• "If you think I'm arrogant, pray for me"
• None of the brethren can explain what they just heard
• None of the ministers can explain what they just heard
• Don't bother to "prove all things" since this teaching will change in hours/days/weeks anyhow
• "We're right on track. Everything is fine"

The brilliance of God will prove DCP to be a fraud to the core. Whenever Jesus Christ returns, be assured DCP will be completely wrong about the how/when/where. (Marc Cebrian)

Dave Pack: After all this time he now knows the date of Christ's return!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now Pack says Christ IS coming in the month of Iyar (THIS May)

from an RCG source

LCG: Dont “jump the gun,” as it will likely take several years for everything to come together, but the time of our redemption is drawing closer.

 

Gerald Weston's latest missive is out to his co-workers and members and it is the typical COG doom and gloom scenario that you can imagine.

Weston writes:

Thank you for your fervent prayers and your loyal support. Some of you have been with us a long time, reminiscent of those hired at the beginning of the day in the Laborers in the Vineyard parable (Matthew 20:1-16). Others have entered our labors for shorter lengths of time, and more will join us as we move nearer to the return of Jesus Christ. I hope we all pray daily for that Kingdom to come. We learn from this parable that those who fully respond to God’s invitation will receive the reward of eternal life, no matter the length of their service. Yes, we must respond in humble obedience, but eternal life is a gift that comes through the sacrifice and life of Jesus Christ. However, our position of responsibility after we receive that free gift will be based on our works during this physical lifetime (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 2:23; John 4:36).

How can a "free gift" be free when LCG members have to work for it? According to LCG, the more work you do the bigger your position as a god or goddess in the Millenium will be and the higher up the chain of command you will be.

Then he quickly moves on to his traditional doom-and-gloom:

The outline of Bible prophecy indicates, despite what we see happening in Ukraine, that the end is not yet. Revelation 17 shows that the Roman Empire will once more rear its head, “resurrected” as a global economic and military powerhouse. While the European Union may be a precursor, in its present form it is not the Beast power described in Revelation. That Beast could come together with startling speed at any time, but to become the military powerhouse that is prophesied—unless there is some surprise—will take several years. Germany’s military for example is in poor shape right now, but that will change. 

 

The last two years have shown us just how fast our world can change. COVID transformed our world nearly overnight. America’s disastrous pullout from Afghanistan stunned friends and foes. The invasion of Ukraine shocked European nations and sent them on a spending spree for new military hardware. This had to happen, according to Bible prophecy, but which one of us saw an invasion by Russia as the catalyst to set the wheels in motion? At the pace we are moving toward the climax of the age, we must expect the unexpected, but not follow unfounded theories that do not fit within the context of Bible prophecy.

Since when has the Church of God ever NOT followed unfounded theories and speculation about prophecy that in no way possible fits the context of Biblical prophecy? Just look at Bob Thiel, Ron Weinland, Dave Pack, and Gerald Flurry and you will see the biggest pile of false prophetic pig slop imaginable. 

Brethren and co-workers, I think we can all see how rapidly our world is moving toward the end of mankind’s misrule and the return of Jesus Christ. Something has changed in the last two years, and it is not just disruptions due to the pandemic. America’s prestige has dropped dramatically, and its southern border with Mexico is a laughingstock as millions flood across its borders. The nation’s resolve is questioned, and morality is reaching new lows. Homeless encampments are popping up in a way not seen since the Great Depression, even though job openings are plentiful. There is a new mood, a new spirit in the world, and it is not a good spirit. 

 

We do not know how much time we have left, but we know that Jesus’ admonition is applicable today: “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). We must not “jump the gun,” as it will likely take several years for everything to come together, but the time of our redemption is drawing closer. And although we know from Bible prophecy the broad outline of what to expect, we should expect a few surprises along the way to bring to pass the predicted events.

False prophet Bob Thiel will probably wet his homeopathic knickers over Weston's comments here. According to him, no one on earth today has any idea of when the final end times will arrive and when the precise moment will be when COG members are to flee, only he does. Weston, not so much.

Never fear though brethren! There is enough time left for you to continue to give your money to the church! Even though times may be rough, we still expect your money! God commands it!

Brethren and co-workers, we know that those of you on low or fixed incomes are being hit the hardest. Obey God and do what you can to help this Work, but we understand that those on fixed incomes may have to cut back in order to put food on the table. And please never sell short the power of prayer. Remember James’ admonition: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:16-18). God hears the sincere heartfelt prayers of the newest among us, the widows among us, the elderly and the young. He heard our prayers at the beginning of the pandemic, and He will hear our prayers today. 

 

Thank you for your heartfelt prayers and for your financial gifts. You are very much a part of our team. We pray for you, believing God will reward you in ways you cannot imagine. April 11, 2022

Peace out brethren! It won't be long now till we all meet in Petra! Not immediately or even soon, but sooner than you think. Possibly a little longer than we want, but still soon. At least we hope so.

"The Little Flock" The Poorest Excuse For Ineffectual Ministry

Now, more so than ever, in the COG universe, the various splinters make steady use of the term "little flock" to make excuses as to why their membership is so low. Is it really because "true" believers are so few or the fact that today's crop of church leaders and ministry are some of the saddest excuses we have ever seen for being representatives of Jesus Christ, that dude most fail to acknowledge 90% of the time?

When a person looks at the stories in Christian scriptures about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and other stories, you can't help but be struck by the deep fascination people had for Jesus and how he was able to draw them in. Whether it was mass groups of people or a few in a room, his dynamic magnetism drew people into a cause that ended up being the largest belief system on earth today. People have been willing to die for that cause.

And yet, here is the Church of God today, struggling to stay alive and relevant in the 21st century.

LCG's Davey Crocket writes:

The Little Flock 

 

The bare trees make a silhouette on the horizon in the winter morning light, beautiful to behold in the cold, clear, crisp air. Not much traffic on a Saturday morning, a far cry from the crowded roadways on weekday commutes for most workers. 

 

The radio news is relatively quiet, except for analysis of the still-ongoing political issues and talk about the big games scheduled for the weekend. 

 

Being out early is a regular routine for traveling ministers, who often make trips to visit the small congregations of the Church of God that are sprinkled around the country and the world. There aren’t enough ministers for each little congregation to have its own pastor, so most of them are served by ministers who make a circuit to visit these small groups. A Sabbath visit from a visiting minister will involve a sermon based on a biblical topic, such as Christian living, prophecy, or the Holy Days—useful, practical messages that are helpful to those who are striving to live by every word of God. 

 

Some will have questions that the minister will try to answer. Some attendees will request prayer and anointing for healing, a practice found in James 5. Fellowshipping goes on until folks must leave for their homes, sometimes quite a distance from where services are held. As they head home, most are already looking forward to the next Sabbath when they can be together again.

Why make these journeys to speak to and serve these people? There are precedents found in the Bible. Down through time, the people dedicated to following God’s way of life have often been few and scattered, as they are today. 

 

In ancient times, the prophet Samuel regularly made a circuit to serve the people. “He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places” (1 Samuel 7:16). 

 

Jesus also used this method: “Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching” (Mark 6:6). Later, the Apostle Paul was known for his journeys as he raised up churches and spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God. In 2 Corinthians 11:26, he spoke about being “in journeys often.”
Why do this? Why go to the trouble? Jesus made it plain in His instruction to the Apostle Peter before He ascended into heaven: “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter… ‘Feed My lambs…. Tend My sheep…. Feed My sheep’” (John 21:15–17). 

 

So, all around the nation, as in many other parts of the world, there are dedicated ministers who are on the go, making regular visits to small congregations, striving to follow the instructions of Jesus Christ by feeding the flock that God has called. You won’t find these little flocks in large church buildings or in sumptuous surroundings. Mostly, they meet in rented halls, realizing that a church is not a building but the people in the building. 

 

At the end of the day, the bare trees make a beautiful silhouette on the evening winter sky as the circuit-traveling preacher makes his way home, tired, but happy to have been of service to a little flock that was eager to hear what he had to bring them on the Sabbath day.

These little flocks in the COG today are aging members who think they have nowhere else to go and must remain true to what they had originally learned. Very few, if any outside the COG movement are drawn into full membership in the church. Some or many may be fascinated by telecasts and magazine articles but not enough to join them. COG leaders write this off by conveniently claiming "they are not being called at this time." 

Are people not being called or is it really a result of ineffectual leaders and ministry spread across the Church of God who have placed their faith in the law while ignoring the one they claim to follow? Christians see through that theological mess and that is why so many of the splinter groups have turned into such failures. They have nothing to offer that sparks the desire for Christ in people's hearts like those that were drawn to him during his lifetime.