We Need To Get Back To The Worldwide Church of God!

 

More words of wisdom from Samuel Kitchen who claims to be the TRUE Worldwide Church of God.

He starts off by criticizing ministers who split off and started new Church of God's under their own self-appointed authority.

Where did these men receive their ordination into the ministry? They received it by Herbert W Armstrong, or by ministers ordained by him. The men ordained, believed that it was TRUTH being taught by Herbert W Armstrong, and that the true Church was the Worldwide Church of God. 

 

Now if they didn't believe that, why were they there, and why would they be part of the ministry there? 

 

They made a covenant at baptism and at ordination with God and Jesus Christ, to teach to the congregations what they had received from the apostle! 

 

So they told God "I believe this is YOUR CHURCH"! 

 

Otherwise they wouldn't be a minister of that church would they! Unless they was in it for some other reason. 

 

No, they all believed it was God's true Church! 

 

Now, when it has been established where the true church is, there is no need to go and start another one. 

 

Christ already started one. He sanctioned it. 

 

Simon Magus started a second Church of God! 

 

Was that sanctioned by Christ? Just because he called it a Church of God? 

 

No. 

 

It was heresy.

Kitchen is right that these men were ordained into the Worldwide Church of God by either HWA or someone ordained vicariously through him. That ordination was only valid within the Worldwide Church of God. Once they left that organization that ordination was technically invalid, though the history of the church for decades prior to the great upheaval prove otherwise. The church used to revoke the ordinations to prevent apostate renegades from starting new churches using their ordination status. That quickly fell by the wayside in the 1970s when so many were being kicked out and were starting new groups, including Garner Ted's various groups.

We need to get back to being the Worldwide Church of God. These organizations are establishing a heresy, which is different churches apart from the apostle.

The Worldwide Church of God is orientated towards Herbert W Armstrong. If anyone tells you it's orientation is towards heresy, their witness is false. Why would they not keep the orientation towards Christ's apostle? Ask yourself that!

This is where the start of the downfall of the WCG began. The church was oriented towards HWA instead of Jesus. Any COG that focuses on HWA instead of Jesus is false, plain and simple. 

Aren't they just wanting to direct it away from Christ's apostle, and leave it there, while they go off and do something else? 

Anything a real Christian church teaches is directly ONLY at Jesus, not some leader, apostle, bishop, or bumbling chief overseer. The focus should never be on the leader's teachings, his booklets, his articles, or his video programs. Church members should be able to dump all that literature in the trash and know exactly where they stand with Jesus and never have to reach back into the putrid pit of trash to search for an answer in a booklet. The entire focus of the church should be on Christ and the New Covenant.

Wasn't it their job to orient the people towards Jesus Christ and His apostle, to finish the job given the Church?

The only job the church has been commissioned to do is to direct people toward Christ and the rest that is found in him, not towards some apostle, pastor general, or god forbid, a chief overseer sitting in California bouncing in his chair. 

Instead, they orient the Worldwide Church of God towards heresy, and use that STORY to justify why they started a new church!

Splinter group leaders have always resorted to heresy to justify their new churches. 

Isn't they just completing the work of apostates, by providing another choice? 

Heretics oppose the apostle of Christ. True ministers orient the Church towards Christ and His apostles!

The church never was oriented towards the apostles. There was nothing sacred or important about them. It was their message that the people understood to be important. They were nothing more than human vessels delivering a message.

When humans look toward an apostle or pastor general they put that person on a pedestal above Christ, the New Covenant, or anything it teaches. They end up being the all-knowing ones, which soon goes to their heads and they turn into narcissistic assholes.

So heretics started new churches or at least put out that idea and made it more convenient for others to do that very thing.

These new churches, are founded on heresy. 

Agreed! 

Those who support the apostle, have to accept the reorientation of the Church.

Those who accept Christ understand that THEY need to reorient the church towards him and not some human leader. 

They teach the congregations to orient themselves to these new churches and their leaders. Then they use the history these leaders have with WCG, and that's what keeps them in the ministry!!!! They won't be ministers if that wasn't there for them to use!!! 

So if they gotta use Mr Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God to stay ministers, to show they are ordained ministers, then it's gotta be important.

This is the only reason any of them have for justifying their present ordination status, except for Bob Thiel who was NEVER ordained by a Church of God minister. Worldwide Church of God, Global Church of God, and Living Church of God all refused to ordain him. All three found him unfit to be a leader in the church. So,

Go back to what was taught! Reorient yourself with that! These are new churches, using association with the Worldwide Church of God and with Herbert W Armstrong. 

No, there is no new church sanctioned by Jesus Christ!!!

God says to purge ourselves from this heresy that is DIVIDING THE PEOPLE UP!

Amen to that! 

New churches is heresy! 

Now is that truth or is that a lie?

The only name the Church of God can really use today is the Old Covenant Church of God as they do not recognize the New Covenant at all. Instead, the law reigns supreme while Christ is shoved into the back room and held hostage which he is dragged out occasionally to make them sound super religious and Christ-oriented. Then back into the dark recesses he goes, so that the slobber fest over law-keeping can rear its ugly head again. 

Why YOU Should NOT Be a Member of an ACOG

Why YOU Should NOT Be a Member of an ACOG

Lonnie Hendrix

This blog is devoted to exposing everything that is wrong with the Armstrong Churches of God (United, Living, Worldwide, Restored, Philadelphia, International, Eternal, Continuing, etc.). In other words, all of the groups which emerged from the disintegration of the old Worldwide Church of God. And, although all of these groups claim to represent the “truth” promulgated by Herbert Armstrong in the Twentieth Century, they are simultaneously known for their differences on various doctrinal issues (both in content and emphasis), and their intense competition with each other for the aging and dwindling group of folks who were part of (or exposed to) the mother church.

Over the years, many of the folks who have perused our critiques of what we refer to as “Armstrongism” have asked: “Why are you obsessed with attacking our/their beliefs?” The answer, of course, is that most of the folks who have contributed to this blog are motivated by a desire to help others who have been ensnared by the same heretical beliefs which once ensnared us! In short, once upon a time, we too “drank the Kool-Aid” that Herbert Armstrong was serving.

We understand the appeal to ego/vanity and the reasoning behind the teachings. We have experienced the feeling of having special insight – of being superior to all of the “so-called” Christians of the world – of being one of the chosen and privileged few! But, more importantly, we have also experienced the abuse and cognitive dissonance inherent to this experience, and the realization that we were wrong about so many of the things which we had accepted because of our failure to fully explore the evidence available to us.

Let’s be clear, there are many sincere and good people who are (or have been) a part of Armstrongism. Indeed, more than a few of them have participated in this forum over the years! Most of the folks who are/were a part of Armstrongism are/were motivated by a desire to be within God’s will – to serve and obey him. Many of them have also exhibited the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit and have professed their faith in Jesus Christ, and what he has done for all of us. Likewise, some of them have even acknowledged that their own works will never earn them salvation or a place in God’s Kingdom.

Unfortunately, like many of the contributors to this blog, however, too many of them are afraid to reevaluate and/or abandon beliefs which they’ve “proven” to be true. They are fearful about losing the “truth,” their salvation, protection during the Great Tribulation, or their place in God’s Kingdom! As many of us here have experienced, the prospect of abandoning something to which you have devoted so much of your time, energy and affection is frightening!

Even so, we must also acknowledge that there are a great many individuals within the ACOGs who are motivated by self-interest, vanity, greed, and blind hatred. These folks seek to promote themselves, their own agenda, aggrandizement, or source of income. Indeed, many of the leaders of these various organizations use some of the same “hooks” and marketing techniques employed by the founder of the movement. Unfortunately, some of these leaders privately acknowledge that many of the beliefs which are widely accepted within their culture are wrong, but they continue to preach or tolerate them for fear of losing members and/or income! And there have always been folks who have been willing to use the threat of severing familial and friendly relationships as a cudgel to keep potentially problem members in check.

Which, incidentally, gets us to the point of this present post: Why would anyone want to be a part of something which has generated so much hurt and divisiveness? Is it really enough to acknowledge that mistakes were made in the past administration of the system? Do you really want to be a part of something which has divided families, alienated friends, and provoked vicious personal attacks on other people? Do you really want to be a part of something that controls and/or absorbs so much of your time and resources? Do you want to be a part of something that you KNOW promotes values and beliefs that are hateful and heretical? Do you really want to be a part of an organization which claims to be Christian and isn’t focused on Jesus of Nazareth and salvation through him?

Even so, some of my ACOG friends will say: “BUT we are commanded to fellowship with other believers, Lonnie!” “I am convinced that Christians should observe the Sabbath and eschew PAGAN holidays!” “I reject the Trinity and believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, water baptism, and the Christian Passover.” My suggestion: Try a Church of God Seventh Day congregation near you! (By the way, I am NOT a member of that organization – I am NOT affiliated with them in ANY way.) There are Seventh-Day Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, and a number of other Christian groups who observe the Sabbath. The bottom line: You have options! Can’t find a group who believes everything that you do? Welcome to the worldwide community of Christians! There are many Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, etc. who do NOT accept ALL of their church’s doctrines/teachings (and we’ve already established that there isn’t any uniformity of belief within the ACOGs either)!

If you are truly motivated by a desire to serve and obey God, then you will NOT settle for something which clearly does NOT represent him. God is not the author of confusion – Satan (and the people who have been deceived by him) is/are the author(s) of confusion! By any objective standard, the ACOGs are awash in confusion, division, and failure! I believe that this reality provides the most compelling reason why you should NOT be a member of an ACOG!

LCG: Unable to resist temptation, LCG members are unable to persevere

Another day and something else LCG members seem to be unable to do. Apparently, many are no longer willing to run race set before them. Beaten down over the decades as totally incompetent, how can we blame them. Have church members ever been able to do anything right in the leadership's eyes?

 

Importance of Perseverance: Every year prior to the Holy Days, Satan stirs up trials to discourage God’s people. However, we are admonished to endure to the end to be in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 10:22; 24:13). Endurance requires perseverance. When Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to never, never, never quit, he was echoing biblical advice. When Joshua took over after Moses, God said “Be strong and of good courage”: trust and obey Him and don’t be afraid—and you will succeed and prosper (Joshua 1:5–9). Paul told Christians they must gain control of every thought, resist temptation, and finish the race to win the reward in the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 2 Corinthians 10:5). The Apostle Peter advised early Christians they needed to develop courage, self-control, and perseverance to obtain the precious promises of God (2 Peter 1:4–8). John wrote that only overcomers who persist in their mission will receive a reward in the Kingdom (Revelation 3:7–13). When trials come, let’s remember this important advice to persevere in our calling so we can reign with Jesus Christ in His coming Kingdom.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail