Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Most Pathetic Passover Service Ever!

 

For those who have spent any time in the Church of God movement you will remember that Passover services were well planned out and precise in how it was celebrated. Well, no more...

Our superfantaulous Great Bwana to Africa and the 100 occasional Caucasians has a Passover service online for those who need to celebrate at home like 95% of his Caucasian members need to.

One thing for sure about the Great Bwana, his videos are 100% Ambassador quality. Well thought out, articulate...šŸ˜‚

For some reason, this one is filled with an overabundance of arm waving and hand flapping than he usually does. Plus, the open door to his storage closet for his homeopathic supplements is a nice touch. Ambassador quality all the way! He also sounds like he is totally unprepared throughout the entire video.  Skip ahead to 8:06 and listen to the insanity as he tries to describe foot washing.

LCG: Passover Should Remind You That You Need To Support The Work With Your Money

 


I bet you never knew the plan of salvation included supporting the church financially...oh, wait...


Support God’s Work 

God has a plan of salvation for every man, woman, and child who has ever lived and who ever will live. He wants us to become part of His Family forever. Yet only a few of those billions of people are being called to be His firstfruits. Who will be those firstfruits? Those who commit to enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13). Will you be one of them? I hope so!

Out of the more than eight billion people on planet Earth, only a relative few will be taking the Christian Passover in the evening of April 21 this year. The Passover is a memorial of God’s amazing love for each of us—what He did for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. And it reminds us of a future when the whole world will observe this sober but joyous occasion. 
 
In this present age, however, God is doing His work through just a small handful of human beings. This has always been the case, as Christ reminded us: “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37–38). 
 
So, as we approach the Passover, we must examine ourselves and our commitments. The Days of Unleavened Bread reveal our part in God’s plan of salvation. God instructs us to replace the leaven of malice and wickedness with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8). So, we must all be committed to being overcomers. In Revelation 2 and Revelation 3, Christ seven times speaks of those who overcome, as He states the various rewards for overcoming. And we read, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:7). We must strive to overcome our carnal human nature and ask God to create in us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:2–4). 
 
Brethren, let’s appreciate how God uses us to accomplish the Work, thankful for the opportunity and for what it will bring. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58). 
 
Brethren, as you prepare to take the Passover, review and renew your commitments—so you will know you can tell your Savior and your Father in Heaven, “I belong to You!” Our Passover Commitments

LCG: Abused As A Spouse Or Child? Just Let Go And Let God...After All, It's Passover Time

 


We are getting close to Passover time and the Churches of God are flooding their magazines, articles, member letters, and broadcasts with ways to prepare for Passover. The Living Church of God has an article up by Richard Ames covering a myriad of things one needs to do in that preparation.

One subsection is on forgiving others. He says women and children who have been physically abused to forgive their abuser, let go, and let God do what God is supposed to do. While he is correct in having the person seek help and protection if needed, he then says that those abused need to forgive, let it all go, and let it rest in God's hands. Sadly this has been the case in the COG for decades as spousal abuse went unchecked because the church never backed up the abused spouse and in many cases told her to remain in the home and God would sort things eventually (apparently in between the beatings).  Sexual abuse in the church was dealt with in the same way. Abusers were seldom dealt with and encouraged to attend another church area, if at all. Bringing in the Police and other officials tended to bring in scrutiny of the church and its abberent teachings and that was not a good thing.

Now, forgiving doesn’t mean that you encourage or enable someone to sin again and again. For example, spousal abuse and child abuse are serious crimes, and victims should seek out the help and protection they need. You may need to distance yourself from an unrepentant sinner. But, like the old saying goes, often the best answer is, “Let go; let God.” Instead of building up your anger at someone’s unrepented sin, trust that the matter is in God’s hands and that He will do what needs to be done. Especially when the offense is simply to your pride, or involves the other person’s selfishness or disrespect, the best response often is to let it be a matter between the sinner and God. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). As Passover approaches, commit to maintaining an attitude of forgiveness. Our Passover Commitments