Church of God Brethren

Several years ago I wrote a short essay under the title “The ‘church’ and the WCG.” Before I copy that essay for your consideration, I want to share with you some of the reasons for this blogsite and why I believe it to be a very special personal blessing. In fact, I have decided to publish as a heading of the blogsite my desire that it be dedicated to those of my brethren who are now part of what I refer to as “The Scattered ‘church’ and Churches of God.”

Please understand that I am not a minister. I was baptized into the “church” of God several decades ago before what can arguably be called the great “falling away.” I am not a teacher, neither am I affiliated with any of the many surviving Churches of God.

On this site we may ask any question; question any doctrine; and refuse to accept any answer which we do not believe has been answered to our satisfaction. Our goal will be to more perfectly understand the many truths and mysteries of God; nevertheless, argument and contention cannot and will not be tolerated.

In my first posting I included a short list of questions I believe have not been properly researched. In fact, my personal studies have uncovered many answers which disagree with the teaching of our ministers. It is my hope that in this format we can discuss many of these questions and perhaps gain a more perfect overall understanding. We may also be able to better understand why so many of those who minister over us have thus far been reluctant to openly discuss many of our doctrinal concerns.

Beginning with my next posting I shall begin to ask these and many other questions; but today I want to post an open letter to those who were our brethren so very long ago. No matter where they may be found they are still our brethren; and shall remain our brethren until the return of our Saviour, Brother, Lord, and King.

The “church” and the WCG

Several decades ago an organization of men took to themselves the secular name, “The Worldwide Church of God.” In fairness, this move was forced upon them by the mores and laws of society. By adopting a name acceptable to the authorities governing such things, and by the compliance of this organization to the laws governing religious organizations, they were able to legitimize themselves in the eyes of society and make themselves eligible for certain legal and financial benefits.

The members of this organization believed they were the “One True Church of God” and were prepared to prove it from the pages of the Bible. I really don’t know how many hundreds of Churches there are within the definition of professing Christianity, but I wonder if any one of them does not believe they are that “True Church”; and that within the realm of professing Christendom, they alone have a more perfect understanding of the truths and mysteries of God.

Under the leadership of Herbert W. Armstrong, the ministry and membership of the Worldwide Church of God had as a basic tenet of their beliefs that the Bible held the truths and the teachings of Almighty God. Throughout the congregation there was a fervent desire to live in obedience to those truths and to constantly strive for greater individual understanding and spiritual perfection. Because of this, it is my belief that those individuals whom God had chosen to separate for Himself were at that time drawn to the Worldwide Church of God.

For some time, under the leadership of Mr. Armstrong, a large part of this Worldwide Church was made up of those whom God had chosen. These were the elect of God, the “ekklesia”; these were the chosen of God, the true “church” of God. For a time they were of the Worldwide Church, but only inasmuch as that organization remained faithful to the truths of God. I believe that the Worldwide Church of God, as an organization of men, was not at any time the true “church” of God!

That which had such a wonderful and noble beginning disintegrated into petty squabbles within the ministry; this eventually resulted in the dismantling and scattering of a majority of the congregation. Many of those who were (and still are) our brethren went back to the world and the lives they had tried so hard to put behind them.

These lost brethren of thirty years ago had been baptized and blessed by their ministers at a time when there was a spirit of peace and unity within the ministry and the Church. Some whom I considered to be truly begotten of God began to see problems within the teachings of the Church; when they tried to discuss these problems with others of the brethren or with the ministry they were labelled “seditious troublemakers” and were either ignored, censured, or asked to leave the congregation. Many of our brethren were actually cast out of the Church while others simply fell away; disillusioned, discouraged, and disgusted.

When the Church we had come to know began to fall apart and the ministry began to set themselves up as individual shepherds over God’s scattered sheep, many of our brethren felt betrayed. Many saw that betrayal as being so profound they will never again place their hope for salvation in any mortal man! More than ever before, where their eternal lives were concerned, they came to identify with the scripture which told them: “Let no man take your crown!”

Have those who left the Church had their one and only chance for salvation? If they do not return to the arms of the ministry and to the Church are they doomed to join Satan and his demons in the lake of fire? Many of those who were scattered have already “fallen asleep” while in rejection of everything they once believed -- are they lost to us forever?

I must believe that a merciful God will show compassion to those who rejected a selfish and deceitful ministry rather than the Father they had come to know and love. My concern is that their belief (their faith) may have been so great that they saw their ministers as true ministers of God, and their teachings as the perfect truths of God; by rejecting His ministers and their teaching, many of the brethren may have felt it necessary to also reject Him that sent them!

The betrayal of the ministry was so deep, and so pervasive, that it would be difficult if not impossible to measure the harm that was done to the brethren. Some of the same ministers who caused the problem were also the same ministers who cast many of our brethren from the Church.

Many of those who caused such a tremendous rift within the unity of the Worldwide Church congregations now preach and teach in some of the many differing Churches of God. Many of them, if not all, believe they have been chosen by God to minister over an end-time remnant of His flock. Such incredible arrogance is hardly conceivable; yet many of them seem convinced that everything they’ve done over the years was done “in God’s name!”

The organization known as the Worldwide Church of God still exists today; but it is little more than an embarrassing sham of what it once was. Anyone willing to take the time to study the current beliefs and doctrines of this Church, and compare them with those of times past, must wonder what attracted the present ministry to the Church in the first place.

However, it is of far greater importance that we understand what happened to those of our brethren who chose to leave the Worldwide Church of God; or were forced out by the ministry. Make no mistake, among these can be found the true “church” of God. These are the “ekklesia,” God’s chosen, God’s children; whether they remained in smaller groups able to fellowship one with the other, or were forced to survive as individuals alone and scattered throughout the world; they are the true “church” of God.

Note: Next week I hope to explore a question concerning the resurrection of Jesus: “Did Jesus rise from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures or after the third day according to the Scriptures?” I urge you to consider the thoughts and conclusions put forward in the study-paper entitled “Three Days and Three Nights.”

A New Look At True Faith

There have been several booklets written, and many sermons delivered, on the subject of “true faith.” Anyone who knows me and understands some of my beliefs will not be surprised when I say that once again, the ministers of the “Churches of God” have failed to fully comprehend what God and his Son Jesus have tried to convey to us about faith.

Once again I must ask the question, did Jesus ask a foolish and unnecessary question when he said: “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Is it possible that he was truly concerned? When he does return will there be the level of faith he deserves to find in the true “church”; the “ekklesia”; the begotten children of God?

Do you want to hear a loud chorus of denials? Just ask about a lack of true faith in a room full of those who have been chosen, or who themselves have chosen, to minister over the Churches of God. One after the other they would preach with zeal and passion that “The Work” of God is living proof of the faith and the strength of the ministers and the “Churches” of God. This one time they would stand together in unity of voice and purpose -- instead of the differing and bickering factions that arrogance and intractability has created of them; and of us.

True faith comes from the perfect understanding of GOD’S TRUTH! Belief in a doctrine that contains error cannot be used to build the true faith of God. Make no mistake: when a Tibetan monk commits himself to a lifetime of poverty and privation in a Tibetan mountain monastery he does so by faith. When a woman takes up the orders and trappings of a Catholic nun she does so by faith. When our brethren in any of the many different and differing Churches of God follow a doctrine taught to them by their minister they do so by faith. However -- faith without truth is dead!

The ministers of the “Churches of God” have allowed error to form part of the doctrines they preach and teach. Our collective faith is based upon what we have learned and what we believe to be true. If we have accepted error as one or more of the building blocks of our faith, then that faith is flawed! If such error could have and should have been discovered and corrected, then I cannot believe that God will support such faith; and this makes me wonder if, when the Son of man comes, “…will he find faith on the earth?”

There is a saying I have adopted as an explanation for the way I approach my search for knowledge and understanding. This saying varies with the telling, but it goes something like this:
“There is no question I will not ask and ask again in my search for the understanding of God. There is no scripture I will not question and question again. There is no doctrine I will not pull apart and rebuild again and again to assure myself it is built on a foundation of truth. Every miniscule truth when proven and proven again becomes a building block to my faith. Every error, when found and corrected, adds to my understanding and my faith -- and when this happens it fills me with great joy that God my Father has seen fit to correct a child that He loves!”

I would like to dwell for a moment on the statement, “every miniscule truth.” I don’t know how many times I have heard a minister blast and ridicule those who would, “dwell on some picky point of scripture” as if all scripture had not been given to us by inspiration of God. Notice the seeds from which many things in God’s creation grow, few are more miniscule than the mustard seed; and yet God has used the mustard seed to teach us of his truths.

There are several references made to a grain of mustard seed in the New Testament and two of them are made in direct reference to faith. You will find them recorded at Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6. For the purpose of this discussion I shall quote the one recorded at Luke 17:6…“And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, ‘Be you plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea’; and it should obey you.’”

Until recently, I had believed this meant that with no more faith than an infinitesimal amount the size of a mustard seed any follower of Christ could perform great miracles -- and yet, to my knowledge, not one individual in any of the “Churches of God” can perform a miracle of any kind!

The next question must therefore be: “If there is no one that can perform a miracle of any kind, is there no one in any of the “Churches of God” who has any faith at all? Is there not one person that has enough faith in size or volume equal to that of a grain of mustard seed?”

I have no doubt the ministers of the many “Churches of God” have an answer which would satisfy the majority of the brethren; after all, each of us wants to believe that we do in fact have faith. For my part, I don’t think it’s necessary to find an explanation other than that which the Bible, and Jesus himself, was trying to convey.

If Jesus was using a grain of mustard seed as an analogy of faith, would it be fair to say he was referring not to the mustard seed itself, but to the potential of that mustard seed? “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed…” The grain of mustard seed, (by analogy), has no doubt that one day it shall grow to be of the greatest of all herbs. We as children begotten of our Father should have no doubt that one day we shall grow to be of the greatest of all beings.

Faith is something we must build slowly and carefully over a lifetime. Just as a mustard seed, properly fed and nurtured will eventually grow to become the greatest among herbs, so shall the faith of a begotten child of God grow with the strength of their knowledge and the perfection of their understanding. Just as the mustard seed is not yet the greatest of herbs; so then is the faith of the brethren not yet able to cast sycamore trees into the sea.

If there is truth to be found in any of this, then it is of paramount importance that we not allow error to enter into any of our beliefs! If error does exist, then we must find it and root it out! We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent in our beliefs; we must not be made to stand before our Lord when he returns, with shame on our face and in our hearts because of our lack of true faith!

Have the following few questions been answered by the ministers of God with the proper degree of depth and understanding? It is my belief they have not!

Q…Are those of our brethren who have “fallen away” lost to us forever?
Q…Are the angels that followed Lucifer in his rebellion doomed to the lake of fire?
Q…Is there a prophecy within the prophecy of the virgin birth?
Q…Do we truly know all that should be known about the rite of baptism?
Q…Why did Jesus refuse to drink the vinegar mixed with gall?
Q…How much time passed from the moment of Jesus’ death, to his resurrection?
Q…Was it John, or Jesus, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah?
Q…Did Jesus promise salvation to the thief who died beside him?

There are many questions that demand to be asked again! If the possibility exists that our collective beliefs may contain error, why do the ministers refuse to even discuss this possibility?

We must always remember what is written in Hebrews 11:6…“But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him!”

Does the diligent seeking of God end when we come to believe we have found Him; or should it continue until we are one day born again as His children? It is my personal belief that we shall go on learning into eternity -- and still we will never fully understand the wonder and complexity that is our Father and our God!