Why God Scattered His “church”

There have been many opinions expressed as to why the Worldwide Church of God, as led by the late Herbert W. Armstrong, failed as quickly and as completely as it did. I have no doubt that many of the reasons already expressed have merit; I am even willing to believe that much of the blame can be placed on the heads of a few specific groups or individuals; however, I would like to add one more reason for you to consider.

We as individual members of the “church” of God need to realize that the dissolution of the Worldwide Church could not have happened unless God allowed it to happen! From the experience of a long life I can safely say that God did not need to do anything to the Worldwide Church of God and its ministry to bring about its destruction. History has repeatedly proven that whenever any group of men come together to organize anything they will eventually fail! However, we must constantly remind ourselves it was the Worldwide Church of God that failed -- not the “church” of God!

Rather than go through many of the same insufficient and inconclusive answers we have heard over the years for the dispersal of the brethren, I want to suggest some different and provocative questions which I hope will add a new dimension to your thinking.

I have consistently voiced my belief that we (and our ministers) have accepted error as part of our understanding. I further believe that since our faith is based upon that which we believe to be true, if we have accepted a flawed understanding of God’s truths then our faith must also be flawed. It is my often repeated belief that if an error in our understanding could have, and should have been found and corrected, I cannot believe God will honour the faith we have built upon that error.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. [Surely this refers to a faith built upon truth -- not blind faith -- not wrong faith!]

If a Tibetan monk lives a life of seclusion and deprivation in a mountain monastery, he does so by faith: is this the type of faith that pleases God? If a young woman takes on the rites and trappings of a Catholic nun, vowing to speak to no one for the rest of her life, she does so by faith: would this gesture of faith be pleasing to God? If we willingly accept wrong doctrine as part of our beliefs, simply because the source of that doctrine happens to be one of God’s ministers, will God be pleased with the faith we build upon that error?

In our search for the truths and the mysteries of Almighty God we must not be afraid to ask any question, search any doctrine, or meditate upon any point of scripture our studies may bring to our attention. When we ignore that which the Spirit of God is trying to teach us we place ourselves in the position which led Saul of Tarsus to persecute and afflict the disciples of the early Apostolic Church. Notice:

Acts 9:3-5 “And as [Saul of Tarsus] journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ And [Saul] said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks [i.e. animal prods].

I believe that for some time Saul of Tarsus (later known as the Apostle Paul) had been receiving prods to his conscience over his persecution of the “church” of God! When this voice and vision appeared to him on the road to Damascus, he was only too ready to accept that his actions against the disciples had been wrong. It had become very difficult for him “to ignore the prodding of the Spirit of God!”

The Bible teaches that if we ignore the guidance of God’s Spirit it will leave us. Whenever we find ourselves wondering about a point of scripture; or if we find that something we’re reading or being told “just doesn’t feel right” it may be that the prodding of the Spirit of God is telling you “it isn’t right!” If you ignore that feeling, you may be ignoring the power and direction of God’s Spirit -- I can assure you that next time, it will be even easier to ignore that feeling.

Teachings of the Churches of God

If we are to believe that God set in place those who minister over us, then we must believe He did so with a purpose in mind. However, when we see the chaos that has effectively scattered the “church” of God (arguably caused by many of these same ministers) then we must believe He allowed this scattering with a purpose in mind.

For the most part, the ministers of the many differing Churches of God do a good work. I believe that with very few exceptions they are indeed the true ministers of God. When they do a good work or preach a true gospel they deserve our respect and our obedience.

When their teaching seems somewhat less than perfect they still deserve our respect; however, we must always follow the scriptural admonition to: “...work out our own salvation, with fear and trembling.” We must also remember that each of us as individuals will be held responsible for our own shortcomings; the failings of the ministry will in no way excuse our own faults. Therefore “Let no man take your crown!”

The following is only a partial list of the many good works our ministers hold as part of their collective doctrines:

1. They teach the gospel, the good news, of the coming Kingdom of God.

2. They teach the true Jesus; crucified and resurrected as the firstborn Son of God.

3. They teach a doctrine of repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands.

4. They teach a 7,000 year plan of God with a 1,000 year Millennium soon to begin.

5. They teach the need for an increased, spiritual obedience to God’s commandments.

6. They teach the need to keep the weekly Sabbath Day and the Annual Holy Days.

7. They teach the imminent return of Jesus to set up His Father’s Kingdom on the Earth.

8. They teach the resurrection of the saints to be kings and priests during the Millennium.

9. They teach the eventual resurrection of all who have ever lived upon the Earth.

10. They effectively warn the world of the impending end-time and the day of the Lord.

With little or no exception the ministers of the many differing Churches of God hold true to the doctrines listed above. They should be commended for the good works they perform and they deserve our respect and our prayers in support of the work they do. However, we cannot allow ourselves to accept that which they believe and teach if we harbour even the slightest doubt that what they believe and teach may be wrong! If the Spirit of God is the source of that doubt then we dare not ignore it!

Q...If we are to believe that those who minister over us were chosen to do so by Almighty God, at what point would it be correct for us to question or reject their teaching?

Q...At what point was it correct for the present ministry to reject the teaching and authority of those whom God had placed over them in the Worldwide Church?

Q...Concerning the angels that God placed under the authority of the Archangel Lucifer: at what point would it have been correct for them to question his decision to mount a rebellion against the very throne of God in heaven?

Acts 23:1-5 “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said: ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’ And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?’ And those who stood by said, ‘Do you revile God’s high priest?’ Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

The Apostle Paul shows us in this passage that those whom God has placed over us deserve our respect -- and when their teaching conforms to the truths of God they deserve our obedience. However, we should also remember that at the time of the ministry of Jesus, Caiaphas was the High Priest of God in Jerusalem. As much as Caiaphas was worthy of respect for the position he held over the people, his teachings were to be ignored, even reviled, when they did not conform to the truths and the commandments of Almighty God!

Our ministers want to be the teachers and arbiters of the truths and mysteries of God. And yet, even Jesus did not openly teach those truths; he allowed the Spirit of God to lead even his closest disciples to a more perfect understanding. Notice the following exchange between Jesus and His disciples and the final comment He made to Simon Peter:

Matthew 16:13-19 “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Jesus knew that only by the power, inspiration, and direction of the Spirit of God can any of us come to truly understand the perfect truths of God. Each of us as individuals must learn to follow wherever the Spirit of God may lead us. Will we make mistakes? Of course we will! But a major part of the faith we are trying to build within ourselves is the faith that God is able to do that which He has promised.

We have all read the scriptures which tell us: “Seek and you shall find.” “Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” There are many such passages and they are either true or they are not true! This in no way means that as soon as you ask you shall find. Neither does it mean that as soon as you try to understand, all things will be opened up to you. What it does mean is that if you consistently study to show yourself approved unto God; if you diligently search the Scriptures whether these things are so; if you unashamedly fill yourself with a zeal for God’s word and His mysteries, you will eventually begin to understand.

There is no doubt that the way to a more perfect understanding can be a very long, slow, even arduous process; but the rewards are well worth the challenge. You will appreciate those rewards in this life when you begin to truly understand; and there will be rewards in the life to come when our Saviour sets you apart and tells you: “Well done, you good and faithful servant.” If you allow the power, direction, and inspiration of the Spirit of God to become part of your very character, you will be well on your way to a more perfect understanding -- and a more perfect destiny!

So then: If the teaching of Herbert Armstrong and the ministers of the Worldwide Church had been perfect, there would have been little need for the Spirit of God to take a more active part in your life. If the teaching of the ministers of the many end-time Churches was more perfect, there would be no need for them (or for us) to remain separated one from the other. But the Worldwide Church was scattered; and the end-time Churches do remain divided, and those of us who cannot trust any man with our salvation will continue to work out our own salvation until the return of the only one we can trust.

1st Kings 22:17 “And [Michaiah: a prophet of the Lord] said, I saw Israel scattered upon all the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, ‘These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.’”

Q...Do you believe that any of God’s sheep are lost forever, ‘having no (human) master’?

There are those of us who have learned through the bitterness of deceit, the true depth of the saying “let no man take your crown.” There are many of God’s “sheep” who can no longer trust any man with their destiny, and yet: “…he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep -- the sheep hear his voice -- he goes before them, and the sheep follow him -- for they know his voice -- a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him -- for they know not the voice of strangers!”

Jesus is the one true shepherd; for some of us there can be no other!

The Bible teaches that the scattering of the “church” of God was not only anticipated but prophesied. An earlier posting to this blogsite entitled: “The Scattered ‘church’ of God” discusses this very subject; I invite you to go to the “Archives” and read it. Carefully consider the fact that the prophesied scattering of the brethren has indeed come to pass according to the great and wonderful plan of God!

Note: Next week I hope to offer a little change of pace. Those of you who were members of the Worldwide Church may remember “The Bible Story.” It was a six-volume edition, written by Basil Wolverton and illustrated in a very entertaining way. It was enjoyed by adult and child alike and when I discovered that one of the end-time Churches of God was about to post it to their website I was very pleased -- until I began to read!