An Open Letter to the Ex-Worldwide Church of God Brethren

AN OPEN LETTER TO EX-WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD BRETHREN.

The Old Testament Church was a physical church with physical “earthly” laws and statutes which are the blueprint of the New Testament Church.  God revealed His plan for humanity with the physical laws and holy days of the Old Testament because the carnal mind cannot understand the things of God. (2 Corinthians 2:10-14 & Romans 8:7).

JESUS CHRIST IS THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH:

The New Testament Church is a spiritual church, the physical acts of the law show our obedience to the “spirit of the law”. MEN were the priests in the physical Old Testament Church BUT JESUS CHRIST is the High Priest of His New Testament spiritual church.  Hebrews 8:1,2.We have such a High Priest, (Jesus Christ), Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (He) is a Minister of the Sanctuary, the TRUE Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and NOT man.  

The Old Testament Church did NOT have God’s holy spirit, they were unable to understand spiritual things, their knowledge of God’s will was dependent upon the Prophets and Priests to whom God had given direct instruction.

The New Testament Church is an ORGANISM of INDIVIDUALS whom GOD has called and has ‘quickened’ through His holy spirit. Individuals who have committed themselves to obedience of God’s will instead of their own will and been baptised and received the holy spirit of God. These are the ‘stones’ of the spiritual (New Testament) Church whose foundation is JESUS CHRIST. 1 Peter 2:5-6. You also as living stones, are built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, who is the chief cornerstone.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 This is NOT a ‘ministerial conference’ as some church Ministers try to tell us, this is addressed to the Congregation of God’s spiritual church, to the members who are, v6 “made able ministers of the New Testament by the spirit. The New Testament church is a “spiritual organism” and the congregation ARE both members of the Church AND the Ministry! Our teacher is God’s inspired word, the holy bible and our understanding comes via the holy spirit!

GOD’S CHURCH is NOT an Organisation of MEN, ruled over by men.

JESUS said He did not come to do HIS OWN WILL, but the will of God.  As followers of Jesus Christ we are to be the same. We do not follow our own will, we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, we are LIGHTS to the world as JESUS CHRIST was a light to the world. The world is in DARKNESS because carnal minded men do not follow Jesus Christ. Romans 8:7. The carnal mind is against God and is not obedient to God. Even those men who say they are “God’s Apostle” or “God’s instrument” while “leaning to their own understanding” unlike Jesus Christ, who gave up His own will, these men are committing original sin. 

Herbert Armstrong began his ministry by obeying God, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and baptising all who wanted to follow God. BUT as time went by and his fame and fortune grew he began to copy the attitudes and actions of other religious leaders of the world.  He knew that the people of God ARE the church, a spiritual organism, but he began to claim that the church was an organisation of men so that he and his elected ‘priesthood’ of men could exercise authority over God’s people.

Matthew 20:24-28. & Mark 10:42-44. Jesus said “whoever will be great let him minister (serve) and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.

JESUS CHRIST instructed His followers to preach the Gospel, the Good News of God’s Kingdom on earth ruled over by Jesus Christ. The instruction from God was that this preaching of the Gospel would continue UNTIL THE END!  Matthew 24:13,14. But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. And this GOSPEL of the KINGDOM shall be preached in ALL THE WORLD for a witness UNTO ALL NATIONS, and THEN the END SHALL COME.

Ezekiel 34:1-24 To the ‘shepherds’ who have ‘drunk of the deep waters, but the Lord’s flock have to eat what has been trodden down and fouled with your feet.’(the deep waters represent the holy spirit. John 7:37-39).

When Herbert preached the true gospel of the Kingdom, people whom God called gave generously so that the gospel would be preached to all the world as Jesus instructed His followers. As his wealth and prestige grew, Herbert began to believe it was his own preaching that had converted all these people. Millions of dollars that had been willingly given for the preaching of the gospel was used to acquire property for the building of Colleges. Millions of dollars were lavished on these colleges, yet NONE was ever called by GOD’s name, none used solely as training colleges for Christian Ministers.

No one who trained as a minister or teacher from any Ambassador College was sent out to Pastor their own AUTONOMOUS Church with JESUS CHRIST AS THE HEAD.  No church buildings were ever built, No attempt to show WWCG was a CHRISTIAN church which would happily welcome all comers to learn the wonderful gospel message. FAR FROM BEING LIGHTS OF THE WORLD the WWCG hid themselves from the world and made no attempt to openly encourage ALL PEOPLE to learn God’s word. Attendance into WWCG congregations was strictly monitored; baptism and belief in church doctrine as determined by Herbert Armstrong, was the requirement of admittance to the ‘church’.  GOD created man to have freedom of thought and asked us to “freely choose Him” BUT religious MEN suppress freedom of thought and demand obedience to them.

WWCG taught that ONLY ministers had knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. The opinions of MEN were taught as if they were the commandments of God. Today in the offshoot ‘churches of God’ the same thinking applies. The extent of control MEN have over God’s people ranges from forbidding members to have any contact with those outside the organisation (even family); to taking away all freedom of expression or demonstrating joy and appreciation by applause in services.

WWCG “Spokesman Clubs” formed for the purpose of training potential teachers of the word of God, encouraged participants to give speeches based on topics from any other book but NEVER from the ONE book which should have been constantly read and studied by God’s church. Herbert Armstrong was so afraid that someone may lead congregations away from his organisation that he controlled everything.

Had he remained faithful to God he would have known that GOD WILL ALWAYS PROTECT HIS CHURCH.  How many ‘churches of god’ follow Herbert Armstrong’s formula for building a following?  Greedy men who idolise Herbert Armstrong rather than Jesus Christ hope to achieve the same results by following Herbert’s methods.  

The holy bible covers EVERY topic known to man, and those who are the followers of Jesus Christ, ought to thoroughly know everything the bible teaches. Yet ‘churches of GOD’ still continue Herbert Armstrong’s methods of printing copious amounts of booklets and magazines filled with men’s thoughts and ideas on all topics they view as important and call it ‘preaching the gospel of the Kingdom”. Mark 7:7. In vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Matthew 15:8,9. This people draw near to Me with their mouth, honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.

In 1968 Herbert Armstrong re-named the Radio Church of God “Worldwide Church of God” and declared himself head of the church, he made the Headquarters of God’s church on earth, in Pasadena California! Within two years entire congregations were defecting from WWCG, showing that as the organisation turned away from God, God turned His back on the organisation. (by their fruits you will know them)

Splinter groups of WWCG, refuse to acknowledge God; refuse to recognise the “fruits” of HWA’s mistakes, and continue to follow NOT the early obedient days of HWA, BUT the latter days of disobedience to God and promoting of SELF that was indicative of Herbert’s actions after 1968 and which ultimately led to the demise of WWCG. Men who believe that Herbert Armstrong’s wealth and power came about by human means DO NOT SEE THE POWER OF GOD and vainly try to gain the same wealth and power by copying his erroneous teachings and methods of control. Insisting that the bible verse which says “scripture is of no private interpretation” means that God’s Spiritual Church, cannot understand the holy bible without the ministers interpretation and so ensuring their power over God’s people. It is NOT necessary to read booklets and pamphlets filled with the theories of men NOR is it necessary to belong to any ORGANISATION of MEN in order to be a member of God’s SPIRITUAL church.

Deceiving ministers who refuse to preach the truth and purity of the bible, muddy the pure water of God’s word and feed it to God’s people. God’s Word is truth and God has preserved His Word for thousands of years. Matthew 4:4 & Luke 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.   

Perhaps you first learned of God’s wonderful Plan for Humanity from Herbert Armstrong when he was preaching the message of God’s Kingdom; BUT it is the end of your Christian journey that determines if indeed you are God’s church. Not one person who answered God’s call and became a ‘stone’ in God’s Temple is there by accident! Every single person is supernaturally called by God, it is impossible for the carnal mind to understand spiritual things.

It is God who chooses His people. It is God who gives us spiritual understanding. It is God who calls people to Himself by His holy spirit. Matthew 20:16 the last shall be first and the first last; for many be called but few chosen.

Do not be persuaded that an organisation of Men is God’s True Church. IT IS THE WORD OF GOD, THE HOLY BIBLE THAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF TRUTH. Organisations of churches of God are not autonomous churches with Jesus Christ and His holy word as their foundation. They are organisations of MEN with men ruling over them and by insisting God’s people have faith and trust in organisations and the ministry rather than the holy scriptures they take away personal responsibility from God’s Church.

Individual members of the congregation ARE the stones of the living Church. We will ALL be judged individually NOT en masse. 1 Corinthians 3:16; Don’t you know that YOU ARE the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you. 1 Corinthians 3:13. We are labourers together with God, we are God’s husbandry, we are God’s Building. Every man take heed how he build thereon. For no other foundation can a man lay that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man’s work shall be made known, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; Fire shall try every man’s work what it is made of. “Every man”, NOT just those who minister. It is NOT for men to decide who will receive the gospel message, or who will be invited to attend a church service to learn about God. If the MEN in charge make those decisions, then WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHURCH?  Which of the ‘Churches of God’ trust GOD to look after HIS Church? When men insist on controlling everything themselves they show that they do NOT believe God is REAL!  

The first physical Church in the Wilderness, was to to be an example to all nations of the world.  Today, there are the means and opportunity to preach this gospel to all the world, SO WHY DOESN’T THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW IT? The SABBATH DAY points to the coming Kingdom of God on earth with Jesus Christ as King, WHY DOESN’T THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW THIS?

2 Peter 3:7,8,9. This world is RESERVED for fire and judgement, and although we were given 6000 years before the Kingdom of God comes, JESUS is NOT LATE concerning His Return, but He is not willing that ANY perish, He wants ALL men to repent. (this is WHY the preaching of the gospel is so important to God).  Matthew 6:9,10. Our Father which is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. WHY is this knowledge NOT being preached to the whole world?

GOD has cast WWCG out of his sight, BUT God’s church (those individuals who have been converted and baptised and received His holy spirit) must continue in the way God’s word teaches, don’t lean to your own understanding, don’t allow MEN to deceive you. Trust in God, believe Him when He says you can understand the scriptures without a man to teach you; if you have the holy spirit.

1 John 2:26,27 ‘concerning them that seduce you, the holy spirit which you have received of HIM abides in you, you don’t need ANY MAN to teach you, the holy spirit teaches you all, is truth, and as it teaches you, you shall abide in Him’.

We are not here to change this world; that will happen when Jesus Christ returns and God’s Kingdom is set up on earth. Those who are Jesus Christ’s followers are instructed to preach the gospel of the kingdom and continue this work UNTIL HE COMES!

Revelation 3:11. Behold I come quickly, hold fast, that no man take your crown.