Pain

By
Hock

It seems the resistance (to the truth) is not limited to ministers. Members too resist the apparent answer and would rather believe a lie. A friend of mine said that cult members get to a point when they tell you, "Don't confuse me with facts. My mind is made up." Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that humans have 2 important facets that deal with life -- the rational and the emotional. The rational side may accept it but the emotional side would rather listen to lies and believe in lies. (There's got to be a psychological name for it but it slips me somehow). It's very painful to watch nice people deny to themselves what is going on but choose instead to sink with the organisation.

So ... what's painful?

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God leaders lie to members about Herbert Armstrong's incest, misappropriation of funds, adultery, lies, swindling, and the ungodly false prophet that he was.

It's painful to watch members find out that Herbert Armstrong had laughed at them for being stupid enough to believe him and called them all "dumb sheep who will believe anything I say" and realize that whenever a person makes a prophecy that does not come true, he is a false prophet (Jer 28:9).

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members turn to the local ministers who have led them to years of error for help to lead them out of the crisis in Worldwide Church of God knowing that many Worldwide Church of God ministers are still as blind as they used to be, albeit in different ways.

It's painful to watch as Worldwide Church of God does not fully and truly confront the past and yet hope that the problem can be ignored and that the church can grow spiritually.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members feel pain as they stagnate or do not grow as fast spiritually inside Worldwide Church of God as they would have in other healthier churches.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members sacrifice their own spiritual life so that they can stay and help the local Worldwide Church of God church knowing that they could have grown more if they had gone to healthy churches -- and watching later as they too start becoming infected with the same malaise that still strikes Worldwide Church of God.

It's painful to realize that when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God leaders as they claim that Worldwide Church of God has changed today and yet know that they still are more interested in the amount of offerings that they will receive when they start keeping Christmas and Easter on a large scale just as they have announced.

It's painful to watch as the United Church of God slashed their ministers' salaries by half when faced with a financial crisis this year when Worldwide Church of God leaders did not do the same when faced with their own crisis.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God leaders tell half truths, lies, manipulate members to give money and expect that God will bless them despite it.

It's painful to watch the local leaders accuse people who point out these unrighteous acts as being judgemental and unchristian for pointing out these sins.

It's painful to watch people choose not to leave because they've been with Worldwide Church of God for so long, even when they know some of what Worldwide Church of God had done.

It's painful to watch friends in Worldwide Church of God church wonder why it is not growing.

It is painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members go on a misguided "optimistic-mode' whenever they are faced with problems and think positively that "God will solve Worldwide Church of God's problems. Jesus will take care of the irregularities in this church."

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members deny that Worldwide Church of God is sinking and deny that all their efforts to help Worldwide Church of God will not do much good.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God members fool themselves and give that "horrified, disheartened look' together with excuses that things have changed when confronted with the horrible facts about Worldwide Church of God.

It's painful to watch members have the knowledge that other churches were growing spiritually and then give excuses as to why Worldwide Church of God is not.

It's painful to watch as friends find their world slowly stripped away from them and there's nothing you can do because they refuse the commonsensical solution - leaving Worldwide Church of God.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God resort to giving Worldwide Church of God members a guilt trip by begging them not to leave because Worldwide Church of God needs them now.

It's painful to watch as Worldwide Church of God members are so emotionally attached to Worldwide Church of God and the fellowship that they think that they should stay, and so stagnate spiritually because Worldwide Church of God cannot even be honest with members.

It's painful to watch as some Worldwide Church of God members try to help the local church and are happy that the local church is growing numerically only to find out later that the new members who come in will be manipulated, lied to and not grow to Christian maturity because many members can only grow as fast as their teachers.

It's painful to watch as Worldwide Church of God implements various measures that are supposed to help Worldwide Church of God and then watch later as members discover that there is still a gnawing gap that is not filled by Worldwide Church of God.

It's painful to watch local ministers and members try their best to help the church grow and improve and then find out that something was still wrong -- and wonder why.

It's painful to watch the people who support the direction Worldwide Church of God has taken, whilst we know in all likelihood that Worldwide Church of God leadership does not ultimately have the members' interests at heart.

it's painful to watch people claim that "Jesus will change the church' whilst we realize from history that organizations (Catholic, Protestant) come and go. It is the people whom God seems to be more interested in.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God think that the only problem was legalism and doctrinal mistakes.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God lay ministers and new ministers try to help the Worldwide Church of God organization grow, thinking that Worldwide Church of God and they have something to contribute to members, knowing that their efforts will go to waste ultimately as Worldwide Church of God headquarters and higher up ministers ultimately care more for their livelihood than about members or local ministers.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God ministers as they realize how corrupted Worldwide Church of God is only after years inside and not be able to get out because they draw the salary from Worldwide Church of God headquarters.

It's painful to watch local Worldwide Church of God ministers whom you've loved and respected stoop to committing and hiding lies, unrighteousness and unspeakable acts of sin against Worldwide Church of God members today because they are afraid of being fired.

It's painful to watch longtime Worldwide Church of God ministers as unrighteousness and corruption eat into their being as they obey every command from headquarters even though these commands go against their conscience.

It's painful to watch as ministers try to turn Worldwide Church of God around and deceive themselves as to why it is not turning around.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God ministers say that no church is perfect to justify their sins and then to continue covering up the old sins and covering up the current ones.

It's painful to watch as every single instance of slight growth, miracle or slight improvement in Worldwide Church of God is trumpeted out when there is more pain than ever in Worldwide Church of God -- Worldwide Church of God ministers just haven't gotten around to revealing or finding out about it.

It's painful to watch Worldwide Church of God as they are more concerned that they will get sued than to help Worldwide Church of God members grow in Christian maturity.

It's painful to watch ministers sink lower into a cesspool of corruption as they manipulate members, knowing that ultimately they will have a hard time explaining to God and the deceived members why they believe that there is such a thing as a "holy lie" and that "the end justifies the means."

It will be painful to watch Worldwide Church of God ministers when many members rise up on Judgment Day and speak out against them for their unrighteous acts before God.

 

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