«
»

Continuing Church of God first year anniversary: What is being accomplished?


Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

COGwriter

On the Roman calendar, December 28, 2013 marks the one year anniversary of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG). On the afternoon of December 28, 2012, after receiving an improper letter from my former association (see Roderick C. Meredith’s Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel), the Continuing Church of God officially formed.

So, what has been going on and what has been accomplished?

Many groups have claimed that they would be effective in proclaiming the gospel to the world as a witness as required per Matthew 24:14 and 28:19-20, but most of the supposedly hundreds of groups with ties to the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) have been fairly ineffective.

What about the Continuing Church of God?  Well, in its first year, overall, it has been more effective than most of the groups with origins in the old WCG combined.

Within a day or so of its existence, I posted that the Continuing Church of God would reach more people in its first month of existence than any non-GTA group (as he was significant celebrity, I believe he may have reached more in the same time period) Church of God group with ties to the old Worldwide Church of God.  And that happened (see CCOG met COG proclamation goal).

The day after the Continuing Church of God officially formed its first sermon was titled “It’s all about” love.  This sermon explained that God is love, His commandments are love, and the loving/give way of life is what true Christianity is about (see The Philadelphia remnant: it is really all about love).

Within weeks of its existence, the Continuing Church of God put out its first printed magazine (CCOG announces Bible News Prophecy magazine).  And, unlike some others, we have regularly produced our magazines and have not missed an issue.

The final phase of the work has begun.  Change was needed and apparently, similar to the Tkach-period, a radical change with a new organization was needed.

In our first year of existence, God allowed the Continuing Church of God to reach multiple millions via radio (by walking through doors that God opened, I did 15 radio interviews in the past year), over ten million computers with at least part of our message, had over 130,000 views of our two You Tube channels (Bible News Prophecy channel and ContinuingCOG channel)  in over two hundred countries/territories according to YouTube, had around 5,000,000 articles viewed, established congregations in the USA, New Zealand, Kenya, and Tanzania, have supporters in all the continents (other than Antarctica), produced magazines in multiple languages, produced and distributed our our song book (CCOG announces and makes available ‘The Bible Hymnal’), and we have reached people in at least 220 countries and territories around the world according to AWStats.  And, as God wills, it is our intent to reach many more.

The Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God was also produced and is available in other languages.  Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI.  Other languages (Dutch, Jingpho, German, and Mandarin Chinese) are in progress.

Literature

Because of the dedicated support of our volunteer editors in New Zealand and our volunteer translators around the world, we have been able to produce printed literature in multiple languages.  The  Bible News Prophecy magazine is written in English and has been translated into Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog (a Filipino language), Kiswahili (an African language), and Telugu (an Indian language).  We are also looking at other languages.  With the help of our volunteers and co-workers, we believe God is leading us to build a base of information on many subjects in many languages to do the work.

God has opened doors to allow us to be reaching people in the English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Kiswahli, Tagolog (Philippines), and other languages, and have our magazine in four languages now, with currently two other languages in progress (including Telugu, spoken in parts of India; and Kiswahili, understood in parts of Africa). We have also established a separate European website, which we are adding European languages to (we now also have some limited information in French, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, and Serbian). We also are working on information in the German, Jingpho, and Korean languages. We also have limited materials in other languages, as well.

We Christians are to preach “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14), “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19), and ultimately results in followers from “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9; cf. Daniel 7:14). Thus, it makes sense to get materials into whatever languages God will open up to us (cf. Revelation 3:7-8; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12).  We send literature to countries around the world, as well as make it available online.

The gospel must be preached–and we in the Continuing Church of God are doing it.

We now have the first lesson available online of our Study the Bible Course.  This course is highly based upon the original 58 lesson Bible Correspondence Course that began in the 1950s and was put out by the old Radio Church of God.

We need to be able to provide people with helpful information.  As Jesus commanded:

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; (Matthew 28:19-20)

The original 58 lesson Bible Correspondence Course is dated and uses language that many in the 21st century have difficulty with.  It is our hope and prayer that our Study the Bible Course will not only be familiar to people who knew about the old course from the Radio Church of God, but will be of immense assistance to those who do not have a Church of God background.

We plan to have the Study the Bible Course available in multiple languages, and we have already received translations of it into three additional languages (Spanish, French, and Kiswahili) as I write this.  We expect to also get it in Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, and Telugu as there are translators for those languages that have already received the English version to translate from.  We also hope to get other languages, and hope our translators into Dutch, German, and Jingpho will ultimately be able to translate this as well.

We hope to put the course up on various CCOG websites, and have currently done so on the www.ccog.org and www.cdlidd.es websites.

Study the Bible Course

We plan to have one new lesson per quarter in English, and hopefully many other languages as well.

Although it is currently only available in the English language, we were able to produce our own songbook (CCOG announces and makes available ‘The Bible Hymnal’).  Few other COG groups (and none I am aware of) have been able to produce such a songbook in their first eight months of existence.  The songbook has been widely distributed.  We personally brought some to New Zealand, and have freely distributed hundreds of copies in Africa.  Not only because of the songs that it contains, but because of what is written on its back cover, we believe it is an excellent tool to reach people that we would not otherwise be able to reach.

God is using the CCOG to reach people with printed literature.

Personal Visits: Preaching, Helping, and Researching

Much was done with literature and articles related to the preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14) and to teach the words of Jesus (Matthew 24:14).  Pretty much every language we have materials in, there is at least some material related to the gospel of the kingdom.

Since Matthew 28:19-20 says to go to all the world, we have taken this to mean to personally go where God opens doors and opportunities, and not only to rely on the internet, radio, or other media.

In the Spring of 2013, I was able to speak before a group of Sabbath-keepers in a dangerous portion of South America.

In late Spring of 2013, my wife and I were able to visit Italy and Vatican City to perform historical research as well as to prepare messages for our brethren around the world.  We expect to go back there soon to conduct prophetic as well as historical research and hopefully to video one or more messages for the YouTube channels and our brethren.

There were many parts of the message I was able to convey that they had not otherwise heard previously (the group had some distance ties to the Denver-based Church of God Seventh-Day).  In the late Summer and early Fall of 2013, my family and I were able to meet the brethren in New Zealand and provide many messages.

In mid-Fall of 2013, God led me to make my first ever trip to Israel to perform historical and prophetic research, as well as to prepare messages for the YouTube channels and for our brethren around the world.  We also now have made personal contact with men in Israel and Jerusalem that may prove to be valuable in the future.

Hopefully, by or in early Spring of 2014, I will be able to visit with some of our leaders in Africa.  Those in Kenya and Tanzania have frequently asked me to visit, and I plan to try to do so.  Additionally, I have received requests from other parts of the world to visit and if it is God’s will, hopefully I will be able to do those as well.

Currently in Kenya, various members, leaders, and potential groups have been visited by one or more leaders associated with the Continuing Church of God.  God has also blessed the CCOG with the ability to support orphans and the poor in Africa.

We hope to establish more congregations in Africa and elsewhere in 2014.

God is using the CCOG to reach people by way of personal contact.

The Mission of the Continuing Church of God

What is the mission of the Continuing Church of God?  The following is from the Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God:

THE MISSION

The Church’s mission is to proclaim and promote Christ’s Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14) and all that implies, including leading the final phase of the work.

Here are seven specific parts of the mission of the Continuing Church of God:

1. To preach the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14) and salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 4:10,12; Romans 1:13).

2. To preach the end-time biblical prophetic warnings, including about the coming Great Tribulation, to the descendants of Jacob and others in this age (e.g. Ezekiel 3 and 33; Matthew 24:4-51) as we strive to lead the final phase of the work.

3. To preach Philadelphian love (Revelation 3:7-12; James 2:8; John 13:35; Hebrews 13:1), feed the flock (Matthew 28:19-20), and encourage all to build character through growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

4. To be examples (Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 1:7) and witnesses (Matthew 24:14) to the world in general, as well as other Christians.

5. To learn and practice the words and commands of Jesus in all our dealings with others (John 13:35; 15:14).

6. To restore knowledge of more of the truths of original Christianity (Jude 3; Matthew 17:11; Acts 18:26).

7. To teach that Christians should be led by the Holy Spirit and pursue love, mercy, judgment, faith, justice, and the other gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:1-14:1; Matthew 23:23; Galatians 5:22-25).

Teaching the truth and love of the word of God to the world in general and those called in this age in particular (Matthew 28:19-20) is the mission of the Continuing Church of God.

Notice that one of the goals of the Continuing Church of God is “To restore knowledge of more of the truths of original Christianity (Jude 3)” according to our mission statement and that is part of what we are striving to do–much research has been done into the beliefs and practices of the early first and second century Christians.  We have been serious, as well as successful, in proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God and His son Jesus the Christ.

The New Testament also says to continue.  Continue what?:

32 continue with the Lord (Acts 11:23)
43 continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13:43)
22 exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)
22 continue in His goodness. (Romans 11:22)
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it (Colossians 4:2)
15 continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:15)
16 Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:16)
14 you must continue in the things which you have learned (2 Timothy 3:14)
1 Let brotherly love continue. (Hebrews 13:1) or more literally, Let Philadelphia continue.

And we are to be “continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT) which is also what we in the Continuing Church of God are striving to do.

Doctrinal and Prophetic Clarity

The Bible distinguishes between those that have the love of the truth (Matthew 24;24), those that do not (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12), and those who need assistance (cf. Acts 18:26).

Along those lines, we in  the Continuing Church of God have clarified a variety of doctrinal and prophetic matters in order to explain “the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).

On the doctrinal side, we have more clearly laid out, with more scriptures than have tended to be used historically, God’s plan of salvation.  An article was expanded titled Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis, plus a five-part sermon videos was prepared: Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love  and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved?  A major difference between the most faithful in the genuine Church of God and the Greco-Roman counterfeits is that we do realize that the Bible has a different plan of salvation than that which is commonly believed.  By pointing out hundreds of scriptures that demonstrate this, this provides a true witness to God’s plan, including His coming Kingdom (which was also discussed in the sermons).

Prophetic errors that many have related to the man of sin (see Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? and/or watch Who is the Man of Sin?), the falling away (see The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings and/or watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others), church eras (see The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 and/or watch The Seven Church Eras of Revelation), etc. will prevent many from truly understanding various end time events.  Therefore, we produced articles and videos on these and other topics to assist all who will listen (2 Timothy 4:2; Galatians 1:6; Revelation 3:6,13,22).  Many of these articles have also been translated into languages other than English.

People who misunderstand key elements of prophecy will have difficulty with the following admonitions from Jesus:

33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning —   36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:33-37)

34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)

Of course, there are also numerous articles at this Church of God News page which also assists with that.  But having the correct understanding of various biblical prophecies is important and we in the Continuing Church of God “have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

There are also prophetic subjects that many are unsure of or refuse to boldly teach (the position of a certain group on Habakkuk 2 comes to immediate mind) that we boldly proclaim (Habakkuk: His message is for us now).

Here is a list of some matters where the Continuing Church of God has published it differs from my former association as CCOG believes:

  1. That the word of God and not Protestant commentaries should be the basis for changing doctrine (it remains my view that the “falling away” logic of a particular group was primarily based upon Protestant interpretations, overlooked a lot of what HWA’s church taught about it, and was not consistent with many scriptures in the Bible).
  2. The Falling Away on 2 Thessalonians 2:3 mainly has to do those affiliated with the COG (see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).
  3. That the leader of CCOG keep his word, as should the leaders of other COGs.
  4. That since a prophet is higher in “spiritual authority” than an evangelist, that those who believe in hierarchical governance would support a prophet of God over an evangelist, irrespective of how long he has been an evangelist.
  5. That faith is not the first step towards salvation, but that God calls and send out His messengers to teach the word of God, and then comes faith.
  6. That it is inappropriate to suggest that those that do not agree to an unscriptural doctrinal change have somehow been led by or blinded by Satan (see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).
  7. That it is not necessary to rebuild a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem before Jesus returns (see also Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).
  8. That literature corrections and/or retractions should be made when known (some of them are in this post).
  9. That the COG must be bolder in certain areas if it wants to fulfill Matthew 24:14 (see also The Final Phase of the Work).
  10. Matthew 18:15-17, about going to your brother to try to resolve a matter before going public with it, applies to leaders and members.
  11. That institutional idolatry is still wrong and that proper church governance does not include being loyal to a church or leader’s teachings which contradict scripture (see also The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government).
  12. That it is wrong to knowingly send out tens of thousands of booklets with admitted and known errors for several years of church history and other matters (see also October 2012 Emails Related to GCA Booklet).  We in CCOG expose the truth about, and do not perpetuate, Catholic myths about aspects of church history, like some have sadly chosen to do.
  13. That it is wrong to continue to have one or more known errors/contradictions in an Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, but still keep it unchanged for years after learning what they are (one is a seeming contradiction within the Statement, and the others are covered in points 4 and 18, though point four I had not brought that up before, but wanted to when I first noticed it). (See also December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG’s Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs.)
  14. That Philadelphians should expect persecution (Daniel 11:28-35; Revelation 12:13-14; see also Persecutions by Church and State) and not excessively pull-back proclamation to avoid it (I was specifically told that some, who I will not mention now by name, were afraid I, Bob Thiel, could trigger end time persecution).
  15. That improving literature and doctrinal errors will greatly assist in the final phase of the work. (Briefly, what this refers to is when the COG publicly identifies the King of the North and media coverage gets generated, the Catholic scholars will tear through COG literature and find many, simple-to-fix errors that will hurt the COG’s credibility.  My being distant from my former association means that I will not have to apologize for why a group that supposedly has enough of the “love of the truth” kept publishing known and serious errors. And several of those errors perpetuate Catholic myths. This could greatly damage the credibility of God’s work.)
  16. It has a better grasp of the final phase of the work. (Briefly, basically this begins no later than when the King of the North is identified and continues until Jesus returns–it has multiple parts including fulfilling Matthew 24:14–which may happen because of related media attention, persecution, the angels’ messages of Revelation, the two witnesses, and supporting those witnesses. If John Ogwyn was correct about the “short work” on Romans 9:28, this could possibly, temporarily swell the ranks of the COG prior to the persecution.)
  17. Jesus is present at Passover (Matthew 18:20; 26:26-27; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; LCG’s Passover DVD for 2012 stated that Jesus was not present).
  18. People should be more loyal to the word of God and leaders that God appoints than a corporation.
  19. Ignatius’ writings did not do away with the Sabbath (see Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath).
  20. Various divorce and remarriage (D&R) matters. Though since I have only been married once (we have been married for 32 plus years, and are not planning on divorcing), this was not a major personal item, but has long been a concern.
  21. That adultery, does not mean multiple adultery, as far as Jesus’ words about divorce go.
  22. Marriages performed by the ministry are not to include believers to unbelievers per 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (unless certain other biblically-sanctioned reasons are present; e.g. Deuteronomy 22:28).
  23. That the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s troubles, does not start at Daniel 11:40 when the King of the South pushes at the King of the North–it starts the prior verse (this is something that still needs to be corrected in the Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs and is an error many have known about for years; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016?).
  24. Do not believe that any in the ministry should promote the sport of American Football (the Bible, in Romans 13:9-10 clearly teaches “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”). HWA also specifically warned against this violent sport (see Is American Football Evil?). There are also other “love” issue matters.
  25. While the Bible seemingly allows for eating out while traveling (Matthew 12:1-8) and certain emergencies (Luke 6:3-5), that it does not condone regular eating out in restaurants on the Sabbath for those who are at their homes (cf. Nehemiah 10:30-31).
  26. That the “mark of the Beast” includes idolatry and likely a physical object, and is not limited to Sunday worship.
  27. That the “word of the law” needs to be preached as part of the Feast of Tabernacles every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-13; cf. Nehemiah 6:73;7:1-3,8,13-17; Joshua 8:34; see also The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law). This has been conveyed to those given sermons at the CCOG Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2013.
  28. That Habakkuk 2 clearly is referring to these end times and thus has prophetic applicability to the Anglo-descended nations (see also Habakkuk: His message is for us now).
  29. Some of the prophecies in the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 10:5-11) seem to use the term ‘Samaria’ to refer to the modern United States of America.
  30. That Matthew 28:19 is part of the Bible and needs to be part of the baptismal ceremony (see also Is Matthew 28:19 in the Bible?).
  31. That the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2 is the first beast, the final King of the North, and not the second beast, the false prophet (see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?; or, in English, see the You Tube video Who is the Man of Sin?).
  32. That God is restoring “all things” (Matthew 17:11; Jude 3; see also Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God and The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law).

Other doctrinal and church history matters were also clarified in 2013, with more scriptural understanding expected in 2014 (cf. 2 Peter 3:18).

Warnings From Isaiah and Ezekiel

The Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel wrote the following:

1 “Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.  (Isaiah 58:1)

4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:4-9)

16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 3:16-19)

In addition to various articles, notice the following videos from the Bible News Prophecy channel and the last one from the ContinuingCOG channel (which discusses the most commonly broken commandment):

As per Isaiah 58:1, we are bold and willing to address the sins of the house of Jacob that are so prevalent in Western and other lands. Other sins related to substance abuse, corruption, dishonesty, have also been covered in articles in our ContinuingCOG channel and/or posts at COGwriter.com and/or various sermons available at the ContinuingCOG channel.

Serving our Scattered Brethren and Potential Brethren

Unlike some groups that formed where members frequently followed ministers out of other groups, the Continuing Church of God did not start that way.  Basically, God called scattered individuals from around the world who began to express interest and chose to support us.

Since the weekly Sabbath is a holy convocation (Leviticus 23:3) as are the various holy days (Leviticus 23), one of the first challenges we faced was to provide “meat in due season” (cf. Luke 12:42, KJV) and to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2) to those interested and potentially interested.

Well with people scattered in all around the world, how can they best be served?  Well, in addition to having men speak live in Africa and the South Pacific, some type of internet-based service seemed to be appropriate.

So, with that in mind, we had a weekly service proposed the Sabbath after we formed.  Now, our normally weekly Letter to the Brethren has a suggested Sabbath service format (with links to sermons, sermonettes, and normally related articles) for each Sabbath.  It also has links to actual music and songs.  The weekly letter also has news of the work and world news items of biblical interest–it is basically a small weekly e-newspaper with links.

Additionally, we have produced additional services for the Holy Days, as well as for Passover.  This way, those who have access to the internet, or know people with access to the internet, can benefit from our messages (we even had to send some hand made DVDs and CDs to the Philippines to help those there that did not have access).

In total, at least 125 different videos were prepared and uploaded for the scattered and potential brethren, as well as to reach others as a witness.  It is a lot of work to put so many together and God has granted me the honor of being over 120 of them.

Also in 2013, to help with financial burdens, we applied for and received approval of our tax-exempt status by the State of California and the nation of New Zealand.  We also worked on various administrative matters, which we believe have helped serve our members and scattered supporters.

The CCOG is serving scattered brethren and potential brethren.

Internet Reach and Critics

As mentioned earlier, we have reached people on the internet in over 220 countries and territories.  According to AWStats, Millions of our articles have been viewed this year.  We also have information in multiple languages.

In addition to the home page of the www.ccog.org English language website we have the following, not counting the YouTube channels:

Having a lot of websites is one thing, getting results is another.

The combined international popularity of our websites is higher than most of the allegedly hundreds of COG groups combined.  One of the most accepted rankings of international popularity of websites is put out by a group called Alexa.

Alexa Rank Checker is one of the most accurate and freely available tools to find out how well your site ranks up against millions of other sites on the Web. http://www.seomastering.com/alexa-rank-checker.php viewed 10/31/13

Alexa provides an international ranking of the 20,000,000-30,000,000 or so of the most popular websites in the world. Google, for example, is ranked 1 (the lower the number the higher the rank).

As of this morning, the COGwriter.com website had an Alexa ranking of 102,572.  For comparison purposes, the most popular website of my former association had an Alexa ranking of 329,550.  Basically, this means that more people come and view more information more often at CCOG websites than all the websites (YouTube sites notwithstanding) of my former association. While Alexa rankings are not the same as raw data as sources like AWStats collects, Alexa (as an independent third party) attempts to approximate how popular websites are in the world.  It attempts to look at one-time visitors, repeat visitors, how long visitors spend at the websites, how many articles they view, etc.  Basically, how truly effective a website has been in its international reach.  Perhaps it should be added that Alexa also reports that people who go to COGwriter.com view more articles per visit, and spend three times as long viewing materials at COGwriter.com than the most popular website of my former association.  Does God not want people to gain more of the truth?  Should not that then be our be a criteria to focus on?

And on a per member basis, based upon results from AWStats, etc., the effectiveness of CCOG websites appears to greatly exceed that of any other COG site.  But even on a total basis, CCOG is more effective than nearly all the COG groups on the internet.

Of course, some do not care for those results and often discount them or malign the work of the  Continuing Church of God.

Too often, we receive various false accusations about leaders associated with the Continuing Church of God.  Last week, I received at least two emails from people pretending to be people I knew who leveled accusations against a leader we are working with in Kenya.  When I questioned them (as I could tell that the email addresses they used were different from those of the people they claimed to be; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15), they went away.  And when I checked with one of those that supposedly contacted me (through his proper email address), he verified that he had NOT used the other email address, hence someone was pretending to be him.  Hence, I ignored the complaints put forth by proven liars and accusers of the brethren.

Of course, not all the false accusations come from people who pretend to be other specific people.  I recently became aware that a ‘minister’ in my former association has been posting a variety of improper explanations, false statements, and innuendos against me.  He also was less than pleased that I posted the actual Alexa popularity rankings of his church’s websites.

He claimed that I (and/or others affiliated with CCOG) somehow manipulated our websites to ‘cheat’ and get a better Alexa ranking.  But, we did not do that.  He also tried to claim that our Alexa rankings could not be trusted because we took steps to essentially ‘cheat,’ which of course we did not do (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15).

He then, in addition to various innuendos against me, decided to try confuse people with red herring arguments.  He admitted (as anyone could look up themselves) that our website beat all of his church’s based upon Alexa popularity ranking.  But, apparently afraid that this would make his church look inferior, then attempted to cloud the issue by bringing up rankings and other points that do not matter much as far as scriptures such as Matthew 28:19-20 are concerned.

For one example, he claimed, correctly, that his church has a better Quantcast ranking.  The problem with that is that I again proved this week from another independent site, that Quantcast dramatically under counts the results at COGwriter.com (we have 3-6 times the amount of USA visitors that Quantcast estimates), which since it is unreliable, I do not use.  Furthermore, what Quantcast does is measure one-time USA visitors to a website.  Now, that is something that web advertising (which his church uses extensively at times) does.  Quantcast does not really measure repeat visitors, number of articles viewed, length of time one visits, etc.  Remember that Jesus, in Matthew 28:19-20, did not say to go into one country and see if people will visit a website once.  Jesus taught to go into ALL the world and preach ALL things that He commanded.  A ranking like Alexa attempts to do that, yet one like Quantcast does not.  Quantcast is also mainly a consumer marketing measure (as is “Compete” another flawed ranking system he referred to).

The same minister correctly claimed that his group had more Facebook ‘likes’ than CCOG.  This is true as CCOG does not have a Facebook presence.  But even if we did, the reality is that his church told their members (on multiple occasions) to go to their Facebook page and ‘like’ it.  This is an attempt to directly manipulate data–which his church has done.  Yet, he accused CCOG of doing that.  This is blatant hypocrisy.

He also brought about various measures and indicated that CCOG was only ahead of his church on one, Alexa (which is kind of the main one that counts, but he tried to suggest otherwise).

The reality is that although his church spends probably 50-100 times more on the internet than CCOG does, that with the independent measurement that counts the most, CCOG is much more popular.  God is using CCOG in a powerful way to call many to fulfill His will in this final phase of the work.

Furthermore, perhaps it should be noted that CCOG adds more content to its websites on a regular basis than perhaps any other actual COG group (there is one group that may provide more materials, but I am not convinced they are truly COG).  We also seem to be adding more topics, hence fulfilling Jesus’ commission to be “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Additionally, we may be providing more Spanish content in the past couple of months than any other COG group has been.  Because we are competing?  No, because we strive to go through doors that Jesus opens for us (Revelation 3:7-8).  There are several measures that show that CCOG is having significant internet reach.  But most critics do not seem to truly value the truth.

The New Testament teaches:

41 ‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.'” (Acts 13:41)

And we in CCOG have been declaring it.

One email I received from a supporter suggested that I not bother with critics who attempt to spread false information and improper innuendo, but instead focus on proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.  Well, that indeed Matthew 24:14 is my focus, as until earlier this month I had been unaware of how many attacks the minister mentioned above had been making.  Yet, all should understand that the message of the kingdom of God includes the truth will defeat the deceit of Satan and all who follow his lies. Additionally as the Apostle Paul wrote, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1).  I also believe that Matthew 18 applies, and that was another reason I decided some responses were necessary

I flat-out believe that one of the reasons that CCOG is leading the final phase of the work and the COG group I was once part of cannot, is that my former association values numerous organizational objectives above the truth.  Just because various ones in the COGs do not wish to believe the truth, does not mean it is not the truth.  Jesus condemned people who thought that they were God’s people because they would not believe it when He told the truth (John 8:45).  Yet, the truth will win out (cf. John 8:32).  (See also Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders?)

The CCOG is reaching people over the internet.

By God’s Spirit

Since CCOG has no externally-paid full-time staff and a miniscule budget, how can it be as successful as it has been?

Many critics scoff, but it is by God’s power that the work of proclaiming the gospel (Matthew 24:14) will be completed:

5 “Look among the nations and watch —
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you. (Habakkuk 1:5)

6 So he answered and said to me:

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”‘”

8 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

9 “The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple;
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?  (Zechariah 4:6-10)

Brethren, it will be those who are part of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God that will do this.  And specifically, those currently supporting, as well as those who will later support, the Continuing Church of God.

Speaking of those that despise “the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10), many scoffers have scoffed that I was anointed with oil by an ordained COG minister who asked God to grant me a double-portion of His Spirit.  It is by God’s Spirit that the work will get done (Zechariah 4:6).

We in the CCOG have tried to “walk by faith and not by sight” as  the Apostle Paul taught (2 Corinthians 5:7), and hence believe that the results we have attained are from God’s Spirit and blessings.

Various critics throughout the year have stated that I am a self-appointed and/or false prophet.  The fact is that too many rely on traditions of men and simply will not believe how God works.  But to briefly rehash this, years ago a particular presiding evangelist told me that God may consider me to be a prophet.  I counseled with the ministry, and despite being told that I could be without further anointing, I was not comfortable accepting that.  After I prayed that if God wanted me to better fulfill a prophetic role that something would happen on a trip to North Carolina in December 2011, a minister anointed me with oil and prayed that I would be granted a ‘double-portion’ of God’s Holy Spirit which he told me was reminiscent of the ordination of the prophet Elisha and the passing of the mantle (2 Kings 2:9-13; more details are in the article How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God).

Just like Elisha (2 Kings 2:9), I asked and received.  But aren’t dreams associated with prophets?  Well the Bible says that there can be (Acts 2:17-18).  And not only did I have one that was confirmed with the CCOG, so did Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand (Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God)–“so we have the prophetic word confirmed” (2 Peter 1:19).  Jesus reminded people “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established’ (Matthew 18:16).  The witness is there, yet many discount what the Bible teaches.

The Bible also teaches:

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20)

Yet because of false prophets and the reliance on traditions, many still do.  Many do not seem to realize that God is real, so real that He still uses dreams and His Spirit to accomplish His work.  God’s Spirit is working in the Continuing Church of God to allow us to lead final phase of the work.

The CCOG is reaching people because of God’s Spirit and has been doing a work that many will not believe, even though they are being told.

Fruits

In the first year since the formation of the Continuing Church of God, multiple millions have been reached.  As far as baptisms go, approximately 20% of people I have personally met in the Continuing Church of God were baptized by me, had hands laid on related to baptism by me, and/or I at least was involved in the decision to baptize them.

Jesus said:

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  (Matthew 7:18-20)

37 Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. (John 18:37)

We in the Continuing Church of God stand for the truth and have the type of prophetic fruits (How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God ) and proclamation fruits that Jesus referred to.

Various ones, however, have ignored the truth, resorted to misinformation and/or innuendo.  But that is not unheard of as the late Herbert W. Armstrong published:

PERSECUTORS HAVE CALLED me a “false prophet.” Now how would you KNOW whether the accusation IS true- or false?…

Actually, it probably is not very important to you to know whether my persecutors are right or wrong, when they call me dirty names, hurl epithets, resort to innuendo, impute sinister motives, strive to discredit, attempt character assassination. What is important to YOU is whether what you read in The PLAIN TRUTH really is the truth – whether what you hear over The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast is true- not whether I , as an individual, am true or false.

I think our readers know by now that we always say: ” DON’ T believe what we say because you believe in us.” We say ” Listen with open mind, without prejudice, then CHECK UP in your own Bible-prove whether it is true, and BELIEVE what you find proved!” I don’t seek to induce people to believe in ME- I seek to lead them to believe in JESUS CHRIST! (Armstrong HW. Personal from the Editor. Plain Truth, May 1966, pp. 2)

We in Continuing Church of God (CCOG) urge people to believe the truth and check it out.  We have information on numerous websites and two YouTube channels. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, and sadly many these days prefer to rely on improper accusations and will not truly check us out to see if what we are teaching is true (including our responses to accusations).

CCOG has demonstrated the proper fruits.

Some Similarities and Differences to Herbert W. Armstrong and the Start of the Radio Church of God

In the past year, it has been of some interest to see certain parallels between Herbert W. Armstrong and his separation from the Church of God Seventh Day (CG7) and mine from the Living Church of God (LCG).

Well before he was ordained, his wife had a dream about him doing the work.  Well before I planned to start the CCOG, I had a dream, and later, so did Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand.  Herbert Armstrong relied on his wife’s dream as partially proof that God approved and ordained what he did; we too in CCOG rely on the two dreams we had as partially proof that God approved and ordained what we have done (Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God).  Of course, any can claim to have dreams that were confirmed by subsequent events, but we in CCOG also teach the truth of God and have gone through the doors that God has opened for us–as Herbert Armstrong tried to do.

Some have challenged my anointing as a prophet, but parts of Herbert Armstrong’s baptism could be challenged (he did not seem to have hands properly laid upon him by one with the Holy Spirit until he was later ordained as a minister).  It was not until decades later, when he began to get more of a following, that people decided that he may have been an apostle.

Herbert Armstrong did not set out to be a preacher, and neither did I.  Although he had a following in CG7, as did I in LCG, relatively few came with him.  And for many years, no one would even keep the Holy Days with him, and although we in CCOG had some attend with us in various countries, the amount was not massive.  Herbert Armstrong wrote nearly all the articles in the Plain Truth magazine for years and I have written nearly all the articles in the Bible News Prophecy magazine.  Herbert Armstrong was regularly on the radio, as have I.  Herbert Armstrong believed that he was led to start and lead the Philadelphia-era of the Church of God, and I to lead the final phase of it.

Herbert Armstrong left CG7 after concluding that they would not correct certain doctrinal errors, and that it was futile to continue to try to get them to do even that which they agreed to.  I had the same experience with LCG (those who wish to know can prove that LCG was not right on the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2, the falling away, and perpetuating Catholic myths on aspects of church history, to cite three examples).  Herbert Armstrong also concluded that CG7 did not have the proper zeal and love of the truth to finish the work of Matthew 24:14; that was also my conclusion about LCG.  Herbert Armstrong left CG7 despite its much larger size, I also did so regarding LCG.  Ministers did not leave CG7 to follow Herbert Armstrong at first, and ministers did not initially leave LCG to follow me and support CCOG.

Many will point out that CCOG is small, yet so was Herbert Armstrong’s Radio Church of God.  Actually, a year after our formation we put out more magazines, seemingly have reached more people, and seem to have more supporters than he had after his first year.

Of course, many have claimed to have the mantle.  The difference is that the CCOG is being led by God’s Spirit to lead the final phase of the work.  And we have the proper priorities and fruits to demonstrate it for those who have eyes to see and ears to here.  Sadly, many, even in the Church of God are too complacent and unwilling to make the changes that Jesus admonishes (Revelation 3:14-22).

We have had a productive first year in the Continuing Church of God.  We have much more to do.  Please pray as Jesus instructed:

37 “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Teaching the truth and love of the word of God to the world in general (Matthew 24:14) and those called in this age in particular (Matthew 28:19-20) is the mission of the Continuing Church of God. You can click here for Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God.

In our first year, CCOG has reached multiple millions around the world, stood for and held fast to the truth, fed the flock, walked by faith, and proven it is committed to going through doors that God has opened (Revelation 3:7-13).

The final phase of the work has begun and the past year is demonstrating that it has.

More about the Continuing Church of God can be found at www.ccog.org.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma español: ¿Por qué Bob Thiel dejó la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?)
Roderick C. Meredith’s Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel On 12/28/12, Dr. Meredith sent out a letter with accusations against Bob Thiel. While this led to the formation of the Continuing Church of God, Dr. Thiel decided to address more of the details of the charges on 11/27/13. Here is a version in the Spanish language Respuesta a una carta del Dr. Roderick C. Meredith fechada el 28 de diciembre, 2012.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders?
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like the beliefs held of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章，其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中，准备添加到这个网站中。
CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.
CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 28th, 2013 at 8:45 am and is filed under COG News.



Get news like the above sent to you on a daily basis

Your email will not be shared. You may unsubscribe at anytime.