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Though it traces its history from Acts 2, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) was officially declared on December 28, 2012, to be established as a corporation sole (see also Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God and Why is the Continuing Church of God a corporation sole?).

When my wife Joyce and I decided we had to separate from our former COG group (LCG), we had to walk out on faith.

We could have possibly lost our business and livelihood as running CCOG takes much time away from our business.

We considered the cost, but through God’s grace our business has continued even as we have worked untold hours on an unpaid basis for CCOG.

We clearly are not hirelings (John 10:11-13) mainly ministering for a paycheck.

Consider also the following statements from the Apostle Paul:

33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:32-35)

Supporting the weak and poor (cf. Galatians 2:10) is something that Christian leaders are supposed to do.

Sure, biblically, we were aware that I am entitled to a salary (1 Corinthians 9:14), and perhaps one day my wife and/or I will take a salary.

But consider something else that the Apostle Paul wrote:

26 … because of the present distress — that it is good for a man to remain as he is: (1 Corinthians 7:26)

Now, while he was talking about remaining then in marital status (and my marital status is the same as it has been for the last 37 years), it is mainly because of the ‘present distress’ in Africa that I have not taken a salary. Because I have not, we have had funds to send to the poor and hungry as well as to fund what could be called ‘missionary trips,’ as well as producing literature in multiple languages, etc.

Now consider the following:

1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. … 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? (Hebrews 2:1,4)

Dreams can be one of the signs that God uses to bear witness. The Bible records that God often has used dreams to give messages (Genesis 20:3-7, 28:10-17, 31:10-13, 31:24, 37:5-10, 40:5-18, 41:1-32; Numbers 12:6; Judges 7:13-15; 1 Kings 3:5-15; Daniel 2:3-45, 4:4-27, 7:1-28; Matthew 1:20-25, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22; Acts 16:9).

Now, people with a former Worldwide Church of God background generally believed the dream that the late Loma Armstrong had prior to the formation of the Radio Church of God was a sign from God.

Yet, since that dream had multiple parts, and the final part was NOT fulfilled when her husband, the late Herbert W. Armstrong was alive, Philadelphian Christians should have looked for its future fulfillment.

Instead, those who are/became Laodicean have ‘drifted away’ from that. And furthermore, they have tended to discount all dreams.

Dreams are a sign that God has used to confirm ‘Philadelphia.’

The Bible teaches:

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

So, does it not make sense that if God granted a dream to a woman prior to the formation of the Radio Church of God that God could have done that prior to the formation of the Continuing Church of God?

Could dreams and prophets have any place in the Christian Church today?

Well, scripture says yes.

The Bible shows that God most often works with prophets through a dream:

5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream. (Numbers 12:5-6)

Notice that the above says that God’s plan is that He will speak to His prophets in a dream.

This did not end with the New Testament. Notice also the following:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

Despite what the scriptures say, Laodiceans discount dreams and prophets.

But in the CCOG we have not–I and others have had confirmed dreams (see also Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

Notice that Jesus taught that persecution and non-acceptance by religious authorities of prophets has been common:

49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ (Luke 11:49)

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. (Matthew 23:29-32)

When the CCOG was formed, various ones put out false information about me. This form of persecution has continued to this day.

Also when CCOG formed, none of the critics seemed to believe it was possible that the CCOG would grow as it did.

What is the criteria for accepting prophets according to Jesus?

Lack of criticism?

No.

Fruits.

Jesus taught that fruits will identify the true from the false:

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 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 7:15-20)

So, fruits are the criteria Matthew recorded that Jesus set.

Good trees produce a lot of fruit.

Deuteronomy 7:13 refers to people as the fruit of the womb.

If fruits can be defined as people in the Church of God, then CCOG has those.

Since CCOG formed, it has produced the most fruit that way.

To put CCOG in a historical perspective, consider something written decades ago by the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W Armstrong:

Work started

THE WORK of God, which the Church had been added to back up and assist, was started by myself, with only my wife as full time assistant. I started the radio broadcasting program in January, 1934, and The Plain Truth, in February, 1934. The Good News, as the organ for our members, had started earlier in 1933.

The Work GREW. God continued to ADD to His Church such as HE called to back up the GREAT COMMISSION, and to develop the godly, holy and righteous CHARACTER to qualify them to be made kings and priests UNDER CHRIST after His return to earth as KING of Kings at the beginning of the millenial rule.

For 35 years the WORK OF GOD grew steadily at the rate of approximately 30 percent a year. I do not know of any organization, secular or of God, that has shown so remarkable growth, starting from NOTHING financially (though we started with something greater — FAITH in the living Christ HEAD of the Church and the WORK). This Work was built literally on FAITH. The living Christ blessed it richly, even though there was carnal opposition and persecution from the beginning.

UNMATCHED Growth

Read carefully now. As the Work grew, so did the human organization to work UNDER me in getting God’s Work done. Then, after this 35-year unmatched GROWTH with God’s blessing, I made a basic mistake, which I did not then realize was contrary to GOD’S form of organization. It was a detail that NONE in the Church realized was unscriptural.

It happened this way: As the work continued growing and growing, especially after the foundation of Ambassador College, my younger son, Garner Ted, had become converted. Mr. Roderick C. Meredith had entered Ambassador College as a student beginning its third year, fall of 1949. He was developing as a leader under me. He saw the rapid strides my son Garner Ted was making at the time, spiritually. My elder son, Richard D. (Dick), was growing spiritually too, but at a slower more steady rate.

Mr. Meredith began to urge me to make Garner Ted vice president under me, in the Work. I thought it a good suggestion. …

Christ built Work

Now to the CENTRAL TRUTH leading into today’s state of the Work. Brethren, READ THIS SERIOUSLY! Jesus Christ, the living HEAD of God’s Church, started this present era of His Work through me. I DID NOT BUILD THE WORK OR THE CHURCH — the living Christ built it, using me as His instrument and His apostle.

But I made the mistake, unrealizing that mistake, of allowing an office of authority to be injected BETWEEN ME AND THE MINISTRY AND CHURCH!

For the first 35 years of this Work, I was the sole human in supreme command, UNDER CHRIST. There was opposition and persecution — from without — but THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF WHO WAS IN CHARGE! During those 35 years the Church and the Work GREW AND GREW AND GREW! It had Christ’s BLESSING!

I knew that GOD’S FORM OF ORGANIZATION IS FROM THE TOP DOWN. I DID NOT REALIZE that allowing an office of authority to be interjected BETWEEN me and the Church was contrary to God’s form of human organization.

WHAT RESULTED? Great confusion grew in the Church — especially in and around headquarters. “WHO IS REALLY IN AUTHORITY?” many wondered, perplexed. The Work STOPPED GROWING. (Christ Puts Church On Bible Form Of Organization. Good News, June 5, 1978)

Until I saw the above on 12/24/16, I did not realize that according to Herbert W. Armstrong, it was a suggestion by the late Dr. Meredith (of GCG/LCG) that he claimed stopped the church’s growth.

We in CCOG have been more faithful to church government than GCG/LCG. Actually, it was misapplications of church government that allowed for the GCG takeover, and ultimately, my departure from LCG.

The Continuing Church of God has essentially exceeded the 30% growth per year that the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God used to claim it had for decades. Many of those that we have with us did NOT have a WCG background as we reached people others had not. (As far as church governance goes, check out the article The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government.)

This growth in CCOG appears to be unmatched by other groups. It is not that others are not larger, but, other than CG7 which did not have WCG origins, they basically started large–as a split from some group–and none of the groups that are currently larger than CCOG have claimed that 30% per year growth–nor had growth approaching what CCOG has had.

In the 21st century, CCOG has had unmatched growth.

Of the supposedly hundreds of groups who have their origins in the old Worldwide Church of God, the CCOG looks to be the fourth largest; see xWCG group sizes: CCOG appears to be number 4.

[Update 0630 a.m. Since the above report was based on earlier information, and did not include numbers related to our growth in east Africa over the past 6 months, it was low. We received a new report today and actually now have between 4500-5000 congregants. See News of those once affiliated with the Global Church of God, 12/28/18 a.m.]

How come we have been the fastest growing xWCG church?

Well, we have tried to accept the scriptures and have striven to do things God’s way.

But many do not really want to do things God’s way.

Various ones have claimed that having the most growth, to a major decree because of Africans, does not count.

Well, that was basically the same attitude that the Jews had in New Testament times concerning the calling of Gentiles. They did not think that the Gentiles counted.

But the Bible teaches otherwise:

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:27-29)

Furthermore, Laodicean Christians do not seem to understand the following scripture:

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25)

The “fulness of the Gentiles”?

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong taught something about that:

Now study carefully beginning verse 25: “Blindness in part is happened to Israel [HOW LONG? Forever? No — note it], UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” — the end of this age during which God is calling a people from among the gentiles to bear His name (Acts 15:14). And so, says Romans 11:26, “all Israel SHALL BE SAVED [how?]: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” The Deliverer, Jesus Christ, is coming again!

When He comes, the gentile times will be over — the BLINDNESS will be removed from the Israelites — and their opportunity — their FIRST chance — of salvation will then come to those whom God had blinded! This is at the time when He comes to REIGN on HIS THRONE — the throne of David, with the saints made immortal reigning and ruling with Him — and the time is DURING THE THOUSAND YEARS!

Notice verse 31. These blinded Israelites have not now, in this age, received mercy, that through the mercy of the gentiles saved in this age, they MAY, THEN, obtain mercy and salvation. How? Because these saved gentiles will then be kings and priests, assisting in this wonderful Work! (Armstrong HW. Where Will The MILLENNIUM Be Spent? Tomorrow’s Word magazine, September 1971)

So, Herbert W. Armstrong taught that sufficient numbers of Gentiles had to come in before Jesus returned.

Clearly, we are much closer to the time when all the Gentiles are to come in to later be kings and priests than we were in 1971!

If you are not with CCOG does your church teach or understand about this?

Will you believe the Bible or reason around it?

More of the Gentiles had to be called–and that is happening–and not just in Africa, but also in Asia, Latin America, the South Pacific, etc.

The end does NOT come until the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ reaches enough nations (Matthew 24:14) and the ‘full number’ (as the NIV, NLT, BSB, CEV, GNT, HCSV, ISV, and NET Bible, put Romans 11:25) of Gentiles God wants in this age come in.

By the way, it should be mentioned that I did not go out and seek growth from Africa per se. Basically, what I did was to put out websites, articles, literature, sermons, and messages to reach around the world (Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20), and African leaders contacted me.

For example, in November 2013, Evans Ochieng contacted me. In March of 2014, after checking us out further, he came with the Continuing Church of God. When he came, he came with about 260 people from Kenya and Tanzania. His son Frederick had a dream around then that pointed to having much growth in Africa. He and his father listened to God.

In time leaders from other African countries, who did not know Evans Ochieng (nor about Frederick’s dream), contacted me. We held a conference that many COG leaders from six African countries attended last year.

As of this month, we have about sixteen times as many in Africa than when Frederick Ochieng had his dream. So, the dream was confirmed–Evans Ochieng and I became productive “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

And, we have had leaders of groups from other continents contact us well, which is why the CCOG has people on all inhabited continents (all continents except Antarctica).

Other than growth, and fulfilled dreams, have there been other fruits?

Yes.

We have put out literature in 105 languages (including English) to help fulfill Matthew 24:14 & 28:19-20 in order to also help lead to the fulfillment of Revelation 7:9. To see the list as well as to find the related literature in multiple languages, go to www.ccog.org

We have also put together a list pointing out 38 Laodicean errors in prophetic understanding (see The Laodicean Church Era). Unless the Laodiceans change their views on various prophetic matters, THEY WILL NOT POSSIBLY KNOW WHEN THE GREAT TRIBULATION WILL BEGIN UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE. The listing of prophetic errors in the  Laodicean Church Era article is a prophetic fruit of the CCOG, as is pointing out other doctrinal and prophetic errors that various COGs and non-COG churches hold.

Of course, Laodiceans have their own criteria and not fully God’s (Revelation 3:14-18). Laodicea is made up of two words which essentially mean that “people decide” as opposed to using God’s criteria.

Jesus advises them to open their eyes and repent, but most will not.

Hopefully, you are not one who denies being Laodicean, while clinging to Laodicean errors.

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:24:28

CCOG 6 years: Philadelphians understand scriptures others miss

On December 28, 2012, the Continuing Church of God was declared to begin. What has gone on in these past six years? What are scriptures that Philadelphians seem willing to understand, but that other Christians are not? Does God still use dreams? Is there any role of prophets after the Book of Revelation was written? What are the fruits of a true prophet? Does CCOG have those fruits? What type of reach has the CCOG had? What type of literature has it produced? Is CCOG helping to fulfill Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 13:28-37, and Romans 11:25? Do other churches have serious prophetic and other doctrinal misunderstandings that CCOG does not have? Should Philadelphians support the CCOG?

Here is a link to the sermon: CCOG 6 years: Philadelphians understand scriptures others miss.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 28th, 2018 at 12:01 am and is filed under COG News.

• Dreams, the UK, and the Continuing Church of God
• Sermon: CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia?
• Sermon: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule
• Public Letter from Arthur Topos: CCOG IS THE CONTINUING PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH
• Evangelist Evans Ochieng report and ‘the full number of Gentiles’
• Sermon: CCOG’s Five Years of Listening to God
• Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God
• CCOG after 4 years: Unique start and growth
• ‘THREE Prophetic WARNING DREAMS!!! “BRACE YOURSELVES” [Pastor Dana Coverstone]’
• The Bible, Dreams, and the Continuing Church of God