Straining Out a Gnat and Swallowing a Camel - Self-Examination for Passover

Many of the principles God teaches in the gospel accounts involving Christ's interaction with or instruction about the scribes and Pharisees may apply to the Church of God and some of the ministers today.

One lesson has to do with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in being meticulous about small things but neglecting more important things.

Christ compares this with straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24).

Can this apply to some ministers or members in any of the Church of God fellowships today?

Let me describe a scenario.  You judge if it applies to any fellowship today.  In my opinion, it may apply to several Church of God fellowships today.  If not, then you can judge the scenario as hypothetical.  But it may be useful for self-examination.  Let each person judge if there are lessons that apply to him.

We are approaching Passover, and prior to Passover we need to examine ourselves, so this is an appropriate season for asking ourselves these kinds of questions.  Does the lesson of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel apply to any of us today?

Let's say you have a group of ministers and members that are part of a Church of God fellowship that is doing a work of preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to Israel and the world.  It may not be a perfect organization, and their work may be small or large, but they have an open door for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the nations, even if that door is only open a little, not wide-open as needed.  They are doing a work that is effective and bearing fruit even if only on a small scale.  They are getting baptisms of new people brought in from the work.

This group of ministers and members becomes offended with that organization over some minor matter.  Of course, it doesn't seem minor to them.  But it is small compared to the preaching of the gospel and the Ezekiel warning.  So they leave that organization and form a new fellowship over whatever minor issue offends them.

And, oh, how zealous they are!  They make that issue a test of loyalty to God.

They have high hopes for their new group.  They may even have high hopes that they will do a better job of preaching the gospel than the old organization they came out of.

But as time goes on, the new group does not preach the gospel effectively.  The old organization did better.  Even the issue that caused the split may disappear.  If it was a personality conflict with the leader of the old organization, that leader may depart from the scene.

But though the new group is not effectively preaching the gospel and Ezekiel warning, giving it the priority it should have, and making changes as needed to see to it that they are living the way of life that Mr. Armstrong lived that produced the positive results and fruits he had from God when he preached the gospel, do any members or ministers who have their hearts in the gospel consider leaving, once again, to form a group that really will preach the gospel effectively and give it high priority?  Or do they consider going back to the first organization they left, an organization that is preaching the gospel more effectively than their current group?

Whether they consider it or not, they stay with the statis quo.  They neither go back to the old organization nor leave their current group to form a new group to do God's work.  But why?

For the sake of a minor issue, they separate from a group that is effectively, though on a small scale, getting a warning message out to the nations.  And they form a new group that is effectively doing nothing or at least much less than the first organization.  There is a great unfulfilled need to warn millions of people about a punishment coming that is so severe, 90% or more of the people will die and some will be so hungry that they will eat their own children.

But the ministers in the new group are unmoved by this.  Ninety percent or more dead, parents eating their children?  People not trusting God's love, justice, and fairness because they were never warned till it was too late?  So what?  Who cares?

And what does the new fellowship do with the tithe income they pulled out of the first organization they left?  Preach the gospel?  Or spend it on social activities?  They are ok with tens of millions or hundreds of millions suffering in agony and dying and doubting God's fairness because they were never warned that Christmas and Easter are wrong.  That is ok, as long as the new fellowship can have its social activities now.  We have to give our young people an opportunity to get to know each other and marry in the Church, right?

In this context, the original issue they left over, which seemed important at the time, fades into insignificance.

But what about the big things, the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23)?  Justice means you do everything you can to warn someone so they are not punished for something they do that they don't know is wrong, and mercy means the same thing.  Faith is believing God's word, and that means believing God about the Ezekiel warning He requires we deliver and also believing the Bible about any new knowledge Christ wants to teach us.

And are any of the ministers in the new fellowship, who now see what they did not see when they started, that the new organization is doing almost nothing to get the message out to the nations, willing to step out and stand up for what needs to be done?  No, not so far.

They quit the old organization over a minor issue.  Oh, how courageous they were!  How brave, how fearless, like David with Goliath, when they had a leader who made decisions for them.  What faith they had!  How vigorously they stood up for small things!

But when it comes to something important, like warning the nations, something that can affect if someone enters the kingdom of God eventually or stumbles over not understanding why God did not love them enough (or the Church of God did not love them for that matter) to give them a warning - when it comes to that, where is their bravery?  Where are their guts?  You mean if you step out to do a work as Mr. Armstrong did in 1934, you won't have someone to make decisions for you?  You will have to rely on Christ to guide you as Mr. Armstrong did?  Is that what you are afraid of?

You boast in that you were willing to stand up for the minor issue that incited you to separate from the first organization, but are you willing to stand up for the gospel?  You glory in yourself, but you don't glorify God by getting a warning message out, is that it?

You quit one organization when it was easy, but are you willing to do it again when it is hard?

We must be courageous to do God's will (Revelation 21:7-8, Matthew 25:25-30).

To him who knows to do good, but does not do it, it is sin. "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

Whether my description of the scenario above accurately applies to any fellowship, you judge.  I can see certain patterns, but I don't know all details and I cannot read minds to know intents and motives.  But it provides food for thought.  Count it as hypothetical if you want.  But it illustrates a point.

Let each individual who reads this examine the matter in light of his own circumstances and things he knows.  None of what I say is based on insider knowledge or correspondence, only on the Bible and the same public information all of you have access to.  Everyone can draw his own conclusions and form his own judgments.

And if someone decides to separate, the separation can be peaceful.  It should be, if possible.  That is the best way.  Leaders can simply agree to disagree and agree to peacefully pursue different approaches.  God even endorses the idea of trying different things to see what works.  (Ecclesiastes 11:6).  So you can have two groups that have two different views and policies on how to do the work, and they can be peaceful with each other, each trying the way that they think is God's will.  Paul even indicated that people with different views on eating meat offered to idols should not judge each other, but let each man be content in his own opinion.  "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.  One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:4-5).

So let's say you have a group with a leader that says, "The best approach to preaching the gospel is to not consider any changes in doctrine, we'll just stick to what Mr. Armstrong taught and what the Church has taught for years - that is the simplest and best way".  And let's say a minister or elder in that group says to the leader, "God will bless us more and we will be more effective in preaching the gospel if we consider changes in doctrine so we can follow the example of Mr. Armstrong and practice what we preach when we tell the public to learn new things from the Bible".  Now let's say, the minister says to the leader, "I want to peacefully separate and raise up a new group so I can try the approach I think will work best".  The leader, if he is willing that the separation be peaceful, can say, "Go ahead, and let me know if I can help you with any information or advice. I hope and pray that one of us is successful, maybe both of us. Let there be peace between us, and may God show us His will".

That would be characteristic of brotherly love, right?

This doesn't usually happen in the Church of God.  Why?  Because we do not have the brotherly love that is supposed to be characteristic of Philadelphia.  Why not?  Because we are in the Laodicean era, and most leaders and ministers are not Philadelphian in character.

But I think such a peaceful parting of the ways, with each party trying the approach they think is best and letting God bless the approach that is right in His eyes, is biblical and the right thing to do (Numbers 17:1-9).

Remember, Peter and Paul peacefully agreed to a division of labor between them (Galatians 2:7-10).  

But it takes both parties to make peace, but only one to make war.

"If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18).

If we are to be faithful in small things, we better also be faithful in big things.  If we are zealous over things that do not affect our neighbors, we better be zealous over things that have a tremendous effect on our neighbors and the mental and physical suffering they will endure, and even their eternal lives.

If we are faithful in easy things, we should be faithful in hard things.

This is a very appropriate subject to think about and to use to exam ourselves between now and Passover in preparation for taking Passover in a worthy manner.  The principles of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel, even apart from the scenario I described, can be a good subject for self examination for everyone in all COG fellowships.

In your life, what major matters, weightier matters of the law, are you ignoring for the sake of small matters, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel?

Jonah tried to run from his responsibilities.  God dealt harshly with him and made him do it.  When words don't work, God sometimes uses action to prod us to action (Hebrews 12:5-14, Revelation 3:19).

Let us fear God and do His will early.  That is the best way.


For further reading on the subject of the need for an ordained minister or local elder to raise up a faithful fellowship, if there is no faithful fellowship right now, read section "Have Zeal for the Gospel and the Ezekiel Warning" in my last post dated April 2, 2025 titled, "How to Protect Yourself from Deception".

How to Protect Yourself from Deception

Christ warns us to be on guard against spiritual deception, and prophecy warns that there is a great deception coming (Matthew 24:4-5, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 13:1-14, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).  There have been sermons given suggesting how we can protect ourselves from deception, but I feel there are important points that are being missed.  Thus this post.

The first thing to realize is that Satan is the deceiver and he is more powerful than any human being.  He is able to deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9).  We are only able to escape his deception because God works with us, first with the Holy Spirit with us when He calls us and later with the Holy Spirit in us when we are converted.  It is God, through the Holy Spirit, that enables us to know the truth and escape being deceived by Satan.  On our own, without God's help, we have no chance.  On our own, we will be deceived.  See 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, and 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

Therefore, the most important factor is the degree to which God helps us.  If God wants to severely correct us, to teach us a strong lesson for our long-term good, He can allow Satan to deceive us long enough to fall into the great tribulation, and then let us wake up when it is too late to go to the place of safety.

God corrects our faults.  He gives us according to our works.  What we sow, God will see to it that we reap.  This is for our good.  He wants us to experience the fruits of our doings, good or bad.  God teaches us this way.  It is a learning thing.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who 'will render to each one according to his deeds' " (Romans 2:5-6).

"For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way" (Job 34:11).

"Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work" (Psalm 62:12).

"If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?" (Proverbs 24:12).

"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10).

"You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 32:19).

This is the basic principle behind all of these points.



Don't Deceive Others


This is a simple point.  If you do not want to be a victim of other people's (or Satan's) lies, don't lie to others.

You want to tell someone a lie?  You want to deceive someone?  Go ahead.  God may say to you, "Ok, you believe in lying, let's see how you like it. Let's see how you like being lied to. I will let others lie to you, and you will believe their lies. I will let Satan deceive you, and you won't wake up till you are in pain that you cannot escape from. What you sow, you will reap. You sow lies, you will reap lies. I am going to let you experience the consequences of you own ways".  

For an example of God teaching the lesson of lying to someone who lies, study the life of Jacob.  He lied to his father to get the blessing.  See how much he later became a victim of lies.  He was deceived by Laban about his wife.  He was lied to by his sons about Joseph being killed, and he suffered needlessly about this.



Believe and Live by the Bible First


God clearly teaches us to live by every word of God, the whole Bible in other words (Matthew 4:4).  He teaches us to believe and trust Him and His word more than man.  We have the example of Herbert W. Armstrong, and Loma, who believed God more than their churches and obeyed God more than any man, church, or religious leader.

We must do the same.  Only God and His word, the Bible, are 100% trustworthy.  Man can sin, any man, and man can make mistakes.  If we want protection from religious deception, we must believe the Bible first.  We must make it our way of life to believe what God says in the Bible more than we believe any leader, minister, tradition, or church, even in the true Church of God.

We can make mistakes in understanding the Bible.  But God looks at the heart.  If our attitude is right, if we are trying to believe and obey God more than man, God can be patient with our mistakes and guide us into all truth (John 16:13).  This will protect us from serious deception.  But if we disobey God's instructions by believing man, any man, more than God's word, God can let us reap what we sow - if we believe man, who is deceitful, more than God who is true, God can let men, inspired by Satan, deceive us.  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children" (Hosea 4:6).

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments" (Psalm 111:10).

"And he [Abram] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

"For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness' " (Romans 4:3).

"And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God" (James 2:23).

"Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.  Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him" (Isaiah 51:1-2).

Along this line, we should listen to warnings.  Warnings are given in love to help others.  On the other hand, Satan's accusations are for harm.  If someone tries to warn us, in writing or verbally, in an article or sermon, or face-to-face, we should consider what is said and compare it with the Bible.  If it is true, we should heed it, but if it is in error, we should not believe and follow the error.  The Bible is the test (1 Thessalonians 5:21, Acts 17:10-12).

But to do this we need a humble and open mind.  Vanity and pride are the enemies of wisdom.  Lucifer lost or corrupted his wisdom when he became vain and proud of his beauty (Ezekiel 28:17).  So to have the wisdom to not be deceived, seek humility, and listen to advice with an open mind.  "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14).  



Have Zeal for the Gospel and the Ezekiel Warning


God has given us precious knowledge others do not have.  He has commanded us to share that knowledge by preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to others who do not have that knowledge.

God gave us this knowledge, not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others that we share it with.  "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:7-8).

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

If we misuse the knowledge God has given us by selfishly holding on to it for ourselves, trying to make ourselves "ready", but not sharing it by effectively preaching it to others, God can take it away from us.  He can let us be deceived.  God has sacrificed to give us this knowledge, but if we do not sacrifice to share it, He can take it away.  We can lose it.  We can fall away.  Paul understood this.  "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).  The parables of the talents show this also (Matthew 25:14-30).  A good tree bears good fruit, but if a tree does not bear good fruit, it can be cut down (Matthew 7:19).

God commands that we warn the wicked.  "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11).  "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: 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. 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.  Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul" (Ezekiel 3:17-21).

God is merciful, but He is also just.  If we fail to show mercy to others by sharing the truth God has given us, God will be just to take that truth away from us and let Satan deceive us.  "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13).  God will be merciful to us, but only if we are merciful to others.

We MUST get the warning out.  God commands us, all of us.

To get the warning out, we need the open door promised to Philadelphia.  But to have that open door we need to practice what we preach.  As we tell the public, "Don't believe us, don't believe any church, tradition, or religious leader, believe God, believe your Bible", we must do the same and teach our members the same.  We also need top-down governance, not the voting of men, so Christ can lead us.  We also need zeal for the gospel and Ezekiel warning inspired by love for our neighbors and love for God's name and reputation, to glorify His name by showing His love and fairness to get the warning out to those who do not know they are sinning while there is time for them to escape the coming punishment.

As individuals, we need to seek a fellowship to support that has these characteristics.  

And if there is no such faithful group?

This may sound shocking, but if you are ordained as a minister or local elder, you can baptize and you can raise up a faithful group.  If no one else is doing it, then maybe you need to step up to the plate.

Somebody has to do it.

Sounds scary?  Yes.  But where is your trust in God and zeal for helping others?

If there is no other way to fulfill the commission, how can you refuse?

Do you say, "God has not called me to raise up a new group"?

What?  You think Proverbs 24:11, Ezekiel 3:17-21, and Matthew 28:18-20 do not apply to you?

Do you think this applies to apostles only?  Many leaders of COG fellowships are not apostles, nor do they claim to be.

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Christ gave the command to the apostles, but was it for apostles only or for the whole Church of God?  It could be for the whole Church and Christ spoke to the apostles to give to the Church.

The answer is in Acts 8.  "Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.  Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:1-4).

It was the Church that was scattered, not the apostles who stayed in Jerusalem, who preached the gospel everywhere.  Also, Christ sent out seventy who were not apostles to preach the gospel (Luke 10:1-11).

If there is a faithful group you can support that will have a wide-open door promised to Philadelphia, obey Proverbs 24:11, Ezekiel 3:17-21, and Matthew 28:18-20 by supporting that group.  But if there is none, and you understand the points I am making - if the only way you can fulfill those passages is to raise up a new group - then the ball is in your court.  You have to do it.  You cannot say to Christ in a judgment, "I was not able to do what you commanded in Proverbs 24:11, Ezekiel 3:17-21, and Matthew 28:18-20".  There was a way, but you were afraid to do it (Matthew 25:25).

Now, it may happen, if you raise up a small but faithful group to do the work, that some other ministers will do likewise, and you may have an opportunity after that to join with one of them.  You may not have to carry the ball always on your own.  But somebody has to start.  And you might be the only one.

Am I causing division?  Obedience to God is more important than unity.  Christ Himself said He did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10:34-36). The unity that Christ desires is unity first with Him and the Father.

There will never be unity between Philadelphians and Laodiceans before the tribulation.

There are scattered Philadelphians, I am sure, but they need leadership.  An ordained minister needs to step up.

And if you are able to do it, but refuse, don't complain if God lets you be deceived by Satan because there was something you could have done to share the truth with others, but you didn't do it.

And as far as division in the Church is concerned, separation does not have to be contentious.  It can be peaceful if both sides are willing.  Be willing to separate peacefully.  But if the fellowship you leave wants to make it a battle, that is their choice, not yours.

Does this mean leaving your comfort zone?

Did Christ leave His comfort zone when He was crucified?  Will the millions of people who go through the tribulation leave their comfort zone when some of them eat their children?

Read Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, and learn from his example.  

Read also the book of Jonah.



Do Not Listen to Demon Sources


Satan and his demons are expert liars.  Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).  

God clearly tells us to avoid the occult (Leviticus 19:31, Deuteronomy 18:10-14).  Yet some like to look at non-biblical prophecies, such as Catholic prophecies, which are not inspired by God and are either non-inspired or inspired by Satan and the demon world.

If God wants us to know something prophetically, He will tell us in the Bible or through a true prophet, not through demon-inspired prophets.

If we disobey God, who for our own good and protection tells us to stay away from occult sources, and we go to demons to know the future, God will see, and the principle of "what you sow you will reap" can take effect.  God can say, "Ok, you want to listen to demons contrary to my warnings, I will let Satan and the demon world deceive you.  You will be deceived and not wake up until you are in the tribulation, and you will pay a price".

We must believe what God says in the Bible, and we must obey Him and live by every word of God if we want the spiritual discernment to escape deception.



Summary


Here is a summary of my points above.  To protect yourself from being deceived:

1.  Do not lie to others.  Don't practice the way of deception.

2.  Believe what you see in the Bible more than you believe any church, tradition, or man.  Do not let the church or any man interpret the Bible for you, but, as Mr. Armstrong did, let the Bible interpret the Bible.  Believe God.

3.  Be humble and listen to warnings with an open mind.  Compare the warning with the Bible to see if it is true.  Practice humility and purge out pride and vanity in your mind and life.  To avoid deception, you need wisdom, and pride and vanity destroy wisdom.

4.  Have zeal, motivated by love, to get the gospel and warning message out to the millions who need it.  Do what has to be done, within God's law.  Find a Philadelphian fellowship, with a wide-open door, to support.  If there is none, and if you are an ordained minister, if there is no other way, it falls to you to raise up a faithful group to do the work.  Do you love God and your neighbors enough to leave your comfort zone, to do the hard thing?

5.  Avoid pagan, possibly demon-inspired prophecies.  Avoid the occult as God commands.  Be content with the prophecies God gives us in His word, and do not look to Satan to learn more about the future.
 


Further Reading


For further reading related to the subject of this post, see the following in this blog:

March 6, 2010 - Preaching the Gospel - We Reap What We Sow

January 4, 2015 - How Do You Know God Leads Your Understanding of the Bible?

June 21, 2015 - Paradigm Shift from Herbert W. Armstrong to the Father's Call - a Case Study in Progress

February 18, 2016 - Did God Put You Where You Are in the Church, and Should You Stay There?

March 22, 2017 - Preparation for Passover, and Satan's Big Lie to the Church of God

July 25, 2010 - Am I Sowing Discord Among Brethren?

July 29, 2024 - Satan Accuses, God Warns

August 4, 2013 - "Good Intentions", without Believing God, Is a Recipe for Disaster

March 10, 2015 - Two Approaches to Understanding the Bible

January 10, 2018 - Principle of Knowing God's Revelation - How Can One Know the Truth? / How to Preach the Gospel More Effectively

June 28, 2024 - Does God Call Every COG Leader to Discover New Knowledge on His Own?

August 27, 2012 - Renewing an Atmosphere of Faith in the Church of God

June 13, 2012 - Why Should We Believe?

October 21, 2020 - The Best Way to Teach Church Authority

On the subject of our need to avoid reading or listening to pagan prophecies or expressions of the occult evil spirit world, see the following posts:

December 29, 2012 - Robert Thiel Leaves Living Church of God to Start a New COG Group

January 5, 2013 - Don't Play with Fire

January 25, 2013 - Bob Thiel Response and My Reply

January 26, 2013 - Putting Scriptures Together

April 20, 2013 - Why Did God Kill King Saul and Turn the Kingdom over to David?

April 28, 2013 - Do Not Cause Others to Sin

May 5, 2013 - How Should We Prepare to Resist Satan's Deceptions?